Dale Evans Rogers (born Frances Octavia Smith; October 31, 1912 – February 7, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She was the second wife of

singing cowboy A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western (genre), Western films. It references real-world campfire side ballads in the American frontier. The original cowboys sang of life on the trail with all the challenges, ...

film star

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

Early life and career

Dale Evans was born Frances Octavia Smith on October 31, 1912, in

Uvalde, Texas Uvalde ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,217 at the 2020 census, down from 15,751 in 2010. It is the principal city in the Uvalde, Texas Micropolitan Statistical Area. Uvalde is ...

, to Bettie Sue Wood and T. Hillman Smith. She was raised in Italy, Texas. She started singing at the community's

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

church whe she was 3. She had a tumultuous early life. She spent a lot of time living with her uncle, Dr. L.D. Massey MD FACP, an internal medicine physician, in

Osceola, Arkansas Osceola is a city in and a dual county seat of Mississippi County, Arkansas, Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Located along the Mississippi River within the Arkansas Delta, the settlement was founded in 1837 and incorporated in 1853. O ...

. At age 14, she eloped with and married Thomas F. Fox, with whom she had one son, Thomas F. Fox Jr., when she was 15. A year later, abandoned by her husband, she found herself in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, a single parent pursuing a career in music. She took courses in business and landed a job at a bus company and later an insurance agency. After her boss overheard her singing, she landed jobs with Memphis radio stations (WMC and WREC), singing and playing piano. In 1930, she moved to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

to expand her career. She was diagnosed with

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

shortly after. Divorced in 1929, she took the name Dale Evans while working at radio station WHAS (

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

) in the early 1930s under the names Frances Fox and Marian Lee. after the station manager suggested it because he believed she could promote her singing career with a short pleasant sounding name that announcers and disc jockeys could easily pronounce.Dale Evans' biography
, royrogers.com; accessed May 16, 2014.

Early career

After beginning her career singing at the radio station where she was employed as a secretary, Evans had a productive career as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, swing, and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

singer that led to a screen test and contract with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

studios. She gained exposure on radio as the featured singer for a time on the

Edgar Bergen Edgar John Bergen (né Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, vaudevillian and radio performer. He was best known for his characters Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Bergen ...

/ Charlie McCarthy show. From 1936 to 1938, she landed a job as a singer for

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

radio station

WFAA WFAA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving as the American Broadcasting Company, ABC affiliate for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Decatur, Texas, Decatur-li ...

. Throughout this early period, Evans went through two additional failed marriages, first with August Wayne Johns from 1929 to 1935; then with accompanist and arranger Robert Dale Butts from 1937 to 1946. Neither marriage produced children. During her time at

, the studio promoted her as the unmarried supporter of her teenage "brother" Tommy (actually her son Tom Fox, Jr.), a deception that continued through her divorce from Butts in 1946 and her development as a cowgirl co-star to

Republic Studios Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

Joint efforts

Dale Evans married

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

1947 at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma, where they had earlier filmed the movie '' Home in Oklahoma''. The successful marriage was Rogers' third and Evans' fourth; the two were a team on- and off-screen from 1946 until Rogers' death in 1998. Together Roy and Dale raised their children in a Christian and musical home. Shortly after the wedding, Evans ended the deception regarding her son Tommy. Roy had an adopted daughter, Cheryl, and two biological children, Linda and Roy Jr. (Dusty), from his second marriage. Together they had one child, Robin Elizabeth, in 1950 who died of complications of Down syndrome shortly before her second birthday. Her life inspired Evans to write her bestseller ''Angel Unaware''. Evans was very influential in changing public perceptions of children with developmental disabilities and served as a role model for many parents. After she wrote ''Angel Unaware'', a group then known as the "Oklahoma County Council for Mentally Retarded Children" adopted its better-known name Dale Rogers Training Center in her honor. She went on to write a number of religious and inspirational books, and she and Roy appeared many times with

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

in Crusades all over the country, singing gospel songs and giving their testimony. Evans and Rogers adopted four other children: Mimi, Dodie, Sandy, and Debbie. From 1951 to 1957, Evans and Rogers starred in the highly-successful television series '' The Roy Rogers Show'', in which they continued their cowboy and cowgirl roles, with her riding her trusty buckskin horse,

Buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in Western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mode ...

. In addition to her successful TV shows, more than 30 films and some 200 songs, Evans wrote the song " Happy Trails". In later episodes of the program, she was outspoken in her

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, telling people that God would assist them with their troubles and imploring adults and children to turn to Him for guidance. In late 1962, the couple co-hosted a comedy-western-variety program, ''

The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show was a musical variety series that aired Saturday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 29, 1962Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Ti ...

''. In 1964, Evans spoke at a "Project Prayer" rally attended by 2,500 at the

Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The gathering, which was hosted by actor Anthony Eisley, star of ABC's ''

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...

