{"id":496,"date":"2023-02-13T10:58:12","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T15:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/?p=496"},"modified":"2023-03-08T15:41:35","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T20:41:35","slug":"i-love-the-west-by-dale-evans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/2023\/02\/13\/i-love-the-west-by-dale-evans\/","title":{"rendered":"I Love the West"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dale Evans Sings &quot;I Love the West&quot; (From &quot;Bells of San Angelo&quot;, 1947)\" width=\"1505\" height=\"847\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tpOQ1pqsOkw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption><em>I Love The West<\/em> featured in the movie <em>Bells of San Angelo<\/em>, 1947<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1947 film <em>Bells of San Angelo<\/em>, Lee Madison (played by singer and actress Dale Evans) sings the original song &#8220;I Love The West&#8221;. Between 1940-1950, Evans was the leading lady for Hollywood&#8217;s most iconic musical westerns which glorify a false narrative of cowboy culture. The cowboys that are portrayed in the film are much different than the Tejano cowboys of Texas&#8217;s true origins, which is telling of the deliberate erasure of history, and the political and social conflicts that Tejano, black, and indigenous people had to face at the hands of white (anglo) texans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Texas Post World War II<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/u6p6Uh8-asset-mezzanine-16x9-hcXwCwe-4-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-725\" width=\"542\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/u6p6Uh8-asset-mezzanine-16x9-hcXwCwe-4-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/u6p6Uh8-asset-mezzanine-16x9-hcXwCwe-4-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/u6p6Uh8-asset-mezzanine-16x9-hcXwCwe-4-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/u6p6Uh8-asset-mezzanine-16x9-hcXwCwe-4.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" \/><figcaption>A still from the film <em>The Bells of San Angelo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The film <em>Bells of San Angelo<\/em> (1947) followed many social and political trends at the time of its release. This film was released two years after World War II ended, which was the catalyst for Texas&#8217;s social, economic, and political culture had been climate to shift dramatically. Texas changed from rural and agricultural state to an industrial one, resulting in a sudden division of political parties. One stood by its southern Democratic heritage, and the other were consistently electing Republican officeholders. Feminism was also on the rise, creating more opportunities for women to modernize and reject the strict gender roles they were once forced into. However wonderful this is, the early days feminism was exclusive in its own right. The rights of black, tejano, and indigenous Texans were still being debated by the federal government, who upheld many years of segregation, slavery, and bigotry. Unfortunately, this wave of feminism was for only white women, which is shown in the films treatment of leading lady Lee Madison, black supporting characters, and the mention of indigenous people in the song &#8220;I Love the West&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">The Bells San Angelo- Fact or Fiction?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-1.29.10-PM-1024x445.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-730\" width=\"544\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-1.29.10-PM-1024x445.png 1024w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-1.29.10-PM-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-1.29.10-PM-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-1.29.10-PM-1200x521.png 1200w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-1.29.10-PM.png 1340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><figcaption>Nevada &#8211; San Angelo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Despite its title, San Angelo has very little to do with the true setting of the film. It is implied that the events take place on the Texan-Mexican border, but as seen by the map below it is nowhere near the border of Texas. In fact, <em>Bells of San Angelo<\/em> was not filmed in Texas at all. It was shot in Nevada, which is just east of California. One review of the film acknowledges this error but praises the film, writing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;<em>Bells of San Angelo<\/em>&nbsp;was filmed in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, and the scenery is spectacular. Of course, it looks nothing like San Angelo, Texas, which \u2014 by the way \u2014 is in the heart of Texas, not anywhere near the Mexican border. But whatever. If you like Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Trigger, you\u2019ll love this movie&#8221;<\/p><cite>Adam Lounsbery, owner of the website &#8220;OCD Viewer- Chronicaling popular entertainment from 64 years ago&#8221;<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Staring its two most famous stars of their time, the writers of the film were successful in telling  a story of the &#8220;ersatz utopia&#8221; of cowboy culture, white feminism, and horses. They had a <em>lot<\/em> of horses in this movie. Dale Evans plays a character that is representative of feminism in the 1950s-1960s. The name &#8220;Lee Madison&#8221; is of a writer and investigator, famous for her adventure novels. However, the men in the town expected Lee Madison to be a man. Lee Madison (Dale Evans) does not tell anyone of her real identity, going undercover to gather information that would have not been revealed if she told them of her real name. The plot is progressive in the fact that a successful woman is taking advantage of the fact that they did not think a woman would be a famous writer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Tribute to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans\" width=\"1505\" height=\"847\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ydKEkbvrf0M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>This is a tribute video that someone made about Dale Evans and Roy Rogers which I find endearing, but also quite funny! Some of the things said in this video are questionable..