Rogers was truly a traditional and loving man. The singer-actor was always searching for the woman he could commit to and marry (despite living in California, which was always identified with a more open romantic lifestyle). While performing in Roswell, New Mexico, Roy received a call from Grace Arlene Wilkins, who promised him that if he sang her “The Swiss Yodel”, she would bake him a pie. This cute comment turned into a loving relationship, and the couple got married three years later, in 1936.
Rogers and Arlene adopted their first daughter, Cheryl Darlene. A few years later, Arlene gave birth to their second daughter, Linda Lou, in 1943. She was then pregnant with their third child, a boy named Ray Jr (Dusty), but Arlene did not make the journey with him and unfortunately died during childbirth due to complications, in 1946. Rogers was heartbroken by his wife’s passing, but continued to provide and take care of his children on his own.
The Horse That Changed Roy’s Life
The studio wanted to find Roy Rogers a strong and noble steed that would compliment him in his leading role, as a populist singing cowboy who helps a group of ranchers get their water rights back, during the Dust Bowl of the ‘30s. In order to find the right horse, Republic Pictures studio gave the lead actor a choice between five rented horses that were lined up for him. Rogers immediately knew which one would be the perfect sidekick for him, and picked a yellow-haired palomino stallion, whose name was Golden Cloud. In fact, Rogers loved the steed so much that he decided to buy it just a few years later.
Everything about this beautiful and powerful steed was perfect, except one thing - his name. Rogers felt Golden Cloud just didn’t get across his uniqueness and talents properly, so he changed his name to the now iconic name, Trigger. The horse was already a veteran in the western film industry, and even appeared in The Adventures of Robin Hood, as the mount of actress Olivia de Havilland’s.
Trigger’s Incredible Talents
Roy Rogers made one of the best decisions of his life when he picked his steed. Trigger was born in 1934 and was 1.6 meters long. The famous horse knew about 150 trick cues, and according to Rogers' friends, was able to walk 50 feet on his hind legs. Trigger's other skills included sitting in a chair, signing his name "X" with a pencil and even lying down for a nap (including covering himself with a blanket).
Despite his incredible personality and entertaining tricks, Trigger had one Achilles heel that could ruin every performance he did — the steed was a huge attention lover and would bow for his audience every time he heard applause, even if he heard it during a trick. One of the horse's most impressive abilities turned out to be exceptionally useful throughout its long career, which involved traveling to hotels, theaters and more. The horse was able to hold his needs while indoors!
The Amazing Dale Evans
Just a few years after the tragic death of Roy Roger’s loving wife, Grace Arline Wilkins. During a regular filming day in his successful acting career, Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy, met the talented and beautiful Dale Evans while they were both on set in a mutual film. Evans was playing a cowgirl at the time, as a co-star to Rogers in the Republic Studio film. Rogers and Evans began dating and quickly found themselves falling in love.
Evans had a tough start in her early life, she spent many years living with her uncle Dr. L.D. Massey, and eloped at age 14 by marrying Thomas F. Fox and having a son with him. She was abandoned a year later by her husband and subsequently found herself pursuing a musical career in Memphis, Tennessee. She then married twice more, but the two marriages also fell apart and ended up in divorce. Although her romantic life was not very successful at the time, everything changed when she met Roy Rogers.
Second Tragic Birth
Roger proposed to Dale Evans at the Chicago Stadium, and soon after, the two got married on New Year's Eve 1947, at the Flying L. Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma, where they had earlier filmed the movie, 'Home in Oklahoma'. Roger and Evans didn’t wait too long before giving birth to their first baby girl. They were thrilled when their daughter Robin Elizabeth was born. Their excitement quickly turned into fear when they realized that she was born with down syndrome, which was a much greater risk during the ‘40s, and resulted in her early death due to complications with mumps before reaching her second birthday.
The couple was devastated and mourned her death for a long time. Rogers and Evans subsequently decided to write a book about the loss of their daughter and how she changed their life, even during her short existence. The book was called “Angel Unaware: A Touching Story of Love and Loss”, and became a major influence in the way that parents deal with identifying and raising kids that have special needs.