The Adventures of Champion

A big hit with kids in the UK during its re-run in the 1970s. Always played at the end of the childrens slot around 5.30pm on weeknights, before the boring grownups shows came on... like the Six O'Clock News.

Sat glued week after week. Never mind that it's black & white, never mind that it's good ole' cowboy action, with the hook of a "trick" horse, it was wholesome, brilliant entertainment for young minds. 'Gentle Ben' and 'Flipper' never came close with the formula.

Long overdue a DVD release, so we can show OUR kids what it was like!

Welcome to easy-viewing TV from yesteryear.

Set in Southwestern America (during the 1880s) - The Adventures Of Champion" (1955-1956) tells of the exciting times of 12-year-old Ricky North who (throughout his daily activities) often relies heavily on the loyal support from his pals, Champion (the Wonder Horse) and Rebel (his faithful and ever-resourceful German Shepherd).

Staying on his Uncle Sandy's sprawling ranch, Ricky's day frequently turns out to be the ultimate adventure that most boys of his age only dream about.

This is still great to watch episodes of via YouTube today.

Great stuff.

One of the big producers of TV westerns in television's first decade was the first of those singing cowboys Gene Autry. Among the shows he produced besides his own was Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., and this one starring his horse Champion.

Unlike Roy Rogers for whom there was only one Trigger, Autry had about four or five versions of his steed at the ready for movies, personal appearances and in this case a television series.

The Adventures Of Champion had the bad luck to debut when Autry was gradually getting out of television when G rated cowboys were being replaced by the adult western. It also had the bad luck to debut around the same time as a boy/horse show in a modern western setting named Fury was winning viewers on Saturday morning.

According to a recent biography of Gene Autry, Public Cowboy Number One, Gene originally offered the adult father figure role to one of his fellow singing cowboys Monte Hale. However Hale turned the role down because he didn't like being billed under the horse in the credits and the role of the sheriff went to Jim Bannon.

The cast as it finally rounded out was young Barry Curtis who lived with his uncle Jim Bannon and made a friend of the unrideable Champion which was the exact same premise that Fury had. For good measure young Curtis had a Rin Tin Tin German Shepherd dog in Rebel.

It was a nice kids show, but it certainly wasn't as memorable in the consciousness as Fury was.

One of those classic gems of 50's made American TV. Innocent and wholesome, the bad guys wore black hats, the good guys wore white hats and the kid, the horse and the dog saved the day ! Brilliant. Period.