GeneAutry.com: Gene Autry: Champion, World's Wonder Horse Champion, World's Wonder Horse Champion appeared with Gene Autry as his partner and sidekick throughout their legendary career in film, radio, and television. Original Champion in Home on the Prairie, 1939 There were three "official" Champions that performed in Autry films and several specialized Champions, such as Little Champ, Lindy Champion, Touring Champion, and Champion Three. Other horses, for which we have no documentation at this time, served as doubles for movie stunts and personal appearances. The Original Champion was sorrel-colored, had a blaze down his face and white stockings on all his legs except the right front. His first onscreen credit was for 1935's Melody Trail. He died while Gene was in the service. Champion Jr., c. 1950 Gene's second screen horse was Champion Jr., a lighter sorrel with four stockings and a narrow blaze, who appeared in films until 1950. While onscreen with Republic, Champion Jr.

was billed as "Wonder Horse of the West," and at Columbia, he was known as "World's Wonder Horse." The third screen horse, Television Champion, costarred in Gene's last films and also appeared on television in The Gene Autry Show and The Adventures of Champion during the fifties. Also a light sorrel with four white stockings, he resembled Champion Jr. but had a thick blaze. In the late forties, Little Champ joined Gene's stable. A well-trained trick pony, this blaze-faced sorrel with four stockings appeared in three of Gene's films and made personal appearances. Rushing from a movie set in Hollywood to his annual appearance at Madison Square Garden for the World's Championship Rodeo in 1940, Lindy Champion made aviation history as the first horse to fly from California to New York. Gene used Lindy, a sorrel with four white stockings and an oval-topped blaze, for personal appearances. Touring Champion on parade, c. 1953 Touring Champion and Champion Three were also personal appearance horses.

A darker sorrel with four white stockings and a medium-wide blaze, Touring Champion appeared at rodeos and stage shows in the late forties and fifties and has his hoof prints next to Gene's handprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Champion Three appeared with Gene on the road from the late fifties until 1960, when the sorrel with four white stockings and a crooked blaze retired happily to Gene's Melody Ranch in Newhall, California, where he died in 1990. Touring Champion taking tea at London's Savoy Hotel, 1953 Collectively, the Champions performed the world's largest repertory of horse tricks, including dancing the hula and the Charleston, jumping through a ring of fire, and playing dead. Greeting crowds from Brownwood, Texas, to Dublin, Ireland, Touring Champion even enjoyed a proper high tea at the Savoy in London. Always popular, Champion received thousands of fan letters each month, proving that the World's Wonder Horse was an important element in the Singing Cowboy's success. Throughout their careers, Gene Autry and Champion were featured in dime novels, children's stories, and comic books.

Champion even received equal billing with Gene above the leading ladies on movie posters and lobby cards promoting Autry films. If you'd like to know more about Champion and horses in the movies, we recommend the book Hollywood Hoofbeats: Trails Blazed Across the Silver Screen by Petrine Day Mitchum with Audrey Pavia. For details, read here . You'll also find information on Champion and Gene's movies and television shows in the book Gene Autry Westerns by Boyd Magers. For details, read here . A variety of horses were known as Champion over the years. To learn more about each horse's role in Gene's career, click on the photos below. What was the name of Gene Autry's Horse? What was the name of Gene Autry's Horse? 1 Answer 0 Gene Autry's horse was Champion. The Lone Ranger's horse was Silver(and Tonto was The Lone Ranger's friend and Tonto's horse was a pinto named Scout) Roy Roger's horse was Trigger and Roy so loved the horse that when Trigger died, Roy had Trigger stuffed. Dale Evans' horse was Buttermilk(Dale was married to Roy but Roy did not have Dale stuffed).

