Introduction
Linda Carter is a famous actress, singer and beauty pageant winner who is best known for playing Wonder Woman on TV in the 1970s. Roy Rogers was a legendary cowboy actor, singer and producer who starred in many movies and TV shows in the 1940s and 1950s. They both have a lot in common: they are both icons of American pop culture, they both have a passion for horses and music, and they both have a connection to Arizona. But are they related by blood or marriage? The answer is no, but they did share a screen once in a memorable episode of Wonder Woman.
The Bushwhackers Episode
In 1977, Roy Rogers made a guest appearance on the first season of Wonder Woman, in an episode called “The Bushwhackers”. He played J.P. Hadley, a cattleman who supplies beef to the troops during World War II, and who also runs a ranch for war-orphaned children. He is targeted by rustlers who want to sabotage his operation, with help from an unlikely inside source. He calls his old army buddy Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner), who is Wonder Woman’s love interest, to help him find the culprits. Steve is captured by the rustlers, but Wonder Woman (Linda Carter) comes to his rescue.
The episode was a rare opportunity for fans to see two American heroes team up on screen. Linda Carter and Roy Rogers had a great chemistry, as they rode horses side by side, fought the bad guys, and sang a duet of “Home on the Range”. Linda Carter was an experienced rider, which added to the authenticity of the scenes. She also wore a western-themed variation of her iconic Wonder Woman costume, which was rumored to be because Roy Rogers was uncomfortable with her cleavage. According to Wikipedia¹, this was one of Roy Rogers’ last acting roles before he retired from show business.
The Real-Life Relationship
Linda Carter and Roy Rogers were not related by blood or marriage, but they did have some things in common. They were both born in Arizona, and they both had mixed ancestry. Linda Carter’s father was of English and Scots-Irish descent, and her mother was of Mexican, Spanish and French descent¹. Roy Rogers’ father was of Irish descent, and his mother was of German descent. They also both had successful careers in music and acting, and they both supported various charitable causes.
Linda Carter admired Roy Rogers as a child, and she was thrilled to work with him on Wonder Woman. She said in an interview: “He was my hero when I was growing up. I used to watch him every Saturday morning on television. He was very kind and very sweet to me.”She also said that he gave her some advice on how to handle fame: “He told me not to let it go to my head, to stay grounded and humble.”
Roy Rogers also had a high opinion of Linda Carter. He said in an interview: “She’s a wonderful girl, very talented and very beautiful. She reminds me of my wife Dale Evans.”Dale Evans was Roy Rogers’ third wife and co-star, who died in 2001. They were married for 51 years, and they had nine children together, some of whom were adopted.
Conclusion
Linda Carter and Roy Rogers were not related by blood or marriage, but they did share a screen once in a memorable episode of Wonder Woman. They also had some things in common: they were both icons of American pop culture, they both had a passion for horses and music, and they both had a connection to Arizona. They also had a mutual respect and admiration for each other, as they worked together on the show. They were two stars who shone brightly in their own ways.
