i have a question about The Roy Rogers Show...

[samnsara]

..such as when and where was it supposed to take place? I know they were filmed in the 50s but for the life of me where in the US would have such a town? Even in the 50s there was a certain amount of civilization. Nellie Belle the jeep appears to be the only car in town NOW this episode has them chasing 'Indians' over some horses and one who shot the blacksmith 'in the back'. I'm confused where the heck this time warp town was???

Of course if they weren't going for ANYTHING real then it just fits with the rest of the flashy props.

[Warpy]

1. They were always very hazy about location

because it was shot in California. The time period was also very hazy. As long as Roy and Dale got to sing Trigger to sleep, it was all good, I guess. Not one I watched much when I was a kid.

Personally, I think it was set in California in the 40s, before the whole sprawling housing boom took off. Yes, there were ranches and cowboys in California. Still might be here and there.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. For gawd's sake, I thought I was the only one.

I used to catch it at 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. on one of the local cheapskate (i.e., over-the-air) stations.

It's obviously postwar, as in post-WWII, because in (at least) one episode, Pat (Brady), who ordinarily drives around in Nellybelle, is described as a tank driver in the war. And yet, there are Roy and Dale on horseback.



There are other cars in the series, but they are rare. I'm sure the military Jeep owners know the year and model of that Jeep.

And in fact:



Findagrave, Pt Brady

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Brady

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roy_Rogers_Show

It does leave one with a sense of "what the hell is going on here?"

[rickford66]

3. I remember one where it ends as a stage show.

Singing Happy Trails next to a Ford woody station wagon. It confused me also.

Also when I was a kid (early 50's) Roy and Trigger appeared in our neighborhood for some promotion.

I should say I was referring to a movie, not the TV show.

[TexasProgresive]

4. In the late 40s after the war. Cars were scarce as it took time for the auto makers to retool.

I think 1947 was a bad year model. They weren't too dependable. Our neighbor across the road was still using Belgians to pull his plow etc. in the early 50s. While we didn't see a lot of people riding horses in town it wasn't an oddity. And then as far as the RR show they got to take some fictional license. It was early Twilight Zone.

Oh, and in Texas at that time and into the mid late 20 century no one carried a pistol in public legally except for law enforcement officers. There were very few gun racks with guns in pickup trucks, usually umbrellas. It was a different time.

[Basic LA]

5. Also there was the Roy Rogers Rodeo!

I saw it at Madison Square Garden in the 50's. A real rodeo, with Roy & the show's whole cast as the stars & emcees. Even Nelly Bell was there, and I think most of us TV fans were too young to question the jeep anomaly.