ROY ROGERS: AN ESSAY ON THE FORGOTTEN HERO AND HIS TIME

Lost and forgotten, the American singing cowboy, Roy Rogers? I don’t think so. Once a hero, always a hero . I have not forgotten him. But I must admit that I ask myself the question:Why? What is the main reason of  returning to the old hero in year 2014? Let me give you some facts about the man and the time of his life, and the international influence on boys during the boring fifties. The singing cowboy had it all: A fine horse, guns, nice cowboy boots and he was alway well dressed. Above all: He never lost any fight or conflict. He was the winner. We all knew that we could trust him. He never smoked and drank alcohol. He behaved well – too well sometimes. He was born Leonard Franklin Slye in year 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. He passed away at the age of 86 in 1998. Roy Rogers was one of the most marketed and merchandised actor of his era. The name, Roy Rodgers, was to be found in films, comic books,wristwatches, boots, cowboy equipment and restaurants. How to get hold of  cowboy equipment made in United States? The Norwegian sailors were still active in the fifties. Gifts had to be bought to children waiting for the father to come home. In Norway it was impossible to buy any of the wanted cowboy stuff. My father who was a sailor, gave me all I asked for. The guns made to promote the fictional cowboy Roy Rogers were  wanted gifts. I got the guns. We played much cowboys and indians in those days. Roy Rogers was the man we all wanted to identify as a model. Toys were rare to find in shops in Norway till 1960. Sailors bought cars, dolls, guns, clothes as gifts for the children. The arrivals of sailors in the families were  an event like christmas. We loved it. Gifts to every member of the famliy. My sister had about 30 dolls made in foreign countries at a time when you could not get any dools like them in Oslo.

Roy Rogers had to make his way by hard working. His famliy was not rich. He had to leave  high  school at an age of 17 to support the family. He began to work in a shoe factory.

Franklin Slye wanted to make a career as singer. He moved to California to become a singer. He formed  a Western cowboy music group called: ” Sons of the Pioneers” . In 1935 he began appearing in films. The singing cowboy became a famous actor of the films of Roy Rogers. His horse, Trigger, and his dog, Bullet, and his wife Dale, appeared in about 100 movies.

We have to study the daily life in Norway during the time after the Second World War to understand why Roy Rogers movies were popular. The films were distributed all over the country even if the quality of the cinemas was not good. You could watch a Roy Rogers movie in the old buildings made for community meetings. Americans were popular in Norway in those days. Boys who were not interested in politics,were fascinated by the American airplanes which were given to the Norwegian Air Force in 1951.

We wanted to join the airforce to become pilots. Facts about the planes were easy to get. The British De Havilland DH-100 Vampire, the American planes, Republic F-86G Thunderjet, North American F-86 Sabre were evaluated and discussed by my friends. If you ask students today about airplanes, you get a negative answer. No interest even in the political issue of buying a new expensive airplane for the Norwegian Airforce. What to chose? An American made airplane or a Swedish airplane? The issue is not to be found on the top of the list of political matters among Norwegian sosialists today! Time has changed.

We loved America because of : Jeans, cowboys, rock’n roll music, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Coca Cola, Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers –above all: The actor Errol Flynn who portrayed Robin Hood in the movie : ” The Adventures of Robin Hood ”. Errol Flynn won the Second World War singel -handed in the film: ” Objective Burma ”. The winner of the Second World War was Hollywood.

Few information was given us about the fight on the Eastern front, the suffering of Soviet Union and reports about the Red Army. We were not informed that about 20 million Russians were killed during the war. No. What about the battle of Kursk in 1943? Never heard of the battle would be the answer you got from me and my friends. We had seen Errol Flynn in action, so don’t tell us about military history? United States of America was the winner of the war. Roy Rogers was a true hero riding a fine horse fighting criminals wherever he came. We never asked who washed his shirts or why he always was so well dressed. We believed that Max Manus and the inhabitants of Norway – everyone- fought for the King and the country. A lot of Norwegians did not believe in any victory for the King and his men i England. Take a look at the list of books published by those who fought for Adolf Hitler and a Norway without a democracy, and some fought the King of personal reasons too – and some where too young to know what the war was about? I recommend the reading of the following books: Egil Ulateig: Veien mot undergangen. Historien om norske frontkjemperne. 2002, Vegard Sæther: En av oss. Norske frontkjempere i krig og fred.2010, Harry A. Ellingsen: Regiment Norge. Historien om en frontkjemperenhet.2011, Odd Helge Brugrand: 16 år og Hitlers soldat. Historien om Ivar Skarlo, en norsk soldat på Østfronten.2010, Bjørn Lindstad: Den frivillige. En norsk frontkjemper forteller sin historie. 2010, Egil Ulateig: Fordømte engler. Norske kvinner på Østfronten. 2004, and Eirik Veum: De som falt. Nordmenn drept i tyske krigstjeneste.2009. (Sorry. The books are written in Norwegian).

But we few who loved  American jeans, music and movies did not know much about the forgotten history of the Norwegian people during the WWII. Besides, the Cold War was a war between the Western democracies and Russian dominated states in Europe. Joseph Stalin who died in 1953, was a hero to many Norwegian communists but I did not know many who were communists. The reeason is easy to understand. The political fight between the Labour Party and The Norwegian Communist Party started years before the German occupation of Norway in 1940. The fight went on even during the war. The fighting groups dominated by communists were not given an official recognition before years after the war.

Roy Rogers movies were shown all over the country for years. No films contenting the fight on the Eastern front were shown- as far as I can remember.

Roy Rogers is forgotten, but not lost. You will not find boys walking the streets wearing two guns made for the hero of the time anymore.No.

My neighbour during the fifties at the suburb called Lambertseter in Oslo, was working with distribution of the films of Roy Rogers. He took me and my friends free of charge to watch the films. We went to Jarlen Cinema in Oslo. Even a grown-up  man could find an interest for the nice, fictional cowboy in those days!  In year 2014 The Cold War is history. The influence of the Roy Rogers is also history. The Cold War is over, finished. Roy Rogers was again the winner.Do we need to approach the fictional, non drinking, non smoking, healthy cowboy in a new way in year 2014 without the agenda of The Cold War?