The Adventures of Champion (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Adventures of Champion
The Adventures of Champion Titlecard
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)
Opening theme	"Champion, the Wonder Horse"
Country of origin	United States
Original 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
Production location(s)	Newhall, California and Lone Pine, California
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Flying A Productions
Distributor	CBS Television
Release
Original network	CBS
Picture format	Black-and-white
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	September 23, 1955 (1955-09-23) – March 3, 1956 (1956-03-03)

The Adventures of Champion was an American TV show for kids. It was a Western series. The show aired from September 23, 1955, to March 3, 1956. It had 26 episodes and was shown on CBS. In the United Kingdom, the show was called Champion the Wonder Horse. Even though it was a black and white show, the BBC in the UK showed it again many times. It was repeated throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. The very last time it aired on BBC was on January 23, 1993. The episode was "The Stone Heart."

Story of Champion the Wonder Horse

The show takes place in the 1880s in the American Southwest. It stars Barry Curtis as a 12-year-old boy named Ricky North. Ricky lives on his uncle's ranch. His uncle, Sandy North, is played by Jim Bannon. Ricky has two special friends. One is a wild Mustang horse named Champion. The other is a German Shepherd dog named Rebel. The dog Rebel was played by a dog named Blaze.

Connections to Other Shows

This TV show used characters similar to an older radio show. The radio show was called The Adventures of Champion. It aired from 1949 to 1950. In the radio show, the main character was Ricky West, not Ricky North. He was raised by his adoptive Uncle Smoky. Ricky also had his German Shepherd, Rebel, with him.

Another related show was The Gene Autry Show. This was a cowboy TV series that started in 1950. It had 91 episodes on CBS. The Adventures of Champion was a spin-off from The Gene Autry Show. It was made for the 1955-1956 TV season.

The Real Champion Horse

The famous horse, Champion, was owned by Gene Autry. Gene Autry owned several horses named Champion over the years. The horse that starred in The Adventures of Champion TV show was known as Television Champion, or TV Champ. He was special because he had a chestnut brown coat. He also had a blond mane and tail. TV Champ had four white "stockings" on his legs and a wide white stripe on his face. TV Champ often appeared with Gene Autry in movies and on TV during the 1950s. Unlike the fictional Champion, TV Champ was a gelding, which means he was a male horse that could not have foals.

The horse that played Champ was born in the United Kingdom. His mother did not take care of him. So, a man named Walter Ellams and his daughter Patricia raised the foal by hand. Because he was hand-raised, he was very tame. This made him perfect for playing Champion in the show.

The Dog, Blaze

In a book called The Encyclopedia of TV Pets, animal trainer Bob Blair talked about the dog. He said the dog that played Rebel was named J.R. This dog also played the main role in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin TV show. Blair said, "Rebel was played by J.R. and was owned by Frank Barnes. He was the best-trained dog in the business."

Where They Filmed the Show

The TV series was filmed by Flying A Productions. They shot the show in different places in California. One famous spot used was Vasquez Rocks. This area was used for the show's introduction and many episodes. The Andy Jauregui Ranch was also used. It is located at Placerita Canyon in Newhall. This ranch was used for many outdoor scenes.

Episodes of the Show

The Theme Song

The theme song for the show was sung by Mike Stewart. Later, Frankie Laine recorded his own version. The song was written by Marilyn Bergman and Norman Luboff.

Here are some of the lyrics: "Champion the Wonder Horse! Champion the Wonder Horse!
Like a streak of lightnin' flashin' cross the sky,
Like the swiftest arrow whistlin' from a bow,
Like a mighty cannonball he seems to fly.
You'll hear about him everywhere you go.
The time'll come when everyone will know
The name of Champion the Wonder Horse!"

Frankie Laine's version of the song has an extra verse. It also repeats the chorus. He recorded his version on the Philips music label. He worked with Paul Weston and his Orchestra. In 1991, the song was put on Frankie Laine's album called On the Trail Again.

Champion in Print

From 1953 to 1960, comic annuals were published about Champion. These were made by World Distributors, Daily Mirror, and Purnell. You might still find old copies of these books. In these comics, Ricky North was called Ricky West, just like in the radio show.

Champion also had his own comic book series. It was called Gene Autry's Champion. Dell Comics published it from 1951 to 1955. Then, it changed its name to Gene Autry and Champion and ran from 1955 to 1959.

Starting in 1966, a comic strip called Champion the Wonder Horse appeared in a UK comic book. This comic book was called Buster. Some of the other characters in the comic strip were Sheriff Sean Kelly and Gentleman Tom.