Joshing With Will Rogers

The Rev. James Whitcomb Brougher Sr., a prominent Los Angeles pastor from 1910 to 1926, and humorist-actor Will Rogers were “joshing” friends even after the Baptist preacher left to pastor a Boston church.

Rogers, who died in a 1935 plane crash, said in a speech at Brougher’s Tremont Temple in Boston that he had just written his epitaph (the classic phrase still quoted): “I have joked about everybody, but I never met a man in my life I did not like.”

Once, when he was in a Broadway play, Rogers invited Brougher to New York to see him. In a monologue during intermission, the cowboy comic introduced Brougher from the audience as a humorist “who lets people laugh right in the middle of his sermons.”

Rogers summoned Brougher to the stage along with another theatergoer, boxing great Jack Dempsey, according to Brougher’s account in his book, “Life and Laughter.”

The minister told the audience that he once had Will Rogers and Jack Dempsey in a Bible class in Southern California.

“One day I announced that I would begin teaching the Epistles next Sunday,” Brougher said. “Turning to Will Rogers, I asked, ‘Will, do you know what the Epistles are?’ ”

Rogers replied, “You bet your life; they’re the wives of the apostles.” Brougher said the class laughed.

“Turning on Jack Dempsey, Will said, ‘You don’t need to laugh, Jack. I’ll bet you five dollars you can’t say the Lord’s Prayer.’ ”

Dempsey said, “I’ll bet I can.”

Rogers said, “Let’s hear you.”

Dempsey said, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.”

“When Jack finished, Will handed him five dollars and said, ‘Jack, I didn’t think you could do it,’ ” Brougher said.