Oh, You Cowgirl! A Documentary Film

Born in Los Angeles County California, Shirley Morris dreamed of becoming a rancher and cowgirl for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Hermosa Beach, California she instead became an accomplished athlete as an FWSIA Certified Ski Instructor and fine artist, showing in many art shows and festivals including the prestigious and largest Arts Festival in Southern California, Fiesta De Las Artes. Her original oils were also featured in several Southern California galleries including Step Up Gallery in Laguna Beach.

After working as a Graphic Designer, Copy Editor and Art Director for Haliday Publications in Orange County, Shirley opened and became a partner with Chroma Graphic Communications in 1984. Within one year, Chroma became one the largest production and typography houses in Orange County, CA. with many national and regional accounts.

Morris has won many awards for her work in graphics, fine arts and typography. She has evolved her skills to include photography and videography. Realizing the changing face of technology and art, Morris recognized a need among families to protect their most prized possessions, photographs, memories, old film, the intangible treasures in our lives, and expanded her business, producing family video biographies in 2003.

In 2006, Shirley began reading a book about an early rancher and cowgirl, Lucille Mulhall, as research for a small commercial project. She became enthralled with the stories about women she had never heard of. The discovery of these women who came west to settle as ranchers, homesteaders, cowgirls, entertainers captured her heart. It became her passion to research and record this little known, important part of our western history and heritage.

Her documentary, "Oh, You Cowgirl!" is about the early twentieth century rodeo cowgirls and women of the wild west shows. It is the culmination of a four year quest. Her passion to share these little known stories about the women she calls the "unsung heroes of the west" resulted in a documentary project that she produced, wrote, directed, edited and almost entirely self funded.

In addition to the documentary film, "Oh, You Cowgirl!" Morris produced a music video featuring cowgirl songwriter and balladeer, Juni Fisher.  "When I Was Prairie Rose" is an original song based upon the story Shirley Morris discovered about Rose Clayton-Coleman, a local Cheyenne, Wyoming woman who was mistaken for Prairie Rose Henderson. It was Rose Coleman who was lost in a Wyoming blizzard. Shirley Morris researched and revealed the true identities of several women known as Prairie Rose Henderson, one of the west's most famous and flamboyant cowgirl performers.

"Oh, You Cowgirl!" premiered at the Wyoming Film Festival in Saratoga, Wy as it's featured film in August, 2010 and is receiving critical acclaim.

A live presentation featuring Morris telling further stories about these remarkable women and a screening of the film will be touring the west as The Lone Cowgirl Presents "Oh, You Cowgirl!"

Shirley Morris can be reached by phone or email,
541 550-7495
shirleymorris@thecowgirlmovie.com