Quotes

We had lots of fun on those pictures. It wasn't like work or making movies, it was like playing, like make-believe. It was wonderful!

Universal was going to write in a part for me in Destry Rides Again (1939), but I had a pony at stables run by Victor McLaglen. I fell off the pony and got a case of poison ivy. That kept me out of 'Destry'.

[on starting riding at a young age] I started on a mule at the San Francisco zoo. My father put me on it all the time - I could ride very early, even before I could walk! We moved to the peninsula so I could have a pony, and my father could have a horse. His horse was 17½ hands - and I rode that horse, too. I rode my pony Chiquita in horse shows at age 4 to 5, doing exhibitions, tricks. I put Chiquita through her paces. Taught her lots of tricks.

I am a natural born ham, so I never had any acting lessons - I had performed since I was a small kid, so it all came naturally to me.

I was raised on the peninsula, thirty miles south of San Francisco. It wasn't really rural, but there were open spaces, and horses. In those days, I even rode my pony to school.

[on her leading ladies] Betty Miles I remember well. She was a pretty lady, but they all were very pretty and very, very nice.

[on accidents] There were none in the pictures - oh, I might have fallen off the horse, but I wasn't hurt. I did have accidents when I was riding close to where we lived. I fell off; broke my nose, arm, leg. Once I cut my head open - but again, none of this happened when we were making the pictures. Of course, my mother didn't like it - the rodeos and horse shows and everything, because it was all dangerous, but it was exciting!

[on her co-stars] Tom Keene was a very, very nice gentleman, a good rider, we had lots of fun. The same can be said for Tex Ritter, who also had a good singing voice.

[on how she got her name] It's a long story. When Dr. Bone delivered me to my mother, she started to cry. Dr. Bone had to tell her, "She's not glass; she won't break. She's not butter, she won't melt. She's made of sugar, because she is sweet". And my father was in the neon lighting business, which was new at the time, in San Francisco. The term "dawning" is associated with neon lights, and that's where the second name of Dawn came. I still go by Sugar today.

[on charity benefits] I did bond rallies and traveled with a captured Japanese sub, appeared at hospital wards, did many exhibitions and competitions at rodeos, and rode in the Rose Parade in '41. The hospital visits were very unique. I'd take my pony to the hospital, put rubber shoes on Chiquita, and go into the wards where the more critical children would be. We would perform for them and outside we could do more, tricks and things, for the kids who could come. I didn't ride inside, of course, but I performed tricks with Chiquita even after I was too big to ride on her.