The movie premiered at the Fort Theater in Rock Island, Illinois, the LeClaire in Moline, Illinois and the Capitol in Davenport, Iowa. The group of Republic stars started by posing for pictures in front of a vintage steam locomotive in the Silvis rail yards and rode through the downtowns, finally ending up in Davenport. This parade attacted well over 100,000 people, over one-third of the population size of the Quad Cities at that time. Bill Saal of Republic stated "I've seen a lot of premiers in my time, Hollywood and otherwise, but I have never seen anything that could even hope to equal this one."

Miss Delores Chapman was chosen as Miss Rocket in reference to The Rock Island Line and in conjunction with the movie. She won a trip to Hollywood to appear in an upcoming Republic picture. It was a dream come true. Presenting a conversation with Davenport Iowa's Sweetheart, Delores Gress Lesser.

This sofa was backstage at the old Fort Theater which today is Circa 21. They were taking pictures all over the stage at the premier of the movie. This was the first place that they introduced me as Miss Rocket, it was the world premier. That day was a combination day full of everything. They had a parade through Silvis, East Moline, Moline and Rock Island. The movie premiered at The Fort in Rock Island and at The Capitol in Davenport. Then we went to the old Fort Hotel. We were up in one of the ballrooms and they had a big spread-out. The Republic Studios President and Paul Malvern who was one of the producers, John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Bruce Cabot, Joe Wills, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Adrian Booth and Adele Mara were all there. These were all stars of Republic Studios.

John Wayne, 17 year old Delores Chapman and Roy Rogers

Forrest Tucker. Right after that picture was taken, I was standing getting ready to go out with the M.C. for that night. Forrest Tucker came over, and these stars were all 6' 3" to 6' 5" and I am 5' 5" and 3/4 and 17 years old. He was a nice looking man. I was standing there ringing my hands and flabbergasted and overwhelmed and such. He came over and started talking with me. Then he picked me up by the waist and planted a kiss on my lips and put me back down and said "ok, that should be enough of a shock to get you to think about what you are going to talk about in about five minutes." We both laughed up a storm! It went on and I was asked if I was overwhelmed and I said, yes and I am glad that I am wearing a formal tonight because my knees are knocking together so badly that I think that they can hear them in the first row! Everybody just roared!

This all seems like a dream and I look back and think wow, I really went through this!!!!

Regarding the parade and premier, I have never seen a crowd like that. It was at a point to where police were at every corner. The traffic lights were not working because they shut them off! The number of people who came to the parade was incredible, it was six deep easy for the whole parade and many many more deep near the theaters. The picture from the paper was from out in front of the Fort Theater in Rock Island. The scene at the Capitol Theater was the same and went on all the way down to Harrison and even Main Street in Davenport. The gathering was HUGE! Looking back, in some instances it seems like a fairy tale or dream that this all took place and that I was in it.

When my kids were growing up, we did not have a copy of the film so all they had was the glossies that they studio took. They would bring their friends over and show them the pictures and the friends would come up to me and say "Mrs. Gress, can I touch you!?", especially when they saw Roy Rogers. Now my grand kids say "look at how nice she looked when she was young and that's not my grandmother!

My first husband, WOC's Bill Gress, went to St. Ambrose College and his friend was a photographer. Bill had dared me to enter the contest. We had found out about it through his photographer school friend's dad who worked for the Rock Island Rail Road. He knew about it a good six months ahead of time. We had been out boating with friends so I was posing for pin-up shots. The shot that that I ended up using was my engagement picture that I had taken at a professional studio.

We went up to Chicago for the screen test, the five of us out of 250 who were there and believe me, there were some gorgeous gals there. I had been brought up around a lot of grown-ups all of my life so I was very comfortable going through all those interviews. I had danced since I was three years old so that helped. I was just amazed that I won. It was Roy Rogers, John Wayne and producer Paul Malvern, the President of Republic Studios. They were the ones who picked me out. It was just a local contest as they wanted the tie-in with the Rock Island Line. That was the gimmick.

