Roy Rogers
''King of the Cowboys"
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Roy
Rogers was the clean-living, guitar-strumming
“King of the Cowboys” who galloped
into America's heart riding
Trigger across movie and TV screen.
Nearly three decades in movies
and later on TV
he reigned as Hollywood's ''King
of the Cowboys".
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Born
Leonard Slye in Cincinnati
in 1911, Roy dropped out of
high school and left for California
in 1929. After making a living
as a truck driver, he learned
to sing and play guitar and
formed "The Sons of the Pioneers''.
He sneaked into the lot of Republic
Pictures and luckily was hired
as a singing cowboy for $75
a week. |
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| Roy's
big break came in 1938 as
Gene Autry's replacement in
the movie "Under Western Stars''.
By the end of 1938, Roy had
partnered with his golden palomino,
Trigger, and was on his way
to becoming the "King of the
Cowboys". |
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Roy
became famous for his signature
tune "Happy Trails to You''
and for about 100 films in which
he played a clean-living cowboy
who never got to kiss the girl.
Roy became famous throughout
America for having the smartest
horse (Trigger), the bravest
dog (Bullet), the best outfits…white
hat included. |
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also had a girlfriend Dale Evans
whom he later married, that
could ride, rope and sing with
the best of them. And he had
a sidekick Gabby Hayes, who
had the scraggiest beard. Roy,
with his horse Trigger, Dale
and sidekick Gabby, starred
in 35 movies together along
with radio and television. |
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Roy
introduced Cole Porter's hit
song "Don't Fence Me In''
in the 1941 film "Hollywood
Canteen". He appeared in 87
films for Republic Pictures
and was the number one Western
box office star from 1943 to
1954. With his wholesome image,
Roy was second only to Walt
Disney in souvenir sales and
licensing and nearly 600 restaurants
bear his name. |
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| At
the peak of his fame, the
Sears Catalog carried 400 products
bearing his name and Roy's picture
appeared on 2.5 billion boxes
of Post cereals. Roy Rogers
comic books sold 25 million
copies a year and almost every
boy in America during the 1940s
seemed to go to school with
a Roy Rogers lunchbox. |
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Roy
Rogers and Dale Evans had
15 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren.
Trigger died in 1965 but can
be seen stuffed and mounted
at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Museum in Victorville California.
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| President
Clinton remembered Roy Rogers
as a hero to baby boomers while they
were just buckaroos. Like most people
my age, I grew up on Roy Rogers, Dale
Evans, Trigger and Gabby Hayes,''
The President said at an appearance
before reporters in the White House
Rose Garden. "I really appreciate
what he stood for, the movies he made
and the kind of values they embodied
and the good natured spirit that he
exhibited all the way up until his
last interviews". |
A Keepsake of Roy and Dale
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Roy Rogers and Dales Evans Portrait
Watch is an extraordinary
piece of art featuring
Roy and Dale in their
famous poses imnprinted on
the dial of the watch.
The finely engraved and enameled Western styled chrome quartz watch with
a genuine leather strap
has a western styled buckle and packaged in a gift box. |
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SOLD OUT
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