Charles "Buddy" Rogers


Charles Edward "Buddy" Rogers was an American film actor and musician. During the peak of his popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was publicized as "America's Boyfriend".

Early life

Rogers was born to Maude and Bert Henry Rogers in Olathe, Kansas. He studied at the University of Kansas, where he became an active member of Phi Kappa Psi. In the mid-1920s, he began acting professionally in Hollywood films. A talented trombonist skilled on several other musical instruments, Rogers performed with his own dance band in motion pictures and on radio. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy as a flight training instructor.
According to American Dance Bands on Record and Film , compiled by Richard J. Johnson and Bernard H. Shirley, Rogers was not a bandleader in the usual sense of the term. Instead, he was a film actor who fronted bands for publicity purposes. In 1933–34, Rogers took over the popular Joe Haymes orchestra, to which he added drummer Gene Krupa. His later bands were organized by Milt Shaw.
In 1930, he recorded two records for Columbia as a solo singer with a small band accompanying. In 1932, he signed with Victor and recorded four dance-band records with a group organized by drummer, and later actor, Jess Kirkpatrick. In 1938, he signed with Vocalion and recorded six swing records.

Career

Nicknamed "Buddy", his most-remembered performance in film was opposite Clara Bow in the 1927 Academy Award winning Wings, the first film ever honored as Best Picture. In 1968, he appeared as himself in an episode of Petticoat Junction titled "Wings", a direct reference to the silent movie.

Recognition

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Rogers has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6135 Hollywood Blvd, which was dedicated on February 8, 1960.
Respected by his peers for his work in film and for his humanitarianism, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Rogers in 1986 with The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
A Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him in 1993.

Personal life

On June 24, 1937, Rogers became the third husband of silent film actress Mary Pickford. Their romance had begun in 1927, when they co-starred in My Best Girl, but the two kept their relationship hidden until Pickford's separation and 1936 divorce from Douglas Fairbanks. The couple adopted two children—Roxanne and Ronald—and remained married for 42 years until Pickford's death in 1979.
In 1981, Rogers married real estate agent Beverly Ricono.

Death

Rogers died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on April 21, 1999, at the age of 94. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Cathedral City, near Palm Springs.

Partial filmography

Fascinating Youth - Teddy WardMore Pay, Less Work - Willia HinchfieldSo's Your Old Man - Kenneth MurchisonWings - Jack PowellMy Best Girl - Joe GrantGet Your Man - Robert AlbinAbie's Irish Rose - Abie LevyVarsity - Jimmy DuffySomeone to Love - William ShelbyRed Lips - Hugh Carver / BuddyClose Harmony - Al WestRiver of Romance - Tom RumfordIllusion - Carlee ThorpeHalf Way to Heaven - Ned LeeYoung Eagles - Lieutenant Robert BanksParamount on Parade - Buddy Rogers - Episode 'Love Time'Safety in Numbers - William Butler ReynoldsFollow Thru - Jerry DownesHeads Up - Jack MasonAlong Came Youth - Larry BrooksThe Slippery Pearls - 'Buddy' RogersThe Lawyer's Secret - Laurie RobertsThe Road to Reno - Tom WoodWorking Girls - Boyd WheelerThis Reckless Age - Bradley IngalsBest of Enemies - Jimmie HartmanTake a Chance - Kenneth RaleighDance Band - Buddy MorganOld Man Rhythm - Johnny RobertsOne in a Million - PierreLet's Make a Night of It - Jack KentThis Way Please - Brad MorganGolden Hoofs - Dean MacArdleThe Mexican Spitfire's Baby - Dennis LindsaySing for Your Supper - Larry HaysMexican Spitfire at Sea - Dennis LindsayMexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost - Dennis LindsayTwelfth Street Rag - HimselfAn Innocent Affair - Claude KimballThe Parson and the Outlaw - Rev. Jericho Jones

Discography

As Charles "Buddy" Rogers
  • February 27, 1930 & March 4, 1930
  • * " A Bee in Your Boudoir" / "My Future Just Passed"
  • March 4, 1930
  • * "Any Time's the Time to Fall in Love" / " Sweepin' the Clouds Away"
As Buddy Rogers and His California Cavaliers
  • April 18, 1932
  • * "You Fascinate Me" / "Hello, Gorgeous"
  • May 11, 1932
  • * "In My Hideaway" / "Happy-Go-Lucky You "
  • May 18, 1932
  • * "I Beg Your Pardon, Mademoiselle" / "With My Sweetie in the Moonlight"
  • * "Please Handle with Care" / "Ask Yourself Who Loves You"
As Charles "Buddy" Rogers and his Band
  • February 9, 1935
  • * "I Hate to Say Goodnight" / "The Valparaiso"
  • * "Someone to Sew Your Buttons On" / "Jack O' Diamonds"
As Buddy Rogers and his Famous Swing Band
  • April 5, 1938
  • * "Lovelight in the Starlight" / "This Time it's Real"
  • * "Moonshine Over Kentucky" / "Little Lady Make-Believe"
  • June 29, 1938
  • * "Figaro" / "Meet the Beat of My Heart"
  • * "Happy as a Lark" / "The Sunny Side of Things
  • September 17, 1938
  • * "You Can't Be Mine " / "While a Cigarette Was Burning"
  • * "This Is Madness " / "Rainbow 'Round the Moon"