Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

“King of the Cowboys” and “Queen of the West,” Roy Rogers and Dale Evans turned a romance with each other and with the American West into one of the most successful, most cherished film, radio and television partnerships in history. Beginning with B-movie Westerns in the 1930’s and culminating in TV’s The Roy Rogers Show in the 1950’s, Roy and Dale became true American royalty, winning the hearts of viewers young and old with their honor, toughness, and sweet singing voices.

Roy Rogers’ singing group, the Sons of the Pioneers, first came to the big screen in 1935’s The Old Homestead. Over the next twenty years, Roy appeared in more than 100 films, almost all of which co-starred his trusty palomino steed, Trigger. By the 1940’s, Roy was one of the biggest box-office draws in Hollywood, continuing to star in movies and on a weekly radio program. In 1947, Rogers married his frequent co-star, Dale Evans, who rode her own beloved horse, Pal. Roy and Dale made a dynamic pair—heroic, yet kind-hearted, and always faithful to the code of the West—and the family’s show business careers continued to flourish.

As more and more Westerns popped up on television, Roy Rogers decided to join the roundup, but his studio, Republic Pictures, wasn’t so eager to let him go. After much legal wrangling, The Roy Rogers Show finally debuted on December 30, 1951. Roy, Dale, Trigger, and Dale's new horse Buttermilk all played themselves, facing bandits and other black-hearted bad guys in the modern-day Western town of Mineral City. The human and horse quartet was joined by Roy’s sidekick, Pat Brady, who drove around in a Jeep named Nellybelle, and by Bullet, Roy’s German Shepherd. The Sons of the Pioneers were also on hand, making sure that every half-hour episode balanced out its fisticuffs and other scrapes with heaping helpings of down-home singing.

Like the Roy Rogers movies, the television series featured plenty of action, with Roy and Dale choosing to perform most of their own stunts. Kids and parents sat enthralled through heart-stopping horse chases, dust-kicking brawls and other thrilling spectacles. But no matter how violent the action got, Roy always maintained his virtue, sense of justice, and impeccable cowboy attire.

The Roy Rogers Show ran six highly successful seasons and more than 100 episodes, airing for many years afterward in syndication. Roy Rogers merchandise—records, Western wear, toys and much, much more, all produced under the famous Double-R-Bar brand—made Roy and Dale very comfortable, but the two never seemed like anything other than the down-to-earth couple they played on the screen. Even at the height of his popularity, with simultaneous work in movies, radio and television, Roy took time to visit sick children in the hospital, one of his and Dale’s many good causes.

The two eventually bid a “Happy Trails” to show business, focusing on further humanitarian work and on the establishment of The Roy Rogers – Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California, where visitors can come to remember (or to learn for the first time) what it meant to be a cowboy back in the days when the good guys wore white, horses were movie stars, and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were King and Queen of the American West.

 

Release History

12/30/51 - 6/23/57 NBC

TV Sub Categories

live-action
action/adventure

TV Studio

Roy Rogers Productions

Television Cast

Roy Rogers Himself
Dale Evans Herself
Pat Brady Himself
Trigger Himself
Buttermilk Himself
Bullet Himself

Other Saturday Morning Links