Background
Dale Evans was born Lucille Wood Smith on October 31, 1912 in Uvalde, Texas, but later moved with her family from Uvalde, Texas, to Osceola, Arkansas. She was the daughter of Walter Hillman Smith and Bettie Sue Wood.
1986
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans inside the 'Roy Rogers Museum' in Victorvile, California
Dale Evans
Dale Evans
American actors and singers Roy Rogers and Dale Evans look at a script while rehearsing backstage on a film set.
Portrait of married American actors and singers Dale Evans and Roy Rogers smiling while embracing behind a bouquet of flowers on their wedding day.
Portrait of Roy Rogers (R) and Dale Evans.
Actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with their son Roy Dusty Rogers Jr. (R) and adopted daughter (2R).
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
Actress Dale Evans and her stepson Roy Dusty Rogers Jr.
Actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Dale Evans and her husband, Roy Rogers at the taping of the Barbara Mandrell show where they celebrated their 50th anniversary in show business on the show with The Oak Ridge Boys and Barbara Mandrell on February 21, 1981 in Los Angeles, California.
Dale Evans and her husband, Roy Rogers at the taping of the Barbara Mandrell show where they celebrated their 50th anniversary in show business on the show on February 21, 1981 in Los Angeles, California.
Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans circa 1955.
Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans circa 1955
The Century Plaza, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, United States
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers during 13th Annual Golden Boot Awards at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California, United States.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers on their anniversary
David Eisenhower blows out the candles on his birthday cake at a cowboy-themed party in the White House, Washington DC, March 31, 1956. Among the adult guests at the party hosted by his grandparents, US President Dwight Eisenhower (second right, rear) and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower (second left), are the married singing and acting cowboy couple Roy Rogers (left) and Dale Evans (right), David's parents, parents Barbara and John Eisenhower (third left and center, respectively), and his great-grandmother (Mamie's mother), Elivera M. Doud (1878 - 1960) (third right).
Actor Jimmy Stewart sings with Dale Evans and Roy Rogers and their cowboy singing group "The Sons Of The Pioneers" in 1955.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans pose for a portrait in c.1985 in Los Angeles, California.
Roy Rogers posing beside his palomino horse, Trigger, and his wife, Dale Evans circa 1950.
Roy Rogers touching the shoulder of Mary Lee as Dale Evans watches in a scene from the film 'Cowboy And The Senorita', 1944.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers circa 1950.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers circa 1950.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers circa 1950.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers in western outfits, circa 1965.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers in western outfits, circa 1950.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers circa 1950.
Dale Evans watches some children on a miniature train, circa 1947.
Dale Evans at the circus with a small boy, circa 1947.
Dale Evans circa 1970.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers, enjoyed their reception when they appeared at a Los Angeles Rodeo.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans arrive by plane in Los Angeles, Bringing with them two newly adopted children, five-year-old Sandy and five-month-old Doe. Left to Right are: Cheryl, 12, one of the Rogers' other children; Sandy; Rogers; Dusty, 6, another Rogers' youngster; Dale Evans, holding Little Doe; and Linda Lou, 9, the third child among the Rogers group, who came along to greet her new brother and sister.
Dale Evans and Roy Rogers during the filming of the NBC television program, 'Hollywood vs TV,' February 2, 1952.
Roy Rogers (right) and Dale Evans as they leave their airplane at London Airport, February 10th, 1954.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, in London, 1954.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, circa 1950.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans circa 1955.
Actress Dale Evans and Roy Rogers in a scene from the movie "The Yellow Rose of Texas".
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans pose for a photo on May 12, 1958 in Los Angeles, California.
Actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans pose for a photo on May 12, 1958 in Los Angeles, California.
Dale Evans reading to two of her daughters, Linda Lou and Cheryl Darlene, circa 1947.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, reading the Bible together, circa 1950.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, reading the Holy Bible, circa 1950.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans record in the studio at a vintage microphone in 1958.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with their family at home in 1958.
Roy Rogers with Dale Evans (right) and Cuban actress Estelita Rodriguez, circa 1950.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, circa 1950.
(Entertainers Roy and Dale Evans Rogers were thrilled when...)
Entertainers Roy and Dale Evans Rogers were thrilled when their little daughter Robin was born. But their excitement turned to concern when they were informed that Robin was born with Down's Syndrome and advised to "put her away." The Rogers ignored such talk and instead kept Robin, and she graced their home for two and a half years. Though Robin's time on earth was short, she changed her parents' lives and even made life better for other children born with special needs in the years to come. Angel Unaware is Robin's account of her life as she looks down from heaven.
https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Unaware-Touching-Story-Love/dp/0800759311/?tag=2022091-20
1953
(This is an intimate, honest, humble accounting of one sou...)
This is an intimate, honest, humble accounting of one soul to its Creator. Writing in diary form, Dale Evans Rogers tells of the long, hard road from defeat to ultimate victory - a road she has known so well.
https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Diary-Dale-Evans-Rogers/dp/0800702158/?tag=2022091-20
1955
(Dale Evans Rogers reminds all of us, young and old, what ...)