'' series, sought to flood the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

with letters in support of mandatory school prayer, following two decisions in 1962 and 1963 of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

which struck down mandatory prayer as conflicting with the

Establishment Clause In United States law, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, together with that Amendment's Free Exercise Clause, form the constitutional right of freedom of religion. The ''Establishment Clause'' an ...

of the

First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Federal government of the United States, Congress from making laws respecting an Establishment Clause, establishment of religion; prohibiting the Free Exercise Cla ...

Joining Evans and Eisley at the Project Prayer rally were

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Come and Get It (1936 film), Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky (film), Kentucky'' (19 ...

, Lloyd Nolan, Rhonda Fleming,

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

, and

Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...

. Evans declared, "It's high time that all America stood up to be counted. Let our children learn of the Lord and be free." Eisley and Fleming added that Rogers,

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, and

Pat Buttram Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram (June 19, 1915 – January 8, 1994) was an American character actor. Buttram was known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series ''Green Acres''. He had ...

would have attended the rally had their schedules permitted. In the 1970s, Evans recorded several solo albums of religious music. During the 1980s, the couple introduced their films weekly on the former

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...

. In the 1990s, Evans hosted her own religious television program. Evans supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

in the

1964 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 1964, less than a year following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who won the previous presidential election. The Democratic Party (U ...

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at the 61st Academy Awards

Death

Evans died of congestive heart failure on February 7, 2001, at the age of 88, in

Apple Valley, California Apple Valley is an incorporated town in the Victor Valley of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Its population was 75,791 as of the 2020 United States census. The town is east of and adjoining to the neighboring cities of Victor ...

. She is interred at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Apple Valley, next to Rogers.

Legacy

For her contribution to radio, Evans has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 6638 Hollywood Blvd. She received a second star at 1737 Vine St. for her contribution to the television industry. In 1976, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. In 1995, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

. In 1997, she was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame. She ranked No. 34 on '' CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music'' in 2002. Cheryl Rogers-Barnett, a daughter of Roy Rogers and step-daughter of Evans, co-authored ''Cowboy Princess: Life with My Parents, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans'' with Frank Thompson. In 2001, a Golden Palm Star on the

Palm Springs Walk of Stars The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes p ...

was dedicated to her and Roy Rogers. In 2018, she was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum.

Selected filmography

* '' Orchestra Wives'' (1942) * '' Girl Trouble'' (1942) * '' Swing Your Partner'' (1943) * '' The West Side Kid'' (1943) * '' Hoosier Holiday'' (1943) * '' Here Comes Elmer'' (1943) * '' In Old Oklahoma'' (1943) * '' Casanova in Burlesque'' (1944) * '' Cowboy and the Senorita'' (1944) * '' The Yellow Rose of Texas'' (1944) * '' Song of Nevada'' (1944) * ''

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

'' (1944) * '' Lights of Old Santa Fe'' (1944) * '' The Big Show-Off'' (1945) * ''

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

'' (1945) * '' Bells of Rosarita'' (1945) * '' The Man from Oklahoma'' (1945) * '' Hitchhike to Happiness'' (1945) * '' Along the Navajo Trail'' (1945) * '' Sunset in El Dorado'' (1945) * '' Don't Fence Me In'' (1945) * '' Song of Arizona'' (1946) * '' Rainbow Over Texas'' (1946) * '' My Pal Trigger'' (1946) * '' Under Nevada Skies'' (1946) * '' Roll on Texas Moon'' (1946) * '' Home in Oklahoma'' (1946) * '' Out California Way'' (1946) * '' Heldorado'' (1946) * '' Apache Rose'' (1947) * '' Bells of San Angelo'' (1947) * ''

The Trespasser Trespasser is, in the law of tort, property law and criminal law, a person who commits the crime of trespassing on a property. Trespasser or ''variant'' may refer to: * Trespasser (video game), ''Trespasser'' (video game), a 1998 computer game ma ...

'' (1947) * '' Slippy McGee'' (1948) * '' Susanna Pass'' (1949) * '' Down Dakota Way'' (1949) * '' The Golden Stallion'' (1949) * '' Bells of Coronado'' (1950) * '' Twilight in the Sierras'' (1950) * '' Trigger, Jr.'' (1950) * '' South of Caliente'' (1951) * '' Pals of the Golden West'' (1951)

Notes

References

External links

Dale Evans Movie

Dale Evans Production

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Dale 1912 births 2001 deaths American women country singers American country singer-songwriters RCA Victor artists Bell Records artists American film actresses Western (genre) film actresses People from Uvalde, Texas 20th-century American actresses 20th Century Studios contract players 20th-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Texas People from Apple Valley, California People from Italy, Texas Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American women singers California Republicans Country musicians from Texas Singer-songwriters from California Western (genre) heroes and heroines Christian television