The Adventures of Champion (TV series)

This article is about the television series. For the radio series, see The Adventures of Champion (radio series).

The Adventures of Champion is an American children's Western television 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.^[1] The series was repeated on and off by the BBC in the UK throughout the 70s, 80s and early 90s, with its final BBC broadcast being the episode "The Stone Heart" on 23 January 1993.^[2]

The Adventures of Champion
Also known as	Champion the Wonder Horse
Genre	Western/Children's
Directed by	George Archainbaud Ford Beebe John English
Starring	Barry Curtis Jim Bannon
Theme music composer	Norman Luboff (music) Marilyn Bergman (lyrics)
Opening theme	"Champion, the Wonder Horse"
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer	Armand Schaefer
Producers	Gene Autry Louis Gray Eric Jenson
Production locations	Newhall, California Lone Pine, California
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Flying A Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 23, 1955 (1955-09-23) – March 3, 1956 (1956-03-03)

Synopsis

Set in the 1880s in the American Southwest,^[3] the show features 12-year-old Ricky North, who lives on a ranch with his uncle Sandy. Ricky has an uncanny ability to find himself in some kind of trouble, but is always rescued by his faithful friend Champion, the Wonder Horse, a wild stallion who has befriended Ricky. His adventures (and rescues) always involve Ricky's other constant companion, a German Shepherd named Rebel.^[4]

Cast

• Champion as Champion, the Wonder Horse
• Barry Curtis as Ricky North
• Jim Bannon as Sandy North
• Blaze as Rebel, the dog

Background and production

Casting (animals)

The horse starring in The Adventures of Champion was known as Television Champion, or TV Champ, for short. 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. TV Champ was distinguished by his chestnut coat, blond mane and tail, four white stockings and broad white facial blaze. He made frequent appearances with Autry in films and television during the 1950s. Unlike his fictional namesake, TV Champ was a gelding.

Ken Beck and Jim Clark, in their book, The Encyclopedia of TV Pets: A Complete History of Television's Greatest Animal Stars, quote animal trainer Bob Blair as identifying the dog as J.R., the canine that had the title role in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin TV program. "He was the best-trained dog in the business," Blair said.^[5]

