Dale Evans Movies
American singer/actress Dale Evans took a stenographer's job while seeking out singing work. A widow at 17, she became a radio and nightclub songstress, married again and set out to try her luck in Hollywood. Few good parts came her way at the major studios (she is barely visible in 20th Century-Fox's Orchestra Wives [1942], which featured an equally unbilled Jackie Gleason), so she had to settle for leading roles at Republic Studios, a "B" factory. She wasn't keen on westerns, but westerns were what she got, co-starring in 20 oaters with Republic's Number One singing cowboy, Roy Rogers. It wasn't until Rogers' first wife died in the late '40s that he and Evans realized that theirs was more than just a happy professional association. Rogers and Evans were married in 1947, assuming the honorary mantle of "King of the Cowboys and Queen of the West;" it was Evans who wrote the couple's enduring theme song, "Happy Trails to You."The Rogers starred together in two TV series, a standard weekly western in the 1950s and an ABC variety show in 1962; in the early '80s, Evans soloed as host of a long-running syndicated religious talk show. Rogers and Evans' marriage was sorely tested by multiple tragedies; of Evans' six children, one was mentally retarded and only three survived past the age of 21. Evans was strengthened by the solidarity of her marriage and by her unwavering religious convictions. To help others to cope with anguish, she has written several uplifting books about the travails and triumphs of her life. She has also been quite active in her pet cause, the prevention of child abuse. In the mid-'90s Dale Evans was in the process of recovering from a serious illness, and resuming her religious and charitable activities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this excellent western, Roy, Trigger and Gabby ride out to stop angry Confederate terrorists from harassing Missouri residents because they voted to side with the Union in the days leading up to the Civil War. Roy plays a Union captain who is faced with a difficult situation when he is ordered to execute his best friend, one of the terrorists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
Roy Rogers plays an outlaw out to avenge the murder of his brother in this fine Republic Western directed by one of the masters of the genre, Joseph Kane. Learning that the man he believes to be the killer, Lee Jessup (Bob Steele), is running a gambling establishment in Sonora, the Kid manages to obtain a job body guarding Jessup's saloon and its star attraction, Joby (Pauline Moore). But although intent on biding his time, the hero cannot stand idly by while Jessup is taking advantage of a naïve prospector (Noah Beery Jr.) and is forced to show his hand. One of Rogers' better early vehicles, The Carson City Kid is enlivened by a couple of good songs, including "Are You the One?" and "Sonora Moon," both by Peter Tinturia and performed by Rogers and Moore (who later admitted to having been dubbed). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1942
In this comedy, set in WW II, a Venezuelan rubber planter's son must travel to New York to try and secure a loan for the expansion of the family business. There he encounters an impoverished American girl whose fortune lies frozen in England until the war ends. To make ends meet, she rents her apartment to the Venezuelan and becomes his personal maid. Mayhem ensues as the two get involved in merry mix-ups, fall in love, fall out of love, and fall in love again. Eventually, she helps him get the loan he needs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Joan Bennett, (more)
In his last screen appearance, bandleader Glenn Miller plays--are you sitting down?--a bandleader. The film's main plot involves small-town girl Ann Rutherford, who impulsively marries George Montgomery, a trumpeter in the Miller band. Rutherford soon finds that she isn't particularly suited for life on the road, nor is she prepared for the petty jealousies and backstabbings prevalent among the other orchestra wives (Lynn Bari, Carole Landis et. al.) She eventually leaves Montgomery, an event which coincides with the breakup of the band. But both the band and the marriage are salvaged through the benign conspiratorial schemes of Glenn Miller and a repentant Rutherford. Those who aren't interested in the various plots and subplots in Orchestra Wives will be captivated by the endless supply of blue-ribbon tunes, including I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, At Last, and Serenade in Blue. Guest stars include Tex Beneke, The Modernaires and the Nicholas Brothers. Watch for an uncredited Jackie Gleason as a bass player and Dale Evans as Ann Rutherford's friend in the soda-fountain scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Ann Rutherford, (more)
- 1943
This musical features a number of old-time country music stars as it follows the exploits of a pretty dairy magnate who impersonates a worker to discover the shenanigans going on inside her plant. Songs include: "Cheese Cake," "Swing Your Partner" (Charles Henderson), "Cracker Barrel County" (Frank Loesser, Jule Styne), "Kiss Your Partner" (Dick Sanford, John Redmond, Frank Weldon), "Shug, Shug Yodel" (George "Shug" Fisher), "In the Cool of the Evening" (Walter Bullock, Styne). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Clark, Esther Dale, (more)
- 1943
