On this day (October 31) in 1912, Frances Smith was born in Uvalde, Texas. At the age of 18, she began a radio career. Her time on the radio led to a pair of important developments. First, she took on the pseudonym Dale Evans. Then, she began a successful career as a singer, primarily in the world of jazz, swing, and big band. Her singing career led to an acting career, where she met her fourth and final husband, singing cowboy Roy Rogers, and developed her cowgirl image for which she is widely remembered.
Videos by American Songwriter
Smith married Thomas Fox at the age of 14. Later, they moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where Fox decided he was too young to be a family man and filed for divorce, leaving Smith to care for their child, Tom Fox Jr., alone. She was only 17 years old at the time, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. She then took business courses and took a job as a secretary at a bus company to support her and her son. Later, she took a better-paying job with an insurance company. Unbeknownst to her, that job was the beginning of her climb to stardom.
[RELATED: The 6 Country Songs Every Real Cowboy Should Know]
Frances Smith Becomes Dale Evans
One day, her boss heard Smith singing at her desk and was impressed with her voice. As a result, he helped her land gigs singing on local radio programs sponsored by the insurance company. Soon, she was a regular on local radio stations WMC and WREC, performing under the names Frances Fox and Marian Lee. She later moved to Chicago, Illinois, in hopes of finding a wider radio audience. However, after finding few prospects in the Windy City, she relocated once again. This time, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky. There, she took a job at WHAS and, at the urging of station manager Joe Eaton, took the on-air name Dale Evans.
The next few years saw Evans marry again and relocate multiple times. Finally, the couple moved to Chicago, where she began singing with big bands. Notably, she took a gig with the Anson Weeks Orchestra, which led to a nationwide tour with an eight-week stay in Los Angeles. This led to a call from Hollywood agent Joe Rivkin, who invited her to audition for the 1942 film Holiday Inn. While she didn’t get the role, she gained an agent who helped her land a one-year contract with 20th Century Fox, where she appeared in Orchestra Wives and Girl Trouble. She also had a regular spot on a nationally syndicated radio show and joined a USO troupe to entertain soldiers during World War II.
After her contract with Fox expired, she moved to Republic Pictures, where she began starring in westerns. While filming the 1944 film The Cowboy and the Senorita, she met Roy Rogers. They became a popular on-screen duo. In 1945, Evans divorced her husband. The next year, Rogers’ wife died. Two years later, on New Year’s Eve 1947, the pair said “I do” at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma.
The King and Queen of the West
IN 1951, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans became an incredibly popular on-air couple with the help of The Roy Rogers Show. At the same time, Evans and Rogers were still appearing in films, and she was writing and recording songs. Notably, she penned “Happy Trails,” which became Rogers’ theme song.
The Roy Rogers Show ran until 1957. Five years later, in 1962, they began starring in the western-themed variety show The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show.
Behind the scenes, Evans and Rogers were a happy couple. Before they wed, Rogers had three children and Evans had one. Together, they had a daughter named Robin in 1950. She died two years later from complications of Down syndrome. The heartbreaking loss led Evans to write the inspirational book, Angel Unaware. Additionally, the couple began fostering and adopting other children with special needs. Two of those children, Debbie and Sandy, died. Debbie lost her life in a bus accident at the age of 12, while her older adoptive brother, Sandy, died in Germany in an accident while serving in the United States Army. These tragic losses inspired two more books, Dearest Debbie and Salute to Sandy.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were married for fifty years, until his death from heart failure in 1998. Three years later, heart failure took Evans as well. Their legacies continue in the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Foundation for Abused Children.
Featured Image by Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.