Roy Rogers with wife Dale Evans. Photo courtesy of royrogers.com.

The singing cowboy may be a thing of the past, but two of the most influential — Roy Rogers and Gene Autry — are being recognized once again by the U.S. government.

The Library of Congress is adding Under Western Stars, the movie that gave Roy his first starring role, to the National Film Registry, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Released in 1938, the picture had Roy portraying a Dust Bowl rancher who runs for Congress to bring water to his constituents. Naturally, Roy sang a few songs, too. Among the titles he’s credited with at IMDb.com is “Listen To The Rhythm Of The Range,” which Gene and his associate Johnny Marvin authored. Both Gene and Roy were signed to Republic Pictures, which distributed Under Western Stars.

That’s just one of many times Gene and Roy have been linked — as they were in the chorus of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” They’re also connected at perforated corners in a stamp series that the U.S. Postal Service will roll out April 17. Under the banner “Cowboys Of The Silver Screen,” the four-stamp bloc pays homage to the two actors — both of whom are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame — as well as to Tom Mix and William S. Hart.

Freelance illustrator Robert Rodriguez created the images for the series, culling Roy’s stamp from a series of pictures and basing Gene’s on the poster for the 1938 release Gold Mine In The Sky.

Neither Tom nor William were required to sing on the big screen: Their careers began during the silent-movie era.

ShareThis