We are Riding the Range today with Roy Rogers and Trigger. This western moved from radio (1944-1955) to television for six years from 1951 through 1957. While I have heard a lot about The Roy Rogers Show, I was surprised to learn that this show had a contemporary setting. Rather than being set in the Old West, it was set in the fifties with automobiles, modern appliances, and telephones.

The show featured Rogers who owned a ranch; his wife Dale Evans who was the owner of the Eureka Café and Hotel in Mineral City; and Pat Brady, who was Roy’s friend and Dale’s cook. Roy often traveled with his horse Trigger and his German Shepherd Bullet. Dale’s horse was named Buttermilk.

Sheriff Tom was played by Harry Harvey Sr. and Reed Howes, depending on the episode.

In many of the episodes, Rogers and Evans took in abandoned children and became surrogate parents to them. This mirrored real life. The couple adopted five children from a variety of ethnicities and received many awards for their humanitarian work with children.

Despite the 1950s setting, cowboys and cowgirls were hanging about the town. Just like the westerns set in the 1800s, the town folk were busy with bank robberies, cattle rustling, con artists trying to steal land, and an assortment of other bad guys.

In an article on reddit.com (https://www.reddit.com/r/Westerns/comments/vw8i9ca_tv_western_each_year_1951_the_roy_rogers_show/), the show was described as surreal with everyone looking like they stepped out of the 1800s but using electric lights and modern technology. Some of the plots were described: corrupt ranchers stealing each other’s land aplenty, crooked lawmen, a mayor trying to steal money from an Indian burial ground, weak-willed sheriffs, thieving professors, con men, and more.

Even if you don’t know a lot about Roy Rogers, you probably know the theme song from this series, “Happy Trails.” It was written by Dale Evans, and she and Roy sang the song. Another thing you probably know from this show is the expression, “Whoa Nelly.” Pat Brady had a jeep, a 1946 Willys CJ-2A, that often didn’t behave very well. Sometimes the jeep began moving without a driver. Even with a driver, it might get a bit out of control. When it did, Brady would yell “Whoa Nelly” because the jeep’s name was Nellybelle.

The show was in the top thirty for most of its existence. I’m not sure what the competition was because it was on from 6-7 pm, so it doesn’t show up on most television schedules. One hundred episodes were made, ensuring that it would be around for syndication.

Critics also liked the show, and it was nominated for an Emmy for Best Western or Adventure Series in 1955. Other nominees included Annie Oakley, Death Valley Days, and the Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. It lost to a show most of us probably aren’t familiar with at all, Stories of the Century. It looks like it might have been an interesting show. According to imdb.com, it was about a railroad detective, Matt Clark, who roamed the west, tracking down outlaws and bandits who are preying on the railroad. It was only on the air for one season.

Merchandising was a big industry during this decade. The show spun out comic books, playsets, costumes, pistols, lunch boxes, and board games, just to name a few.

In 1961, the show was rerun on Saturday mornings. The show can still be found on several networks in 2024.

I remember my mom had fond memories of Roy Rogers growing up. She would have been ten when this show first aired. Generations of kids have tuned in, taking the opportunity to visit the Old West, well sort of—more like the Old West with benefits, like phones and cars.