Sagebrush News issue 12

The Sagebrush News
Inside this issue:
This n That
2
Fan to Fan
3
The Great American
Cowboy
4
Movie Review
5
Nellybelle
6
Roy’s Sidekicks
7
Mom’s Scrapbook
8-9
Roy’s Faith
10-11
Dale’s Faith
12
Memphis Film Festival
13
Pioneer Record Rack
14-15
Dale Evans Film Project
16
Henager Centennial
17
Happy Trails
18
Issue No. 12
Celebrate Roy’s birthday 19
August, 2011
Bobby Copeland
20-21
Roy Rogers’ Festival
22-23
FirstPlace
24
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 2
This n That
NOW ON THE WEB
HTTP://WWW.SAGEBRUSHNEWS.ORG
A lot of fan contributions throughout this issue
Be sure to check out the new
website for access to all of the
archived issues of The Sagebrush
News.
************************************************
Krys reviews “Days of Jesse James” from 1939
***************************************************
Krystina and Leah continue their series describing Roy
and Dale’s Faith
***************************************************
Meet the new owners of Nellybelle
***************************************************
Are you a Facebook member? If so, be sure to become a fan of
The Sagebrush News group on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_91175802565
Western Music on the Internet
Our favorite sites:
Listen to O. J. Sikes at bostonpete.com. Our friend, O. J.,
has an all new show each week at:
http://www.bostonpete.com/wma/show0004.asx
“Big Boy” Williams is featured in issue as Roy’s sidekick
***************************************************
John Fullerton returns with another episode of The Pioneer
Record Rack
***************************************************
We review the Memphis Film Festival, Henager’s Roy Rogers Cenntennial Celebration and the Roy Rogers Festival
in Portsmouth, OH
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Learn about a Dale Evans Film Project
***************************************************
Ranch and Reata Radio for a good mix of continuous old
and new western music
More locations where you can celebrate Roy’s 100th birthday
hp://www.customchannels.net/player_pages/player_launch.php?page=ranch
The Cowtrails show hosted by Western Belle can be heard
each Sunday from 1-3 p.m. CDT on pbs station KSJD in
Colorado. It can be heard online at:
hp://www.customchannels.net/player_pages/player_launch.php?page=ranch
The Sagebrush News is a free, quarterly, online only publication dedicated to the memory of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
Co-Editors: Jim Friesz and Charles Galloway
Contributing Writers: Leah, Krystina, John, Jim
Proofreaders: Sharon Friesz and JeanBeth Hill
EDITOR note—this newsletter is a work of love for Roy and
Dale, thus it is free.
The fans of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans present:
THE SAGEBRUSH NEWS
108 HAMPSHIRE DRIVE
BRANSON, MO 65616
Phone: 417-334-0890
Fax: 417-334-0890
Email: contact@sagebrushnews.org
Web: sagebrushnews.org
We would like to hear from you regarding your special
connection to Roy and Dale. Your letter may very well be
included in the next issue of The Sagebrush News.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 3
Many of our readers are very talented folks. Since the last issue of The Sagebrush News we have received many writings
we want to share with you.
Judy Garcia writes :“A few years ago I wrote a
book of poems printed by Ghost River Images in
Tucson, AZ. and one of my poems was about
Roy. The poetry book was titled TO ALL THE
MEN I LOVED BEFORE and the poem is titled
HAPPY TRAILS. I’d like to share it with you.”
Happy Trails
I fell in love with you those Saturday matinees
I was mesmerized and stayed in the theater all day
W_ n__^ mor_ h_ro_s lik_ Roy [n^ D[l_, how_v_r, my
n_ph_ws [n^ ni_]_s ^on’t _v_n know who th_y [r_. I s__
th[t [nt_nn[ TV h[s som_ of th_ r_[l ol^ s_ri_s —I
w[t]h_^ Rin-Tin-Tin this morning. I wish su]h shows [s
Roy Rog_rs , G_n_ @utry, R_^ Ry^_r, Hop[long C[ss[^y,
Th_ Lon_ R[ng_r, Br[v_ E[gl_, Whistling @rrow, [n^ of
]ours_, Rin-Tin-Tin, Fury [n^ m[ny oth_rs th[t pr_s_nt_^ [^ult [n^ ]hil^ rol_ mo^_ls to th_ vi_w_r w_r_
still [v[il[\l_. I think if th_s_ \_][m_ [ r_gul[r on
S[tur^[y morning TV [g[in th_y ]oul^ on]_ [g[in \_]om_ h_ro_s to th_ ]hil^r_n of to^[y.
Th[nk you for Th_ S[g_\rush N_ws.
D[rl_n_ M. St[pp
You’d ride on Trigger across the silver screen
Enforcing the law and keeping the prairie clean
I was a charter member of the Roy Rogers Riders Club and
You taught us values at a very young age
While dodging cactus tumbleweed and purple sage
You’d sing under the western skies
In your cowboy shirt and bolo tie
In each picture, you’d ride the range
Champion of justice promoting change
Trigger was your gallant steed
Helping you complete each good deed
still have the rules in a frame on my wall, along with several
autographed pictures I received over the years from their fan
club. I had a Dale Evans cowgirl outfit and I had Roy Rogers
saddlebags but no horse, so I put them on the back of my
bicycle and made “reins” out of a rope to attach to the handlebars of my JC Higgins bike. I also had a Roy Rogers
lunchbox, which long ago rusted and was thrown away, but I
found a duplicate a few years ago so enjoy carrying it when
we travel or just having it on display in my kitchen.
When I was in 4th grade, my mother gave me a copy of Angel
Unaware and I read it so many times I almost had it memorized.
Your sidekicks were Gabby and Dale
With them you could not fail
I grew to love your movies of the old west
And my memories of you are the very best
I never got to meet Roy in person but I stood in line for nearly
4 hours to meet Dale at a book-signing once in Dallas.
The other thing is that Dusty and I think, Linda and Cheryl,
were in my cousin’s Sunday School class in California when
they were kids and Barb got to go on a picnic at their ranch. I
was so envious!!!
Thanks and Happy Trails!
Jean Brock
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
The Great American Cowboy
Made famous by writers
Gene Autry, Matt and Chester,
like Louis L’amour and Zane Grey, as we rode our stick horses
the cowboy rode into our lives
and shot our cap guns
via the pages of dime novels,
and dressed like cowboys.
radio dramas, movie serials,
Sometimes our heroes
and later made weekly
would come to town,
appearances on Saturday
appear at our rodeos,
morning television,
and seeing Roy and Dale
Our heroes clad in chaps,
and Matt and Chester
spurs and cowboy boots,
and the good guy always
ride into the arena
wore a white hat.
was almost more than
These were our champions,
we could bear, as we
the men who rounded up,
rushed from our seats
herded, roped, branded,
who smelled of cattle
and horse and often
The first one is “Roy Rogers, King of the
Cowboys, The Collected Dailies and Sundays” published by Hermes Press in cooperation with The Roy Rogers Family Entertainment Corporation. The foreword, written
by Dusty, explains how he and his brother,
Sandy, were like all other kids that waited
impatiently for that next Roy Rogers comic
book or newspaper comic strip. This is a
wonderful look into the history of this part of
the Roy Rogers legacy. The book is available at Amazon.com or directly from the
publisher at hermespress.com.
railing to get a better
look at these men and women
of stars with only a saddle
who brought out the best in each
to pillow their head.
of us.