This musical comedy stars radio star Al Pearce has a double role playing himself and Elmer Blurt, the leader of a small-town band that struggles toward stardom in the big city. Their journey begins when Elmer decides to eject their female singer because she isn't really right. Unfortunately, her angry father is their sponsor and when he finds out, he withdraws all support. Fortunately, an aspiring singer learns of the band's plight and decides to pay for them to hit the Big Apple, but only on the condition that she become the new singer. Thanks to a successful radio performance, the band gets a lucrative gig at a major nightclub. Songs include "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "Don't Be Afraid to Tell Your Mother," "Hitch Old Dobbin to the Shag Again" and "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pearce, Dale Evans, (more)
- 1943
Don "Red" Barry took a break from westerns to star in the fair-to-middling sentimental drama The West Side Kid. Barry is cast as gangster Johnny April, who upon being sprung from prison is hired by dispirited millionaire Sam Winston (Henry Hull). Fed up with his selfish family, Winston wants to end it all and pays Johnny $25,000 to bump him off. Instead, Johnny takes a liking to the old coot, and sets about to reform Winston's profligate family. Dale Evans, future "Queen of the West," is intriguingly cast as Winston's spoiled-rotten daughter Gloria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Henry Hull, (more)
In Old Oklahoma is better known today by its reissue title, War of the Wildcats. John Wayne heads the cast as oil man Dan Somers, who carries on a bitter feud with his crooked rival Hunk Gardner (Albert Dekker). Furthering the animosity between the two men is schoolteacher-turned-novelist Catherine Allen (Martha Scott), with whom both Dan and Hunk fall in love. The main story and the romantic second story both come to a head when Dan is offered a valuable contract if he can deliver an oil shipment within a specific deadline. Naturally, Hunk does everything he can to keep Dan from fulfilling his contract, resulting in a thrill-packed chase sequence that served as stock footage for many a future Republic western and serial. A pre-Roy Rogers Dale Evans costars as sexy dancehall chanteuse "Cuddles" Walker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Martha Scott, (more)
- 1943
Five singing farmer boys (the Hoosier Hotshots) have built up quite a following in their local community. Everybody likes them except for one politician. One day, the Baker Boys, as they call themselves, decide to join the Air Corps. Unfortunately, the politician heads the town draft board and spitefully denies them entry. This being a romantic musical, it doesn't take long before the politician's five lovely daughters (who are conveniently the same age as the five Baker Boys) return from finishing school. Romantic sparks fly everywhere when the Bakers decide to court the girls and then try to marry them, not to get wives, but to scare the girls' father into approving their enlistment. Fortunately, or unfortunately, things don't quite turn out as planned. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Evans, Isabel Randolph, (more)
- 1944
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans still weren't man and wife when they costarred in Republic's San Fernando Valley. As always, Rogers is cast as a cowboy who happens to be named Roy Rogers; Evans, on the other hand, plays feisty femme ranchowner Dale Kenyon. At the behest of Dale's grandfather (Andrew Tombes), Roy does the "Taming of the Shrew" bit, taking a job as ranch cook so he can woo and win the volatile Miss Kenyon. He also takes time out to capture a couple of bank robbers who'd earlier relieved him of his life savings. Many of the film's best scenes belong to hoydenish Jean Porter, cast as Dale's bratty kid sister: Ms. Porter would later retire from films to marry director Edward Dmytryk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Evans, Jean Porter, (more)
Roy Rogers saves Dale Evans from being hoodwinked by a rodeo competitor in this pleasant, and pleasantly tuneful, B-Western from Republic Pictures. Due to the mismanagement of old-timer Gabby Whittaker (George "Gabby" Hayes), The Brooks Rodeo is about to be gobbled up by competitor Frank Madden (Richard Powers aka Tom Keene), who also has designs on pretty owner Marjorie Brooks (Evans) herself. But when Gabby hires Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers as the new headliners, Madden and his henchman Ken Ferguson (Roy Barcroft) are forced to commit a bit of sabotage. With the aid of Trigger, "The Smartest Horse in the Movies," and radio announcer Marty Maizely (Lloyd Corrigan), Roy and Gabby manage to the goods on Ferguson and prevent Marjorie from marrying the sleazy Madden. Featuring early silent screen star Claire Du Brey as Dale Evans' faithful housekeeper, Lights of Old Santa Fe also presents such pleasant musical divertissements as Jack Elliott's title tune, Tim Spencer's "Trigger Hasn't Got a Pretty Figger", "I'm a Happy Guy in My Levi's Britches" and "Cowpoke Polka", and Ricardo Lopez Mendez' "Amor". The latter is performed by Dale Evans in both English and Spanish versions. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1944
