Mackintosh and T.J., the western film with Roy Rogers: the interview

Like many of his iconic contemporaries, Roy was very protective of his personal and screen image as well as the types of films he did.  He felt it was important that his loyal audience see him playing characters with the moral code they’d come to expect and appreciate.  By 1975, movies had changed tremendously, particularly westerns, in terms of onscreen violence, sexual content and language.  Roy hadn’t made a feature film since doing a cameo in the 1959 Bob Hope comedy Alias Jesse James and he was very aware of the changes; one of his favorite movies was Blazing Saddles.  If he was going to make one final film, he wasn’t going to do it in a film filled with gun violence, blood and gore.  He also felt any onscreen romantic entanglement with a leading lady would take away from the core of the story.  He wanted to make sure the film stayed true to the lifestyle and focus on Mackintosh as the veteran cowboy who helps homeless teenager T.J. to learn important life lessons and find his way in the world.