Happy Trails: A Pictorial Celebration of the Life and Times of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss celebrates a timeless love.
He was the King of the Cowboys. She was the Queen of the West. Together, they were an unbeatable pair with a moving love story, which is told, largely through photographs — many never seen before — in the new book Happy Trails: A Pictorial Celebration of the Life and Times of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss.
We talked to the authors about Dale and Roy, the new book, and the couple’s lasting love.
Cowboys & Indians: Congratulations on your new book. It’s wonderful. What made you decide to do a book on one of the most famous couples in the West?
Chris Enss: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were the reigning royalty of B-rated westerns for more than a decade. They helped persuade moviegoers that good always triumphs over evil in a fair fight and that life on the open range was one long, wholesome sing-along. They were amazing duo on screen and just as fabulous away from the cameras. They influenced a generation of fans and embodied kindness and generosity. Their story had to be told. Howard knew both Roy and Dale personally. Dale spent time at Howard’s home, and it was his idea to write a book about the pair with the hopes of bringing their story to theaters someday. We wanted everyone to know how giving they were to their fans and one another.
Howard Kazanjian: The love, charm, and appeal were unparalleled in that era. It was genuine. Fans knew it was true love. Roy and Dale had tremendous stage presence, and everyone related to them.
C&I: Tell us a little about Roy Rogers and Dale Evans as a couple.
Enss: They costarred in 29 movies and recorded more than 200 albums together. When they weren’t working, the Western icons spent a great deal of time visiting children’s hospitals and orphanages. They were very much in love with one another and had many of the same interests. Individually, they had both experienced heartache and loss, and in one another they found a peace and love that helped heal all. They had nine children, whom they adored and showered with affection. From the moment they made their first picture together, The Cowboy and the Señorita, their lives were intertwined. More than 75 years after the pair were married, their names are still linked together. If you hear Roy Rogers, Dale Evans is quick to follow. They were devoted to one another.
Kazanjian: They had tremendous stage presence. The room stopped when they walked in. Every part of their life was intertwined. Everyone could see they were authentic. I had the privilege of meeting Roy and Dale several times. My wife saw them as a young girl as they would attend concerts at her church given by their son, Tom Fox, who was choir director at the church.
C&I: How did they meet?
Enss: Roy was with the Sons of the Pioneers, and the group had gone into a recording studio to make an album. Dale met Roy at the studio. Both were married to other people at the time. Dale remembered meeting Roy because she knew of the Sons of the Pioneers. Roy didn’t remember Dale. She was still struggling to make a name for herself. Years later, Dale was cast in the movie The Cowboy and the Señorita starring Roy Rogers. She had always wanted to be on Broadway and hoped if she did a good job in the western, the studio would recognize her talent and she would be Broadway-bound. The chemistry she and Roy had on screen prompted the studio to sign the pair to do an additional seven pictures together. Roy and Dale were good friends for several years before their relationship turned romantic, but it all began with The Cowboy and the Señorita.
C&I: What was their wedding like?
Enss: In the fall of 1947, Roy proposed to Dale as he sat on Trigger. The pair were performing at a rodeo in Chicago, and moments before their big entrance, Roy suggested they get married. The date set for the wedding was New Year’s Eve. Gossip columnists predicted that Trigger would be the best man and that Dale would wear a red-sequined cowgirl gown. The predictions proved to be false. Roy and Dale’s wedding was a simple affair held at a ranch in Oklahoma, which happened to be the location for the filming of their 17th movie, Home in Oklahoma. The couple’s agent, Art Rush, served as best man, and his wife, Mary Jo, was the matron of honor. So many women were crushed when Roy and Dale got married. While researching the book, we had a chance to go through several boxes of fan mail. Many letters were from brokenhearted girls who sincerely believed Roy was going to ride Trigger to their home and propose. Dale won his heart, however, and kept it forever.
