Summary

In the 1930s, with the United States mired in the Great Depression and teetering on the brink of a second World War, millions of Americans turned to a rope-twirling, plain-talking Cherokee cowboy for clarity, comfort and common sense. His plain-spoken musings, always delivered with a shy, sly smile, influenced the political landscape then and still resonate today. WILL ROGERS AND AMERICAN POLITICS reveals how Oklahoma native Will Rogers emerged as one of the most powerful political voices in the United States. The Emmy®-winning documentary charts Rogers’ impact on American politics through rare archival film footage, photos and documents, and interviews with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, actor Mickey Rooney, Cherokee Chief Chad Smith, comedian Lewis Black, former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh, Rogers’ grandniece and scholars. Bill Kurtis, former CBS news anchor and host of A&E’s American Justice and Cold Case Files, narrates.