We lived vicariously
Long live the Great American
through the adventures
cowboy. We need their
of Tom Mix, Shane, Roy and Dale,
brand of heroism today.
© 2011 Carol J. Grace
Carol Grace is a native of Little Rock,
Arkansas. This past March she attended a concert by Roy Rogers, Jr. and the
HighRiders as part of the Songs Across
America Festival held at the University
of Central Arkansas in Conway. We
suspect writers such as Ms. Grace are
always preparing for the next poem and
so it was no surprise when she put her
thoughts about The Great American
Cowboy into poetry.
For more information on her writwww.reflectionspoetry.com
There are two recent publications that you
may be interested in obtaining. I would call
them coffee table books — the kind you set
out for people to look through.
and pressed against the
slept under a blanket
ings go to her website at
Page 4
American Cowboy magazine’s editors recently published this next book: “The 100
Greatest Western Movies of all time: Including five you’ve never heard of.”
Whether you agree with the list or not, it is a
fascinating read. Two of our Sagebrush News
readers, authors Douglas Brode and Raymond E. White are involved with this particular book. Brode has written the foreword,
while White wrote a piece on John Wayne,
“The Making of an Icon.” Usually shunned
in these books, Roy and Dale’s film, “Don’t
Fence Me In” was included at number 41.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 5
Days of Jesse James
Producer and Director: Joseph Kane
Filmed at Iverson’s Ranch
Filmed in 1939, Days of Jesse James stars Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes,
Pauline Moore, and Donald "Red" Barry as Jesse James, the ostensible bad
guy of the story. It contains, according to IMDB.com, three songs, “I’m a
Son of a Cowboy”, “Saddle Your Dreams” and “Echo Mountain”. Unfortunately my version only had the latter one, with it being sung as a reprise again at
the end.
The storyline goes something like this: Gabby and his granddaughter, played
by Pauline Moore, return from their gold mine in California, and aim to settle
down in Missouri and live on their returns from the gold mine. On their way,
however, the train on which they are traveling is held up, by Jesse James
and his brother Frank. However, they do not steal Gabby's money, and a
local banker, who also happens to be on the train, persuades them to put
their money and gold in his bank. This they do, and settle down to start a
new life in the town. However, it isn't long before the bank is robbed. Enter
Roy Rogers, who is a peace officer assigned to finding out who stole the
money from the bank. The blame for that and other robberies is laid on the
James brothers, but the evidence may not be as conclusive as it seems...
I enjoyed this particular one, although I was disappointed that it only had
the one song in it. As my version ran 53 minutes, I suppose these other
songs were cut out from it. No matter, though, it's a relatively minor quibble.
I enjoyed Don "Red" Barry's performance, it is interesting to note that in at least two RR films in which he played notable characters- Saga of Death Valley and this one, he plays characters that may be bad, or may be misunderstood, or
may be both. Pauline Moore did a fair performance in this one, she isn't my favorite of the early RR heroines, but I
think I will come to like her more. This is, from what I understand, the first Roy Rogers film she was in. She would go
on to be in four other films with Roy.
So, all in all, an entertaining Roy Rogers' western. Perhaps not one of my absolute favorites, but still enjoyable, as they
all are, are they not?
The shortened version of the film is available for your viewing pleasure on You Tube. Just click on this link.
http://youtu.be/6RvLmXNZ-UE
Sagebrush News reader, Bill Black, is offering a special Roy Rogers 100th anniversary MOVIE POSTER SPECIAL for sale on
eBay. The MOVIE POSTER PACK contains 11 items authorized and licensed by AC Comics from 1991-99. This pack includes
several title cards, posters, comics and Roy Rogers’ portraits all from the AC Comics warehouse. There are two versions, the
special, described above, sells for $19.95 and the deluxe version that includes a DVD of the Trigger, Jr. movie sells for
$24.95. $8.00 expedited postage is additional. This sounds like a great deal for the Roy Rogers collector. Check them out at
Roy Rogers 100th Anniversary Poster Special. 200642875133 and
Roy Rogers 100th Anniversary Poster Special Deluxe ED 200642877489.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Nellybelle
Page 6
By Jim Friesz
New Jersey native Pam Weidel has long been a lover of horses, having owned over 200 horses since 1978,
and has trained or sold 100’s more. When Pam heard about the Christies/High Noon Auction of the Roy
Rogers-Dale Evans Museum collection in July, 2010, she and her sister, Angela, headed to the auction with
eyes for the fancy parade saddles used by Trigger and Trigger, Jr.
“The first thing I saw parked in front of Christies was “Nellybelle.” She exclaimed to Angela, “I love
Nellybelle. I called all of my cars Nellybelle.” Then I quickly stepped under the roped off area and had my
picture taken.”
Pam Weidel, right, and her sister, Angela, pose in
Nellybelle in front of Christies Auction House in New
York City.
Her friend, John B. Haynes IV, owns a private
museum facility in Pennsylvania and she felt it
would be the perfect location to keep any
purchases safe and secure. With John unable to
attend the auction, they made an agreement to
partner up on any purchases. When Pam was the
winning bidder of Nellybelle at $116,500
(including buyer’s premium), John called
wanting to know what was going on. When Pam
told him she had just bought Nellybelle he was
somewhat taken back since they hadn’t
discussed that possible purchase. John
wondered why she hadn’t called during the
auction and she said she had already lost out on
a winning bid because she glanced down to look
at her program and the hammer fell and she
wasn’t about to make that mistake again by
trying to talk on the phone during the bidding.
Before the sale was said and done, Pam had won
Trigger, Jr.’s Bohlin saddle for $242,500 along
with many other items including spurs, and an
oil painting of Roy and Trigger.
Their venture with Nellybelle and the Bohlin parade saddle to the Memphis Film Festival was really their
first road experience other than a car show. They had a great time at the festival meeting both Roy Rogers,
Jr.(Dusty) and Dustin Roy Rogers, and gathering some information about Pat Brady’s trusty sidekick that
they hadn’t previously known.
Dustin Roy Rogers,
Roy Rogers, Jr,
Pam Weidel and
John Haynes, IV in
Nellybelle during
Memphis Film
Festival, June, 2011
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 7
By
Charles
Robert
Galloway
G
uinn “Big Boy” Williams played Roy’s sidekick in two movies in 1944, “Hands Across the Border” and “The Cowboy and
the Senorita.” As a sidekick, “Big Boy” specialized in the often confused, big loveable “teddy bear” type of buddy. In fact, his
character’s name in both Roy movies was “Teddy Bear.” And he was very good in this role. However, this role did not define his
long and varied career in the movies. He played the varying role of supporting actor, character roles, and leading man in a career that spanned over 40 years and included over 250 movies. It included westerns, crime dramas, love stories, and comedies. Guinn Williams was a very versatile actor.
