Born Frances Octavia Smith on October 31, 1912 in Uvalde, Texas, the onetime nightclub and big-band chanteuse eventually became the personification of what we all wanted a cowgirl to be as Mrs. Roy Rogers. She also was one of Hollywood's greatest show business legends.
At 14, she eloped with her high school sweetheart and within a year she found herself divorced and a single parent with a son christened Tom Fox. But she landed a job as a staff singer at WHAS-AM in Louisville, KY and on such radio shows as The Chase and Sanborn Hour, which ultimately lead her touring with big-bands around the country. Then Hollywood discovered the young ingeune, changed her name to Dale Evans and she became a contract player at 20th Century Fox and Republic Pictures. She appeared in numerous films including, "Swing Your Partner," "West Side Kid," "Hoosier Holiday" and "In Old Oklahoma" with John Wayne.
In 1944, she walked onto a soundstage to film, "The Cowboy and the Senorita" opposite boxoffice star, Roy Rogers and they ended up making over 30 films together including "My Pal Trigger," "Apache Rose," "Twilight in the Sierras" and "Don't Fence Me In." They were married in 1947.
She wrote their signature tune, "Happy Trails" in less than an hour on the back of envelope and together they recorded more than 400 songs.
With the influx of television, Roy and Dale were shrewd enough to make their move early forming their own production company. From 1951-57, The Roy Rogers Show (NBC) was a huge hit and a merchandising bonanza, which included Dale Evans pistols and holsters being worn by thousands of young girls across American. Astride her horse, Buttermilk, she helped Roy nab bad guys every week, becoming something of feminist role model. Later incarnations included The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show on ABC (1962-63) and Happy Trails Theatre (1986-89) a show of repackaged Rogers and Evans movies on cable's Nashville Network.
