After reading about Roy Rogers in an interview with his son, Dusty (several issues back in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, ) I became very interested in this old hollywood cowboy---because I found out that he wasn't so "hollywood" after all. My boys, of course are TOTALLY into the cowboy thing. It is so funny to see them in their camo's and cowboy hats. I just don't have the heart to say a word about it.
Anyhow, we have run the gamut from The Rifleman, to the Lone Ranger, (you should have heard this discourse between my two girls :"who do you think is more handsome, Lucas McCain, or the Lone Ranger?", says 8 year old sister to 13 year old sister~ who promptly replies, "Well, how do I know? Nobody even knows what the Lone Ranger looks like!")
And so, kemosabe, what I (Mom) say to that: "Where on earth did these girls get THAT idea in the first place." Yikes. There will be NO drooling over handsome cowboys around here, unless Dad happens to wear his cowboy boots and his......um, well the Indiana Jones hat----I seem to see a trend here in the accessories department......but I digress.
But back to Roy Rogers, (who I must admit, was quite the flashy cowpoke in his day,) and believe it or not, was a little before my time. I remember Roy, but not the young Roy----and today we watched a remastered digitized version of one of the original Roy Rogers Shows that he and Dale Evans produced together. It was quite good. Oh, there was the usual shootem up, with some really good cowboy fisticuffs---but the clincher for me was the last line of the show.
The antagonist, an evil rancher had kidnapped the soon to be mother of a child---the grandson of his arch enemy that he drove off the land years before. His own evil son had come to find him, and barging in the house---his own father turned and shot him---not knowing it was his son. Dale Evans comes out to announce that the original land owners son, has just become a father, but sees that the evil man has just killed his only (evil) son.
(I know, I know, I am not Roper or Ebert or whoever those people are that discuss the movies.)
So back to the show. Dale Evans sees the anquished father swooning over his sons demise. She says she is sorry, then says: "But the Bible says that the wages of sin is death." And then upon hearing the baby cry in the other room, adds: "But the gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ."
The End
Happy Trails to you, until we meet again.....................
Nancy