Roy and “Big Boy” in a scene from
“The Cowboy and the Senorita”, 1944.
He was born in Decatur, Texas, in April, 1899, and grew up there as the son of a
prosperous rancher, banker, and politician, Guinn Terrell Williams Sr. His father was elected to the US Congress from Texas 13th Congressional District.
Young Guinn was an athletic star on the baseball field in high school and
played in college as well. He was rumored to have played on some semiprofessional baseball teams during that time (using an assumed name to protect his amateur status, a common thing to do at that time). His sports abilities
were responsible for some of his early movie roles such as the silent pictures,
“Slide, Kelly, Slide” and “The Babe Comes Home”, both in 1927. As a young
man in Texas, he had learned to ride horses, developed other cowboy skills
which proved very useful to him in those early Hollywood days. His father had
hoped he would go to law school after college but Guinn drifted to Hollywood
where Will Rogers, the humorist, cowboy, and actor, put him in some of his features in 1919. Guinn was a tall actor at 6’ 2” in height with red hair and a burly
athletic body which fit naturally into the western and sports featured movies of
the time. Hence the nickname, “Big Boy”, given to him by none other than Will
Rogers. He later utilized his cowboy riding skills and athleticism in another
popular Hollywood elite sport, polo, with his good friend Will Rogers. It has
been reported that Guinn owned approximately 125 polo ponies at one time.
By 1922 Guinn had actually written and starred in a western, “The Jack Rider”, for an independent production company. He
bounced around a number of independent companies making silent movies in which he both starred and/or played supporting
roles. By 1930, Guinn had appeared in some 54 silent movies, with approximately half of them westerns. His first talking movie
was “The Big Fight” in 1930.
One pivotal picture that starred Guinn was “Law of the Colt .45’s” in 1935. His leading action
character was Tucson “Two Gun Smith” and the sidekick was Stoney Martin, played by Al St.
John in his “pre-Fuzzy days”. This was the first adaption of a William Colt MacDonald story and
stayed very close to the book. Of course, this series of novels would become the basis for “The
Three Mesquiteers” group of 53 westerns with Ray “Crash” Corrigan, John Wayne, Robert Livingston, Max Terhune, Bob Steele, among others to play these roles. Similar series included
the “Rangebusters” and others.
Some of his most famous roles were in “Dodge City” with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland,
in 1939, and his career ended with his final film appearance as Ed McBain in the John Wayne
western, “The Commancheros” in 1961. In 1962, Guinn Williams began suffering from kidney
failure and died in June of that year.
Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford
While his sidekick performances with Roy were few, we all know how important “The Cowboy and “Big Boy” in a publicity
and the Senorita” was to the lives of our heroes, Roy and Dale. Their first picture together
still from 1943’s, “The Despebrought the kind of movie magic that Republic Pictures was looking for in regard to their star
singing cowboy. And Guinn Williams was certainly a contributor to that magic. I can recall Roy radoes.”
speaking fondly of “Big Boy” in introducing that picture on the Happy Trails Theater. I certainly have found new admiration for
the “Big Boy” from Decatur, Texas, a veteran of over 250 films spanning the silent era to Technicolor. He was beloved and respected by the people he worked with and by his family as well. No better standard is required.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Mom’s Scrapbook
Page 8
by Cheryl Nelson
I am a fan, an admirer of all things western. The power and majesty of the horse thrill me. The
pride, honor, and sheer courage of the cowboy haunt me in today’s world. This fascination,
this love, was passed down to me by my mother, Maxine or “Mack”, as she preferred to be
called. As a child she spent every available moment in a movie theater, and what money was
available to her through her teen years, buying magazines and pictures of movie stars. While
she had her favorites among other types of movies, her love of the western has been beautifully preserved for me in the form of scrapbooks, meticulously created by her loving hands.
Mack was born in 1935, while the country was still reeling from the Great Depression, and
entertainment came where and how you could find it in small, rural communities in the Midwest. By the time she reached her teens, however, in 1948, we’d survived a World War, and
in the process learned the value of escapism and the ease with which public opinions could
be shaped by one single force—the motion picture. And mother “Mack” embraced it with
both arms.
Virtually every extra dime she had was spent on movies, magazines, and photographs of her heroes. Many of the pictures
were culled out of those magazines, carefully trimmed and pasted into the pages of a scrapbook. Many others were given out
as publicity by the theaters, and still others, sometime beautiful color photographs, were taken off the front of tablets and
coloring books. One such example is a picture of Roy Rogers, a particular stunning color picture printed on quality paper,
and removed from the front of a primary school tablet. If you love the genre, it seems you knew where to look!
The very first page is covered by four small publicity photos given out by theaters;
two, a kind of sepia brown; and two, by now you would have to describe as purple.
The pictures are Gene Autry on Champ, Bob Allen, Charles Starrett, and Allan
“Rocky” Lane, respectively. Further over you’ll find Johnny Mack Brown, Jack Butell,
Jimmy Wakely, and John Wayne. There are stars like Howard Duff, Randolph Scott,
Smiley Burnette, Gabby Hayes, Tim Holt, Ray Corrigan, and nearly 60 pictures of
Roy Rogers, from a rare photo of him at age five, one of he and his cousin Stan Sly,
and photos of he and Dale at their wedding. There are several of a very small Roy
Rogers, Jr. (Dusty), as well.
This is where my love of the western began to take shape. Many afternoons were
spent side by side with Mom on the couch, as she slowly turned the pages of a
scrapbook from the 40’s, telling my brother and me who everyone was, what kind of
westerns they made, and whatever else she knew about each one. Roy Rogers, Sunset Carson, Johnny Mack Brown, Charles Starrett, Bill Elliott, Bobby Blake, Tim Holt
and many others, whose names are as familiar to me as those of the TV stars of the
late 60’s an early 70’s, when I was growing up, because my mother told us about
them, showed us pictures of them,
and described their movies to us.
Sometimes it was in surprising detail. One such example was her chronicle of
the career of Riley Hill from a fan’s perspective. She said she first began to see
him in bit parts, as villains, sometimes quickly killed off, and then gradually,
his parts got bigger, until he was no longer quickly dispensed with, and then
co-starring in some film, until one day she saw a movie advertised, “Starring
Riley Hill.” A new generation sees the advancement of a one time bit player.
As those years passed, and the “B-Western” faded into the sunset, so to speak,
my Mom’s love of the western did not. Television westerns were rising high,
and the movie westerns she loved were joined by Rawhide, the Rifleman, Gunsmoke and Wagon Train, to name a few. Her brother, my uncle Walter, shared
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Mom’s Scrapbook
Page 9
by Cheryl Nelson
her love of the western, if not exceeded it. If he was at our house when one of those shows came on, he was
right there with us. And right there between them was me. At the time of his death, my uncle had the largest
paperback western book collection I have ever seen.
I was 5 years old in 1963 when
JFK was killed, and like the rest
of the country, I remember
where I was and what I was doing when we heard the news. I
was with my cousin, also 5,
watching reruns of Wagon Train,
where we were every day at that
time. Other times, we would be
outside playing cowboy and
Indians. More often than not, my
cousin was the Cisco Kid, my
brother, Roy Rogers, and if no
plum part was readily available,
I was perfectly happy to pretend
to be a wild horse no one could
catch, complete with two sturdy
branches for front legs!
