Remembering the King of the Cowboys

and

The Queen of the West

Although they rode off into God's sunset a decade ago, their story is worth remembering and preserving. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were role models to three generations of young Americans.  Today's youth has nothing that even comes close because what Roy and Dale were on the si.lver screen carried over into real life.

But they were far more than role models.  When John Wayne was still struggling with what he wanted his on screen personna to be, and Gene Autry was haggling with Republic Pictures boss Herbert Yates, Roy was busy making his "King of the Cowboys" title a reality around the world.  Roy starred in over 80 movies, 26 of them with Dale Evans.  They made over 100 episodes of "The Roy Rogers Show" and starred in a variety show for Chevrolet.  Prior to coming to TV, Roy's hit radio show ran for twelve years.  Roy was after all a singing cowboy, so he was a popular recording artist.  At his peak in 1950 there were 200 Roy Rogers fan clubs around the world.  The fan club in Great Britain boasted 50,000 members.  When Yates wouldn't give him a sizeable pay increase, Roy took a stipulation that gave him ownership of the rights to his name and likeness.  At one time there were more than 400 products licensed under his name, second only to Walt Disney.  By the mid-Fifties Roy  truly was the biggest Western star in the world.  Not too bad for a poor farm boy from Ohio.

  

Roy:  "Trigger could stop on a dime and give nine cents change."

Mattie Slye gave birth to her son Leonard on Nov. 5, 1911 in Cinncinatti, Ohio.  Shortly afterward Andy Slye moved his family far out into the country onto a farm near Duck Run, Ohio.  On the farm young Roy learned about hard work, horseback riding and how to play the guitar and mandolin and how to sing and yodel.  He also learned that you can't make money as a farmer when your biggest crop is rocks.  For a time Roy worked with his father in a shoe factory in Cinncinatti.  When Roy's oldest sister Mary got married and moved to California the family soon followed.  But in the early Thirties people in California were just as out of work as people in Ohio.  For a time the Slye family lived in a migrant workers' camp and picked peaches for the Del Monte Co.

Roy, or rather Len Slye's musical career began in 1931 when his sister Mary told him he ought to try out for a spot on an amatuer talent hour on KMCS.   That sucessful appearance led to his joining the first of several bands, The Rocky Mountaineers.  When Roy pushed them to hire a harmony vocalist he met fellow  yodeler Bob Nolan.   Nolan didn't stay with the group long.  Tim Spencer, Nolan's replacement, didn't stay long either, but neither did Len.  By the summer of '33 they were starving to death on a tour of the Southwest with the O Bar O Cowboys.  One night on the radio the boys were talking about how much they missed home cooking.  Len particularly missed homemade lemon pie.  A call came into the station saying that if he would sing "The Swiss Yodel" the caller would bake him a pie.  The band obliged and later that evening there came a knock at the door of their cabin and Arline Wilkins and her mother were there with lemon pies.  Arline and Roy started writing letters.  Three years later they were married.

By 1936 Len, Tim, and Bob Nolan had formed the Western harmony group that would become known as the Son's of the Poneers.  They were making records and doing bit parts in films.  The most notable being Gene Autry's "The Big Show".  Gene Autry had started a singing cowboy craze and now he wanted better money out of Republic or he was going to walk.  Gene's tantrum was Len Slye's good fortune.  Gene had created his own fiercest competition.  In 1937, Republic would sign the soon to be renamed Roy Rogers to a seven year deal.  Although it would be six more years before a poll would name him the #1 box office cowboy, "The King of the Cowboys" was born!

 

This tribute page is part of a non-profit, fan appreciation site.

Biographical source information from

The Woman at the Well by Dale Evans Rogers

and

Laurence Zwishon's on line biography at

the official Roy Rogers website.

For more detailed information about Roy and Dale and their museum in Branson, MO. go to www.royrogers.com

Their fans never allowed the King and his Queen to completely retire.  For years they were fixtures in the Tournament of Roses parade and in the late Eighties their "Happy Trails Theater" was one of the top rated shows on cable.   Long after he could no longer ride horses Roy was still riding motorcycles.  In the late Nineties Dale was hosting a daily inspirational program on TBN and Roy was making appearances at the museum as long as he could.  Together they left behind them many happy trails and millions of happy hearts.