Roy's dog was named Bullet(German Shepperd) and Roy's jeep was named Nellie Belle. Gene Autry was known as "The Singing Cowboy". Many people still try to find Gene's recording of 'Poppy the Puppy'. Pat Buttram was Gen's sidekick in their cowboy movies. Pat used his real name for most of his characters. Later on Pat Buttram was Mr. Haney on TV's Green Acres. more answers.yahoo.com The Horses The Original Champion (From Old Corral image collection) Above and below, Gene with the original Champion. This was the horse Gene rode during his glory days from 1935 until he went into the service in 1942. The original Champion came off a ranch in the Ardmore, Oklahoma area, not far from where Gene grew up. He had only three stocking feet, a distinctively shaped head, and a large 'I'd know him anywhere' blaze down his face. (From Old Corral image collection) (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above are Polly Rowles and Gene, on the original Champion, in a scene from SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (Republic, 1937).

You can see the missing sock on Champ's right front leg. (From Old Corral image collection) Gene strums his guitar and serenades pretty June Storey, while the original Champion looks on (probably thinking "c'mon Gene, let's hit the trail!".) Champion Jr. (From Old Corral image collection) Above is Champion Jr., the second of Gene's fulltime steeds. His distinctive, narrow, well-designed blaze makes him easy to identify. He was Gene's main mount in the years following his return to the movies after World War II. He first appeared in SIOUX CITY SUE (Republic, 1946). Leon Jackson resides in Coalgate, Oklahoma, and during September '99, we exchanged some e-mails about the origin of Champion Jr. The story goes that Gene Autry purchased a four year old named 'Boots' from a Charles Auten around 1946 for $2,500 or so. Auten lived in Ada, Oklahoma, and he exhibited 'Boots' at various fairs and rodeos.

He learned that Gene was looking for a new 'Champion' and that the cowboy film star was doing personal appearances including a rodeo in or near Fort Worth, Texas. The two met, struck a deal, and 'Boots' became 'Champion Jr.'. Leon was able to contact Charles Auten's nephew Melvin Auten, who confirmed that his uncle did sell 'Champion Jr.' to Autry, and one of Auten's ranches was the Echo Ranch in Ada, Oklahoma. Seems that Auten and Gene Autry also became good friends. In later years, Auten had a ranch in Sulphur, Oklahoma where he trained and sold horses - this included some Roman style riding horses for Montie Montana (who would spend time at the ranch), as well as one or more of the 'Silvers' used in the LONE RANGER TV show and THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER (1981) movie which starred Klinton Spillsbury. (From Old Corral image collection) After returning from World War II service, Autry made a few pictures for Republic before he formed his own production company and moved over to Columbia Pictures. Above is Gene on Champion Jr.

with sidekick Sterling Holloway in a lobby card from TWILIGHT ON THE RIO GRANDE (Republic, 1947). Champion Jr. was Gene's first post World War II steed. Note the narrow blaze with the 'arrowhead' tip. He was a Tennessee Walking Horse and pranced prettily down the trail as Gene sang a mighty fine song. TV Champion (Courtesy of Ed Phillips) Above is Gene and TV Champion. This was the last of Gene's three main horses and was used in the feature films of the 1950s and THE GENE AUTRY SHOW and THE ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION television programs. Touring Champion (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above is Gene Autry putting one of his Champions through his paces, doing one of their rodeo tricks (possibly the 'End of the Trail' routine). I had originally thought this was Lindy Champion, but decided to investigate further by doing a blowup of the face blaze (shown below) which seems to be off center and toward the left eye.

If the various Champion identifications are correct at the the Gene Autry website, this horse is Touring Champion: (From Old Corral image collection) Above are Barbara Britton, Gene Autry and his Touring Champion in a scene from LOADED PISTOLS (Columbia, 1949). If you'd like to see another film with Touring Champion, look at GAUCHO SERENADE (Republic, 1940), and in particular, the scenes where Gene, Smiley Burnette, June Storey and Mary Lee camp near the lake. Gene and a few other hosses ... (From Old Corral image collection) Above, Tom Mix on the white Tony II chatting with Gene Autry riding ??? during their 1939 Christmas Parade appearance in Hollywood. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is Gene Autry atop one of the white hosses used by the Muranian Thunder Riders in THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935) serial. Gene Autry Gene Autry Gene Autry is a real person who played the part of a cowboy called "Gene Autry". What I remember most about him is his beautiful horse, "Champion".

