NBC News Presents - The Story Of Will Rogers (Narrated By Bob Hope)

A window into the past when we didn’t take ourselves and our politicians so seriously - when we could laugh at ourselves and at them - and when a gallon of gas cost 25 cents and a cup of coffee was a nickel.The world moved slower then and it seemed a little less complicated and a bit more predictable. This is a fun video, don’t miss it.

Apparently i liked this more than other people who saw it, but I really liked it. I enjoyed seeing the images of Will Rogers in action. They were some old clips of his early work, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him throw that lasso and make some of his short speeches.

It's as I remember it (I recorded the audio from the 1961 airing.) It has portions of the film "They had to see Paris" which are no longer part of some DVD copies.

Anyone who wants to get to know Will Rogers better needs to watch this movie. The movie clips are excellent as are the actual words of Will. A true American hero.

Very informative and entertaining on the life of Will Rogers and Bob Hope`s narration was nicely done.

Please be aware that this is an NBC News documentary released in 1961. It is not the 1952 Michael Curtiz movie by the same name.

Don't mistake this for an American Masters-styled bio-pic from PBS. It's a very superficial account of Rogers career with way too much filler. For example, to depict the period in which he starred in the Ziegfeld Follies, 90% of the footage shown are stock-shots of Ziegfeld's "American Beauty" show-girls. Just one photo each of his co-stars Fanny Brice and W.C. Fields. In other words, this is strictly a biography for the tired businessman. Not very informative. It's chief merit lies not in the writing, but the fact that they hired Bob Hope to narrate it. PS: If you buy the First Volume of Universal's WILL ROGERS COLLECTION, you'll get a superb A&E Biography of Rogers which is infinitely better than this film. As a Bonus, you'll also get 4 of Rogers best films along with the biography and all for $14.95...at least as of July 2014.

It was especially enjoyable to me since I am a history buff. I wish all our young people today could see this in their history classes at high school. Will Rogers was so full of common sense that he had a powerful influence on this country including the power centered politicians. Nearly all of them wanted his blessing. I have heard his statement "I never met a man I didn't like" most of my life. I dont think our youth have ever heard that bit of wisdom.This is a very authoritative and enjoyable story of a great man.