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Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. November is Cowboy Month, Native American Heritage Month, and Inspirational Role Models Month, and for many in the 1950s, two people named Rogers met all three criteria. This issue is about sweet nostalgia rather than nonsensical fun. Will and Roy Rogers were both born in November – one day and 32 years apart. But I bet there’s a lot you don’t know about them.
I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.
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The Quirky Quote
I have admired William Penn Adair Rogers, since I first heard that he said, “We are all here for a spell; get all the good laughs you can." I think it works amazingly well as a philosophy of life.
The Quirky Facts
Will Rogers, born November 4, 1879, was always proud of his Cherokee heritage, saying “My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower; they met the boat.” Yet Will, born on his family’s Dog Iron Ranch in the Cherokee Nation, (now Oologah, Oklahoma) was a more authentic cowboy than Roy Rogers. He was actually listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the unique talent of being able to throw three lassos at once – one rope catching the running horse around the neck, the second capturing the rider and the third swooping under the horse to loop all four legs. (See Resources) But as further evidence of the contributions that come from Americans’ complex heritage, he was first taught to lasso longhorn cattle by a freed slave.
Although he dropped out of school in 10th grade to be a cowboy, Will’s reading and traveling kept his mind expanding. He traveled the world – Argentina, South Africa, and Australia – first as a rancher and then as a performer in Wild West shows, vaudeville, and the movies. He began talking between lariat tricks and soon became more famous for his wit than his rope, eventually writing six books and over 4000 newspaper columns.
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Perhaps his most famous quote was, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” meaning that if you spend time with anyone, you will find common ground, that is, something to like in him. That genuine respect for humanity gained him admiration worldwide, and friendships with U.S. Presidents and other world leaders. Although he died in a plane crash in 1935, his influence remained strong in the 1950s, and he is still admired by many.
He was also a devoted family man to his wife and four children, and he seemed to take to heart his own words: "Try to live your life so that you wouldn't be afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."
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Roy Rogers was born November 5, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio as Leonard Franklin Slye, but moved west while still a teenager hoping to escape the economic instability of the Great Depression. While working as a fruit picker, he found joy playing his guitar and singing around the evening campfires, and decided to try to make a living with his music. He had some success with the Sons of the Pioneers, and began to be cast in movies by 1935. The studio changed his name to Roy Rogers in 1938 and he soon became a major box office attraction. He married Dale Evans in 1947. (It was his third and her fourth marriage, but it lasted over 50 years.) By the time he was cast in the TV series bearing his name in 1951, he was known as “King of the Cowboys,” and Dale was “Queen of the West.”
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Like Will Rogers, Roy Rogers claimed Native American heritage -- Choctow – in his case through his great-grandmother, a fact he learned when he and Dale adopted a Native American girl in 1952. (Texas law required that the adopting parents have Native American blood.) Long before that, however, Roy refused to participate in the traditional “cowboy and Indian on-screen rivalry.” According to his website, no film depicts him fighting with Native Americans, and in all on-screen scenes with them, he insisted on being portrayed as a friend to them.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were conscious of the role models they were for both children and parents and were as proud to be advocates for adoption and children’s charities as they were for their fictional roles in bringing justice to a modern Wild West.
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The Quirky Observations
Several 1950s TV cowboy heroes took their responsibility toward children seriously. Gene Autry asked viewers to abide by “The Cowboy Code” which included such “commandments” as:
- The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
- He must always tell the truth.
- He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
- He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. (Ahead of his time on that one!)
- He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
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Wiser Now Wednesday is soon going to have a new name and other changes, and our website is getting a makeover. Watch for more news in the weeks ahead, and in the meantime, please keep spreading its joys to all the activity professionals, teachers, aging adults and their grandkids, and people in between that you know.
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The Questions
- Will Rogers had a humorous way of pointing out human foibles, often about political happenings. Do you think politicians today need to lighten up?
- Will Rogers was known for his kindness; he liked people and showed it. Can you think of any comedian today who has a similar style?
- Can you say as Will Rogers did that you never met a man you didn’t like, or at least that you couldn’t find common ground with?
- Do you remember any of Roy Rogers’ movies or his TV show with Dale Evans? Were you a fan?
- Did you ever own a Roy Rogers lunchbox, pajamas, or other branded merchandise from his show? Share your memories.
- Were you aware of the work he and Dale did to promote adoption and advocate for disabled children?
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The Quiz – It's about the Horse, of Course
The most famous horse in all the popular westerns of the 1950s was Roy Rogers’ Trigger. Here’s a chance to test your knowledge or make a reasonable guess.
What’s true about Trigger?
1. Trigger’s original name was Golden Wings.
True ___ False ___
2. Roy Rogers found instant compatibility with Trigger, and fearing that he would have to share him with other actors, arranged to purchase him outright for the princely sum of $2000 at a time when he was making just $50/week.
True ___ False ___
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3. Roy Rogers was an early horse whisperer – always proud that he “never resorted to using his reins as a whip and never used his spurs.”
True ___ False ___
4. When Roy Rogers made personal appearances, he always tried to place Trigger and his fancy horse trailer outside the venue before the show, so that children who couldn’t afford tickets could see him.
True ___ False ___
5. Though he never advertised the fact because he always wanted children to believe they were seeing the real deal, Trigger had two stand-ins for personal appearances, so that Trigger would not be overworked.
True ___ False ___
6. Trigger died peacefully in 1965 at the estimated age of 28.
True ___ False ___
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The Resources
Photo credits unless otherwise noted are from Wikipedia or purchased from iStock.
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Answers to the quiz
1. False, it was Golden Cloud
2. Partly true; he bought Trigger for $2500 at a time when he was making $75/week. He said he was forced to purchase Trigger in installments “like a bedroom set.”
3. True; of course, it helped that Trigger was smart and had been trained to respond to touch and hand movements, so with just a gentle pat on his neck Roy could let him know what he wanted him to do.
4. True
5. True
6. False; he was believed to be about 33 – a good, long horse life.
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My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity, and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. You can access previous issues here. I welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) | | | | | |
