Dale Evans
Encyclopedia
Dale Evans, was an American
writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter
. She was the third wife (after the death of his second wife) of singing cowboy
Roy Rogers
.
, Texas
, she had a tumultuous early life. At age 14, she eloped with her first husband, Thomas F. Fox. She bore one son, Thomas F. Fox, Jr., when she was 15. Divorced in 1929 at age 17, she married August Wayne Johns that same year, a union that ended in divorce in 1935.
She took the name Dale Evans in the early 1930s to promote her singing
career
. In 1937, she married her third husband, accompanist and arranger Robert Dale Butts. In 1947 she married Roy Rogers
. The marriage was his third and her fourth. Dale had a son from her first marriage, Tom Jr. Roy had an adopted child, Cheryl, and two natural children, Linda and Roy (Dusty) Jr., from his second marriage. Evans and Rogers together had one child, Robin, and adopted four others: Mimi, Dodie, Sandy, and Debbie. They were married for 51 years.
, swing, and big band
singer that led to a screen test and contract with 20th Century Fox
studios. She gained exposure on radio as the featured singer for a time on the Edgar Bergen
/Charlie McCarthy show.
During her time at 20th Century Fox
, the studio promoted her as the unmarried supporter of her teenage "brother" Tommy (actually her son Tom Fox, Jr.). This deception continued through her divorce from Butts in 1946, and her development as a cowgirl co-star to Roy Rogers
at Republic Studios.
, Oklahoma
, on New Year's Eve
1947. Rogers ended the deception regarding Tommy. Rogers and Evans were a team on- and off-screen from 1946 until Rogers' death in 1998. Together they had one child, Robin Elizabeth, who died of complications of Down Syndrome
shortly before her second birthday. Her life inspired Evans to write her bestseller Angel Unaware. Evans was very influential in changing public perceptions of children with developmental disabilities and served as a role model for many parents. After she wrote Angel Unaware, a group then known as the “Oklahoma County Council for Mentally Retarded Children” adopted its better-known name Dale Rogers Training Center
in her honor. Evans went on to write a number of religious and inspirational books.
From 1951 to 1957, Dale Evans and her husband starred in the highly successful television series The Roy Rogers Show
, in which they continued their cowboy and cowgirl roles, with her riding her trusty buckskin horse, Buttermilk
. Alice Van-Springsteen
served as a double for both Evans and Gail Davis
, the actress who starred in the syndicated series Annie Oakley
, often performing such tasks as tipping over wagons and jumping railroad track. In addition to her successful TV shows, more than thirty films and some two hundred songs, Evans wrote the well-known song "Happy Trails
." In later episodes of the television program, she was outspoken in her Christianity
, telling people that God
would assist them with their troubles and imploring adults and children to turn to Him for guidance.
In the fall of 1962, the couple co-hosted a comedy-western-variety program, The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show
, which aired on ABC
. It was canceled after three months, losing in the ratings to the first season of The Jackie Gleason Show
, another comedy-variety program, on CBS.
In the 1970s, Evans recorded several solo albums of religious music. During the 1980s, the couple introduced their films weekly on the former The Nashville Network
. In the 1990s, Dale hosted her own religious television program.
Evans died of congestive heart failure
, two and a half years after the death of her fourth husband Roy Rogers.
at 6638 Hollywood Blvd. She received a second star at 1737 Vine St. for her contribution to the television industry. In 1976, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
in Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
. She ranked #34 on CMT
's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002.
Cheryl Rogers-Barnett, a daughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, co-authored Cowboy Princess: Life with My Parents, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Frank Thompson.
In her exhibit at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
in Fort Worth
, Dale Evans is quoted accordingly:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. She was the third wife (after the death of his second wife) of singing cowboy
Singing cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
.
Early life
Born Frances Octavia Smith in UvaldeUvalde, Texas
Uvalde is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,929 at the 2000 census.Uvalde was founded by Reading Wood Black in 1853 as the town of Encina. In 1856, when the county was organized, the town was renamed Uvalde for Spanish governor Juan de...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, she had a tumultuous early life. At age 14, she eloped with her first husband, Thomas F. Fox. She bore one son, Thomas F. Fox, Jr., when she was 15. Divorced in 1929 at age 17, she married August Wayne Johns that same year, a union that ended in divorce in 1935.
She took the name Dale Evans in the early 1930s to promote her singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
. In 1937, she married her third husband, accompanist and arranger Robert Dale Butts. In 1947 she married Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
. The marriage was his third and her fourth. Dale had a son from her first marriage, Tom Jr. Roy had an adopted child, Cheryl, and two natural children, Linda and Roy (Dusty) Jr., from his second marriage. Evans and Rogers together had one child, Robin, and adopted four others: Mimi, Dodie, Sandy, and Debbie. They were married for 51 years.
A songstress emerges
After beginning her career singing at the radio station where she was employed as a secretary, Evans had a productive career as a jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, swing, and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
singer that led to a screen test and contract with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
studios. She gained exposure on radio as the featured singer for a time on the Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
/Charlie McCarthy show.
