By Darren Perucci
In a world where cowboys are in movies with aliens instead of Indians and more people know about horse power than they do about a saddle, BYU was lucky to receive a visit from Cheryl Rogers Barnett, daughter of the famous, king of the cowboys, Roy Rogers on Friday.
After the audience was prepped with classic western songs like, “Happy Trails” or “Home, Home on the Range,” Barnett spoke of her parents and home life with Roy Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans.
“They were the Brad and Angelina of their day, but without the scandal,” Barnett said.
In a Q-and-A session following both Barnett’s lecture and the showing of “Under California stars,” Barnett and her husband Larry answered questions regarding her parents.
While Barnett addressed the fact her dad would often wear blue jeans and tennis shoes around the house, she also described what wonderful people her parents were.
“Mom and dad were in their late 20s when fame hit them, and that allowed them to be well grounded,” Barnett said.
To further illustrate her point, Barnett told a story about her parents refusing to stop a salute to God and country on one of their shows. Because they wouldn’t take it off their show, the series was terminated early. She also told a story about her father refusing to make a potentially career enhancing move simply because he would have to play the bad guy in the film.
“He was a man of great principles and he walked the walk,” Barnett said.
James D’Arc, curator of the BYU Motion Picture Archive at the Harold B. Lee Library, said they show movies like “Under California Stars” in order to provide alternative entertainment to what media is on in today’s world.
“Movies like this aren’t made anymore,” D’Arc said. “They also remind us of our heritage.”
D’Arc said Rogers was a hero, “because he believed heroic things, acted heroically and lived by the code of decency and American values that he also ingrained into his movies and in his [career].”