Dale Evans Rogers reminds all of us, young and old, what Christmas is - and always has been. That it is not a moment in time nor yet a date on the calendar but "a state of heart."
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-always-Dale-Evans-Rogers/dp/B0007DYC9K/?tag=2022091-20
1958
(Although both so very sad, show the tremendous faith that...)
Although both so very sad, show the tremendous faith that Ms. Evans and Mr. Roy Rogers shared through their trying family life. They suffered the heartache of losing three of their children at early ages (2, 12 and 18) but show how faith in God and the support of their millions of fans got them through.
https://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Debbie-Dale-Evans-Rogers/dp/0800700651/?tag=2022091-20
1965
(Explains how grandparents can influence the lives of thei...)
Explains how grandparents can influence the lives of their grandchildren by becoming role models, sharing experiences, and creating a sense of roots.
https://www.amazon.com/Grandparents-Can-Dale-Evans-Rogers/dp/0800713435/?tag=2022091-20
1983
(A shady gambler attempts to snatch the rights to a teenag...)
A shady gambler attempts to snatch the rights to a teenage girl's inherited gold mining claim, until a cowboy and his friend save the day.
https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Senorita-Roy-Rogers/dp/B000YG0O38/?tag=2022091-20
1944
(Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers join Dale Evan's ...)
Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers join Dale Evan's Rodeo to save it from being sucked up by a nasty competitor who wants to marry her.
https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Old-Santa-Roy-Rogers/dp/B01CABFQF0/?tag=2022091-20
1944
(Dale Evans inherits a circus, but her dead father's partn...)
Dale Evans inherits a circus, but her dead father's partner (Withers) is trying steal it away from her for himself. Roy Rogers and Bob Nolan happen to be filming their latest movie on location at the circus when they learn of Dale's plight. Roy and Bob call on some of the most famous western movie stars of the day, and their famous horses, to come to the circus and put on a celebrity circus show. The show is a hit, saving Dale and the circus, and the bad guys lose in the end.
https://www.amazon.com/Bells-Rosarita-Roy-Rogers/dp/B000RZQT58/?tag=2022091-20
1945
(Gabby Whittaker (Hayes) runs an Arizona ranch for homeles...)
Gabby Whittaker (Hayes) runs an Arizona ranch for homeless and wayward boys that is in financial trouble. One of the boys, Chip Blaine (Cook), is the son of notorious bank robber King Blaine (Talbot). When Chip hears that his father has been killed, he decides to dig up the cache of stolen money his father gave him to hide, wanting to use it to help pay off Gabby's mortgage. However, his father's gang wants the money and rides in to take it. The Sons of the Pioneers assist Roy and Gabby to fight the outlaws. Chip learns that using stolen money is never a good thing to do.
https://www.amazon.com/Song-Arizona-Roy-Rogers/dp/B000YFTCS2/?tag=2022091-20
1946
Dale Evans was born Lucille Wood Smith on October 31, 1912 in Uvalde, Texas, but later moved with her family from Uvalde, Texas, to Osceola, Arkansas. She was the daughter of Walter Hillman Smith and Bettie Sue Wood.
Rogers attended high school in Osceola, Arkansas.
As a young teenage mother doing secretarial work at an insurance company, Dale Evans Rogers could not have envisioned that she would become one of the most popular Western film heroines of her generation. Rogers was still a teenager when she met and married Tom Fox. Shortly after the birth of their son in 1929, Fox deserted his young bride, and Rogers made ends meet by working as a stenographer at an insurance company.
Rogers' placement with the company proved to be fortuitous. When her employers discovered she could sing, they found her work as a vocalist on a company-sponsored radio station. Her voice won her increasingly high-profile positions on radio programs in Memphis, Louisville, and Dallas, until she finally wound up a star on the Chicago airwaves. At the suggestion of a program director in Louisville, she took the name Dale Evans. She also met and married Dale Butts, a pianist and songwriter, during this time. They collaborated on a number of songs, including the widely popular "Will You Marry Me, Mr. Laramie?" Their personal collaboration was not as successful as their professional one, however, and the two divorced.
That hit song brought Rogers to the attention of a Hollywood scout, who suggested she try out for a part in Paramount's Holiday Inn in 1942. The movie stalled briefly in production (it was then made without her), so Rogers decided to sign a year-long contract with Twentieth Century-Fox. While waiting for a movie role, she maintained an active career by recording albums, entertaining U.S. military forces, and continuing her radio engagements with some of America's top programs.
Although she had two small roles in musicals, Rogers' contract with Twentieth Century-Fox expired without a major film debut. She next signed on with Republic, the studio that would produce nearly all of her films. Her break came in 1944, when she was offered the second female lead in The Cowboy and the Senorita starring another Republic actor, Roy Rogers. Audiences were so delighted in the pairing of Roy and Dale that the two made another 19 formula Westerns in the next three years. He became known as the "King of the Cowboys" and she earned the moniker "Queen of the West." The wholesome couple became familiar figures in over 30 Western-themed movies, including Sunset in El Dorado (1945), Utah (1945), My Pal Trigger (1946), Under Nevada Skies (1946), Song of Arizona (1946), Bells of San Angelo (1947), The Golden Stallion (1949), Bells of Coronado (1950), and Pals of the Golden West (1951).