Visiting another
uncle when I was
about 8, I was
playing outside
with another
cousin, when my
uncle called my
Mom to the window to look out
across the field
where we were
playing, our stick
horses silhouetted
against the last
rays of the setting sun. “Just like you and Walt,” he said.
When I look at my mother’s scrapbook today, I see a world in which I never lived, but was very much a part of,
through my Mom’s love and preservation of it. Her memories became my memories, and something so simple
shared between her and me played a large role in creating the person I am today, and I believe I am better for
it. Those simple heroes, with their faithful horses, their larger than life ambitions, and honor and dignity above
and beyond that of regular people, set a goal worthy of striving for. I never really thought of it that way, until I
was asked to write this article describing the 60-some year old scrapbook, I carried in my hands. I never analyzed it. I only knew that those pictures, those pages, were very special to someone who meant the world to
me, and now are special to me in a different way.
Mack and Walt are gone now, just like Roy and Dale, and Sunset, and so many others, but they all live on between the brittle pages of my Mom’s scrapbook, and deep in the heart of this 52-year-old, who will always
remember.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 10
Roy’s Faith
By Krystina, age 17, from Ontario, Canada
A
fter Roy signed his contract with Republic, he was quickly catapulted into stardom and fame. Soon a beautiful
golden Palomino horse was added along to Roy’s name, who, as we all know, was Trigger. It was also during this
time that Roy and Arline were given the chance to do something wonderful. They adopted a little girl named Cheryl Darlene,
who added so much joy to the Rogers family, and through whom God would bless the family in many ways. In 1943, they
found they would be having another child, a girl they called Linda Lou.
It wasn’t long after Roy and Arline adopted Cheryl that a sudden, fateful event happened. Pearl Harbor was a day that will be
etched in American history forever. The ensuing war touched many aspects of life, and Hollywood was not excluded. Gene
Autry left pictures to fly airplanes for the Army Air Force, ferrying fuel and supplies in the China-India-Burma theater. Jimmy
Stewart went on to distinguish himself in the service. James Arness was at the battle of Anzio, where he was wounded. British
actor, Richard Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force. Cowboy star Bob Baker also fought in the war. Pat Brady was a
tank crewman in the 4th Armored Division. One source said that Hollywood stars won over 300 medals for their bravery and service during
the war.
For those that didn’t enlist directly, they toured, giving shows to support the troops. Some of these included singers such as the Andrews
sisters, Bob Hope, Doris Day, Marlene Dietrich, and of course, Roy
Rogers and Dale Evans. The Sons of the Pioneers, for those of the
members who did not enlist, toured military bases and gave shows
and performances, often working through demanding schedules. All
of these Hollywood entertainers either put their careers on hold or
made sacrifices in order that they could help the cause of freedom.
They realized there was something higher than simply making films
and money, and that was defense of freedom and good in this world.
Their patriotism was truly amazing and inspiring.
We know that Roy wasn’t in the armed services; he was thirty when
Pearl Harbor was attacked, and had a family and therefore did not have a high draft status. Later as he was about to be drafted, the maximum age limit was lowered, thereby excluding him. He did actively participate in the war effort on the home
front, and this should not by any means go unappreciated. He toured extensively and gave hundreds of performances to support the effort. He sold war bonds, and was given a citation for having sold over $1 million dollars worth of bonds, reportedly
more than any other Hollywood star. In today’s currency
this would have been close to $13 million, for anyone
who happens to be curious. Obviously this shows his
hard work, his dedication, and his true patriotism.
I think that, more and more, the things I appreciate the
most about the life of Roy is his faith in the Lord and his
love of not only his country, but also the freedom, the
good solid values, and the beliefs which underpin the
very structure of countries such as Great Britain and the
United States of America. He, and so many other Hollywood stars from that era in history, as we have seen,
were willing to stand up and be counted among those
who were ready and able to defend what they loved. You
would not see that too often among todays stars, although
to their credit, there still are singers and artists from the
county music genre that do give shows and tours for and
Photo courtesy of Henager’s Memories & Nostalgia
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 11
Roy’s Faith
By Krystina, age 17, from Ontario, Canada
in support of servicemen and women.
An event that followed shortly after the end of the war, tested Roy’s faith along with his friends, Dale, Art Rush and his
wife Mary Jo, and The Sons of the Pioneers, to name a few. After giving birth to their third child, Roy, Jr. (Dusty), in 1946,
Roy’s beloved wife Arline suddenly died as a result of an embolism in her blood stream. They had celebrated their
tenth wedding anniversary 5 months prior to this. This would be the first in a series of tragedies that would test Roy’s
faith severely.
One of the first to arrive at Roy’s side at the hospital was Art Rush. Once again, God had placed exactly the right person
with Roy and his family. Art and Mary Jo Rush, and Jim Osborne—who handled Roy’s financial affairs, were there for
Roy. God did not only work through these people, he worked through connections with people that Roy knew from the
set. For instance, as Dusty Rogers shares in his book, “Growing Up with Roy and Dale,” Roy learned from his film standin, Whitey Christiansen, that his mother was a recent widow, and suggested that she come and help take care of Roy’s
three little children while Roy was away occupied with filming, tours, rodeos and more. Even here, despite what truly
was a hard time, God was working….
Grace Arline holding Linda Lou with Cheryl Darlene, age three, while Roy admires his family, 1943
November 4, 1946
Ed Note: The spelling of Arline’s name is quite often seen in print
as Arlene, the much more common spelling. Even comparing Linda Lou and Dusty’s birth certificates, one is spelled Arline and the
other, Arlene.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 12
Dale’s Faith
By Leah, age 17, from Ohio
It was not that Dale did not like Roy
Rogers... of course she liked him!
EVERYONE liked him. He was a good
friend. His two daughters adored Dale.
The crew was nice to her. The pay was
reasonable. Dale was simply unhappy
with the roles she was playing, and
also her personal life. Dale had been
married to Robert Dale Butts for several years, but it ended in divorce in
1946. Lying about her son Tommy, was
hard, even when it felt necessary for
her career and Dale needed the job.
After she had her career well underway, then she would tell about Tommy, then she would spend more time
in church. Dale was proud of her son,
and she wished everyone could know
that he was hers. The lie about her age
continued to rankle, and with all things
combined, Dale was a very unhappy
person. She worked as hard as she
could on her movie roles, hoping
someone would see the promise in
her. Hoping someone would give her
a different role.
Dale gradually got her feet under her.
She took riding lessons, and she became friends with cast and crew. Roy
Rogers was a quiet, unassuming man.
He was happily married, and had two
daughters, Cheryl and Linda Lou. Dale
was also playing an important part in
changing her roles. Usually the heroine of western movies tended to be
damsels in distress. Dale, however,
was a damsel who was not in distress.
She could take care of herself... and
often told the hero so. Dale was diligent on memorizing lines, and was
always well prepared when she came
onto set.
