YESTERDAYS NEWSREEL - 20TH CENTURY WILL ROGERS FLOATS FOR SAFETY KNICKERBOCKER THEATRE

[Music] television highlights are the news of yesteryear hi minister of happiness Will Rogers former circus and rodeo performer then headliner of vaudeville here's will in 1921 hitting jackpot of show business in Ziegfeld Follies mixing rope tricks with Tom Mix he drops a few wisecracks that our laughed at round the world now stage of international reputation smiling and bringing happiness wherever he goes in 1927 will and family returned from Europe then it's September of that same year he joins America's brand-new hero Lindbergh at rodeo in Mexico an Oklahoman it's been rumored that Will Rogers could ride before he could walk at home on horseback wills equally at ease as motion picture star here he tells Carl Laemmle 11e I was brought here to represent some male end of the moving picture business thing but after getting here and fine I've switched I'm gonna represent the audience's you know who paid the Caesar pictures at an affair like this nobody ever represents the audience you know so I'm gonna represent the audience and we to Uncle Carl we love you too always making friendly wisecracks about politicians Will Rogers comes into political office himself in 1926 proud citizens of Beverly Hills California make Will Rogers mayor of their town with cowboy mix and actor Douglas Fairbanks watching mayor Rogers is sworn in and then given key to city fighting cowboy comments bring lots of laughter as will makes his address but I never met a man I didn't like said will one day and he meant it political gatherings wills humorous remarks were also wise at 1928 Jackson Day dinner he star speaker and in 1932 he introduces a candidate with these famous remarks here tonight governor you are not allowed to refer to politics they won't let anyone to talk politics in the air because this stadium was dedicated to art sports and any useful Enterprise and we greet you here tonight not as candidate Roosevelt just as neighbor Roosevelt from the other side of the Rocky Mount now this introduction hasn't been very well you know it hasn't been very perhaps very learned are very flowery but remember you're only a candidate come back and fear as a president I'll do right hi [Music] like all the callers and I'm certainly wasting no oratory on a prospect on return from trips abroad will always gave his cowboy commentary to America's reporters and in spite of his wife's constant objections and vague fears and forebodings of tragedy we'll love to fly and so with Wiley Post friend and famed fire August 1935 will tours Alaska by air its busman's holiday for Wiley well-earned vacation for will but these are to be their last pictures world's last look at them while the parks shrouded waters soon after this something goes wrong Wiley Post is dead and Will Rogers now lives only in man's memory [Music] it floats in San Francisco California in early 1930s captain Vincent Richards demonstrates his inflated rubber suit for ocean travel sand ship self-propelled by means of kayak type paddle Richards makes bold claim he could cross Pacific in this outfit wonder if he next where ships commission or straitjacket in late 1920s as you can tell by a cloche at and Lee thanks skirt of skippers helper wall runner of self inflating life raft is unwrapped in Southampton England this seagoing saucer has to be inflated by hand plump however but look what's being added going down waves hand fashion Southampton skipped slides across waters powered by outboard motor that's off to the inventor and lady how about doing same to yours famous political first in San Francisco john wong of chinatown becomes first of his race to run for public office in america it's August 13th 1926 and Wong is hot after victory in primary election his backers feel there's nothing wrong with Wong yes Mary McCormack in 1921 wire singer from Belleville Arkansas became protege of Mary garden made Metropolitan Opera debut as Makayla in carbon year later she won added Fame and Ethel label starring role in Cavalleria rusticana she's shown here ten years before her marriage into royalty named speed flyer winner of distinguished buying costs and host of other awards here's Alfred Joseph Williams jr. better known as lieutenant al Williams US Navy once pitcher for New York Giants Williams was flyer in first world war was admitted to bar in 1926 [Music] it's January 28 1922 and district of columbia's famed old Knickerbocker Theatre as in jumbled ruins following collapse without warning only four walls of ancient structure still stand now the sky is its only roof workman clearing scattered and crumbled wreckage must work with caution for scores of theater patrons are caught in the ruins and already 98 persons are dead of injuries old-fashioned steel braces could not sustain weakened structure here's where hundreds were panic-stricken as brick-and-mortar showered down upon them it's black day for Washington one of worst theater disasters in nation's history whole structure seemed to fold up in an instant blocking all avenues of escape it wasn't part of the show but those sitting in the orchestra and boxes and balconies of the old Knickerbocker January 28 1922 and lived to tell about it could never forget what they saw [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the middle nineteen twenties when Lindbergh was still an obscure airmail pilot and automobiles uses much water as gas lessons and dental care are added to regular grammar school curricular importance of dental care is taken for granted now but here it's something new [Applause] surveying the results of a semester of brushing up school dentist gives his okay - this youngsters work so rest of class goes back to work to scrub for its exams because of all this to do in the middle twenties in the 30s 40s and 50s these are the most sparkling teeth in town [Music] three wheeling on runway of Roosevelt Field Long Island September 10th 1929 stands first plane to display tricycle landing gear newest thing in advance of aviation edition of third wheel made possible coming of giant passenger planes and bombers here's inventor George vernik ready to test his contribution to flying initial demonstration was huge success and in the years to come fair Nick's idea was big aid to aviators everywhere [Music] bowling before the war first world war that is in fact like skirt and jumper type blouse ladies the pre suffrage days were pretty good sports but let's look at what they wore expect to find this pair in an alley and I don't mean bowling alley now here's a look at their boyfriend oh it's still just one minute please notice the hi stiff collars and the wide stripes on those shirts both clothes and game were striking Affairs noses this is about 1915 and that bell-shaped spirit was worn by many a bell of the pre-war era [Music] enough of that let's have a general look at best-dressed voters at the time in fancy dress and Gibson girl hairdo gay girls went bowling in the long ago [Music] the 1933 running of $50,000 Belmont Stakes and they're out with most money on the garb and utopia but his horse's head for first turn and race in the backstretch it's been Apollo in the lead running a poor last is hurry off but keep your eyes on him because he won't be last for long as horses lean in to curve up our turn hurry off on outside is slowly moving up still a 4/7 Oh with Nimbus and Union now battling it out for first looks as if the favorites utopia and the garb will have to wait til next time [Music] coming into the straightaway of the homestretch trailer hurry off is now port than moving up fast Nimbus and Union are tiring from the pace but hurry off is studying his own he stirred then second now first and pulling for the wire in a thrilling win in the 65th running of the Belmont Stakes [Music] [Music] television highlight the news of yesteryear [Music]