Much of Dale's success was driven by her gutsy heroines - characters of independence and brains who stood apart from the traditional Hollywood portrayal of helpless women in need of saving. Her appearance in Motion Picture Herald's poll as one of the top moneymakers of 1947 - the first woman to do so - verified her stardom.
The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans pairing was successful off-screen as well. After Roy's wife Arlene Rogers died in 1946, Roy and Dale married the following year. In 1948, they collaborated on the radio to create "The Roy Rogers Show," then moved the show to the new medium of television in 1951, producing the weekly series of half-hour Western films until 1957. The show proved to be hugely successful, earning some of the highest ratings for an action program at the time. Roy and Dale, along with Roy's Palomino stallion Trigger ("the smartest horse in the movies") and Dale's horse Buttermilk, became American icons; the show's enduring theme song, "Happy Trails to You," was one of Dale's compositions.
At the height of their popularity there were some 2,000 fan clubs worldwide devoted to Dale and Roy, and their lucrative merchandising deals allowed innumerable American girls and boys to dress like their heroes in fringed clothing and holster belts. In addition to their own program, the pair guest-starred on numerous other television programs throughout the 1950s and made a brief comeback as television stars with an hour-long variety program, "The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show," in 1962. They also took their Western act on the road, making appearances on the rodeo circuit in colorful costumes. Dale was the only woman to receive star billing at Madison Square Garden when she appeared there in 1952 as part of the World Championship Rodeo.
Dale recorded several albums for children and highlighted her distinct brand of Western tunes. Her albums included some of her own compositions such as "Aha, San Antone," which sold in excess of 200,000 copies. Roy and Dale Rogers debuted the first of their Christian albums with the 1950 release Hymns of Faith. When her nine-year-old adopted daughter Debbie died in a church bus accident in 1964, Dale penned a touching remembrance to her, published as Dear Debbie. The following year, another adopted child, Sandy, died of alcohol poisoning in Germany, and Dale wrote the tribute Salute to Sandy. Dale's autobiography, The Woman at the Well (1970), was another publishing success, selling over 275,000 hardcover copies. She had published 25 inspirational works by 1988, including Time Out Ladies! (1966), Where He Leads (1974), Let Freedom Ring (1975), and Grandparents Can (1983).
Roy and Dale Rogers showed no signs of slowing down even into their 70s. In 1985, they returned to television with the show "Happy Trails Theater," which featured the pair discussing their past films with guest stars. Dale had a chance to shine on her own as host of "The Dale Evans Show," which appeared the same year on the Trinity Christian broadcasting station. Still singing, she maintained an active concert and speaking schedule into the 1990s.
(Explains how grandparents can influence the lives of thei...)
1983(Entertainers Roy and Dale Evans Rogers were thrilled when...)
1953(Dale Evans Rogers reminds all of us, young and old, what ...)
1958(This is an intimate, honest, humble accounting of one sou...)
1955(Although both so very sad, show the tremendous faith that...)
1965(Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers join Dale Evan's ...)
1944(A shady gambler attempts to snatch the rights to a teenag...)
1944(Dale Evans inherits a circus, but her dead father's partn...)
1945(Gabby Whittaker (Hayes) runs an Arizona ranch for homeles...)
1946Roy and Dale were committed Christians, and their faith had a large impact on their professional lives. They worked closely with evangelist Billy Graham in his crusades, as well as with theologian Norman Vincent Peale. Many of their recordings are gospel-oriented and much of their later television work was done for Christian broadcasting. Dale also wrote the well-known children's song "The Bible Tells Me So" ("Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so").
Dale's faith was particularly evident in her writings, several of which were inspired by personal tragedies. She wrote Angel Unaware about her and Roy's first child, Robin, who was born developmentally disabled and died shortly before her second birthday. It was a bestseller in 1953, and Dale donated the royalties to the National Association for Retarded Children.
Quotations:
“Christmas, my child, is love in action.”
“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.”
"Cowgirl is a spirit, a special 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 the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she's just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut."
"Much of the beauty of Christmas lies in its challenge to look further, deeper, until we find its secret in the heart of God. But we never find that unless we look beyond the presents under the tree."
Rogers was married four times. First, she married Thomas Frederick Fox in 1928, but they divorced in 1930. She then married August Wayne Johns but their marriage ended in divorce, and Rogers married Dale Butts. The couple also broke up. In 1947, Lucille married Roy Rogers, an actor and singer.
Rogers had two children of her own - Tom Fox, Jr. from her first marriage and Robin from the third one. She also had three adopted children - Sandy, Dodie and Debbie, and three stepchildren - Cheryl, Linda, and Dusty.