Most TV cowboy's horses were really smart and helped them out of jams, but Champion could do almost anything! This horse was so talented that he got his own TV show called "The Adventures of Champion"! All About the Show The professional life of Gene Autry included music (he was a singer!), Western movies (he was a star!), and he was a big hit in his TV series, "The Gene Autry Show", which began in 1950 and ran through 1956. He fit the TV cowboy model of a handsome, well dressed cowboy whose only purpose was to ride from town to town upholding the law in the Southwest. And, like other TV cowboys, he had a way of doing that without ever getting dirty or seldom ever firing a shot! Remember I mentioned Gene's other talent - he could sing! In fact he sang so well that he was known as "the singing cowboy"! The show's theme song was "Back in the Saddle Again". I can still hear him singing that song. Can't you?

His sidekick "Pat" (played by Pat Buttram) always managed to get into some kind of silly predicament in each episode, Gene would find an opportunity to burst into song, and Champion (the Wonder Horse) wound up saving the day! Remember - this was one very talented horse! The Cowboy Code From 1940 to 1956, "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch" was a huge hit as a weekly show on CBS Radio. As you can see, it continued on the radio even while "The Gene Autry Show" was airing on TV. Gene knew that lots of young fans were listening to his radio show and watching his TV show so he created the "Cowboy Code" for these fans. Under his code, the Cowboy must: 1. Never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage. 2. Never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him. 3. Always tell the truth. 4. Be gentle with children, the elderly and animals. 5. Not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. 6. Help people in distress. 7. Be a good worker. 8. Keep himself clean in thought, speech, action and personal habits.

9. Respect women, parents and his nation's laws. 10. Be a patriot. Did you know there is a Gene Autry museum? More About the Actors ORVON EUGENE AUTRY (Gene to his fans) was born on Sept. 29, 1907 and died of lymphoma on Oct. 2, 1998, just 3 days after his 91st. birthday, at his home in Studio City, CA. Gene was born in Texas but grew up in Oklahoma, working on the family ranch. He left high school early and went to work as a telegrapher for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. While working there, Will Rogers heard him singing and playing the guitar and encouraged Gene to sing professionally. With that confidence he auditioned for RCA Victor around 1928 and spent several years recording music and singing on various radio shows. In 1932 he had his first hit song, "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine", which he sang as a duet with Jimmy Long.

He followed that up with "Back in the Saddle Again" and a lot of Christmas songs including "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Frosty the Snowman" and his biggest hit ever, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Over his career, Gene Autry made 640 recordings and he wrote, or co-wrote 300 of those. His records sold more than 100 million copies and he has more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold. In 1932 Gene Autry married the niece of Jimmy Long, Ina May Spivey, who died in 1980. In 1981 he married Jacqueline Ellam who had been his banker. He had no children by either marriage. He began his movie career in 1934 as part of a singing cowboy quarter, starring with Smiley Burnette in "In Old Santa Fe". As part of Republic Pictures, Gene made another 44 films by 1940, all B Westerns in which he starred (riding Champion!) with Smiley Burnette.

After returning from his WWII service, Gene chose Pat Buttram to work with him and they made 40 films and over 100 episodes of his TV show together. From 1936 to 1955 Gene Autry and Roy Rogers held either first or second place in the top 10 money-making Western stars polls. Gene Autry was a very smart businessman. As early as 1942 he had a string of rodeo stock so he became a partner in the World Championship Rodeo Company which furnished livestock for many of the country's major rodeos. In 1954 he acquired Montana's top bucking string, moved it to a 24,000 acre ranch in Colorado and continued to provide livestock for most of the major rodeos in Texas, Colorado, Montana, and Nebraska. For his work as a livestock contractor, Gene Autry was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associations ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. He bought real estate, beginning in 1953 when he purchased the 110 acre Monogram Movie Ranch near Newhall, CA. He renamed it Melody Ranch after his movie of the same name.

