Roy Rogers In Short Films and Cartoons

My Dad made several appearances in short films and cartoons. This is the most complete list I have found.

Radio Scout – (The Vitaphone Corp., May 6, 1935) 2 reel short. Leonard Slye (Dad) as part of Sons of the Pioneers.

Slightly Static – (May 7, 1935) 2 reel short. Leonard Slye as part of Sons of the Pioneers. Produced by Hal Roach.

Bronco Buster – (Universal, August, 1935) Oswald the Rabbit cartoon. Leonard Slye and Sons of the Pioneers provided music.

Way Up Thar – (November 8, 1935) 2 reel Mack Sennet short. Leonard Slye and Pioneers sing title song and perform in short.

A Feud There Was – (Warner Bros., Sept. 4, 1938) A Merrie Melodies Cartoon. Not credited but Dad (now Roy Rogers) and Pioneers provided music.

Rodeo Dough – (MGM, Nov. 9, 1940) 10 minute short filmed in semitone. Dad appears in brief cameo with other stars.

Meet Roy Rogers – (Republic, June 24, 1941) 9 minutes short from Meet the Stars series, Vol. 1, No. 7 Shows Dad at home, on ranch training Trigger, bowling, and at his Western wear store (The Rangers’ Trading Post) in North Hollywood. This is the only footage that I know of that shows Mommy (Arline Rogers) and it introduces me (Cheryl Rogers) to the public. Also features other Western and Hollywood stars (Gene Autry, Gabby Hayes and others).

Picture People No. 2: Hollywood Sports (RKO, Oct. 10, 1941) 9 minute short. Features several Hollywood personalities participating in sports. Dad is one of them.

Rodeo – (Columbia, Nv. 7, 1946) – 10 minute short showing a rodeo at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Features Dad and Trigger participating in the rodeo.

Hollywood Cowboys – (Columbia, Sept. 4, 1947) 10 minute short featuring Hollywood Cowboys, showing them off screen. Dad and Gene are shown among others.

Melody Time – (RKO-Radio, July 31, 1948) originally 75 minutes. Animated feature contained several parts. Dad’s and the Pioneers part was later re-released by Disney as Pecos Bill.

Roy Rogers Riders Club Prayer – (company unknown, circa 1950) 1 1/2 minutes. I think that Republic did this as The Riders Club were the boys and girls who went to Republic’s matinees and that is where it was shown.

Erskine Johnson’s Hollywood Reel – (A Johnson-Watson Production. 1951) – 4 minute short. Shows Dad at our house in Encino, CA playing with his dogs, feeding the chickens and driving his garden tractor.

Presenting Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys (Roy Rogers Enterprises, 1951) – 30 minute promotional film showing film clips, RR products, training sessions with Trigger, etc..  In 1952, the film won awards from the National Visual Presentation Association and the Sales Executive Club of New York.

Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Home Movies – [untitled] (Roy Rogers Enterprises, 1951) – 30 minute short. Shows clips from home movies.

The Big Test – (Universal Pictures, 1955) one reel. Dad views automobile speed and safety tests at the Chrysler Corporation Proving Grounds new Detroit, and compares them with various rodeo events.