Bryan Sterling
Encyclopedia
Bryan Sterling was an authority on the life and work of American political commentator, humorist, and entertainer Will Rogers
. He scripted and co-produced a one-man Broadway play about Rogers starring actor James Whitmore
, created a daily syndicated newspaper column that featured timely quotations from Rogers' writings, and authored several definitive biographies of Rogers' life including a detailed examination of his death in the Point Barrow, Alaska, crash of an airplane piloted by famed aviator Wiley Post
.
(Nazi occupation) in 1938, traveling to Prague and then to England. Relocated by the British as an enemy intern to a prisoner of war camp in Sherbrooke, Ontario, during World War II, Sterling moved to Toronto after his release. There he met and (in 1948) married Frances Wingerson, who later collaborated with him on research and coauthored several of his books.
. It was performed in various venues until 2000, and appeared on television in 1972.
In 1974, Sterling launched "Will Rogers Says," a daily column syndicated by the Des Moines Register and Tribune that matched brief quotations from Rogers' earlier writings to current political events. "When people read Will Rogers," he told Time magazine, "they realize that much of what we are going through has happened before, that we've already lived through this."
Over the following three decades, Sterling created and referred to the largest private collection of writings and information by and about Will Rogers in the United States. Rogers' son, Will Rogers, Jr., reportedly said that Sterling knew his father's writings better than anyone else. Sterling and his wife Frances traveled often from New York to the Will Rogers Memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma, and to California, to carry out research about Rogers' life, becoming close to surviving members of the Rogers family and interviewing many of the entertainment figures who worked with Rogers in Hollywood. The results of this primary research appear in Sterling's many biographies of Rogers and published compilations of his writings. The original interview tapes and notes are archived at the Will Rogers Memorial
in Oklahoma.
Sterling died in 2008, leaving behind what Will Rogers Memorial Director Steve Gragert, speaking at his funeral, described as "a collection of writings that cannot be replaced, one that anyone ... can consult with confidence and pleasure."
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
. He scripted and co-produced a one-man Broadway play about Rogers starring actor James Whitmore
James Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
, created a daily syndicated newspaper column that featured timely quotations from Rogers' writings, and authored several definitive biographies of Rogers' life including a detailed examination of his death in the Point Barrow, Alaska, crash of an airplane piloted by famed aviator Wiley Post
Wiley Post
Wiley Hardeman Post was a famed American aviator, the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits. His Lockheed Vega aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the National Air and Space Museum's...
.
Early life
Born Bruno Zwerling in Vienna, Austria, in 1922, Sterling and his parents fled the AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
(Nazi occupation) in 1938, traveling to Prague and then to England. Relocated by the British as an enemy intern to a prisoner of war camp in Sherbrooke, Ontario, during World War II, Sterling moved to Toronto after his release. There he met and (in 1948) married Frances Wingerson, who later collaborated with him on research and coauthored several of his books.
Career
Born in Europe and imprisoned in Canada during World War II, Sterling never encountered Will Rogers during the humorist's lifetime. After relocating to New York City in 1948, Sterling began hearing quotations from Rogers, and was attracted to the way his wit and commentary transcended time and culture. Sometime in the early 1960s, he discovered audio recordings of radio broadcasts and speeches by Rogers, which he gained permission to publish as LP records. These were released under the private label "Distinguished Recordings." Sterling began to amass Rogers writings and memorabilia, and in 1970 co-produced and wrote much of the script for "Will Rogers' U.S.A.," a one-man Broadway play that starred actor James WhitmoreJames Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
. It was performed in various venues until 2000, and appeared on television in 1972.
In 1974, Sterling launched "Will Rogers Says," a daily column syndicated by the Des Moines Register and Tribune that matched brief quotations from Rogers' earlier writings to current political events. "When people read Will Rogers," he told Time magazine, "they realize that much of what we are going through has happened before, that we've already lived through this."
Over the following three decades, Sterling created and referred to the largest private collection of writings and information by and about Will Rogers in the United States. Rogers' son, Will Rogers, Jr., reportedly said that Sterling knew his father's writings better than anyone else. Sterling and his wife Frances traveled often from New York to the Will Rogers Memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma, and to California, to carry out research about Rogers' life, becoming close to surviving members of the Rogers family and interviewing many of the entertainment figures who worked with Rogers in Hollywood. The results of this primary research appear in Sterling's many biographies of Rogers and published compilations of his writings. The original interview tapes and notes are archived at the Will Rogers Memorial
Will Rogers Memorial
The Will Rogers Memorial is a museum in Claremore, Oklahoma that memorializes entertainer Will Rogers. The museum houses artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and manuscripts pertaining to Rogers' life, and documentaries, speeches, and movies starring Rogers are shown in a theater...
in Oklahoma.
Sterling died in 2008, leaving behind what Will Rogers Memorial Director Steve Gragert, speaking at his funeral, described as "a collection of writings that cannot be replaced, one that anyone ... can consult with confidence and pleasure."
Awards and Honors
- Western Heritage Award, 1983, for A Will Rogers Treasury
- Will Rogers Communicator Award, 1997
Books
- "The Best of Will Rogers" (1979) ISBN 0-517-5329276
- "A Will Rogers Treasury" (1982) ISBN 0-517-545764
- "Will Rogers in Hollywood" (1984) ISBN 0-517-55264-7
- "Will Rogers' World" (1989) ISBN 0-87131-564-5
- "Will Rogers & Wiley Post: Death at Barrow" (1993) ISBN 0-87131-725-7
- "Will Rogers Speaks" (1995) ISBN 0-87131-771-0
- "Will Rogers: A Photobiography" (1999) ISBN 0-87833-249-9
- "Forgotten Eagle: Wiley Post, America's Forgotten Aviation Pioneer" (2001) ISBN 0786708948
- "The Wit & Wisdom of Will Rogers" (2009; posthumous) ISBN 978-1-4351-0515-7