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The Roy Rogers Show

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the radio program of the same name, seeThe Roy Rogers Show (radio program).

The Roy Rogers Show
Harry Harvey and Roy Rogers inThe Roy Rogers Show
GenreWestern
Directed by
Starring
Ending theme"Happy Trails"
Composers
  • Lou Bring
  • Nat Farber
  • Frank Worth
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No.of seasons6
No.of episodes100(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Larry Kent
  • Jack Lacey
  • Roy Rogers
  • Arthur Rush
Producers
  • Bob Henry
  • Jack Lacey
CinematographyJoe Novak
Running time30 minutes
Production companyRoy Rogers Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseDecember 30, 1951(1951-12-30)–
June 9, 1957(1957-06-09)

The Roy Rogers Showis an AmericanWestern television seriesstarringRoy Rogers.100 episodes were broadcast onNBCfor six seasons between December 30, 1951, and June 9, 1957. The episodes were set in the prevailing times (1950s) in the style of aneo-Western,rather than theOld West.Various episodes are known to be in thepublic domaintoday, being featured in low-budget cable television channels and home video.

Overview

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The show starred Roy Rogers as a ranch owner,Dale Evansas the proprietress of the Eureka Café and Hotel[1]in fictional Mineral City,[2]andPat Bradyas Roy's sidekick and Dale's cook. Brady'sJeepNellybelle at times had a mind of her own and sped away driverless with Brady in frantic pursuit on foot. Animal stars were Roy'sPalominohorseTriggerand hisGerman ShepherdBullet,[1]the "Wonder Dog".

As with many Western films of the 1930s–1950s, theRoy Rogers Showfeatured cowboys and cowgirls riding horses and carryingsix-shooters,but unlike traditional westerns, the series had a contemporary setting with automobiles, telephones, and electric lighting. No attempt was made in the scripts to explain or justify this strange amalgamation of 19th-century characters with 20th-century technology. Typical episodes followed the stars as they rescued the weak and helpless from the clutches of dishonest lawmen,con artists,bank robbers, claim jumpers, rustlers, and other "bad guys".

In addition to traditional Western plot themes such ascattle rustlingand bank robberies, the program featured more contemporary topics, including gun safety and conservation of natural resources. "Many of the shows expressed a moral, and several preached a Christian message."[3]

Episodes

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Main article:List of The Roy Rogers Show episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
123December 30, 1951(1951-12-30)June 15, 1952(1952-06-15)
215September 7, 1952(1952-09-07)June 28, 1953(1953-06-28)
314October 11, 1953(1953-10-11)March 14, 1954(1954-03-14)
418September 12, 1954(1954-09-12)May 22, 1955(1955-05-22)
515October 9, 1955(1955-10-09)March 24, 1956(1956-03-24)
615October 21, 1956(1956-10-21)June 9, 1957(1957-06-09)

Production

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Interior shots for the show were filmed at theSamuel Goldwyn Studio,with much of the outdoor action footage filmed on theIverson Movie RanchinChatsworth, Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe program was originally sponsored byGeneral Foods(Post CerealsandJell-O). The show's theme song, “Happy Trails”,was written by Dale Evans and sung by her and Rogers over the end credits of each episode.[2]

The show received an Emmy nomination in 1955 for Best Western or Adventure Series, but it lost out to thesyndicatedStories of the Century,ananthology seriesstarring and narrated byJim Davis.[4]The series finished #27 in theNielsen ratingsfor the 1951–1952 season and #30 for 1954–1955.[5]

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The show was merchandised for the youth market withcomic books,playsets,cowboyandcowgirlcostumes, toy pistols, longbows, and many other items. In 1957, 2 million copies of each comic book were sold. A related comic strip was syndicated to 186 newspapers.[6]

Reruns

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From January 1961 until September 1964, CBS broadcast reruns ofThe Roy Rogers Showon Saturday mornings.[1]As of 2019, episodes are seen onRetro Television Network,World Harvest TelevisionandThe Cowboy Channel.

References

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  1. ^abcLoBrutto, Vincent (2018).TV in the USA: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [3 volumes].ABC-CLIO. pp. 111–112.ISBN9781440829734.RetrievedApril 20,2018.
  2. ^abTerrace, Vincent (2013).Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings since 1949.Scarecrow Press. p. 148.ISBN9780810892507.RetrievedApril 20,2018.
  3. ^White, Raymond E. (2006).King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.Popular Press. p. 91.ISBN9780299210045.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  4. ^McNeil, Alex (1996).Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present,4th ed., New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 793
  5. ^"Classic TV Hits",seasonal top-30 television ratings, 1950-1999. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  6. ^Phillips, Robert W. (1995).Roy Rogers: A Biography, Radio History, Television Career Chronicle, Discography, Filmography, Comicography, Merchandising and Advertising History, Collectibles Description, Bibliography, and Index.McFarland. pp. 44–45.ISBN9780899509372.RetrievedApril 20,2018.
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