A COLUMN BY Dick Rolfe Chairman, THE DOVE FOUNDATION
A Tribute to Roy Rogers
When I heard that Roy Rogers had died, I had an empty
feeling deep down in my gut. The "King of the Cowboys" was not a relative of
mine. In fact, I never met him. But I felt a loss nevertheless. I lost something almost as
important as a relative or friend – I lost a hero. And, like relatives and friends,
heroes are scarce. In this day and age the right kind of heroes are getting scarcer and
scarcer. I say the right kind of hero because the concept of a hero has gone
through a disappointing metamorphosis over the last 40 years.
When I grew up, heroes wore white hats representing the light of truth and purity, while the bad guys wore black hats symbolic of darkness and evil. Today’s Pop Culture pundits will argue that those images are overly simplistic, since there is good and evil in everyone. Even so, blurring black and white into a sea of gray can easily confuse children at an age when they are still trying to sort out right from wrong.
Entertainer, Steve Allen once told me that as a child he learned much from his silver screen heroes, like how to treat a lady. Likewise, when my parents gave me a quarter to see a Roy Rogers movie, they knew that the values I would be exposed to were the same values I was learning at home and in church.
Roy Rogers was not only a man of great character - he was also a man of great faith. He lived by the same set of moral absolutes in real life as his fictional character on the big screen: slow to anger, quick to right a wrong, ready to help someone in trouble.
Present day heroes – both on and off screen – seem conflicted due to the allures of sex, money and power. Some of today’s young film stars have spent much of their spare time in jail or drug rehab, while others have died from excessive indulgences.
Violence, language and nudity appear to be required ingredients in today’s PG-13 and R-rated movies. But, television is no more pure. The average TV/PG television sitcom hero is likely to spend the night with his girlfriend, lie through his teeth to save his reputation, or turn the air blue with profanity to demonstrate his manliness. How many of today’s television stars would end their weekly episodes with, "Good-bye, good luck, and may the Good Lord take a liken’ to you."?
I confess that I am more than a little apprehensive when I survey the popular culture heroes of today that might influence my grandchildren . . . which begs the question: Where have all the real heroes gone?
Happy Trails, Roy. We’ll never forget you or the valuable lessons you taught the millions of us fans during your reign as "King of the Heroes."
Dick Rolfe is Chairman of The Dove Foundation a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage and promote the creation, production and distribution of wholesome family entertainment. For more information about wholesome films and videos, write: 535 E. Fulton, Suite 1A, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, or call (616)454-5021.
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