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">&#8220;I Love the West&#8221; Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse has-text-align-center\"><strong>Lyrics<\/strong>\n\n<em>I love the West\nThe heavenly, heavenly West\nIn the very heart of me\nIt's so much a part of me \nAnd I ever shall return \nTo this land for which I yearn\n\nI love the West\nThe heavenly, heavenly West\nWhere the skies are bluer\nAnd the gals are truer\nWhere the grass is greener\nAnd the varmints meaner\nWhere life is rougher \nAnd the men are tougher\nThat's why I love the West\n\nAnd I love the range \nOh, gimme the range for a change\nWhere the wind keeps blowin\u2019\nAnd the cactus growin\u2019 \nWhere the sun keeps shinin\u2019\nAnd the gals are pinin\u2019\nWhere the light is brighter\nAnd the boys are brighter\nThat\u2019s why I love the West\n\n<strong>Where the hero,\nStrong and silent \nKeeps the little gal from harm\nFightin\u2019 20,000 Indians\nOr paying off the mortgage on the farm\nYes, I love the West\nFor everythings best in the West<\/strong>\n\nWhere the days are hotter \nAnd the nights are colder\nWhere the young are younger \nAnd the old are older\nWhere the high is higher\nAnd the wet is wetter\nWhere the dry is drier\nAnd the best is better\nWhere a man\u2019s a man \nAnd a rootin\u2019 tootin\u2019\nCome on the range and comin\u2019 out shootin\u2019<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>In this song written by Lee Madison, she glorifies the cowboy lifestyle and the adventures they go on. It is also a southern pride song, echoing the mythos that &#8220;the south is the best&#8221;. She uses &#8220;er&#8221; adjectives in almost every single line of the song, to not only emphasize the importance and greatness of the west, but to fit into the hollywood style of music that is playful and not complex in vocabulary. This is reminiscent of the song I wrote about last assignment (London Homesick Blues), which is basically saying &#8220;this place is the greatest and every other place is small in comparison&#8221;. But who is it great for? White\/ Anglo Texans, of course. Not the 20,000 Indigenous people being murdered in the second to last verse! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Where the hero,\nStrong and silent \nKeeps the little gal from harm\nFightin\u2019 20,000 Indians\nOr paying off the mortgage on the farm\nYes, I love the West\nFor everythings best in the West<\/em><\/strong><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the verse that shifts the song from a silly &#8220;the west is great&#8221; song, to a song about just how great it is for white texans. The idealized cowboy, the &#8220;lone cowboy&#8221;, takes what he wants! He defends the &#8220;little gal&#8221; from the Native Americans that they stole their land from! It is easy for me to poke fun and point out the inaccuracies of Texan culture and history, but this is still being taught in many schools in Texas and beyond. It takes me back to the conversation we had about the documentation of history, not just of facts and numbers but of motivations. Who is telling the story? What is their bias? What are they leaving out, and why? I think based off of what we have learned and the recent laws that aim to censor the truth in American history, we know the answers to these questions. White supremacy is unfortunately still present in how history is taught, written about, and passed down from generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Horses, Speaking Of. \u201cA Tribute to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.\u201d <em>YouTube<\/em>, 21 Aug. 2013, www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ydKEkbvrf0M&amp;feature=youtu.be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;. \u201cA Tribute to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.\u201d <em>YouTube<\/em>, 21 Aug. 2013, www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ydKEkbvrf0M&amp;feature=youtu.be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lounsbery, Adam. \u201cBells of San Angelo (April 15, 1947).\u201d <em>OCD Viewer<\/em>, 4 May 2014, ocdviewer.com\/2011\/05\/09\/bells-of-san-angelo-april-15-1947.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Popnecker, Porfle. \u201cDale Evans Sings \u2018I Love the West\u2019 (From \u2018Bells of San Angelo\u2019, 1947).\u201d <em>YouTube<\/em>, 14 Jan. 2017, www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tpOQ1pqsOkw&amp;feature=youtu.be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>TSHA | Texas Post World War II<\/em>. www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/texas-post-world-war-ii.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary In the 1947 film Bells of San Angelo, Lee Madison (played by singer and actress Dale Evans) sings the original song &#8220;I Love The West&#8221;. Between 1940-1950, Evans was the leading lady for Hollywood&#8217;s most iconic musical westerns which glorify a false narrative of cowboy culture. The cowboys that &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":511,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historic-texan-music","tag-hollywood"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/511"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":939,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions\/939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}