Outside of his cowboy persona and commercial media appearances, Roy Rogers was a very private person, and liked to keep his family as distant as possible from the limelight of the entertainment industry. The actor and his wife truly went the extra mile to make sure their kids were not exposed to the challenges children of Hollywood celebrities typically face. When their son Dusty was asked by People magazine about his father’s relationship with the entertainment industry and his family, he said: “We always moved away from the encroaching population because Dad liked his privacy.”
Dusty added, “He wanted his kids raised on a ranch, where they could have horses and pigs and chickens and cows.” Regardless of his attempts to hide his kids from Hollywood, Roy couldn’t stop Dusty from developing his own ambition to become a successful Hollywood actor. This proved to be a thorn in their relationship and would end up causing a huge breakup inside the family.
The Roy Rogers Show
In 1950, NBC green-lighted the popular American Western TV show, "The Roy Rogers Show", which ended up broadcasting for 100 episodes between 1951 and 1957. The fictional show featured Roy Rogers, his wife Dale Evans, Pat Brady as his comical sidekick, and Roy's animals, Trigger the Palomino horse and his German Shepherd, Bullet, the "Wonder Dog". The show featured traditional Western and Christian themes, including cowboys, cowgirls, horseback riding, six-shooters, and bank robbers. It also featured topics that were important to the US audience, such as gun safety and environmentalism.
"The Roy Rogers Show" received an Emmy nomination in 1955 for Best Western or Adventure Series, it finished 27 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1951 to 1952 season. Every episode ended with the show's theme song, which was written by Roy Rogers and his loving wife and co-lead, Dale Evans. Most episodes involved Roy, his sidekick, and Dale rescuing the innocent and defenseless from various evil-doers.
Reviving the Show
When "The Roy Rogers Show" finished its airing in 1957, Roy continued to appear in numerous films and TV shows although his popularity was beginning to fall. In an attempt to revive their fame and success, Roy and Dale Rogers decided to try another TV show, this time with ABC. The show was called "The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show" and was a Western comedy that featured many of the iconic people from Roy's past, including the members of The Sons of the Pioneers and his sidekick from The Roy Rogers Show.
Unfortunately, the series was canceled very quickly after just one-third of a season and a total of 13 episodes, due to stiff competition from another comedy show called "The Jackie Gleason Show", which ran in similar time slots. The show’s failure didn’t stop Rogers from continuing to appear in various films and shows, including "Wonder Woman" and "The Muppet Show". Roy’s last appearance in a major film happened in 1975, when he played his usual role in "Macintosh and T.J".
A Family Breakdown
It’s very likely that Roy Rogers, who was a very traditional and god-loving person, experienced a lot of problems being a popular Hollywood star. This caused him to react very negatively when he found out that his son, Dusty, also had his heart set on becoming an actor. At his very first job, Dusty appeared to be quite unhappy, so the aspiring actor decided to leave his family and try his luck in Ohio. Dustin’s solitude helped him reach a big realization about the importance of family.
Dusty realized that family was more important than his goal of becoming an actor. The loyal son decided to return home to Apple Valley and make amends with his father. Roy was happy to reunite with his son. The various tragedies and issues his family faced seemed to finally quiet down, letting some love and peace replace them.
Trigger’s Legacy
Roy Rogers' loyal steed, Trigger, is arguably the most successful and popular horse of the 20th century. The American horse was born in San Diego, California, and made his first appearance in films as the mount of Maid Marian, from the 1938 film, 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'. Trigger later became so important to Rogers that he would sign New Year’s greetings with the words "from Roy Rogers and Trigger". The trusty steed appeared in many of Rogers' films and even got his own Dell comic book detailing his adventures.
Trigger passed away in 1965, on Rogers' ranch in Apple Valley. The actor made numerous wonderful gestures in the memory of his trusty mount, including professionally stitching his mount on a life-sized statue of the horse, which was displayed in the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum, when it opened in Apple Valley in 1967. Different replicas of much larger sizes were erected in other spots, including a 1,300lb 24-ft statue that sits atop the Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville.