Trigger

Trigger

Birth : 1934-07-04, San Diego, California, USA

Death : 1965-07-03

History

Trigger made an early appearance as the mount of Maid Marian, played by Olivia de Havilland in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). A short while later, when Roy Rogers was preparing to make his first movie in a starring role, he was offered a choice of five rented "movie" horses to ride and chose him. Rogers bought him eventually in 1943 for his quickness of both foot and mind. Trigger learned 150 trick cues and could walk 50 feet on his hind legs (according to sources close to Roy Rogers). They were said to have run out of places to cue Trigger. Trigger was ridden by Rogers in many of his motion pictures, becoming much loved by the youthful audience that saw him on film and in Rogers' 1950s television series with his wife Dale Evans, who rode her trusty buckskin Quarter Horse Buttermilk.

Profile

Trigger
Trigger

Movies

It's Showtime
Trigger (archive footage)
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
Alias Jesse James
Trigger (uncredited)
Insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth sells a man a life policy only to discover that the man in question is the outlaw Jesse James. Milford is sent to buy back the policy, but is robbed by Jesse. And when Jesse learns that Milford's boss is on the way out with more cash, he plans to rob him too and have Milford get killed in the robbery while dressed as Jesse, and collect on the policy.
Son of Paleface
Trigger
Peter Potter Jr. returns to claim his father's gold, which is nowhere to be found.
Pals of the Golden West
Trigger
US Border Patrolman Roy Rogers is assigned to prevent a herd of diseased cattle from crossing over from Mexico.
South of Caliente
Trigger
"King of the Cowboys" Roy Rogers stars with his real-life wife, Dale Evans, in this Western about a hardworking farmer who helps a struggling rancher by transporting her prize horse to Mexico. A fortuitous meeting with a fortune-teller (Charlita) -- who specializes in dire predictions -- sets the tone for their adventures. Burlesque comic Pinky Lee co-stars, playing himself.
In Old Amarillo
Trigger - Roy's Horse
A drought is about to end the cattle business. The owner of a canning factory wants to buy all the remaining cattle cheap. He plans to ruin the cattlemen's plans to ship water by train and to seed the clouds for rain. Roy is sent by a packing house to investigate.
Heart of the Rockies
Trigger
Roy is put in charge of a highway construction project. A rancher tries to stop Roy from putting a highway across his land because he fears that the authorities are going to discover the unscrupulous manner in which he got it.
Spoilers of the Plains
Trigger
An experimental weather satellite and a missile base are at stake when Roy discovers foreign agents around his ranch.
Trail of Robin Hood
Trigger The Smartest Horse in the West
Retired actor Jack Holt is raising Christmas trees for sale at a cost which permits every family to have one. A commercial tree company tries to drive Holt out of business. Roy saves the day, of course.
North of the Great Divide
Trigger
An Indian agent comes to the rescue when a local tribe's fishing rights are threatened by a greedy cannery owner.
Sunset in the West
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Roy puts a stop to gun smuggling.
Trigger, Jr.
Trigger - The Smartest Horse in the Movies
Evil Grant Withers lets a killer horse loose to ruin valuable horses on nearby ranches. He hopes to shake down the ranchers for his "protection". Roy tracks down the bad guys, but is suddenly trapped by them. Peter Miles, a boy terrified of horses, overcomes his fear and rides for help to save the day.
Twilight in the Sierras
Trigger
Roy is a United States Marshal tracking down a counterfeiting ring and hunting down a mountain lion. Songs: "It's One Wonderful Day," "Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy," "Pancho's Rancho" and the title song.
The Golden Stallion
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Diamonds are being smuggled across the border from Mexico in a specially made shoe of a palomino mare. One of the smugglers is killed when the mare runs off. The sheriff blames Trigger for the death. To keep his horse from being destroyed, Roy confesses and goes to jail. The smugglers buy Trigger and put him to work smuggling diamonds. The mare, who had earlier heard a trist with Trigger, foals Trigger, Jr. who Roy, finally out of jail, uses to help capture the smugglers.
Down Dakota Way
Trigger
In Roy Rogers' Down Dakota Way, the deadly hoof-and-mouth disease has struck the herd owned by evil rancher H. T. McKenzie (Roy Barcroft). To avoid an expensive quarantine on his stock, McKenzie plans to murder the local veterinarian (Emmet Vogan) before the latter can report his findings to the government. Rogers manages to straighten out the situation by appealing to the sensibilities of the aunt (Elizabeth Risdon) of McKenzie's hotheaded hired assassin (Byron Barr). The film also bears several musical numbers from Roy, Dale Evans, and Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage.
Susanna Pass
Trigger - Roy's Horse
The bad guys dynamite a fish hatchery. They're trying to put the hatchery out of business so they can get possession of oil underneath the lake. Roy is a game warden investigating the dynamiting.
The Far Frontier
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Willis Newcomb and Bart Carroll head a gang engaged in smuggling wanted-American criminals back into the United States from Mexico. Operating from Sharperville, an oil town on the American side of the border, they transport their human cargo in oil drums loaded on trucks. Border Patrolman Tom Sharper intercepts one of the trucks but is overpowered and left for dead. Carroll, having already been paid for the job and not wanting any evidence to walk around, get caught and lead back to him, backs the human-cargo trucks to the edge of a cliff and sends the drums crashing to the boulder far below. Judge Cookie Bullfincher and Border Patrolman Roy Rogers conduct a search for the missing Tom, but the crooks have gone back for him and find him in a state of amnesia. They rob the bank and pin it on Tom. It is now up to Roy to clear his friend and also put an end to Carroll's human-smuggling racket.
Grand Canyon Trail
Trigger, Roy's Horse
Sintown is just a deserted ghost town until Vanerpool starts looking for silver. Cookie and Roy's partners put $20,000 into the business only to find that the mine is worthless and Vanerpool is bankrupt. Carol comes out to look for silver to save the company, but does not know that their engineer, named Regan, is crooked and wants all the silver for himself. But only Old Ed knows where the mother lode is located.
Night Time in Nevada
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Twenty years earlier Farrell killed his mining partner Andrews. Now Andrews daughter arrives to get her father's trust fund. Farrell having rustled Roy's cattle now takes her money from her Lawyer and lets her overhear false information of their next rustling job. With the posse at the wrong location, his men attack the cattle train and Roy on board find himself greatly outnumbered.
Eyes of Texas
Trigger
A ranch owner turns his place into a home for boys who have lost their fathers in World War II. His evil female lawyer covets the ranch and uses a gang of local toughs, a pack of killer dogs, and a phoney rancher's beneficiary to get it. U.S. Marshal Rogers opens an investigation when the rancher is killed.
Melody Time
Trigger
In the grand tradition of Disney's great musical classics, Melody Time features seven timeless stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters. You'll be sure to tap your toes and clap your hands in this witty feast for the eyes and ears.
Under California Stars
Trigger
On vacation at his ranch, western actor Roy quickly finds himself involved with a horse rustling operation and a boy ward of one of the rustlers, leading to the kidnapping of Roy's trick horse Trigger by the gang with a demand for ransom.
The Gay Ranchero
Trigger
Manzanita Springs ia a combination small airline and spa and Vance Brados wants it. He pays their mechanic to have the planes run out of fuel so his men can rob the gold shipments and kill the pilots. After Sheriff Roy Rogers catches the mechanic, Roy plans one more gold shipment to get proof and this time his men will be ready. But it looks like Roy's plan will fail when Brados suspects a trap and call off the raid.
On the Old Spanish Trail
Trigger
A cowboy turns bounty hunter to pay off his debts.
Springtime in the Sierras
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Jean Loring has her men illegally killing and selling game. Roy suspects her and gets himself invited to stay at her ranch. Investigating he finds the freezer where the slaughtered game are kept. But he is caught, tied up, and left to freeze.
Bells of San Angelo
Trigger
Gridley is mining silver from an old Mexican mine and bringing it into the USA thru a passage into his worthless mine. Border guard Rogers suspects Gridley and finally finds the secret entrance to the Mexican mine. He sends Lee Madison for help only to have her captured by Gridley. Trigger brings help that takes care of Gridley's men and now Roy has to rescue Madison.
Apache Rose
Trigger
Roy is an oil prospector. His efforts to get drilling rights on an old Spanish land grant are countered by gamblers from an off-shore gambling boat determined to control the land (and oil) themselves.
Out California Way
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Newcomer Monte Hale is tying to just get a job in western films when he meet young Danny McCoy and his sister Gloria. Danny is trying to get his horse, "Pardner" into films. Monte sings a song and "Pardner" does some tricks and a casting director notices. Monte gets a singing-cowboy role and the horse gets a bit, but there is an accidental explosion, engineered by western star Rod Mason, who is jealous of Monte, and the horse is badly scared and blows his lines.
Heldorado
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Roy Rogers, a Nevada State Ranger Captain in charge of the Rangers Reclamation Service, makes a trip to Las Vegas for the annual Heldorado Frontier Days Festival, as he wants to help his old friend Gabby Whittaker who originated the idea (at least, in this film).In Las Vegas, Roy meets heiress Carol Randall, who has been selected as the Queen of the Heldorado. Roy is informed that the F.B.I. wants an immediate investigation of the counterfeit thousand dollar bills that are being passed over the gambling tables at the casino.
Home in Oklahoma
Trigger
In this Roy Rogers entry, featuring a song written by Oklahoma Governor Roy J. Turner (making him and Lousiania's Jimmie Davis and Texas' W.E. "Pappy" O'Daniel possibly the only state governors to write songs used in a western), Flying U ranch owner Sam Talbot is killed by a fall from a horse. St. Louis reporter Connie Edwards comes to check a rumor that he might have been murdered. She goes to Roy Rogers, editor of the local newspaper, and he takes her to the reading of Talbot's will. The ranch is left to Talbot's 12-year-old ward, Duke Lowery, much to the dismay of Talbot's niece, Jan Holloway. After some attempts on Duke's life, Roy finally proves that Jan, Steve McClory and coroner Jim Judnick had Talbot killed and are conspiring to do the same for Duke, making Jan the last heir.
Roll on Texas Moon
The Smartest Horse in the Movies
To get the Delaney ranch Cole's henchman Anders has started a phony range war between the cattlemen and sheepmen. After killing Delaney, he tries to kill his daughter Jill and then Roy who was sent to investigate the war. But the failed attempts gives Roy the information he needs.
Under Nevada Skies
Roy's Horse
Rodeo star Roy Rogers returns home to find that his old friend Tom Craig has been murdered after he was accused of stealing a family crest from Helen Williams. Helen joins up with Roy and Gabby Whittaker to find the killers and the crest.
My Pal Trigger
Trigger, Smartest Horse in the Movies
Gabby doesn´t want to breed his horse the Golden Sovereign with Roy's. When Sovereign and Roy's horse escape, the Sovereign get shoot accidentally by Skoville but Roy is blamed and jailed. A year later Roy returns with Trigger, the son of the Sovereign. When Skoville reveals he was present when the horse was shot, Roy sees an opportunity to clear his name.
Rainbow Over Texas
Trigger
Roy visits his home town while on a personal appearance tour. While there he enters a pony express race. To keep him from winning, bad guys try to sabatoge Roy's entry. They fail, or course. Songs include the title song and "Smile for me, Senorita."
Song of Arizona
Trigger
Roy Rogers rides to the rescue when a bank robber's orphaned son (Tommy Cook), who is living at a ranch for homeless boys run by Gabby Whittaker (George "Gabby" Hayes), attracts the attention his father's rowdy gang, who want to claim the boy's inheritance for themselves
Don't Fence Me In
Trigger
Wildcat Kelly has been dead and buried for years. Or has he? Dale is a reporter for an Eastern magazine who comes West to find out the true story of Kelly, of whom Gabby seems to have mysterious knowledge.
Sunset in El Dorado
Trigger
The story involves a rather odd flashback by Dale who is visiting El Dorado, home of her grandmother. She dreams about her grandmother's adventures including a romance with a cowboy who looks very much like Roy. Roy, of course, also exists in the present for Dale.
