In the early 1900s , Will Rogers returns to his hometown in Oklahoma after two years of drifting . He meets and falls in love with Betty Blake , but is unable to settle down on the ranch because he is happier meeting people and performing rope tricks , and his management style is too easygoing for his strict father , Senator Clement V. Rogers . Will joins a Wild West show and tours the world , then meets up with Betty at the 1904 St. Louis World 's Fair and proposes to her . After they are married , they combine their honeymoon with one of Will 's rodeo tours , which ends in New York 's Madison Square Garden where he becomes a hero by lassoing a dangerous bull that gets loose during a performance . This wins him an offer to perform in vaudeville , but his rodeo act does n't carry over very well and his show flops . After six months of unemployment and with a baby almost due , Will goes on stage as a last minute fill-in performer and is forced to do his act alone , where his down-home comedy chatter scores a big hit with the audience . This wins him a lead role in the Ziegfeld Follies where he adds political commentary to his act and becomes famous as a " cowboy philosopher " known for witty remarks about politicians and issues of the day . Later , Will goes to Hollywood to work in films , meets Wiley Post and learns to fly , and goes on a European tour meeting heads of state . After the Great Depression hits , Will works long hours flying around the country to perform benefit shows lifting the spirits of the American people and raising funds for the poor . At the 1932 Democratic National Convention , Will is nominated as a " favorite son . " Later , Will takes off with Wiley to Alaska and apparently has an ominous premonition , as Will has the plane circle back over the airfield to wave goodbye to Betty one last time
1932 Democratic National Convention
1932 Democratic National Convention
The Story of Will Rogers