In this effervescent musical comedy, a stuffy college professor secretly works as a burlesque comedian during the summer. He, a professor of Shakespeare, manages to keep his secret, until a stripper shows up and threatens to blow his cover unless he gives her a starring role in his latest production of The Taming of the Shrew. He does, but the rest of the cast is so appalled they walk-off. In desperation, the professor begins hiring the stripper's colleagues and this creates all sorts of tuneful fun. Songs include: "Who Took Me Home Last Night?" "Mess Me Up," "Casanova Joe", "Five-A-Day Fatima," "Willie the Shake," and "Taming of the Shrew." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, June Havoc, (more)
- 1944
Yet another tuneful Roy Rogers Western named after a song, The Cowboy and the Senorita features Roy and sidekick Teddy Bear (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) as a couple of would-be prospectors fired from a small town café when the latter gets in trouble with an irate customer (rotund Ferdinand Munier). At the nearby town of Bonanza, the two friends find themselves falsely accused of kidnapping young Chip Williams (Mary Lee), who is actually a runaway. Having befriended both her girl and her half-sister Isabel Martinez (Dale Evans), Roy and Teddy Bear manage to solve the riddle of a treasure hidden in a supposedly worthless mine despite the sabotaging efforts of smooth tycoon Craig Allen (John Hubbard). In between the Western shenanigans, Rogers joins Lee, Evans, the Sons of the Pioneers, and such guest artists as the dance team of Jane Beebe and Ben Rochelle in no less than five musical numbers, including the title tune and a delightful rendition of Ned Washington and Phil Ohman's "What'll I Use for Money." Spanky McFarland, of Our Gang fame, has a funny silent bit in the opening scene. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Mary Lee, (more)
- 1944
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans weren't yet husband and wife when they co-starred in Song of Nevada, but the rapport and chemistry is already very much in evidence. Roy befriends millionaire Thurston Hall, who was believed to have been killed in a plane crash. Hall hires Rogers to "tame" his snooty, citified daughter Evans, who has come West to take over her dad's ranch. Yes, it's Taming of the Shrew on the prairie, and it's every bit as enjoyable as its Shakespearean predecessor. Songs include such deathless gems as "The Harum Scarum Baron of the Harmonium." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, (more)
- 1944
The Yellow Rose of Texas is, at least in the case of this Roy Rogers vehicle, both the title of a song and the name of a fancy showboat. Rogers plays a frontier insurance investigator who is assigned to locate a company payroll stolen several years earlier. Working undercover, Roy poses as a singer on the aforementioned "Yellow Rose of Texas." The showboat's owner, Betty Weston (Dale Evans), is the daughter of the man who was arrested for the robbery. She's convinced that her dad is innocent, and Roy proves that she's right by capturing the genuine culprit. Running seven reels as opposed to the usual six, The Yellow Rose of Texas was marketed as a "special" by canny Republic Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, (more)
In this western, a dreamy young woman, tired of her boring life and job travels to an abandoned town where her grandmother had been a notorious dancehall queen. There she imagines scenes from her illustrious grandma's life. The dream takes up most of the picture and during it, the gal meets many fascinating characters. One of those characters is a clean-cut, handsome cowboy. Romance ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1945
In this drama, an aspiring playwright gets a job in a New York City restaurant favored by celebrities in hopes of getting a break. Unfortunately, most of them believe that the waiter lacks the talent to make it big. Only an aspiring songwriter, and a former waitress who has become a famous Hollywood radio star, really believe in him. When the ex-waitress drops by the restaurant to say hello, she and the others decide to play a trick on an arrogant producer by making him believe the waiter has written a sure-fire hit. They succeed and the producer puts on the show. The singer gets to be the star. When the show becomes a smash, everyone is surprised. Songs include: "Hitchhike To Happiness," "For You And Me," "Sentimental," and "My Pushover Heart." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pearce, Dale Evans, (more)
- 1945
Most cowboy leading men have only a single leading lady: in Utah, Roy Rogers is literally surrounded by delectable females, including his perennial movie (and real-life) sweetheart Dale Evans. The plot concerntrates on actress Dorothy Bryant (Evans), who inherits a ranch in (where else?) Utah. Hoping to raise money for her upcoming musical show, Dorothy intends to sell the ranch, but foreman Roy Rogers doesn't want her to. Joining Rogers in his efforts to block the sale is cantankerous neighboring rancher Gabby (George "Gabby" Hayes). After innumerable complications, Dorothy realizes that Rogers is right-and manages to have her cake and eat it too by staging her musical revue at the ranch itself. Appearing as Dorothy's entourage are such appealing Republic starlets as Peggy Stewart, Jill Browning and Beverly Loyd. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