There were five of us who went to the screen test. Darlene Anderson was one of them. She was a tall girl, 5'11" or so. She went on to be Miss Moline the next year and came close to being chosen as Miss Illinois. All of the girls were gorgeous. There were redheads and blondes there, they were beautiful. There were some really cute ones there. Why they chose me, I don't know. I have been told at the screen test that I was the most believable. I was asked to pretend that I was speaking with my mother and that I was not getting along with her, that I was to show irritation. I just went through what they had told me to do, I wasn't trying to act.

It was the same with the film, it was a real easy three minute part that I was in. I was working with Roy Rogers and Gordon Jones in an office setting. I was given lines but I was also reacting to a situation and that was that. I played a secretary. The bad guys were coming in and taking away the salmon from the Indians. It was a cowboy and Indian movie. That was my little bit for three minutes. I only received credit on the screen when it premiered here in the Quad Cities. At the end it showed "Also Featuring Delores Chapman" but that was the ONLY time I was given credit!

People I knew were there including those I had just gone to school with. People still remember such as when I go to high school reunions. Bill was the president of the press club in the Quad Cities in the 1950's and 1960's. We were rehearsing one of the grid-iron dinners at the Blackhawk Hotel. I had to go home in a cab and the cab driver of all people asked me if I was the one in the movie! I thought, I can't believe this, that was over fifty years ago! People still ask me why I turned them down. It was simply because it was not something that I wanted in my life, it was not my passion.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, they were the nicest people on earth. Roy was hard working, a man in his own right, he loved his family. He did not smoke or drink. He loved his wife. He and his wife Dale were both born again believers. They were the nicest couple, they were truly nice people. It was amazing that he was who he was and yet still be like your next door neighbor. He was just a really really nice person. Very lovely and very loving.

After I won the contest, John Wayne was in Mexico filming a movie. If we had been out there a month earlier, I would have been in that picture instead but I was not able to make it. If that had taken place, I would have possibly changed my mind about signing with Republic as an actress but I doubt it. By 1955, Republic was no longer in existence. It would have been over for me and either way it obviously was not meant to be. Looking back at it, the Lord was in control, there is no doubt about it.

The little boy in the suitcase is my brother who is now 65 years old. That is me waving, my mom is in the picture too. She is the one who made the pretty dress that I was wearing at the premier. She was an excellent seamstress. These are publicity shots and my brother was so excited that I was chosen for all of this. He and my family got to meet Roy Rogers.

We went to see Roy Rogers at his museum for about and hour. He did not remember anything at first but after I brought it up, he remembered most of it. He did not remember what the movie was all about because he was pumping out movies so fast at that time.

Its been a ride!

I was asked by Republic to become an actress for the studio. It was really funny when I was told about the offer which was made by one of the producers of Republic Pictures. Take one of the Soprano's on the TV show, any one of them would have looked like this producer. It looked like he was an ex-boxer or a gangster.

He was dressed to the nine's with his wife and had a brand new Cadillac so I am sure that he had money. He was given, I guess by the president of the studio, the job to take my mom and I out as tourist and to give the message that the studio was going to go ahead and offer me a contract which was a seven year contract.

We were driving down this highway to Santa Barbara. We were making conversation and along the way he said that he was given the responsibility to tell me this. He went into the talk about the seven year contract and that I would be making about $150 per week. I looked at my mom and looked outside. I was quiet for awhile. I looked at him and called him by name and said that I truly appreciate all that the Republic Studio has done for me. This has been an experience that I will never forget, but I have to turn you down.