After promptly selling 98 of those acres, he kept the remaining 12 acres of Western town, adobes, ranch cabin sets, and some open land for location shooting. In 1962 a fire destroyed most of the original sets but, making lemonade from lemons, Gene used the devastated landscape for filming productions such as "Combat". He purchased the Los Angeles Angels baseball expansion team in 1961 and remained its sole owner until 1995 when he sold a one-quarter share to the Walt Disney Company, then a controlling interest in 1996 with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. The team honored Gene by retiring the number "26" (representing the 26th man on the 25 man roster), so strong was his support for his team. Some of the honors bestowed upon Gene Autry include induction into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK in 1972. He was also a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Burbank Lodge #1497.

His autobiography, "Back in the Saddle Again", was published in 1976 and CMT ranked him #38 in their "40 Greatest Men of Country Music" in 2003. In 2007 he became a charter member of the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in Richmond, IN. In 1978 Johnny Cash recorded a song called "Who is Gene Autry", and Gene autographed Johnny's famous black Martin D-35 guitar. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2003 and in 2004 the Starz Entertainment Corporation (working with the Gene Autry estate) restored all of his films which can now be seen regularly on Starz's Encore Western Channel on cable TV. MAXWELL EMMETT "PAT" BUTTRAM was born in Addison, AL on June 19, 1915, the youngest of 7 children. Trying to follow in the footsteps of his Methodist minister father, Pat began college studying for the ministry but soon realized that he enjoyed performing in college plays and on a local radio station much more, and became a regular on the "WLS National Barn Dance" in Chicago.

Pat married Dorothy McFadden in 1936 and they adopted a daughter named Gayle, but divorced in 1946. In 1952 he married actress Sheila Ryan and they were still married when she died in 1975. Their daughter Katherine (nicknamed Kerry) was born in 1954. He went to Hollywood in the 1940's and became a sidekick to Roy Rogers. But since Roy already had 2 regulars, Pat was dropped. Gene Autry picked him up soon after that and they starred together in more than 40 films and over 100 episodes of the Gene Autry TV show. Thru his career Pat Buttram starred in a few movies and was one of the writers for the "Hee Haw" TV show. He is probably most remembered as Mr. Haney in the "Green Acres" TV show. During the 1970's he did voices for several movie characters. He described his distinctive voice as " it never quite made it thru puberty". Others would say it sounded like a handful of gravel thrown in a Mix-Master.

Pat Buttram was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and also has a star on the "Alabama Stars of Fame" in Birmingham, AL. He died of kidney failure in Los Angeles, CA in 1994 and is buried in the cemetery at Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church in Haleyville, AL. What is your favorite memory of Gene Autry? Please share your favorite memories of the Gene Autry Show. Gene Autry Memories Gene Autry - Biography - IMDb Gene Autry Biography Showing all 63 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (3) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (32) | Personal Quotes (11) | Salary (9) Overview (5) 5' 9" (1.75 m) Mini Bio (3) After high school Gene Autry worked as a laborer for the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad in Oklahoma. Next he was a telegrapher. In 1928 he began singing on a local radio station, and three years later he had his own show and was making his first recordings.

Three years after that he made his film debut in Ken Maynard 's In Old Santa Fe (1934) and starred in a 13-part serial the following year for Mascot Pictures, The Phantom Empire (1935). The next year he signed a contract with Republic Pictures and began making westerns. Autry--for better or worse--pretty much ushered in the era of the "singing cowboy" westerns of the 1930s and 1940s (in spite of the presence in his oaters of automobiles, radios and airplanes). These films often grossed ten times their average $50,000 production costs. During World War II he enlisted in the US Army and was assigned as a flight officer from 1942-46 with the Air Transport Command. After his military service he returned to making movies, this time with Columbia Pictures, and finally with his own company, Flying A Productions, which, during the 1950s, produced his TV series The Gene Autry Show (1950), The Adventures of Champion (1955), and Annie Oakley (1954). He wrote over 200 songs.

