Champion the Wonder Horse
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Champion is an American children's
Western
series that aired from September 23, 1955 to March 3, 1956 for 26 episodes on CBS
. In the United Kingdom
, the series was re-broadcast under the title Champion the Wonder Horse.
. Ricky's companions were a wild stallion
, Champion, and a German Shepherd
, Rebel, played by Blaze.
. The radio serial told of young Ricky West (rather than Ricky North), who was raised on a ranch by his adoptive Uncle Smoky. Ricky was often accompanied by his German Shepherd, Rebel.
Beginning in 1950, The Gene Autry Show
, a western/cowboy television series, aired for 91 episodes on CBS. The Adventures of Champion was a prime time spinoff for the 1955-1956 season.
who, over many years, owned a succession of celebrity horses bearing the same name. The horse starring in The Adventures of Champion was known as Television Champion, or TV Champ, for short. He was distinguished by his chestnut coat, blond mane and tail, four white stockings and broad white facial blaze. TV Champ made frequent appearances with Autry in films and television during the 1950s. Unlike his fictional namesake
, TV Champ was a gelding
.
. Vasquez Rocks
was used for the introduction and episodes 34.479887°N 118.31657°W. The Andy Jauregui Ranch at Placerita Canyon, Newhall was also used for several exteriors. 34.377°N 118.475°W.
:
Champion the Wonder Horse! Champion the Wonder Horse!
Like a streak of lightnin' flashin' cross the sky,
Like the swiftest arrow whizzin' from a bow,
Like a mighty cannonball he seems to fly.
You'll hear about him ever'where you go.
The time'll come when everyone will know
The name of Champion the Wonder Horse!
In 1991, the song was re-issued on Frankie Laine's album On the Trail Again.
were published by World Distributors, Daily Mirror and Purnell
. Second-hand
copies of these may be obtained, from time to time, from sources such as Amazon Books. 'Ricky North' became 'Ricky West' in these, as with the radio serial.
Champion also had his own comic book, Gene Autry's Champion, published by Dell Comics
from 1951 to 1955, which continued as Gene Autry and Champion from 1955 to 1959.
Starting from the issue dated 4 June 1966, Champion the Wonder Horse ran as a comic strip
in the UK
comic
Buster
. Minor characters in the strip included Sheriff Sean Kelly, Gentleman Tom, the bare-knuckle boxing champion, Dick Crabtree, the town's ambulance-chasing lawyer, and Nicky Brandwood, queen of the saloon.
from Encore Home Video. The set is entitled The Adventures of Champion the Wonder Horse and sub-titled "the complete television series on 6 DVDs".
The set includes 23 of the original 26 episodes. The missing episodes are Mystery Mountain, The Golden Hoax and Real Unfriendly Ghost. DVD 6 includes a bonus film entitled Horses and Guns, starring Gene Autry and one of his several horse-stars named Champion.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series that aired from September 23, 1955 to March 3, 1956 for 26 episodes on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the series was re-broadcast under the title Champion the Wonder Horse.
Synopsis
The series starred Barry Curtis as 12-year-old Ricky North, who lived on his uncle's ranch in the American Southwest. Ricky's uncle, Sandy North, was played by Jim BannonJim Bannon
Jim Bannon was an actor in radio and Hollywood western films during the 1940s and 1950s. He is best remembered as the fourth cinema Red Ryder from 1949 - 1950...
. Ricky's companions were a wild stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
, Champion, and a German Shepherd
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
, Rebel, played by Blaze.
Related shows
The TV show used characters similar to those in the 1949-50 radio serial, The Adventures of ChampionThe Adventures of Champion
The Adventures of Champion is a 15-minute adventure serial radio drama directed by William Burch and heard weekday afternoons on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1949-50.-Radio:...
. The radio serial told of young Ricky West (rather than Ricky North), who was raised on a ranch by his adoptive Uncle Smoky. Ricky was often accompanied by his German Shepherd, Rebel.
Beginning in 1950, The Gene Autry Show
The Gene Autry Show
The Gene Autry Show is an American western/cowboy television series which aired for 91 episodes on CBS from July 23, 1950 until August 7, 1956, originally sponsored by Wrigley's Doublemint chewing gum.-Overview:...
, a western/cowboy television series, aired for 91 episodes on CBS. The Adventures of Champion was a prime time spinoff for the 1955-1956 season.