Dale might have been unhappy, but
the studio was not. Fans loved the
pairing of mild Roy Rogers, and fiesty
Dale Evans. Dale made nine pictures
with Roy before finally heading to Herbert Yates and telling him clearly she
was not happy, and either wanted oth- UP article from February 2, 1946
er roles, or she would quit. He told her
quite clearly that she was under contract and could not do so.
Dale acted in ten more Roy Rogers
films. In early 1947 Dale's contract
was almost over, and she was
through with Republic. When the
public got wind of Dale leaving she
was sent letters by the hundreds ...
thousands, asking her not to leave.
While Dale was surprised and flattered, she wanted something different. She did not attempt to renew her
contract.
For a while, Dale tried to find a part
in a musical comedy movie. It never
happened, and Dale returned to
singing. Before long Republic contacted her and offered her a better
contract... including the fact that she
would not have to act in Westerns.
Dale's options had been exhausted,
and she accepted. Again, the movies
did not do well, and Dale went on a
singing tour. After that she attempted
another comedy movie. It did not do
well. Dale returned to Herbert Yates
and told him she wanted to be back
in westerns. Almost without missing
a beat, Dale stepped back into her
well known and much loved roles.
She was growing closer with Roy
Rogers, and she was beginning to
fall in love.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 13
By Jim Friesz
K
udos to Ray Nielson, Boyd Magers, and all of their capable help in running a very smooth three day western film
festival in Memphis, Tennessee. Of course, after 33 years you should have the bugs out, I guess. Anyway, this was
my first trip to this festival, as it honors TV westerns, for the most part, — Laramie, Lancer, The Virginian, Wagon Train,
Lawman, Fury, Brave Eagle, My Friend Flicka, and F-Troop. What did I learn?? There are some pretty devoted fans that
still follow their heroes, aka the Lancer Ladies and the Virginian Posse. There are other western festivals scattered around
the country but I doubt any are more respected than this one and the celebrities always want to come back, it seems.
Since it was our guy, Roy Rogers, 100th birthday year, Roy (Dusty) Rogers, Jr., and the HighRiders, along with Dusty’s son,
Dustin Roy Rogers, provided the entertainment for Saturday night by performing their complete Branson show for those in
attendance. It was definitely a highlight of the event and the band was swarmed by fans after the show to get autographs
and purchase CD’s, photos and other memorabilia.
The festival included several Celebrity Panel discussions with folks like Peter Brown, James Drury, Roberta Shore, Robert
Fuller and James Hampton, and a full schedule of western videos being shown in three separate film rooms.
Probably my favorite part of the festival, however, was a Roy Rogers
Radio Show re-creation staring Dustin Rogers as Roy, Roberta Shore
(Betsy Garth, The Virginian) as Dale and James Hampton (F-Troop) as
Pat Brady. Now, we’ve come to expect perfection from professional
actors but with limited rehearsal time and lets face it, its been a while
since most were on the screen, mistakes and hilarity ensued. The star
of the show in that respect was James Hampton who I think could have
played the part of Pat Brady driving Nellybelle on the TV show very
well. Dustin’s grandpa would have been proud of his work.
Dusty, Dustin, John Fullerton and Tommie Nallie in
the dealer memorabilia room
Dustin Roy Rogers and Roberta Shore read their
dialogue during a re-creation of the Roy Rogers Radio
Show
Dusty and Dustin performing the Zac Brown Band
hit “As She’s Walking Away”
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 14
THE PIONEER RECORD RACK
by John Fullerton
The year 1960 was busy for the Sons of the Pioneers. Their touring schedule was full of state
fairs and rodeos with Roy and Dale that took them all over the country coast to coast. The folks
at RCA in Hollywood released the "Cool Water" album earlier in the year and the sales were
very good! The fans were thrilled to hear the guys sing their Western and Cowboy standards.
RCA producer, Neely Plumb called for more sessions with the Western theme, so the Pioneer
trio of Lloyd Perryman, Tommy Doss, and Dale Warren got to work and by October 1960, Lloyd
had close to 20 selections ready for the studio.
The crew at RCA was very flexible in working with the Pioneers to make sure the sound was
close to the way Lloyd arranged it. The trio usually spent around a month rehearsing for an upcoming recording session. Lloyd would record their arrangements and send it to RCA's arranger and the staff musicians would begin working on their parts. If everyone had done their
homework, the sessions would roll along like a well oiled machine. Very seldom did anyone
make mistakes or false starts. It was very common for the Pioneers and the RCA musicians to
go thru and record
12 tunes without a
goof-up.
John Fullerton is a Branson,
Missouri native celebrating his
17th year as a Singing Cowboy.
John is a member of the High
Riders with Roy Rogers, Jr, as
well as doing his solo Western
Roundup show since 2001. His
website is
On November 11,
1960 the Pioneers
consisting of Lloyd
Perryman, Tommy
Doss, Dale Warren,
and Karl Farr entered RCA's Hollyhttp://johnfullertoncowboy.com
wood studio to do a
test session. Four
songs were laid
down; "Cimarron," "Saddle Up," "Pecos Bill," and
"Take Me Back To My Boots and Saddle." Usually
these test tracks were unreleased and would collect
dust on the shelf. But the cut of "Pecos Bill" was perfect, so it was released. The common practice was to
record three or four songs a day. This allowed the
vocalists to perform with fresh voices, and no one
got tired.
This photo from 1960, courtesy of the Ken Griffis collection, shows l-r
Tommy Doss, Dale Warren, Karl Farr, Pat Brady and Lloyd Perryman.
The Pioneers returned on November 17, 23, and 25
and again on December 2, 7, and 30, 1960. At the
end of these sessions, a total of 18 songs had been
recorded with only one of them being a remake.
Here is the track listing from the above dates...
Take Me Back To My Boots and Saddle
Carry Me Back to the Lone Prairie
Along the Navajo Trail
A Cowboy Has to Sing
Wanderers of the Wasteland
Silver On the Sage
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
Chant of the Plains
The Cowboy's Lament
Yippi-Yi, Yippi-Yo
There's A Gold Mine In the Sky (unreleased cut)
When the Bloom Is On the Sage
My Adobe Hacienda
Cimarron (Roll On)
The Cattle Call
Hills of Old Wyoming
There's A Gold Mine in the Sky (remake)
Saddle Up
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
THE PIONEER RECORD RACK
Page 15
by John Fullerton
The purpose of these sessions was so RCA could crank out one or two LPs a year. Two more
sessions took place on April 19 & 20, 1961. Six tunes were recorded. They were...
El Paso
There's A Home In Wyomin'
Tumbleweed Trail
The Lillies Grow High
Song of the Pioneers
Song of the Trail
The folks at RCA felt the trio was stronger with a fourth voice, so once again well known bass vocalist
Thurl Ravenscroft (Tony the Tiger) was present for these recordings. Thurl is featured with brief solos on
"Saddle Up" and "Pecos Bill."
Karl Farr did the lead guitar on these sessions while the instrumentation from the RCA gang consisted of rhythm guitar,
accordion (by George Bamby who toured with the group in 1960), drums, bass, trumpet,
and french horn. If you listen carefully you can hear Karl's familiar lead fills and runs here
and there and his solo on "Cimarron" was full of energy. Unfortunately, the April 1961
session was Karl's last. Karl died onstage on September 20, 1961, when the group was
appearing at the Massachusetts State Fair with Charlie Weaver (Cliff Arquette).