Along the Navajo Trail
Trigger
U.S. Deputy Marshal Roy investigates the disappearance of a government agent who has come to Dale's father's Ladder A Ranch. The bad guys want the land the ranch sits on because they know an oil pipeline is planned through this location.
Man from Oklahoma
Trigger
The feuding Lanes and Whittakers are brought together with the help of Roy Rogers, when a business tycoon tries to play one family against the other.
Bells of Rosarita
Trigger
Sue Farnum inherits a circus, but her dead father's partner is trying to take it away from her. Roy and Bob Nolan are filming a movie on location at the circus. They and a number of other western movie stars come to Sue's aid, putting on a show and catching the bad guys.
Utah
Trigger
A singing ranch foreman (Roy Rogers) and his friend (George "Gabby" Hayes) urge a chorus-girl heiress (Dale Evans) not to sell the property.
Hollywood Canteen
Self
Two soldiers on leave spend three nights at a club offering free of charge food, dancing, and entertainment for servicemen on their way overseas. Club founders Bette Davis and John Garfield give talks on the history of the place.
Lights of Old Santa Fe
Trigger
Sandwiched in between the numerous musical numbers, the Gabby Whittaker and Madden rodeo's are competing for bookings. When Gabby gets a date in Albuquerque, Madden has his man destroy his equipment. Roy finds a broken rawhide rope at the scene and uses it to bring Madden to justice.
San Fernando Valley
Trigger
A ranch owner fires his ranch hands and brings in women to replace them. The owner's daughter wants the male hands back and comes up with a plan to do it.
Song of Nevada
Trigger, Roy's Horse
When John Barrabbee's plane makes an emergency landing, he wanders off and joins Roy's cattle drive. Later he learns he was killed when his plane resumed its flight and crashed. He also learns his daughter is going to sell his ranch and marry a man he dislikes. So he gives Roy a job on the ranch and sends him off to see if he can prevent both of these events while he remains in hiding. Written by Maurice VanAuken Western girl moves east and influenced badly by her snobby fiance. She returns to sell her deceased father's ranch. The father isn't really dead, though; he's hoping that his friend Roy can restore the girl's western values. Songs include "New Moon Over Nevada," "A Cowboy has to Yodel in the Morning," and "The Harum Scarum Baron of the Harmonium." Written by Ed Stephan
The Yellow Rose of Texas
Roy's Horse
Insurance Investigator Roy is looking for Weston and the missing money he supposedly obtained in a robbery. When he catches him and listens to his story, he changes his mind about him. A freak accident locates the missing money box and they find the seal unbroken. Roy then announces the box will be opened at the showboat that evening.
Cowboy and the Senorita
Trigger
Chip has inherited a supposedly worthless gold mine from her father and Craig Allen is about to buy it. Roy suspects the mine may be valuable and using a clue left by Chip's father, investigates. He finds the hidden shaft that contains the gold and with the posse chasing him on a trumped up robbery charge, races to town with ore samples hoping to get there before the ownership is transferred.
Hands Across the Border
Trigger
Horse breeders Adams and Brock are vying for the Army contract. When Adams is killed trying to ride his horse Trigger, Roy saves the horse from being shot. He trains him and then plans to ride him in the race to win the contract.
Man from Music Mountain
Trigger - Roy's Horse
Roy returns home to fine a range feud between the cattlemen and the sheepmen. When his friend is killed he finds the rifle had a defective pin. He learns the rifle belongs to a ranch hand named Barker and that a third party has caused the feud. When he captures outlaws trying to blow up a dam, he claims Barker was the killer. But Barker has switched rifles and the outlaws now accuse Roy and Roy finds himself in trouble.
Silver Spurs
Trigger
Jerry Johnson inherits a 50,000 acre ranch. Lucky Miller wants to take over the ranch. Roy is trying to get a railroad spur right of way. Lucky has a woman come west to marry Jerry to get control of the ranch. After the wedding, Lucky has the owner killed. Roy’s gun is substituted for the murder weapon, so Roy is put in jail.
Song of Texas
Trigger
