"The Adventures of Champion" (1955)
Movie: "The Adventures of Champion" (1955)
“The exploits of Champion, a wild stallion who befriends twelve year-old Ricky North (Barry Curtis) in the American Southwest in the 1880’s. Although Ricky, who lived on his Uncle Sandy’s (Jim Bannon) ranch, had a magnetic attraction for trouble, he was always rescued by the Wonder Horse, aided by the boy’s other bosom companion, German shepherd dog, Rebel. Written by Andy Barsby”
- Release Date: 30 September 1955 (USA)
- Run Time: 30 min (26 episodes)
- Country: USA
- Genre: Adventure , Western
Trivia: Champion was in fact played by four different horses. The original “Champion” that made Gene Autry famous in the movies is not the same horse that appeared in the 1955-1956 TV series. Champion easily earned his title of “Wonder Horse” by performing a variety of tricks which included kneeling, untying rope knots and dancing and prancing for the public. It died (buried at Autry’s Melody Ranch) when Autry was serving in the military during World War II. The others: “Champion” (the horse of the TV series), a chestnut stallion foaled in 1940. The others–”Champion Jr.” and “Little Champion”–were all used in Autry’s postwar films. “Champion’s” hoofprints can be seen in front of Graumann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.