Filming

Filmed by Flying A Productions,^[6] the series was shot on location within California. Vasquez Rocks. 34.479887°N 118.31657°W / 34.479887; -118.31657 was used for the introduction and episodes. The Andy Jauregui Ranch at Placerita Canyon, Newhall 34.377°N 118.475°W / 34.377; -118.475 was also used for several exteriors.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Saddle Tramp"	George Archainbaud	Robert Schaefer & Eric Freiwald	September 23, 1955 (1955-09-23)
A prospector helps Ricky capture a gang of rustlers.
2	"Crossroad Trail"	George Archainbaud	Robert Schaefer & Eric Freiwald	September 30, 1955 (1955-09-30)
A young ranch hand falls in with bad companions, but when Ricky is blinded from a fall the ranch hand comes to his aid.
3	"Salted Ground"	Ford Beebe	Orville Hampton	October 8, 1955 (1955-10-08)
Ricky and Sandy try to prevent a store owner from buying a salted gold mine from con men.
4	"The Medicine Man Mystery"	George Archainbaud	Peter Dixon	October 15, 1955 (1955-10-15)
Ricky believes the ventriloquist dummy being stuffed into a box is a real boy, but when Sandy investigates he discovers thieves have hidden jewelry inside the dummy.
5	"Lost River"	Ford Beebe	Paul Gangelin	October 22, 1955 (1955-10-22)
A drought has struck the valley where the Norths have their ranch. Champion searches for a waterhole to help a herd of wild horses, and an elderly woman is being forced to sell her ranch for less than its worth.
6	"Renegade Stallion"	George Archainbaud	Maurice Geraghty	October 29, 1955 (1955-10-29)
A prospector who just found gold is killed by outlaws, who then stampede a herd of wild horses to hide evidence of their crime. The sheriff believes Champion is responsible for the prospector's death, and tries to have him shot.
7	"Canyon of Wanted Men"	Ford Beebe	Paul Franklin	November 5, 1955 (1955-11-05)
A crooked horse trader tries to get the ranchers to allow him to round up all wild horses in the valley. When they resist, the man breaks down fences so it appears as though the wild herds are destroying property.
8	"Challenge of the West"	George Archainbaud	J. Benton Cheney	November 8, 1955 (1955-11-08)
Ricky tries to prove an outlaw's son didn't rob Sandy's ranch.
9	"The Outlaw's Secret"	George Archainbaud	Maurice Geraghty	November 15, 1955 (1955-11-15)
A man confesses to robbing a stage coach, but claims a banker was his partner in his crime.
10	"Hangman's Noose"	Ford Beebe	J. Benton Cheney	November 22, 1955 (1955-11-22)
A man discovers oil on a neighboring ranch and plans to kill the ranch owner and frame another rancher for the crime. When Ricky finds evidence, his life is in danger.
11	"King of the Rodeo"	Ford Beebe	Oliver Drake	November 29, 1955 (1955-11-29)
A carnival owner steals Champion and offers a prize to anyone who can ride the horse.
12	"A Bugle for Ricky"	George Archainbaud	Ty Cobb	December 6, 1955 (1955-12-06)
Ricky obtains a bugle and must use it to signal for help when he is trapped by outlaws.
13	"The Stone Heart"	John English	Orville H. Hampton	December 13, 1955 (1955-12-13)
Ricky tries to help a wounded prisoner who had been forced to take part in a jail break, and is now in danger from the escaped outlaws.
14	"The Deer Hunters"	George Archainbaud	Oliver Drake	December 20, 1955 (1955-12-20)
Ricky rescues a fawn caught in a snare by trappers providing meat for railroad construction workers. Ricky and Sandy try to convince the construction boss to find a new source of meat for his work crew.
15	"The Golden Hoax"	Ford Beebe	Sloan Nibley	December 27, 1955 (1955-12-27)
Champion discovers stagecoach robbers are hiding money in an abandoned mineshaft. Ricky and Sandy try to capture the criminals.
16	"Johnny Hands Up"	George Archainbaud	Robert Schaefer & Eric Freiwald	January 3, 1956 (1956-01-03)
Ricky and Sandy help a young lawman who is being held responsible for the mistakes of the former law officer.
17	"Black Kachina"	George Archainbaud	Samuel Newman & Richard Morgan	January 10, 1956 (1956-01-10)
An evil medicine man holds a tribe's chief captive while attempting to incite violence between natives and ranchers.
18	"Mystery Mountain"	John English	Eric Freiwald & Robert Schaefer	January 17, 1956 (1956-01-17)
When an Easterner is tricked into performing gold assays for a swindler Ricky and Sandy come to the man's rescue.
19	"Rails West"	George Archainbaud	Polly James	January 24, 1956 (1956-01-24)
Ricky and Sandy are able to persuade the railroad to bypass the range used by Champion and a herd of wild horses, but when prospectors believe they've found gold in the area they refuse to give up their claim.
20	"The Real Unfriendly Ghost"	John English	Elizbeth Beecher	January 31, 1956 (1956-01-31)
Ricky and Sandy search for a missing man in a ghost town. They discover an eccentric living resident, and suspect there may be an actual ghost there.
21	"Andrew and the Deadly Double"	John English	Joe Richardson	February 7, 1956 (1956-02-07)
Mary Jane, Ricky's young neighbor, learns her newly appointed guardian, Uncle Andrew, plans to sell her ranch and force her to move East with him. When Mary Jane suspects her guardian is an imposter she is taken captive by the man.
22	"Bad Men of the Valley"	George Archainbaud	Victor Arthur	February 14, 1956 (1956-02-14)
An ex-convict and his wife buy a ranch near the North's ranch and try to begin a new life. Former gang members threaten to hurt the man's wife if he doesn't help with a bank robbery.
23	"The Return of Red Cloud"	George Archainbaud	Oliver Drake	February 21, 1956 (1956-02-21)
Red Cloud returns to his tribe, but he is framed for murder. Ricky and Sandy work to prove him innocent.
24	"Brand of the Lawless"	John English	J. Benton Cheney	February 28, 1956 (1956-02-28)
An escaped outlaw and his gang plot to rob a bank. When a posse pursues them the gang leader tries to blackmail the escaped man's sister in order to get grubstake money from her.
25	"The Die-Hards"	George Archainbaud	Robert Schaefer & Eric Freiwald	March 3, 1956 (1956-03-03)
A newly arrived Southern doctor treats Ricky's dog, Rebel. But lingering hard feelings over the Civil War may force the doctor and his wife to leave the area.
26	"Calhoun Rides Again"	John English	Ty Cobb, Eric Freiwald, & Robert Schaefer	March 3, 1956 (1956-03-03)
An old cowboy returns to the area and helps Ricky and Sandy capture a gang of outlaws.

Related shows

The television program 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 (rather than Sandy). 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.^{[citation needed]} The Adventures of Champion was a prime time spinoff for the 1955–1956 season.

References

1. Hughes, Howard (2007). Stagecoach to Tombstone: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Westerns. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9780857730466. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
2. "Search – BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
3. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
4. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
5. Beck, Ken; Clark, Jim (2002). The Encyclopedia of TV Pets: A Complete History of Television's Greatest Animal Stars. Thomas Nelson Inc. ISBN 9781418557379. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
6. "Television Film" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 11, 1955. p. 27. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 27 June 2019.

External links

• The Adventures of Champion at IMDb
• Video clip with theme tune
• "The Chestnut" site
• "Broken Wheel Ranch" site – Champion page
• "Gene Autry" site – Champion pages^{[permanent dead link]}
• Champion the Wonder Horse – comic annual gallery