A man of no worth brags to his daughter back East that he is rich and owns a big ranch. When she decides to pay a visit to her father, Roy and his buddies agree to pretend that the poor man is the owner of the ranch.
King of the Cowboys
Trigger
Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette and the Sons of the Pioneers go undercover to help Texas Governor Russell Hicks stop World War II Axis sympathizers from blowing up U.S. warehouses.
Idaho
Trigger (uncredited)
A deputy sets out to prove that a respected judge, who had once been a criminal, is being framed for crimes committed by a crooked saloon owner.
Ridin' Down the Canyon
Trigger
Roy Rogers takes on crooked wartime profiteers in the musical western Ridin' Down the Canyon. Posing as solid citizens, the crooks spend their evening hours stealing horses from local ranchers, then selling the steeds to the government at exorbitant prices. The head of the bad guys runs a dude ranch where Rogers and his pals (The Sons of the Pioneers) are employed.
Heart of the Golden West
Trigger
Lambert owns the trucking line that ships cattle to market. When he raises his rates Roy decides to ship the cattle on the River Boat. When Lambert and his men are unable to stop the boat, they rustle the cattle.
Sunset Serenade
Trigger
Bad guys plot to trick a newly arrived Eastern girl out of a ranch which belongs to her infant ward. Roy, of course, saves the ranch for the girl. Songs include "I'm Headin's for the Home Corral," "He's a No Good Son of a Gun," "Sandman Lullaby," "Song of the San Joaquin," and "I'm a Cowboy Rockefeller."
Sons of the Pioneers
Trigger
A singing entomologist (Roy Rogers) acts meek to help a juggling sheriff (George "Gabby" Hayes) solve ranch raids.
Romance on the Range
Trigger
Fur theives are looting the traps on the ranch where Roy is foreman and they have murdered one of Roy's friends.
Sunset on the Desert
Trigger
Judge Kirby is being blackmailed and forced to let outlaws go free. He was once the partner of Roy's father and when Roy reads in the paper that he is in trouble he heads out to help him. Arriving, Roy quickly realizes he has been mistaken for one of the outlaws and is not wanted in town. However he stays, and now posing as that outlaw, hopes to learn who is causing all the problems.
South of Santa Fe
Trigger
To get the three needed business men to visit the Stevens mine, Roy stages a ride with the Vacaros and has them as honored guests. Seeing a chance to make a lot of money, gangster Harmon joins the ride and then has his men kidnap the three. Having filmed a fake holdup earlier, he uses the film to convince the Sheriff that Roy and the boys were the Kidnapers.
Man from Cheyenne
Roy's Horse
Roy is a government man assigned to a case of cattle rustling in the part of the country where he grew up, unaware that the leader of the gang is a woman, in fact an old flame.
Red River Valley
Trigger
To bring water to their valley, ranchers have raised money to build a dam. When that money is stolen, Allison suggests the ranchers sell their stock to a friend of his thereby getting the money needed to complete the dam. Roy has a clue that Allison was involved in the robbery and is out to get control of the valley. So Roy and the boys try to delay the sale of the stock while they look for proof against Allison.
Jesse James at Bay
Jesse's Horse
When Jesse learns that Krager is cheating settlers, he and his gang rob trains to obtain money for them to purchase their land. Krager, finding a Jesse look alike in Burns, hires him to wreck havoc on the ranchers. When Jesse kills Burns he switches clothes and goes after the culprits.
Bad Man of Deadwood
Brett's Horse
Roy and Gabby fight bad guys to save the town of Deadwood.
Nevada City
Jeff's Horse
The conflict between a railroader and a stage line owner is being aggravated by bad guys who are sabotaging both sides. Roy and Gabby mediate the conflict and expose the bad guys.
Sheriff of Tombstone
Brett's Horse
The mayor has sent for a gunslinger who, though appearing to clean up the town, is really to be the mayor's means of taking the town over. When Roy and Gabby arrive in Tombstone, Roy is mistaken for the gunslinger. Just as Roy is ready to expose the mayor, the real gunslinger shows up.
In Old Cheyenne
Trigger, Steve's Horse
Roy is a newspaper reporter. He goes to Cheyenne to cover the activities of supposed bad guy Arapahoe Brown. Roy, of course, discovers who the real bad guy is.
Rodeo Dough
Trigger
After a trip to Hollywood, two young ladies attempt to hitchhike home but end up at a star filled rodeo.