A savvy businessman, he retired from acting in the early 1960s and became a multi-millionaire from his investments in hotels, real estate, radio stations and the California Angels professional baseball team. Song: "Back in the Saddle Again", horse: Champion Trivia (32) His first hit record was "That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine" in 1932. Autry was the first owner of the Los Angeles Angels American League baseball club, subsequently renamed the California Angels when the team was relocated to Anaheim in 1966. (The team has been renamed twice: the Anaheim Angels, and now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.) A radio station owner, Autry was interested in acquiring the broadcasting rights to the Angels games when he found out the team, part of the American League's first expansion, was for sale. He bought it. Autry owned the team in its entirety from its first year of play, 1961, until 1997, when he sold part of the franchise to Disney, who renamed the team the Anaheim Angels. Autry's widow sold the rest of the team to Disney after his death the next year at the age of 91.

According to a Hollywood legend, published in The Orange County Register after his death, Autry was discovered singing in a telegraph office in Oklahoma by Will Rogers . Rogers told him that he had a pretty good voice, and suggested that he go to Hollywood where he could make some money singing in the movies. Gene followed Rogers' advice and became "The Singing Cowboy." Autry himself related this story in an interview with Cecil B. DeMille on the Lux Radio Drama Hour. In the interview, Gene added that the next time he saw Rogers was in Hollywood. According to Gene, Will just nodded and said, "I see you made it, kid." Interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, USA, in the Sheltering Hills section, Grave #1048. Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969. Grandson of an itinerant preacher, he became a multi-millionaire through his investments and real estate holdings. Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1980. Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1972.

He was the most popular of the "singing cowboys." In his heyday he was making six to eight feature westerns a year. More than 50 years after the last Gene Autry western, he is better known to later generations as a singer. His remastered vintage recordings of "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" remain very popular holiday standards into the 21st century. The California/Anaheim Angels franchise retired #26 in his honor. Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 19-22. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Owned Golden West Broadcasters, which owned and operated San Francisco AM radio station KSFO, Los Angeles television station KTLA channel 5, and Los Angeles AM radio station KMPC. During the war, he was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. During World War II, when he left Republic Pictures to join the U.S. Army, he was the only officer allowed to wear cowboy boots with his uniform.

In response to his millions of young fans who wanted to be like Gene Autry, he developed a code of conduct, "The Cowboy Code", which is as follows: 1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage. 2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him. 3. He must always tell the truth. 4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals. 5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. 6. He must help people in distress. 7. He must be a good worker. 8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits. 9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws. 10. The Cowboy is a patriot. In 1940, the National Association of Theater Owners voted him the fourth biggest box office attraction, behind Mickey Rooney , Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy . On January 1st, 1942, the small town of Berwyn (Carter County, Oklahoma) changed its name and became 'Gene Autry'.

In 1992 he was said to be worth $320 million. On 8 February 1960, he was awarded 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Motion Pictures at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard; Radio at 6520 Hollywood Boulevard; Recording at 6384 Hollywood Boulevard; Television at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard; and Live Performance at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. He is the only person with 5 stars on the Walk of Fame. Gene did a lot work with preserving artifacts of the "Old West", including many Indian relics, and had a museum containing many of these articles. Once tried to open a restaurant in Chicago. Local Mafia chieftains demanded a cut for their "permission" to start business. Autry refused to pay up. On the opening night gangsters appeared and told the staff to leave, and then destroyed the entire restaurant. Autry closed down and returned to the west coast. Of his 92 starring features, only The Strawberry Roan (1948) and The Big Sombrero (1949) were filmed and released in color.

