She always wanted to make it to Broadway. Instead she became Hollywood’s most iconic cowgirl, roping and riding (and most importantly – singing!) her way into the hearts of millions of fans. So when your life is one giant triumph – but not the triumph you aimed for – what do you do?
Olivia interviews Theresa Kaminski, author of the wonderful new biography Queen of the West: The Life and Times of Dale Evans.
photo by Harry Warnecke
Theresa Kaminski, who earned her PhD in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializes in writing about scrappy women in American history. She is the author, most recently, of Queen of the West: The Life and Times of Dale Evans. In 2020, she published Dr. Mary Walker’s Civil War: One Woman’s Journey to the Medal of Honor and the Fight for Women’s Rights. Theresa also wrote a trilogy of nonfiction history books on American women in the Philippine Islands during World War II. After more than twenty-five years as a university history professor, she is now retired from teaching (but not from writing), and lives with her husband in central Wisconsin at a place known affectionately as Southfork.
Music featured in this episode included:
Selections from the following songs, written and/or performed by Dale Evans, used under Educational Fair Use: “I Just Kissed Your Picture Goodnight,” “Bésame Mucho,” “Don’t Ever Fall in Love With a Cowboy,” “You’ve Got a Rope Around My Heart,” “Happy Trails to You,” “I Can’t Get Off the Ground With You,” and “T for Texas.”
“Will You Marry Me, Mr. Laramie” written by Dale Evans and performed by Bonnie Baker
“Mourning Dove” by Zachariah Hickman
“Gaiety in the Golden Age,” “Parisian Cafe,” and “Roundup on the Prairie” by Aaron Kenny
“Horses & Trains” by Jesse Gallagher
“Darktown Strutters Ball” by E’s Jammy Jams
“Snow Peaks Part I” and “Snow Peaks Part II” by Chris Haugen
“Twilight Train” and “To Weather the Storm” by Dan Leibowitz
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