Tommy Doss recalled the tragic event. "Karl was doing a solo, "Up A Lazy River" on his
old acoustic Martin guitar when a string broke. This noticeably upset him, and as he
worked with the string he suddenly slumped over, suffering a heart attack. Dale Warren
and I carried him backstage. It was a terrible shock to all of us."
Around the time of Karl's death RCA released twelve tunes from the sessions for the "Lure
of the West" album. It has been said that Lloyd Perryman was not present in the studio
when the twelve numbers were mixed for
the master. After hearing the final mix, Lloyd
felt that on a few of the numbers, Thurl
Ravenscroft's booming bass voice was too much and it sounded like "Thurl Ravenscroft backed by the Sons of the Pioneers!"
The remaining 12 tunes were released later in 1962 for the group's "Tumbleweed
Trail" album. This project featured some great classics, two from the pen of Stan
Jones, "Song of the Trail" and "The Lillies Grow High." Also featured is "El Paso"
with the solo portion featuring Dale Warren. Listening to "El Paso" it's quite obvious
the trio was not prepared for this one, perhaps RCA wanted them to throw it in
since it was so hot on the charts. Dale Warren himself expressed in an interview in
1994, that he was not satisfied with his efforts on the solo. "I should have contributed more to the song than I did," Dale remembers. "Tommy was originally set to
sing it, but at the last minute, for some reason it fell to me to do it, and I just wasn't
ready. For me to do my best I almost have to memorize the words. If I am not familiar with the words it's difficult for me. To me it's like singing and reading at the
same time. It's just hard for me to do."
Both of these albums did well in sales and could be found in stores for a number of years. If I had to pick my favorite, it would be
"Tumbleweed Trail" for the fact that the trio mix is better than "Lure of the West." Also the song selection is a big part of it. The
harmony structure that Lloyd created for these is unmatched. "Silver On the Sage" is a masterpiece along with "Tumbleweed
Trail" and "There's a Home in Wyomin'."
Both of these LPs are rather easy to find. Many Ebay sellers have them at an excellent price, and they show up in used record
stores too. Several of the cuts have been re-released on CD in recent years.
Next time we will discuss the August 1962 session for the "Our Men Out West" album and introduce you to Karl Farr's replacement, the talented Roy Lanham.
Happy Trails,
John
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 16
Dale Evans Rides Again This Fall
Call for volunteers nationwide
http://www.RoyandDale.com
By Steve Morales
I
n honor of what would have been Roy’s 100th Birthday November 5th, the Dale Evans Film Project will be hosting prerelease screenings of a new documentary on the extraordinary lasting influence of Dale Evans’ life on the fabric of America. Screenings will included the documentary, two feature films, and two television shows and will take place at thousands of
retirement homes, churches and community centers around the county during the first week of November 2011.
Most all of us know that Roy and Dale were married 52 years, but did not know that Roy was Dale’s fourth husband and Dale
was Roy’s third wife? Many of the details of Dale’s life have slipped from the minds of most Americans. Working with Dale’s
oldest son, Tom Fox, the Dale Evans Film Project is capturing hours of interviews with family members, friends, celebrities
and fans, to memorialize the impact of Dale on so many people around the world. Dale was married at 14 and was 15-yearsold when Tom was born. Tom brings a unique perspective as he watched Dale transform from an ambitious, divorced, singlemother of one, to a God-fearing mother of nine committed to the Lord and loving everyone with whom she came into contact.
The lasting impression of Dale’s first book Angel Unaware continues to this day. At a time when children born with Down Syndrome and other intellectual or physical disabilities were usually whisked away from their parents to an institution, Roy and
Dale firmly insisted that their baby girl, Robin, would come home with them. Robin died at age two, but her short life became
an inspiration to millions through the publication of Dale’s first of 28 books, Angel Unaware. During the 1940’s and 1950’s,
multiple advocacy groups of parents who had children with disabilities were formed around the county. The ARC was the
first national organization which sought to join these groups together to raise awareness of children with special needs and to
lobby for assistance for parents to be able to care for their children. Proceeds from Angel Unaware funded the first national
office and executive director salary for The ARC.
Dale’s 27 other books, the 400+ songs she wrote, the dozens of movies and the hundreds of television appearances have left
a lasting impression on two generations of Americans. With this new documentary, we seek to re-introduce Roy and Dale to
the next two generations.
One of the most moving interviews from the 13 hours of film already shot comes from cowboy-singer Michael Martin
Murphey as he recounts Dale’s struggle to perform at Madison Square Garden after the death of Robin. Dozens of other
interviews with family and friends have provided us with an inspiring look at one of America’s most-beloved heroines.
We are still tracking down family members, friends and fans to complete the interviews, so if you have any stories you would
like to tell, please let us know. In addition to the interviews for the documentary, we anticipate receiving hundreds of other
video interviews and recollections from fans around the world which we will post on the website. Stay tuned for 18 months of
celebrations and reminiscing of a time when the country was full of hope and opportunity and believed in what was true,
right and great about America.
On a whim, I recently asked a friend in his sixties from Turkey if he had ever heard of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. He smiled,
threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, “Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, of course!!” He went on to relate
that in 1960, his family received their first-ever television set in Turkey. It only had one channel, which only played one type
of show, Cowboy Westerns!
Beginning in November 2011 and continuing through October 31, 2012 (what would have been Dale’s 100th Birthday), the
Dale Evans Film Project will be screening the documentary and hosting Roy Rogers/Dale Evans birthday celebrations across
the country with the assistance of volunteers in every state. Please join us if you would like to help with a local screening, or
host one of your own.
Visit www.RoyandDale.com/volunteer and email readytohelp@RoyandDale.com for more information. Phone: 434-286-2275.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
The temperatures were just plain brutal the three days of this
celebration of Roy’s 100th birthday but, in the spirit of the
Great American Cowboy, celebrities, musicians, vendors and
fans persevered. While attendance was low due to the heat at
the Gibson County Fairgrounds in Princeton, Indiana, those
who did attend had a great time.
Organizer and promoter James Henager, owner of Henager’s
Memorials and Nostaglia museum in nearby Buckskin, did an
amazing job with minimal help. It seemed he was everywhere
at once during the three day event and the fans that did attend
were treated to quality time with the special guests on hand.
Page 17
(Cade’s County, Barnaby Jones) Heather Lowe (Battle for the
Planet of the Apes, The Young and the Restless, The Spiral Staircase). Prolific western writer(22 books), Bobby Copeland was
on hand as was the author of Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys, and Dale Evans, Queen of the West, Raymond White.
Dodie Rogers Patterson represented the Rogers’ family with
her husband, Jon Patterson.
There were a stream of look-a-likes, Alan (Gabby) Bye, The
Cagle Brothers (Rooster Cogburn and Matt Dillon), John
(Tonto) Phipps, Robert (Fuzzy St. John) Brooks, and Bob (Lash
LaRue) Wallace, The Lone Ranger, and probably some we
missed.