C&I: They’d both been married more than a couple of times before they found each other. But once they married, it stuck. What made them work — on and off screen — so well together?
Enss: Roy and Dale admired one another. Both thought the other were good people. They worked well together and were proud of their family. They had a faith in God that made their bond even stronger. They shared many happy times together and many heartbreaking moments. Three of their children died when they were young, and that loss brought the couple closer to one another and kept them close.
Kazanjian: Their outlook on life was very admirable, and that came from their faith in God.
C&I: They lost their daughter Robin before the age of 2. How did they get through that?
Enss: Roy said it best: “No one knows exactly why these things are allowed to happen. Only God knows, and if we trust Him, someday we will understand.” Robin was a delicate flower, and everyone in the family participating in caring for her. Roy and Dale believed God sent Robin to them to give them perspective and peace. Dale penned a book about her daughter’s short life titled Angel Unaware. Roy and Dale had built a life together, and nothing could tear them apart. Their marriage seemed to grow stronger after a tragedy. They were dedicated to one another and the thought of leaving during a troubled time was never an option.
Kazanjian: The title of their book, Angel Unaware, tells it all.
C&I: What are a couple of your favorite Roy and Dale stories?
Enss: When Roy proposed, it was just as he was heading out into the rodeo arena on Trigger. He didn’t even give Dale a chance to respond before his cue came to ride out before the audience. It just seems fitting and such a fun introduction to life with an onscreen cowboy hero. She wasn’t much of a horseback rider when she was cast in The Cowboy and the Señorita. She did her best, but Roy and Gabby Hayes saw through the act. Years later, she would be an excellent rider, but that initial introduction and the teasing Dale took from Roy is charming.
Kazanjian: In the year 2000, my wife’s church had a reunion in our backyard. Dale’s granddaughters sang for the event. By this time, Roy had passed away. Dale arrived beautiful in light blue. Her son, Tom Fox, and his wife, Barbara, were also in attendance. We had an antique carriage for a backdrop. Dale’s three granddaughters serenaded the guests. Dale’s smile was absolutely priceless. It was an evening “as good as it gets.”
C&I: If they had a philosophy of making a relationship work, what was it?
Enss: Keep your eyes on the Lord, pay attention to your family, always tell one another how much they are loved, and remember your fans. Fans were the ones who bought tickets to see their films, and both Roy and Dale believed they owed them a debt.
Kazanjian: Dale and Roy were charming, gracious, humble, genuine, beautiful, loving, kind, and authentic. They were the ultimate Cowboy and Señorita. No one of their caliber can compare.
C&I: What are some of your favorite movies of theirs and what makes them special?
Enss: The Cowboy and the Señorita because it was their first picture together and it’s fun to see how it all started for them. Sunset in El Dorado because it showed their range as actors; they played a few different roles in that film. And Don’t Fence Me In — the music is perfect, and so are Roy and Dale.
C&I: This book is a “pictorial celebration,” with dozens and dozens of great photos. How did you go about gathering the images?
Enss: Many of the images were acquired years ago while going through Roy and Dale’s things at their museum in Victorville, California, and then in Branson, Missouri. Howard and I were given full access to all of Roy and Dale’s archival material at both of the museums — boxes and boxes of letters, scrapbooks, awards, pictures, etc. I also spent time with Dale’s son, Tom, and he provided me with great information about his mother and his stepfather. Uncovering photographs of the couple in settings we’d never seen before was a treat. Roy on the farm as a boy and Dale Evans in a bathing suit — those are pictures not often associated with the pair and they’re among our favorites. There were really too many great photographs to include in one book. Howard and I look forward to working on another book at some point, one that focuses on their individual careers, and we’ll use the other wonderful photographs at that point.
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Happy Trails: A Pictorial Celebration of the Life and Times of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (Trafalgar Square Books) will be released on March 15, 2022; it’s available for preorder now on amazon.com.
Photography: (All images) courtesy Trafalgar Square Books
