The Exhibitor (Aug-Nov 1948)

SS-2 STUDIO SURVEY He’s Come A Long Way With Glean Entertainment Republic’s Roy Rogers Knows His Public, Which Explains His Enormous Screen Success “Heigh-ho, Trigger, away!” Roy Rogers, Republic’s “King of the Cowboys,” gets a little hot about the collar whenever he hears someone throwing un¬ warranted criticism at westerns as screen fare. He steps right up and proceeds to give a cowboy’s viewpoint, and a cowboy knows only one loyalty, the loyalty to their west, whether he be a lonely cow¬ poke ridin’ some wild range in Wyoming, or being its celebrated ambassador of good will in front of a Hollywood movie camera. “I don’t cotton much to hoppin’ on any soap-boxes,” says Rogers, “but it seems to me that westerns have always been good, clean family entertainment. Sure, they may get a bit dusty now and then, but it’s only dust, and not dirt like some of these complicated social themes with their censor-skirting inferences. Why, I would never appear in a picture which I wouldn’t allow my own children to go and see. The upswing at the boxoffices of bet¬ ter theatres now playing westerns clearly indicate their entertainment value solidly, and are constantly creating a bigger and better market for this type of product.” The Roy Rogers of today, economically speaking, is a long way removed from the little boy of years ago, who spent most of his boyhood on a farm in Duck Run, O. Yes, in monetary terms, Rogers has indeed come a long way, and has brought along with him Republic, his first and only home lot, and also thousands of happy exhibitors. When Rogers first came to Hollywood, cowboys who could ride, rope, and shoot were a dime a dozen with few takers, and the Hollywood streets near the western studios teemed with all varieties of west¬ ern characters, and could readily have been mistaken for the bawdy main street of some wild and woolly western town. The situation was discouraging, but for¬ tunately Rogers had come well-equipped to take full advantage of the first oppor¬ tunity. Several years spent knocking about in Montana had taught him how to ride, rope, and handle shooting irons with the best of these cowboys, and, in addition, he had his quiet good looks, easy smile, and that soon-to-become-famous natural singing voice, which he accompanied on his “gitter.” In Hollywood, unusual happenings fre¬ quently take place. And if the powers that be at Republic could find that cop, who back in 1938, allowed a strange cowboy carrying a guitar to slip into the lot mixed in with a group of cowboy extras, they might well reward him for his lack of perceptance, for such were the circum¬ stances surrounding the grand entrance into the movies of Roy Rogers, Some place Rogers’ weekly earnings from his movies, rodeos, and records at Roy Rogers and Trigger around $10,000. “Out of which, of course,” says Roy, “Uncle Sammy takes a penny or two; but as long as I can keep my little family, healthy, happy, and together, keep ahead of Trigger’s feed bill, and get away occasionally to see my many friends all over the country, it’s okee-doakee with me.” Speaking of his family, Rogers was destined to learn the full meaning of some of those sad western ballads he sings so well, for, a year or so ago, with every¬ thing he had ever dreamed of seemingly come true, his wife died, shortly after giving him their third child, and so he was left with two tiny daughters, Cheryl and Linda, and the newly-born infant. As FAR as Trigger, his palomino, is con¬ cerned, Rogers said he is, perhaps, the greatest scene stealer in the business. This tickles Rogers, who doubles up whenever they look at a day’s rushes, and he sees Trigger in the background of some scene capturing everyone’s attention by rolling his eyes, giving out with an actionful toss of his beautiful head, or any one of the tricks taught him to do on command. We, too, have noticed the increase of interest, particularly in metropolitan cen¬ ters, in western films, western music, and western mode of dress. Who will deny the credit for this influence to those fam¬ ous screen heroes like Bronco Billy An¬ derson, Dustin Farnum, Tom Mix, Wil¬ liam S. Hart, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones, others, and, last, but not least, Roy Rog¬ ers, who leaves us with the time honored adios of the cowboy, “Many happy trails for you.” — P. M. Always along with Rogers in his gun-totin' exploits is faithful, gravel-voiced Hard riding cowboy Roy Rogers has his tender moments, too, with Lynne Roberts Andy Devine. Both the boys confer here in Republic's "Night Time In Nevada". getting some mild romantic treatment here in the Republic oater, "Eyes of Texas". THE EXHIBITOR September 1, 1948