Contrary to urban legend, the very last memo Walt Disney wrote before his death was "CIA...Mobley", referring to Roger Mobley, who at the time, was a Disney staple in the popular "Adventures of Gallegher" serials. (see "Walt Disney's last memo" on YouTube) Born in Evansville, Indiana, the one time Disney favorite was one of eight talented children who could sing and play musical instruments. Roger was the novelty portion (age 3) of a singing trio, which included an older brother and sister. Performing in carnivals and fairs, the kids eventually made an appearance on Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948), where a talent agent spotted Roger and signed him up.
A recurring role as Packy Lambert on Fury (1955) on Saturday mornings came about in 1957 and he stayed with the show for almost three years.
The young actor was already appearing in a number of TV westerns (Gunsmoke (1955), Cheyenne (1955), The Virginian (1962)) and eight episodes of Wagon Train (1957), along with dozens of other guest roles, and a few low-budget films (notably the animal picture The Silent Call (1961), which was the last role for the lovely 1940s and 1950s star Gail Russell) and the light comedy feature Dime with a Halo (1963)) when Disney signed him to play the title role in the popular "Gallegher" episodes on The Magical World of Disney (1954), that show's highest-rated serials according to the Disney Vault. Roger also appeared in a couple of the studio's popular feature films, notably Emil and the Detectives (1964).
His five-year stay at Disney came to an end when Roger was drafted into the U.S. Army. He volunteered for an extra year so that he could complete Parachute Jump School and Special Forces Training at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Upon completion of his 9 month Green Beret Training, Mobley was assigned to the 46th Special Forces Co. 1st Special Forces in Thailand. He married high school sweetheart Sharie Barclay, and upon being honorably discharged from the Army in 1970, he discovered that his parents had only set aside $6,000 for him from his extensive work over an 11 year period. He also discovered he did not receive a warm welcome from Hollywood upon his return. Mobley and his wife, Sharie Barclay Mobley, moved to Texas where he joined the ranks of the Beaumont (Texas) Police Department.
Roger attempted a comeback with Disney in the late 1970s but only nabbed a couple of bit roles and moved back to his beloved Texas. He tried his hand at welding in the shipyard, cowboying in the Texas panhandle, coaching, bull riding, undercover narcotics officer, truck driver, and eventually became a climber/inspector of 300-foot wind turbines being constructed all over the country. For relaxation and enjoyment Roger rides his adopted mustang "Sonny" and catches and sells live rattlesnakes. The joy of his life is his 9 grandchildren.
