No Smut Humor
By Tom BarnesMark Twain and Will Rogers were eloquent without using four letter words. And their names need to be mentioned more often on the Internet.
I grew up in rural America during the depression years of the 1930"s and the two writers that made an impression on me wrote humor, they were Mark Twain and Will Rogers. And believe me; in those deep depression days, we needed all the humor we could find. Mark Twain was and still is a favorite with many, how can you forget such vivid characters as Tom, Becky, Huck and Jim. Will Rogers is possibly remembered more for his performing in The Ziegfeld Follies, radio and movies more than for his writing. Rogers poked a lot of fun at politicians; here's a short quote that will give you an idea about his humor. He once said, "With congress, every time they make a joke it's a law and every time they make a law it's a joke." In my hometown Jackson, Georgia we had one theatre, The Princess and there were only two stars that were true box office draws. Will Rogers and Shirley Temple. They drew crowds that would stretch around the block. Americans loved Will Rogers, and to relate that in my own personal experience may give you an idea of how we all felt. On August 15th, 1935, I was eight years old at the time, and I'll never forget what happened. I had gone to the post office for the newspaper and saw written in a black type banner headline. WILL ROGERS AND WILEY POST FEARED DEAD IN ALASKA AIR CRASH. As the meaning of that dark headline began to sink in and I ran toward our house, tears began to cascade down my cheeks. Will Rogers was us, he was part of our family, our hopes and our dreams. With his wit and humor he made it a little easier to bare the burden of the depression years. I was not alone with my tears for, in the next few days, most of America found a few moments to reflect on our loss with many being moved to a good cry. Writers Corner: Writers write best about what they know -- sounds cliché, but it's true. You might also add this bit, there's a tinge of autobiography and a hint of bias in all of it. Margaret Mitchell's Gone the Wind is an excellent example. Ms. Mitchell based her great American novels location in and around Jonesboro where her ancestors had lived, and a number of her characters were based on either relatives or people she knew. Ernest Hemingway drew from a real life experience when he wrote The Sun Also Rises. Donald Ogden Stewart, Oscar winning writer, and friend of Hemmingway's tells that, while in Spain together they had made it into American newspapers as, "bullfighting Americanos" in Pamplona in 1924. Then when Sun Also Rises was published in 1926, Stewart was mystified by the praise lavished on it. It seemed to him only an accurate journalistic account of what had actually happened during their trip to Pamplona with a group of friends, including some British Royalty. (Brett Ashley in the book). Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter. Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday"s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
About the Author
More Books by Tom Barnes
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle
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