During her time at 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, the studio promoted her as the unmarried supporter of her teenage "brother" Tommy (actually her son Tom Fox, Jr.). This deception continued through her divorce from Butts in 1946, and her development as a cowgirl co-star to Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
at Republic Studios.
Joint efforts
Evans married Roy Rogers at the Flying L Ranch in DavisDavis, Oklahoma
Davis is a city in Garvin and Murray counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 2,610 at the 2000 census. Davis is the home of the 1979, 1986, 1990, and 1995 Oklahoma State Football Championship teams...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
1947. Rogers ended the deception regarding Tommy. Rogers and Evans were a team on- and off-screen from 1946 until Rogers' death in 1998. Together they had one child, Robin Elizabeth, who died of complications of Down Syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
shortly before her second birthday. Her life inspired Evans to write her bestseller Angel Unaware. Evans was very influential in changing public perceptions of children with developmental disabilities and served as a role model for many parents. After she wrote Angel Unaware, a group then known as the “Oklahoma County Council for Mentally Retarded Children” adopted its better-known name Dale Rogers Training Center
Dale Rogers Training Center
Dale Rogers Training Center , a non-profit organization, is the oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for individuals with disabilities in Oklahoma. With five locations in Oklahoma, Dale Rogers Training Center trains or employs 1100 people a year: more than 900 with...
in her honor. Evans went on to write a number of religious and inspirational books.
From 1951 to 1957, Dale Evans and her husband starred in the highly successful television series The Roy Rogers Show
The Roy Rogers Show
The Roy Rogers Show is an American Western television series that broadcast 100 episodes on NBC for six seasons between December 30, 1951 and June 9, 1957. The show starred Roy Rogers as a ranch owner, Dale Evans as the proprietor of the Eureka Cafe in fictional Mineral City, and Pat Brady as...
, in which they continued their cowboy and cowgirl roles, with her riding her trusty buckskin horse, Buttermilk
Buttermilk (horse)
Buttermilk was a light buckskin Quarter Horse with dark points. He appeared in numerous American Western films with his owner/rider, cowgirl star Dale Evans....
. Alice Van-Springsteen
Alice Van-Springsteen
Alice Van-Springsteen was an American stuntwoman.Born as Alice Grace van der Veen in California, she debuted in rodeo at the age of 13 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. She was a friend of Dale Evans and served as Evans' stunt double throughout most of her career...
served as a double for both Evans and Gail Davis
Gail Davis
Gail Davis was an American actress, best known for her starring role as Annie Oakley in the 1950s television Western series Annie Oakley.-Life and career:...
, the actress who starred in the syndicated series Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley (TV series)
Annie Oakley is an American Western television series which fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication. ABC showed reruns on Saturday and Sunday daytime from 1959–1960 and from 1964-1965...
, often performing such tasks as tipping over wagons and jumping railroad track. In addition to her successful TV shows, more than thirty films and some two hundred songs, Evans wrote the well-known song "Happy Trails
Happy Trails (song)
"Happy Trails," by Dale Evans Rogers, was the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers, always sung over the end credits of the program. Happy Trails was released in 1952 as a 78 RPM and 45 RPM by Rogers and Evans with...
." In later episodes of the television program, she was outspoken in her Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, telling people that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
would assist them with their troubles and imploring adults and children to turn to Him for guidance.
In the fall of 1962, the couple co-hosted a comedy-western-variety program, The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show
The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show
The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show was a Western comedy and variety program that ran on ABC television for 13 episodes from September 29 to December 29, 1962...
, which aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. It was canceled after three months, losing in the ratings to the first season of The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
, another comedy-variety program, on CBS.
In the 1970s, Evans recorded several solo albums of religious music. During the 1980s, the couple introduced their films weekly on the former The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
. In the 1990s, Dale hosted her own religious television program.
Evans died of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
, two and a half years after the death of her fourth husband Roy Rogers.
Legacy
For her contribution to radio, Dale Evans has a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6638 Hollywood Blvd. She received a second star at 1737 Vine St. for her contribution to the television industry. In 1976, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. She ranked #34 on CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002.
Cheryl Rogers-Barnett, a daughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, co-authored Cowboy Princess: Life with My Parents, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Frank Thompson.
In her exhibit at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit...
in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Dale Evans is quoted accordingly:
"'Cowgirl' is an attitude really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands; they speak up. They defend things they hold dear."
The Dale Evans Movie
KZ Pictures is in the development stage of two Dale Evans themed projects. The first is a documentary which focuses on the complete life of Dale Evans, her discography and filmology, and will feature numerous celebrity interviews. The second project will be a major motion picture centered on the early life of Dale Evans including her famous songs, "Happy Trails" and "The Bible Tells Me So."Further reading
- White, Ray. King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (University of Wisconsin PressUniversity of Wisconsin PressThe University of Wisconsin Press is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It primarily publishes work by scholars from the global academic community but also serves the citizens of Wisconsin by publishing important books about Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest, and...
).