Julie Ann Ream, whose family included Cactus Mack, Glenn
Strange and Rex Allen, did a lot to coordinate schedules and
activities during the event.
Jamie Nudie, granddaughter to the famous Nudie the Rodeo
Tailor, was also on hand to talk about her famous family.
Julie Ann Ream leads heated (temps) discussion among
celebrity panel
The guest lineup included stars such as Mr. Hugh O’Brien, TV’s
Wyatt Earp, the ever amazing, James Hampton who in addition
to blowing that F-Troop bugle to begin the show (he brings
one with him to wake folks up occasionally) was in Roy’s final
movie “McIntosh and TJ.” Other actors in attendance were
Donna Martell, who was in Roy’s first color movie, Apache
Rose, Beverly Washburn (Fury, Wagon Train Zane, Grey Theater, the Texan) Bo Hopkins (The Wild Bunch, Monte Walsh, The
Culpepper Cattle Co., Cat Ballou, the Man Who loved Cat Dancing, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Dynasty) Peter Ford,
The musical entertainment was
seemingly endless and the Saturday night musical entertainment lasted late into the evening with KG & The Ranger, The
Texas Trailhands, Steve Mitchell, Jon Patterson, Prairie
Moon, Kristyn Harris, and Cindy
Smith.
All in all, it was the kind of event
that should have drawn thousands but those days may be
gone forever. We all have to
Dodie Rogers Patterson chats
keep doing what we’re doing to with fans
support your favorite western
heroes.
Thanks for the memories.
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 18
Thanks to Stephen Bond for submitting this
article and these comments:
Thanks for The Sagebrush News, keeping
the memory of Roy and Dale and what they
stood for, alive and well.
I am, of course, a baby boomer, and Roy
was my hero, growing up.
Years ago, I read in the paper of Roy’s
eighty-fifth birthday, and got to thinking
about what he meant to me. My sister and I
played Roy and Dale the whole time we
were growing up. I wrote and submitted
an article about Roy which was published
in a little amateur section of the Baton
Rouge Sunday Advocate Magazine section. I got good comments from folks for
months afterward. This was in about 1997.
Their artist did a good sketch to go with it.
Stephen Bond
Denham Springs, LA
Thanks to our friend, Janey Miller, for
submitting several items that we at The
Sagebrush News have used from time to
time and we really haven’t given her
credit for some of it. One story in particular that she worked hours on was in issue
number 11 and titled An Artist Looks at Roy
Rogers.
Janey, thanks for sharing.
ED
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 19
There will be opportunities this year for you to remember Roy on what would have been his 100th birthday year. At
locations across the country special events will honor the King of the Cowboys. Some are:
Branson, Missouri - The Roy Rogers, Jr. show that performs in Branson throughout the year will have a special 100th anniversary tribute as a regular part of each show.
Kanab, Utah - August 18-20—Annual Western Roundup features Roy Rogers, Jr., Dustin Roy Rogers and the HighRiders performing Saturday evening August 20th at 7 P.M.
Victorville, California-August 27, 2011 –Roy Rogers Ranch “Round-Up of Stars” at the Sterling Inn in Victorville, CA.. This starstudded affair includes Roy Rogers’ daughter Mimi Swift, and granddaughter Julie Fox Pomilia along with Roy Rogers’ Ranch
owners, Eric and Anne Enriquez
Apple Valley, California—On Roy’s birthday, November 5th, a special tribute show will be performed by Roy Rogers, Jr. and
the HighRiders. The local newspaper, the Apple Valley Review, is collecting fan comments at http://www.applevalleyreview.com/roys100.
Greg Bell, host of RadioClassics on Sirius XM Radio will be having a major Roy Rogers’ centennial special in November.
Rose Parade—
Monday,
January 2,
2012-Roy
Rogers, Jr.,
Dustin Roy
Rogers and the
HighRiders will
be featured on
RFD-TV’s
special float
dedicated to the
memory of Roy
Rogers.
Gene Autry OK Museum www.geneautryokmuseum.com
PO Box 44, 47 Prairie St, Gene Autry, OK 73436
You won’t want
to miss this.
The Lone Pine (CA) Film Festival will be
celebrating Roy’s 100th with special guest
Cheryl Rogers-Barnett sharing stories about
her famous father during the member’s banquet, October 6th. Also featured is the Roy
Rogers’ Round-Up and Rodeo.
For more information:
http://www.lonepinefilmfestival.org/
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 20
Roy Rogers was more than a cowboy movie star
Noted western author, Bobby Copeland, shared this article he wrote for the Oak Ridger newspaper in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,
shortly after Roy’s death in 1998.
Roy Rogers was more than a cowboy movie star. “To me, he was father
figure, pastor, Sunday school teach, hero—all rolled into one,”
Copeland said after learning of Rogers’ death this week at the age of
86.”
Copeland, who moved to Oak Ridge as a 10-year-old boy in 1945, developed a life-long interest in and love for Rogers, whose movies he
saw in local theaters.
That interest and love never left him, as Copeland, over the next 50
years, read and clipped everything he could find, not only about Rogers, but about all the cowboys who rode across the silver screen, in
movie theaters across America, in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Copeland, whose father brought the family to Oak Ridge when a job as
a construction engineer brought him here in 1945, spent his Saturday
afternoons as a boy at a succession of Oak Ridge movie theaters,
armed with 10 cents, his childish imagination and his keen devotion to
the film cowboys.
First, there was the Playtime Theater, Copeland recalled this week in
an interview with the Oak Ridger. Erected in the west end of Oak
Ridge, near K-25, the Playtime was where it all began for Copeland.
The movies, with stars like Rogers, Bill Elliott (“Red Ryder”), Gene
Autry, Hopalong Cassidy and others, drew the kids in droves to the
theater, starting at 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning, Copeland recalled.
“The kids would start to line up at 10 a.m. for the show; there’d be
long lines,” Copeland reminisced. The movies cost 9 cents, which left a
penny for treats.
“In those days, youngsters couldn’t make any money, Copeland said.
“Family men cut their own grass and did their own chores, so, you had
to beg for that dime to go to the movies. There were penny vending
machines, and for that penny, you could get candy, gum or peanuts.”