This man put his foot on the brakes, caused the car to skid (and this was a big Cadillac!) across the highway and pulled it over to the side of the road. He turned around and said "YOU SAID WHAT?!?!". His wife looked at me in shock and said "SHE SAID NO!". He turned and looked at me and said he wanted to know the reason why. I said "This is something that people would give their eye teeth for. I entered it on a dare. I had no expectations that I would win and would be coming out here for a picture. My father is the head of this household and we would be breaking up my family. My father is also very proud that he takes care of his family. I can not, in all good conscience usurp that from him and be able to earn more than he could earn. He would have to live off my salary and I can not do that to him." I said "I am sorry, I can not do it." My mother had been holding her breath the whole time. She exhaled and really let it go!

They were nice and very pleasant and amiable about it the rest of the day, they just didn't know what to say or think, they were in shock. We ended up coming home at the end of the week. We finished what needed to be done there and had the magazine pictures taken and stuff.

The ironic part of it was three years later in 1953, Roy and Dale had brought his horse show to Davenport at the Masonic Temple. It was interesting because Roy and Dale had the responsibility to offer me the same contract all over again. I looked at Bill and said "no". I have a husband who has a career, I have a child, this is my family and this is what I want. Both Dale and Roy said that they thoroughly understood and that it was my decision. The very next year Republic went belly up. God just did not want me over there! The thing that is ironic was when Roy and Dale came to the Quad Cities, I was engaged to my first husband, the late Bill Gress. It was a good thing that I came home because that December, Bill got his draft notice as it was during the Korean conflict. He would have had to report at the end of school the next spring. We were married in March and he was deferred and then I became pregnant with our first child.

I had my 15 minutes of fame with the talent search and the movie. The thing that really has been a blessing, even with Bill passing in 1973 at the age of 44, I learned so much raising my kids as the single head of the household and I would not give that up. My daughters and I have a marvelous relationship. They have made me so very proud. Every one is a college graduate and worked their tails off to make it through Iowa State and paid off all of their debt. Every one has a professional job, one is a Senior V.P. of the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, one is a teacher, one is a chiropractor and one is a librarian with two masters. My oldest daughter is just getting ready to finish up her nursing degree. What more could you ask for!?

In addition, my second husband is a God send. I wrote a prayer in 1978 about the type of husband I would like to have. My kids were getting up into college age and I was thinking that I wouldn't mind trying it again. I wrote a prayer about eleven type of characteristics that I thought I would like to have. There are the common ones like thoughtful and intelligent. The only thing else that I asked was that he lived in the area and his kids would be grown. We met at a Christian singles group and dated as friends going out for coffee or walking on the bike path. It turned out that we had so many similar things happen to us. When he declared his intentions, it was like the Lord saying o.k., here he is. Everything that I asked for in the prayer, he was. I said wow, that is so neat! We will be married 24 years this year!

Roy Rogers, Wolf the Wonder Dog and 17 year old Delores Chapman of Davenport, Iowa.

Delores Gress Lesser appeared on Jim Albracht's morning show on WOC on January 12th, 2007. Here are some great snapshots from that interview. Special thanks to WOC legendary engineer Jon Book.

03/24/2008 ... Dave Coopman, author of the newly released and outstanding book "WQUA Radio 1230 - Moline's Hometown Station" adds this gem -

Here's a pic you can use in the Roy Rogers section. It was taken by Fred Marzolph and given to Buck Wendt of Moline. Buck let me use it for the county pictorial. This shot was taken in front of the old LeClaire Theatre in downtown Moline, just before the premier showing of The Rock Island Trail. The LeClaire was next door (to the west on Fifth Avenue) of the LeClaire Hotel. It was later renamed the Illini Theatre.

Some anecdotal information: The Wendt family and Vern Schiebel provided many of the DeSoto's that were used in the parade of movie starts. Wendt's, of course, owned the Wendt Funeral Homes and Schiebel was a DeSoto dealer in Moline. Stars John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Dale Evans were not part of The Rock Island Trail cast. However, they were Republic Pictures' biggest stars. To help offset the 'less than star equivalent pay" they received from Republic, the studio would have them go on junkets similar to this premier, and the studio would pick up their entire tab.

- Dave Coopman

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Rock Island Argus newspaper 09/30/1950.