Rogers Follies

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Several times during the Broadway show that won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1991, an actor seated with the audience stands up and blurts out in a cheerful voice, "Let's go flyin' Will." On stage, Keith Carradine, portraying the lead character in "The Will Rogers Follies" replies, "Not yet, Wiley," delaying the ending everyone knows is coming, in which the legendary humorist perished in a plane crash with aviation pioneer Wiley Post in Alaska.

Will Rogers was born on November 4, 1879, in Indian Territory of what would become Oklahoma. From his early years as a trick roper in wild west shows, to Vaudeville theater and The Ziegfield Follies, to being the highest paid actor in Hollywood, Rogers became one of the most-recognized figures in the nation. At the time of his death, his weekly syndicated newspaper column reached 40 million Americans - one-third of the entire population. Today, 70 years later, Rogers' folksy humor is still relevant:

On politics: "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."

On the media: "All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance."

On celebrities: "I'm not a real movie star. I still got the same wife I started out with 28 years ago."

On government spending: "So that leaves us without any economic problems whatsoever, except perhaps some day to have to pay for them."

On integrity: "Live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."

Success Handler Action: As an early investor in West Coast real estate - the 300-acre Rogers' family ranch is a California State Park in what is now Pacific Palisades, Will understood business, too: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." He possessed the wonderful characteristic of being able to simplify things, so everyone could relate to them. Use these questions to measure how much you are simplifying things in your small business:

~ Who among your team knows the compelling reason customers buy from you?

~ What is your core product/service, and does everyone on your team understand it?

~ Where are the gaps in your small business, and what are you doing to fill them?

~ When was the last time you shared your vision and how to get there with your team?

~ How many of your procedures are written down...with step-by-step "how to" instructions?

Perhaps Will Rogers' greatest gift was using observation as a way of understanding what was happening in the world around him. He took his own first-hand experiences and communicated them to mass audiences long before Headline News, 24/7 talk radio and blogging made seemingly everyone an expert on something. By taking time to think about what he was seeing and hearing, Rogers found clarity, then shared it.

Success Handler Action: How often do you observe what's happening in your small business? Do you find yourself caught up in the daily grind of putting out fires, or do you make it a point to step back and think about how to improve your operations one step at a time? Here are five ways to take a fresh look at what's going on around you:

1. Spend one morning each month away from the office, focusing on the big picture.

2. Mentor your team members, helping them identify areas where they need to grow.

3. Hire a professional business coach to gain candid feedback and guidance.

4. Write down all the ways you would "attack" your business, if you were your competition.

5. Fly above your small business, looking at it from the 10,000-foot level to gain new perspectives.

Of course, Will and Wiley did go flyin' eventually, and America lost a beloved entertainer. Will's most famous quote, and epitaph, is: "I never met a man I didn't like." That philosophy served him well throughout life, helping create a legacy that endures today. Adopt the same approach to your small business - for your customers, employees and vendors - and you'll achieve your own legendary results.

Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he’s been there – as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

Entertainment at Sea

Entertainment...

“All the world’s a stageâ€, the saying goes! And on your cruise - the ship is the stage for a world of colorful entertainment and night-time enjoyment! And best of all, there is no cover charge, no tickets to buy or reserve, no waiting in line.

Dazzling musical revues salute the very best of Hollywood and Broadway, with advanced lighting and sound systems and spectacular special effects.

Your entertainment aboard spotlights a variety of marquee performers, including musicians and singers, comedians and magicians. Cruise lines recruit professional performers from some of the best-known stages on land.

The entertainers vary from ship to ship and line to line however don’t be surprised if Bill Cosby, or Bowser from Sha Na Na or jazz greats Manhattan Transfer are on your ship. The shows will easily rival anything you might see on land. Except that on-board your ship you don’t have to remember your tickets or struggle to find a parking space.

