The Adventures of Champion | |
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The Adventures of Champion Titles |
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Also known as | Champion the Wonder Horse |
Genre | Western/Children's |
Written by | Oliver Drake Peter Dixon Paul Franklin Eric Freiwald Paul Gangelin Orville H. Hampton Robert Schaefer |
Directed by | George Archainbaud Ford Beebe Thomas Carr William McCarthy Frank McDonald Robert G. Walker |
Starring | Barry Curtis Jim Bannon |
Theme music composer | Norman Luboff (music) Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 26 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Armand Schaefer |
Producer(s) | Gene Autry Louis Gray Eric Jenson |
Location(s) | Newhall, California and Lone Pine, California |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company(s) | Flying A Productions |
Distributor | CBS Television |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | CBS |
Picture format | Black-and-white |
Audio format | Monaural |
Original run | September 23, 1955 | – March 3, 1956
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.
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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 Bannon. Ricky's companions were a wild stallion, Champion, and a German Shepherd, Rebel, played by Blaze.[1]
The TV show used characters similar to those in the 1949-50 radio serial, The Adventures of Champion. 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.[2] The Adventures of Champion was a prime time spinoff for the 1955-1956 season.
In real life, the Wonder Horse, Champion, was owned by Gene Autry 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.
The series was shot on location within California. Vasquez Rocks was used for the introduction and episodes . The Andy Jauregui Ranch at Placerita Canyon, Newhall was also used for several exteriors. .
Although uncredited, the title song was sung by Mike Stewart, and later recorded by Frankie Laine:
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.
During the years 1953 to 1960, comic annuals 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.
In 2005, a set of six DVDs was released in the UK, by Pickwick Group Limited, under license 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.