"He gave us standards to live by that helped teach us the difference between right and wrong. His willingness to stand up for the things he believed in inspired us. And his religious faith and his concern for the less fortunate helped mold our character. Roy lived his life off camera with the same decency and humility that he projected on television and on the silver screen. He was the hero who never let us down. Despite all the success that came to him, Roy never seemed to lose his way. And he never forgot that his fans were the ones who made it possible for a poor boy from Ohio to attain a level of success greater than anything he could ever have imagined. His decency and strength of character come from a simpler time in America. Yet it was anything but an easy time."--Laurence Zwishon

At the end of the trail, still happy.

(I think Roy is smiling because he knows they;ve got horses in Heaven.)

1995

By 1944 Roy was an established box office draw for Republic.  But being a big star didn't equate to big money...not at Republic.  Roy, Len Slye had legally changed his name, (his mother could never bring herself to call him Roy) had to supplement his income with a gruelling personal appearance schedule.  Trigger, his principal co-star never complained.  His trailer was air conditioned.

On the silver screen Roy had other co-stars.  Bob and the boys provided background music and plot points.  George "Gabby" Hayes had proven to be Roy's most popular side-kick.  Until "The Cowboy and the Seniorita" Roy had many leading ladies.  This picture paired him with a young singer who, in her teen years wanted to marry Tom Mix.  Her name was Dale Evans.

The larger than life movie hero had finally met his on screen match.  She could match him quip for quip and note for note and someimes punch for punch.  The only major adjustment was taking third billing behind Trigger.  Even now when you run their films 64 years later their chemistry often makes the screen crackle from the energy between them.  For Dale the movie company became an extended family.  Once between takes, relaxing in the saddle with her feet not firmly in the stirrups, Dale laughed at a joke and her horse bolted and Dale was dragged along.  Gabby yelled, "Go git 'er Roy!"  And just like a scene in a movie, Roy and Trigger were off to save the day and Dale...this time for real!  That day Roy and Trigger proved they were the real deal.

What drove me crazy as a young fan was the concept of the "modern western" where Roy and Trigger would chase bad guys driving trucks!

By 1946 Roy and Arline had adopted a daughter and had a natural daughter.  In October of '46 Arline gave birth to Roy Rogers Jr., who they nicknamed Dusty.  Unfor-tunately a week later Arline developed an embolism and died.  Suddenly Roy was a single parent with two small daughters and an infant.  He was working hard to support his family, but they needed more than just their grandparents love and care.

Dale  was a constant presence and supported Roy as much as possible.  At a rodeo event in Chicago late in 1947, they were waiting to be inntrouced and Roy casually asked Dale what she was doing for New Years.  When she said she had no plans, Roy suggested they get married and then rode out to be introduced.  When Dale rode out she accepted.  They were married on Dec. 31, 1947.  They celebrated by going on a coon hunt.  

Through the years, like all of us, the Rogers' family experienced triumphs and tragedies and tests of faith.  Dale actually became a strong Christian first.  From his frequent visits to orphanages and children's hospitals, Roy had some issues with God.  How could a good God allow children to suffer?  And why did a decent guy like Roy need a Savior for anyway?  God's faithfulness through troubled times answered many of those questions.  Roy reponded to that faithfulness with a faith of his own.   As entertainers Roy and Dale sometimes paid a price for being Christians and patriots, but with  the Rogers' faith, family and country always came before making a dollar.  Their values were real.  Roy started the Roy Rogers' Riders' Cllub to encourage kids to go to church and Sunday School.

The story that epitomizes how people felt about Roy and Dale is this:  One morning Roy comes downstairs in his bathrobe to make coffee to find a tourist family from Michigan or someplace sitting in his living room.  "Can I help you folks?"  They said, "Howdy, Roy!  We just thought we would drop by and say hello!"  "Okay, would you like some coffee?"  Roy and Dale made us all feel like that kind of thing was okay, because after all we are all in this adventure called life together.  Happy Trails!