TV Champ
In real life, the Wonder Horse, Champion, was owned by Gene AutryGene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
who, over many years, owned a succession of celebrity horses bearing the same name. The horse starring in The Adventures of Champion was known as Television Champion, or TV Champ, for short. He was distinguished by his chestnut coat, blond mane and tail, four white stockings and broad white facial blaze. TV Champ made frequent appearances with Autry in films and television during the 1950s. Unlike his fictional namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
, TV Champ was a gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
.
Filming
The series was shot on location within CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Vasquez Rocks
Vasquez Rocks
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a 905-acre northern Los Angeles County, California, USA park acquired by the Los Angeles County government in the 1970s...
was used for the introduction and episodes 34.479887°N 118.31657°W. The Andy Jauregui Ranch at Placerita Canyon, Newhall was also used for several exteriors. 34.377°N 118.475°W.
Episode list
- "The Die-Hards"
- "Brand of the Lawless"
- "Calhoun Rides Again"
- "Bad Men of the Valley"
- "Johnny Hands Up"
- "Black Kachina"
- "Mystery Mountain"
- "The Deer Hunters"
- "Salted Ground"
- "Rails West"
- "A Bugle for Ricky"
- "Andrew and the Deadly Double"
- "Canyon of Wanted Men"
- "Hangman's Noose"
- "Lost River"
- "Challenge of the West"
- "The Saddle Tramp"
- "Renegade Stallion"
- "The Outlaw's Secret"
- "The Return of Red Cloud"
- "The Stone Heart"
- "The Medicine Man Mystery"
- "The Golden Hoax"
- "King of the Rodeo"
- "Crossroad Trail"
- "Real Unfriendly Ghost"
Title song
Although uncredited, the title song was sung by Mike Stewart, and later recorded by Frankie LaineFrankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
:
Champion the Wonder Horse! Champion the Wonder Horse!
Like a streak of lightnin' flashin' cross the sky,
Like the swiftest arrow whizzin' from a bow,
Like a mighty cannonball he seems to fly.
You'll hear about him ever'where you go.
The time'll come when everyone will know
The name of Champion the Wonder Horse!
In 1991, the song was re-issued on Frankie Laine's album On the Trail Again.
Print media
During the years 1953 to 1960, comic annualsAnnuals
Annuals is a six-piece indie-pop outfit from Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band was started by Adam Baker in 2003 as a side project of the still active sister band Sunfold, formerly known as Sedona and headed up by lead guitarist Kenny Florence....
were published by World Distributors, Daily Mirror and Purnell
Purnell
Purnell is a name shared by:People:* Alton Purnell , American pianist* Bervin E. Purnell , Australian politician* Clyde Purnell , British football player* Fred S...
. Second-hand
Second-Hand
Second-Hand was a 2005 Romanian film directed by Dan Piţa.-Plot summary:The film's plot surrounds the romantic involvement of two contrasting characters: Petre , a Mafioso, and Andreea , a young violin player. The pair meet and fall in love...
copies of these may be obtained, from time to time, from sources such as Amazon Books. 'Ricky North' became 'Ricky West' in these, as with the radio serial.
Champion also had his own comic book, Gene Autry's Champion, published by Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
from 1951 to 1955, which continued as Gene Autry and Champion from 1955 to 1959.
Starting from the issue dated 4 June 1966, Champion the Wonder Horse ran as a comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Buster
Buster (comic)
Buster was a long-running British comic which carried a mixture of humour and adventure strips, although the former increasingly replaced the latter...
. Minor characters in the strip included Sheriff Sean Kelly, Gentleman Tom, the bare-knuckle boxing champion, Dick Crabtree, the town's ambulance-chasing lawyer, and Nicky Brandwood, queen of the saloon.
DVD release
In 2005, a set of six DVDs was released in the UK, by Pickwick Group Limited, under licenseLicense
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
from Encore Home Video. The set is entitled The Adventures of Champion the Wonder Horse and sub-titled "the complete television series on 6 DVDs".
The set includes 23 of the original 26 episodes. The missing episodes are Mystery Mountain, The Golden Hoax and Real Unfriendly Ghost. DVD 6 includes a bonus film entitled Horses and Guns, starring Gene Autry and one of his several horse-stars named Champion.