Not only will you enjoy Broadway style reviews, musicals, stand-up comics, movies and specialty acts, and guest talent shows, many cruise lines including Norwegian and Holland America offer “theme†cruises from Budd Friedmans famous Improv at Sea to a Bavarian style “Oktoberfest†where, in addition to daily beer tastings, the staff host a Bavarian Beer Garden Party and an authentic German/Bavarian dinner.

On this cruise, Anheuser Busch will provide a broad selection of their turn of the century recipe beers to enjoy all week, albeit at an nominal extra charge! The six man “Die Bier Barons†band will be on board to play traditional “Oom-Pah†and polka music.

Prefer country music? No problem, you can join top-act headliners and other guest performers aboard foot-stomping, knee-slapping country music cruises. Learn the latest line dancing or try not to smile as you two step your way across the Caribbean.

How much would you pay back home to catch a Broadway show, enjoy the midnight buffet and then head for late night comedy before you hit the disco? It’s all included aboard your cruise ship.

Norwegian Cruise Lines treats you to extravagant, full-scale productions of classic Broadway musicals like Grease, 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You, and George M! And again, you don’t pay for tickets! Just walk in to the beautiful theatre at sea, and enjoy the show.

Can theatres at sea rival those on land? A three-deck-high showroom, the Palladium, on Carnival Destiny, is home to two showstopping Vegas style productions that combine complex sets, laser technology and awesome talent that leaves you spellbound. And there is not a bad seat in the house!

After the show, visit one of the many lounges to enjoy a jazz ensemble, or 50’s and 60’s music or spend some fabulous times around the piano bar becoming a karaoke star.

Disney’s Magic, is a masterpiece of entertainment at sea. On this ship, amazing diversions are everywhere. You can screen the ocean premiere of a new Disney film in the beautiful Buena Vista Theatre. And in the Walt Disney Theatre, you will view a magnificent tribute to the grand theatrical palaces of long ago that provided the inspiration for three all-new Disney productions-a different show each night of your cruise with state-of- the- art staging, lighting and special effects that only Disney can do!

Between your ports of call, you will be surprised how much there is to do on board your ship. When it comes to nighttime entertainment your choices are as diverse as you want to make them.

From ballroom dancing to late night comedy, from first run movies to dazzling shows, all free and all with guaranteed seating.

Sid Kaplan

Cruise Vacations Guide.com

About the Author

Sid Kaplan has extensive experience in the travel business. He owned and operated a large retail cruise only agency in Canada and his wife has 25 years experience working for major cruise lines. Their website is Cruise Vacations Guide which offers advice and tips to those looking to create memorable cruise vacations. Shore excursion and land tour information is also provided. Cruise, hotel, car rental and vacation adventure booking online.

What do you think I should Major in (Musical Theatre or Veterinary Medicine)?

For the longest time, I've wanted to become a veterinarian. Then, this past year, my dance class performed "The Campaign Song" from the musical "The Will Roger Follies" at ITS competition and I loved it! Being in that place, getting to sing and act and dance, I really fell in love with musical theatre. I watched the other kids performed and I felt like that was where I belonged. But now I'm torn because I want to study musical theatre and do that for the rest of my life, but becoming a veterinarian would probably be easier to do and make more money in the long run. So what do you think I should major in? And would I be able to minor in the other?

If you want a good job after you graduate I'd highly recommend sticking with the medicine degree.

I was in theater in high school and loved it too...but majoring in it is usually not the best idea for most people.

There are other great ways to still be involved in theater though. Depending on what school you go to you may be able to minor in it, or I know at my school there are many productions during the year that you can be a part of that do not require you to be a major.

You can follow both dreams....enjoy musical theater, but have the security of getting a real job.

Carradine climbs deep inside the mind of Shepard Revival contemplates life ‘as a waking sleep’
John Carradine, blessed be his name, is best remembered for one searing performance in just one memorable Hollywood motion picture, but according to his son Keith “he was actually in 512 movies before he passed away.”

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