Roy Rogers At Memory Lane Magazine

Feb 5, 1976

Winchester Theater

Lubbock, Texas

World Premiere: Mackintosh & T.J.

Roy Rogers First Film in 20 Years

by Rob Tucker

Roy Rogers At Memory Lane Magazine Years before this date, in another West Texas theater, the Midway, also in Lubbock, I grew up on The Saturday Matinee. Each Saturday afternoon I escaped to the world of Reel Cowboys. A world in which Roy Rogers was undisputed "King Of The Cowboys". He caught the bad guys, as any hero should, but with style, a style that would endear him to generations. I remember with affection the absolute childhood fun which could be had for a dime. If you were lucky enough to capture a whole quarter, that two bits would provide a Coca Cola, popcorn, candy and a ticket destined to admit one, for an afternoon of great adventure.
Roy Rogers At Memory Lane Magazine

As a young wanna be buckaroo, ticket in hand, I set out for the front row and learned good guy, bad guy stuff, first hand and up close. I learned loyalty from those treks to the local theater. I learned about duty, about honor, and I believed, never giving thought to or doubting in anyway that Roy Rogers was a real hero. I knew I pretended to be Roy Rogers in my back yard, in neighborhood vacant lots. My black & white spotted dog whose real name was Spotty pretended too. His alter ego was Bullet, I know this because, hey he was my dog and my best friend. I pretended that my mom's broom was Trigger, Roy's golden Palamino. I pretended all these things but I knew with certainty that Roy didn't pretend. I knew, just knew, that he was real.

 
 

Now on this night in Feb. 1976 the baritone announcer proclaims "ladies and gentlemen, cowboys & cowgirls of all ages, give a West Texas Welcome to Roy Rogers, "King Of The Cowboys". Up the isle, just a few feet away from this cowboy, Roy makes his way to the stage. When I saw him for the first time, I thought, it's him, its Roy Rogers and I knew again he was real. I wasn't alone either. He was greeted with a thunderous standing ovation as he walked on stage. Glancing about the theater I noted male & female, kids, young adults, fellow baby boomers and senior citizens and I could feel the love for this cowboy legend and I suspected the secret, was no secret at all, others knew that Roy Rogers was a real hero.

 

Attending a party at the Lubbock Country Club after the premiere, I met Roy and spoke with him at length and was impressed with his sincerity and easy manner. He was the Roy Rogers I grew up wanting to be like.

A few years later in 1980 I had been publishing a Nostalgia Magazine called Memory Lane and was working on a summer issue and wanted to interview Roy and put him on the cover. I called his museum in Apple Valley, California and plead my cause, asking if there was any way I could speak with Roy. They said they'd let me know, taking my phone number. The next day the phone call came, the message was "call this number, Roy will answer and speak with you." I did, he did, and the issue rolled off the presses. In my conversation with him I learned a lot about his career, about Dale Evans, Trigger, Bullet, Gabby Hayes, Pat Brady, The Sons Of The Pioneers, the early film days and his TV show. I also learned a lot about a little part of life, an important part, Roy Rogers was the same off screen as on, again to a little boy grown a little older.
 

Years later and several times since, I've heard interviews where Dale makes the same comment, something like, "with Roy what you see on the screen is what he is in real life." Scores of times through the years I have thought how savvy we Saturday afternoon cow kids were. We knew it straight outa the chute, this Reel Hero was a Real Hero. Roy, it's not a small thing when I say simply, Thank you! For being you! We younguns' needed a role model just as kids today do. My generation was lucky, we had you! From Reel Hero to Real Hero. Roy Rogers, "The King Of The Cowboys", died on July 6, 1998. MLM