Copeland recalled that the kids would crowd to get in and get the best
seats. “There was a real scramble for the front seats,” Copeland recalled with a chuckle. “The kids had to be close to their cowboy heroes, and the front row, that’s as close as you could get!” After the
Playtime closed in 1945, the kids moved to the Midtown Theater, and
when that one went, around 1950, with the shrinking of the town after
the war,” Copeland said, “the trail of kids, peanuts and candy followed
the cowboys and horses farther east, to what is now the Oak Ridge
Community Playhouse, then simply the Center Theater. There was
also the Jefferson Theater, in the present-day Jefferson Plaza area,
now also long gone. “
“When TV came in 1952, it knocked the little westerns out,” Copeland
said. It might have been the end of the small westerns on the big
screen, but for Copeland, it was just the beginning of a life-long passion for the screen cowboys. Today, more than fifty years later, he’s
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August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 21
Roy Rogers was more than a cowboy movie star
the author of more than 150 published articles on cowboys and their movies
and is recognized world-wide as an authority on the subject. “From all over
the world,” he said, he gets letters from people who want to know such details
as when someone died, what they starred in and when. He’s written three
books and is working on a fourth. His Oak Ridge home houses what he believes is the most comprehensive archive of information in the world about the
cowboys of the American movies. There are filing cabinets and crates filled
with clippings, Xeroxes, folds of information on every film cowboy, recording
the details of his life and his films, magazines, books and pictures, reference
works and autographed photographs. One of the autographed photos shows
Roy and his wife, Dale Evans, with Copeland, who had gone to see him to show
him an article he’d written about the legendary cowboy. Of all the cowboys,
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didn’t like to talk about it though, he just did these things.” “He was very concerned about being a good model for
kids,” he said. He liked to drink a beer now and then, but he stopped doing it, because he didn’t want to set a bad
example to children.” “Cowboy movies were great because they were bearers of moral tone and the cowboys always did what was right. “the good guys didn’t drink, they didn’t smoke, they wore white hats. A kid could get a
good lesson in morality every time he went to the movies. I don’t mean it was a substitute for church, but it certainly
complimented church.” Copeland said it was impossible to explain to a later generation, what those movies meant to
kids in his generation. “Someone once said to me, “If you were there, no explanation will do.’”
Copeland’s two sons, Michael 40, a Methodist minister, and Lance 28, who, with his father, is a deacon at a Baptist
Church, “tolerate cowboys, because Dad likes them,” Copeland chuckled. “I like things from the past; they like
things from the future, I guess.”
Interested in cowboy trivia? Check out Bobby’s western trivia site at:
http://www.cowboypal.com/bobbycopelands_trivia.html
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 22
The Roy Rogers Festival celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Roy’s birth was recently held in Portsmouth, Ohio, the
town where Roy grew up. While there were a number of guest stars at the events, the highlight was having three of
Roy’s and Dale’s children present; Roy Rogers, Jr. (Dusty), Mimi Rogers Swift, and Dodie Rogers Patterson. Appearing with his father Dusty, was Dustin Roy Rogers, Roy’s grandson. Other children and grandchildren of Dodie Rogers
Patterson and her husband, Jon, were present at the Grand Banquet, held Saturday night, August 6th. The entertainment highlight of the event was a concert by Dusty and his band, The HighRiders, held Friday night, August 5th, at the
Vern Riffe Center for the Arts at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth.
Other special guests appearing at the Festival were Donna Martell, Ed Faulkner, Steve Mitchell, Raymond White,
Colonel Bill Sanders, and other local entertainers. Jon Patterson also performed a number of songs and entertained us
with his hand puppets, Trigger and Gabby. Each evening was capped by informal entertaining and refreshments in
the Hospitality Room. Various panel discussions were also held with the guest stars and Rogers’ family members.
Each discussion was informative and enjoyable.
Donna Martell made her film debut at 17 with Roy and Dale in
their first color movie, Apache Rose. Donna went on to appear
in over 200 movies and many television productions in a career
that had productive many years. She was very gracious in her
comments concerning Roy and Dale and their influence on her
and all the young people they came in contact with. Donna
expressed great concern over the direction that many of the
youth in this country are encouraged or influenced to take due
to today’s supposed role models.
Ed Faulkner is a most recognizable face for anyone who has
watched western movies and television shows since the late
1950’s. He made six major motion pictures with John Wayne
and had Richard Boone (Paladin to many of us) as one of his
early and most influential mentors. Ed is a very gracious,
Actors Ed Faulkner and Donna Martell
charming, and entertaining Kentuckian who
graduated from the University of Kentucky.
His festival appearances are always delightful,
informative, and inspiring as he reveals his
character and how he and his family have
lived their lives.
Steve Mitchell, the Singing Cowboy from Texas,( and more recently, Branson, MO), is one
of the most versatile cowboy singers one is
ever likely to hear. He plays a right-handed
guitar left-handed, and is also accomplished
as a fiddle player and a jazz violinist.
Raymond White, a retired professor and author, served as moderator for several panel
discussions and as master of ceremonies at
the Saturday night Banquet. He was informative and entertaining as always.
This is 85% of your Sagebrush News staff and the first time we had all
been together as a group. Left to right is Jim Friesz, Sharon Friesz,
A special occurrence at this year’s festival was John Fullerton, Leah Bashaw, Charles Galloway and JeanBeth Hill. Our
the opportunity for Leah Bashaw and her famiCanadian teen, Krystina wasn’t able to get to Portsmouth but maybe
ly to attend the events on Friday at the Festinext year.
val. Leah writes a regular column in this fan
newsletter about various subjects related to
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 23
Roy and Dale from a teenager’s perspective. It was quite a treat for Jim and Sharon Friesz, Charles Galloway,
JeanBeth Hill, and John Fullerton to be able to meet Leah and her family in person for the first time at the 2011
RR Festival. Attending with Leah were her parents, Betty and Stephen and her brother Nathan. Jim and
Charles enjoyed accompanying Leah et al on a trip to Roy’s boyhood home in Duck Run and to the other
events at the festival. Krystina, our movie reviewer for this publication, was unable to attend due to conflicts
in her schedule. She was missed.
The Dealers room was a lively place during the festival with the guest stars meeting the attendees and various
dealers selling Roy and Dale collectibles as well as other Western items.
A special thank you from all of us should acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the members of the
Portsmouth Area Community Exhibits, The Roy Rogers Festival Committee, and The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans
Collectors Association and the many other helpers who make The Roy Rogers Festival a success each year.
Revenues that exceed expenses and proceeds from the annual live auction go to The Roy Rogers Scholarship
Fund which provides a scholarship for a local student to attend Shawnee State University in Portsmouth.
Rogers family photo in front of Roy’s boyhood
home in Duck Run, near Portsmouth, Ohio. Photo
taken by John Fullerton with Dustin’s phone camera. L-R Mimi, Roy, Jr. (Dusty), Dustin Roy and
Dodie Rogers Patterson.
Megan and Taylor,
granddaughters of
author, Raymond
White, with Dodie
Rogers Patterson.
They had just presented Dodie with a
bouquet of red roses.
Later they were great
assistants and even
modeled some of the
items present for auction
August, 2011
The Sagebrush News
Page 24
The Sagebrush News and Roy Rogers, Jr. and the HighRiders are proud partners in FirstPLACE!, an exciting community-wide
initiative in Stone and Taney County, Missouri. This program, a partnership of the Keeter Center for Character Education at
the College of the Ozarks, Characterplus, and the Public Schools was created to foster a community where character is highly defined and intentional taught.
The Goals for the Stone and Taney County initiative are as follows:
1.
Improve school climate to positively impact achievement, attendance, discipline and drop-out rate;
2.
Cultivate visible community support;
3.
Increase parent participation and awareness in character development.
Read the FirstPLACE! Magazine and the Keeter Center reports at the links below:
http://www.keetercenter.edu/images/FirstPlaceMagazine.pdf
http://www.keetercenter.edu/reports/Rpt_2011.pdf