Review of Sons of the Pioneers

There was a tremendous growth of interest in Native American art and culture in the 1920s, but by mid-century, Hollywood movies and television had thoroughly pitched cowboy heroes above Indians to the American public. Roy Rogers was probably the most popular of them all, with the possible exception of Gene Autry, who was really the first "singing cowboy." The influence these cowboys had on the baby boom generation cannot be underestimated. The point of these westerns was that evil must triumph over good, and evil often was not always "Injuns," it was other cowboys. "Sons of the Pioneers" was also the name of a singing group that often backed Rogers on film. Although the plots and characters of Rogers's movies could be called clichés, they are also a lesson in ambition and courage. As a kid, I admired Roy Rogers and wondered how anyone could be that much larger than life. It was not until reading about him that I learned his real name was Leonard Slye and he grew up in Ohio. --from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013