James Blake Rogers (July 25, 1915 – April 28, 2000), commonly known as Jimmy (also spelled Jimmie), was an American actor. He played

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was ...

's sidekick in six films. Rogers was also a horse rancher, polo player,Jim Rogers, 84, Rancher and Son of the Humorist Will Rogers, The New York Times, May 3, 2000, Section B, Page 10 and newspaperman. He was the family representative on the

Will Rogers Memorial The Will Rogers Memorial Museum 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 mo ...

Commission, and worked with the staff at the

Will Rogers State Historic Park Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area. Geography In what is now the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisade ...

.Jim Rogers; Son of Famed Humorist, Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2000

Early years

Rogers was born in New York City on July 25, 1915, the son of Will Rogers and Betty Blake. He had three siblings: Will Jr. (1911–1993), Mary (1913–1989), and Fred (1918–1920).Last surviving son of Will Rogers succumbs to cancer, Tulsa World, April 29, 2000 He spent his childhood in Beverly Hills, but moved to a ranch in the late 1920s, and grew to love working with horses.Bates, Laura, Will Rogers’ Son to Attend Hoppy Festival, The Village Reporter (Byesville, Ohio), page 1, May 2, 1996 He attended Pomona College, but left in 1935, after his father and pilot

Wiley Post Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was a famed American aviator during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high-altitude flying, Post helped develop on ...

died in a plane crash.

Film career

As a child he had parts in four of his father's

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s, and was billed as Jimmy Rogers. He used that

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

in all of his film roles. Rogers was more interested in raising horses, so in the 1930s he and a friend purchased a ranch in Santa Barbara County, but in the early 1940s the U. S. government bought the ranch for a new army base, which later became

Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USS General Harry Taylor (AP-145), USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in K ...

. In need of a new occupation he returned to acting. He made three comedy westerns with Noah Beery Jr. at Hal Roach Studios. Rogers then went on to make six

movies with William Boyd, playing a fictional version of himself, a character named Jimmy Rogers.

Later work

During the later part of World War II Rogers joined the Marine Corps and worked as a writer and correspondent. After the war he and his brother Will Rogers Jr. ran ''The Beverly Hills Citizen'', a newspaper that was published between 1955 and 1962. He appeared in documentaries about his father's life, including''The Story of Will Rogers'', a 1961 episode of the television documentary ''Project Twenty'', which was narrated by

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

,Hyatt, Wesley, Bob Hope on TV: Thanks for the Video Memories, Bear Manor Media, 2017 and ''Will Rogers'', a 2001 episode of ''California’s Gold'', which aired after Rogers’ death. Rogers was the family representative on the

Commission, and worked with the staff at the

. Michelle Lefebvre-Carter, the director of the Memorial Commission stated: "Jim Rogers referred to Will Rogers affectionately as 'Dad' in family matters and 'WR' in reference to the icon." Rogers owned a California ranch, where he trained horses and operated a riding school. He attended western fan conventions, and talked about his movie career.

Personal life

Rogers married Astrea Kemmler on March 26, 1938, and they had three children – James Kemmler Rogers, Charles Edward Rogers, and Astrea Elizabeth Rogers Brandon. His first wife died on November 19, 1987. He married Judith Braun on August 31, 1995. Rogers died of cancer on April 28, 2000.

Filmography

* 1920 '' Water, Water, Everywhere'' – uncredited bit role * 1920 ''

The Strange Boarder ''The Strange Boarder'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by Clarence G. Badger and written by Edfrid A. Bingham. The film stars Will Rogers, Irene Rich, Jimmy Rogers, James Mason, Doris Pawn, and Lionel Belmore. The film was ...

'' – Billy Gardner * 1920 ''

Jes' Call Me Jim ''Jes' Call Me Jim'' is a 1920 American Comedy film, comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Clarence G. Badger and written by Edward T. Lowe Jr. and Thompson Buchanan. It is based on the 1875 novel ''Seven Oaks'' by James G. ...

'' – Harry Benedict * 1921 ''

Doubling for Romeo ''Doubling for Romeo'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and written by Bernard McConville, Elmer Rice, and Will Rogers. The film stars Will Rogers, Sylvia Breamer, Raymond Hatton, Sidney Ainsworth, Al Hart and ...

'' – Jimmie Jones * 1942 ''

Dudes Are Pretty People ''Dudes are Pretty People'' is a 1942 film and the first Western entry of "Hal Roach's Streamliners", approximately 50-minute comedic movies, directed by Hal Roach, Jr. and starring Jimmy Rogers as "Jimmy" and Noah Beery, Jr. as "Pidge Crosb ...

'' – Jimmy * 1943 '' Calaboose'' – Jimmy * 1943 ''

Prairie Chickens ''Prairie Chickens'' is a 1943 American Western film and a sequel to ''Dudes are Pretty People'' (1942) and '' Calaboose'' (1943), Western films from "Hal Roach's Streamliners", a series of approximately 50-minute comedic movies, in this case d ...

'' – Jimmy * 1943 '' False Colors'' – Jimmy Rogers * 1943 ''

Riders of the Deadline ''Riders of the Deadline'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Bennett Cohen. The film stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jimmy Rogers, Frances Woodward, Robert Mitchum, Richard Crane, Anthony Warde and ...

'' – Jimmy Rogers * 1944 ''

Texas Masquerade ''Texas Masquerade'' is a 1944 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud, written by Jack Lait Jr. and Norman Houston, and starring William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jimmy Rogers, Don Costello, Mady Correll and Francis McDonald. It was rel ...

'' – Jimmy Rogers * 1944 '' Lumberjack'' – Jimmy Rogers * 1944 '' Mystery Man'' – Jimmy Rogers * 1944 ''

Forty Thieves Forty Thieves or 40 Thieves may refer to: * the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Groups of people * the Forty Thieves (New York gang), an 18th-century New York street gang *The Forty Thieves (New York City Common Council 1852–1853) * the ...

'' – Jimmy Rogers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Jimmy (actor 1915 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American male actors Cherokee Nation actors Male actors from New York City Military personnel from New York City Pomona College alumni 20th-century Native Americans Deaths from cancer in California