Chapter 43 My supply lines are always open

I think the vast majority of people's worries have to do with family matters and money.Fortunately, my wife is from a small town in Oklahoma with a family background very similar to mine, with the same interests and hobbies.We both try to abide by this golden rule and keep domestic troubles to a minimum.In addition, we also use two other methods to reduce money worries. First, adhere to a basic principle of life: everything is guaranteed to be 100% honest.For example, borrowing money must be returned in full, and honesty can save people from many troubles. Second, whenever I start a new business, I always reserve a way for myself.Military experts say that the first priority in combat is to keep supply lines open.I think this principle can be applied to life's "battles" as well.As a child, living in Texas and Oklahoma, I knew very well the poverty that drought brings.People work hard and can only maintain a basic standard of living.Our family was even more desolate. At a young age, I had to drive a caravan and exchange horses to travel around to survive.I am eager to find a stable and reliable job and be able to give some help to my family.By persistent effort I managed to get a job at a railway station, and I made the most of my spare time to learn how to send a telegraph.Later, I got another job - as a shift worker with the Frisco Railroad - to fill in for station attendants who were sick or on vacation, or to provide support when they were overwhelmed.The monthly salary of this job is 150 yuan. For a young man like me who was born in a poor family, I have obtained certain financial security.Therefore, whenever I want to start a new business independently, I always open the way back to the original job and regard it as my own supply line.

In 1928 I was sent by the Frisco Railroad to Zill, Oklahoma.One evening a stranger wandered into the station office and asked for a telegram.I was playing guitar and singing cowboy songs.He said to me, you play well and you sing well, you should go to New York and get a job on the radio or in the theater.At first I thought he was just flattering me, but when I saw his name on the telegram I was gasping for breath.Will Rogers, he's Will Rogers. But instead of going to New York at once, I weighed the matter carefully.After nine months of continuous thinking, I decided to go to New York, and I believed that I would gain something.I have a rail pass and I can ride for free; if I'm sleepy, I can sleep on the train; if I'm hungry, I can eat sandwiches, fruit snacks and the like.

When I arrived in New York, I found a furnished room for five dollars a week to live in.But, ten weeks on the streets, I got nothing.If I didn't have a job to provide financial security, I'd definitely be sick.I had been with the railroad for five years and had employment preference, but to keep the preference I could not leave my job for more than 90 days, and I had been in New York for 70 days.So I hurried back to Oklahoma with my rail pass and resumed my old job—I had to keep my supply lines running. After working for a few months, I saved some money and came back to New York.This time, I made great progress.One day, while I was waiting for an exam in a recording studio, I was playing and singing "Jenny, I Dream of Lilacs" to a female receptionist when Nat Schekraut, the songwriter, walked into the office.He was so excited to hear his songs sung that he wrote a note asking me to try them out at Vidor Records.I recorded a song on Victoria Records, but it was too raw and unnatural.On the advice of the sound engineer, I returned to Dusa, working the railroad during the day and singing cowboy songs on the local radio station at night.I like this arrangement very much, it shows that my supply lines are open, and I don't have any worries about economic problems.

I sang on Radio Dussar for nine months, during which time I co-wrote a song with Jimmy Long called "My Father with White Hair," which was well received.American Records boss Arthur Shadley made a record of it, which was also a success.Then I made a lot of records and got a job at W15 in Chicago singing cowboy songs for $40 a week.Four years later, my salary was increased to 90 yuan a week, and at the same time, I performed in theaters and had an additional income of 300 yuan. In 1934, the opportunity came.At that time, Hollywood producers decided to make a cowboy film, and they needed a new type of cowboy who could sing.The owner of America Records is one of the shareholders of Republic Pictures.He said to his other partners: "Looking for a cowboy who can sing, and I have one right there."

From then on, I entered the film industry, with a weekly salary of 100 yuan.When I started making singer cowboy videos, I was worried about whether the film I was going to be able to do, but I wasn't worried.Because I know I can find my old job anytime. I've done far more than I could have imagined in film, and now I'm making $10,000 a year, not including bonuses I get for making films.I know it won't stay like this forever, but I don't worry because I know that no matter what happens—even if it loses all my money—I can always go back to Oklahoma, in Frisco The railroad company got a job.My supply lines are always open.