A tuneful Roy Rogers Western, Along the Navajo Trail finds Dale Evans' Lazy A Ranch under siege from nasty J. Richard Bentley (Douglas Fowley), who is in cahoots with a greedy oil company aiming to erect a pipeline through the property come what may. Drifter Rogers, who is really a U.S. Marshal in disguise, eventually gets the goods on the villains with the assistance of Nestor Paiva's band of Mexican gypsies, comedy sidekick George "Gabby" Hayes, and vivacious Estelita Rodriguez. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
Having previously introduced Cole Porter's hit song "Don't Fence Me In" in Hollywood Canteen, Roy Rogers performs the song once again in this same-named Republic "special." When he's not singing, Rogers is dealing with nosy female journalist Toni Ames (Dale Evans), who hopes to learn the truth about Wildcat Kelly a notorious outlaw who flourished back at the turn of the century. Said outlaw has supposedly been dead for 40 years, but garrulous old-timer Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) offers to give Toni the lowdown on Kelly. After a series of convoluted complications, Roy and Toni discover what the audience has suspected all along: Gabby Whittaker and Wildcat Kelly are one in the same. Perhaps because of its saleable title, Don't Fence Me In was treated with more industry respect than most Roy Rogers westerns, earning excellent reviews and choice play-dates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, (more)
The Man From Oklahoma is set during a 20th century renactment of the 19th century Oklahoma land rush, but if patrons wanted to assume that the film had something to do with the Broadway musical hit Oklahoma!, that was certainly their privilege. Roy Rogers is on hand to help Peggy Lane (Dale Evans) stake her rightful land claim, despite the machinations of the villains. This time, Roy's comical sidekick Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) gets to have a romantic entanglement of his own, in the ample form of Peggy's self-style duenna Grandma Lane (Maude Eburne). The musical portion of the program includes several juke-box hits along with the usual quota of cowboy ballads and hillbilly novelty songs. As was customary in the Roy Rogers vehicles of the era, action takes a back seat to music in Man From Oklahoma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1945
Arthur Lake took time off from his Blondie duties at Columbia to star in Republic's The Big Show-Off. Lake plays an obnoxious pianist who has eyes for beautiful Dale Evans (the same), but she is put off by his ceaseless boasting. Only when Lake is taken down a peg or two in a wrestling match does Evans exhibit any affection for the poor sap. This film looks suspiciously like a Joe E. Brown vehicle that was deferred to Lake when Brown either proved unavailable or too expensive. Dale Evans gets to sing twice in The Big Show-Off. Thankfully, Arthur Lake does not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Lake, Dale Evans, (more)
- 1945
The standard Roy Rogers musical western Bells of Rosarita is enlivened by a cute last-reel gimmick. Rogers is appropriately cast as a cowboy star who invariably rescues the heroine from the villain in his movie vehicles. But when Sue Farnum (Dale Evans) is cheated out of her inheritance by the duplicitous business partner (Grant Withers) of her deceased father, Roy finds out with startling suddeness that Real Life isn't like the movies. In order to rescue this genuine damsel in distress, Rogers enlists the aid of his fellow Republic sagebrush stars Wild Bill Elliot, Allan Lane, Don "Red" Barry, Robert Livingston, and Sunset Carson-each astride his own "celebrity" horse. So well-received was the climactic "hero rally" in Bells of Rosarita that the device was repeated again and again by Republic, most memorably in the 1950 Rogers starrer Trail of Robin Hood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
Roll on Texas Moon was the first of 26 Roy Rogers vehicles directed by fast-action specialist William Witney. The plot concerns a deadly feud between cattle ranchers and sheepherders, with the villains playing both ends down the middle. Working on behalf of the cattlemen, Rogers tries to avoid an all-out range war, finding time to champion the cause of gorgeous sheep rancher Jill Delaney (Dale Evans). Dennis Hoey, best known for his portrayals of the thick-witted Lestrade in Universal's "Sherlock Holmes" series, is rather surprisingly cast as the main heavy. While the musical content of Roll on Texas Moon is as omniprescent as ever, the "thrill" content is considerably heightened by the expert contributions of William Witney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Rainbow over Texas is set in a western never-never land, with vintage six-shooters and stagecoaches sharing screen time with modern limousines and radio studios. Roy Rogers (cast as "himself," as usual), plays a cowboy singing star who agrees to participate in a re-creation of the first Pony Express race. For reasons too numerous to mention here, the villains conspire to prevent Rogers from winning the race. Not only does Roy foil the bad guys, but he also finds time to sing several sprightly musical numbers with co-stars Dale Evans and The Sons of the Pioneers. And of course, there's always room for the comic interpolations of grizzled old Gabby Hayes. Two notes of interest: The principal villain in Rainbow over Texas is played by Sheldon Leonard, who would seem to be more at home in the mean streets of Brooklyn; and the screenplay was based on a novel by Max Brand, of Destry Rides Again fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