Additionally, only the last season, 1955-56, of his long running TV series, "The Gene Autry Show"(1950) was filmed and broadcast in color. There was an alternate version of Gene's first starring film, "The Phantom Empire"(1935), a 12 chapter serial. Though the plot and end result were the same, Gene's character(himself) is missing towards the end of the film, with not even a reference to his earlier presence. The film continues with the other cast members. Gene was temporarily unavailable and the film was almost shelved, but Gene finally returned to complete the film. That alternate version was last aired, locally in in NYC, in the early 1950s, perhaps by mistake, on a local feature program, titled "Time For Avdventure"(TV). The shows' host, Rex Marshall,possibly unaware, made no mention of Gene's sudden absence from the film. There appear to be no reported sightings of that version since. He was a lifelong Republican and an avid supporter of Dwight D. Eisenhower , Richard Nixon , and Ronald Reagan . Was a Boy Scout.

The Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs was once owned by Gene Autry. It has been used for film location shoots. It features a Mid-Century Architectural Design. Business address: 4383 ColFax Ave. Studio City, CA 91604 Business address: 5828 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollwyood CA 90028 He was a first cousin, twice removed, of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid . Gene's maternal grandparents, Andrew Clinton Ozment and Margaret Malinda Pierce, were also Dennis and Randy's paternal great-great-grandparents. Inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979 as a stock contractor. In 1952 he bought the Monogram Ranch which had been used in Western films since 1915 and went onto be used in the film High Noon and the television series Gunsmoke. Personal Quotes (11) [in a conversation with director Frank McDonald about his career] I'm not a good actor, a good rider or a particularly good singer, but they seem to like what I do, so I'll keep on doing it as long as they want.

[on the music industry] It occurs to me that music, with the possible exception of riding a bull, is the most uncertain way to make a living I know. In either case you can get bucked off, thrown, stepped on, trampled--if you get on at all. At best, it is a short and bumpy ride. In my day, most people thought dance hall girls actually danced. [on Errol Flynn ] He spent more time on a bar stool, or in court, or in the headlines, or in bed, than anyone I knew. [on the difference between modern westerns and the westerns made during his day] I could never have played scenes like where The Sundance Kid kicks the guy in the nuts [in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)] or anything like Clint Eastwood does. [about his "image" as a cowboy star] I couldn't shoot a man in the back. I couldn't take a drink at a bar. They would have run me out of town. [in 1942] I think the he-men in the movies belong in the Army, Marine, Navy or Air Corps.

All of these he-men in the movies realize that right now is the time to get into the service. Every movie cowboy ought to devote time to the Army winning, or to helping win, until the war is over--the same as any other American citizen. The Army needs all the young men it can get, and if I can set a good example for the young men I'll be mighty proud. My movies were always clean. Parents didn't need a babysitter. For 50 cents they could send their kids down to see my pictures and know they would be entertained wholesomely. I happened to come along in an era when movies were changing. That was about 1934. There was a break between the great silent screen stars-- Buck Jones , Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson --and the new crop that was to come along. I was the first of the singing cowboys. If I'd come into pictures five years earlier or five years later, I might not have succeeded. As I look over my life, I'd say the most important thing is to be at the right place at the right time. [in 1988] To tell you the truth, I even think there's room for a singin' cowboy today.

[on Gail Davis ] There are lots of girls who can ride and shoot and lots who can act, but the girl who could do both just couldn't be found. Then this kid came along and I didn't have any more problems. A whole generation of children grew up with Gail Davis playing Annie Oakley on television. Before that she co-starred with me in several of my movies. She also toured with me on a number of occasions. Gail was an extremely talented individual. She had a kind, generous heart and brought so much joy to so many children. She never stopped doing that right up to the day she passed away. Salary (9) GeneAutry.com: Gene Autry: Champion, World's Wonder Horse Champion, World's Wonder Horse Original Champion (b. circa 1926 – d.

1943) Dark sorrel-colored 3 stockings—right front leg solid T-shaped blaze starting high on his forehead and extending over his muzzle Gelding Appeared in films possibly as early as The Phantom Empire (1935), definitely in Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935), last movie was Bells of Capistrano (1942) First "official" screen Champion First received screen credit in Melody Trail (1935) Known as “Wonder Horse of the West” Had as many as four doubles Died of an apparent heart attack while Gene was in the army Highlights: could untie knots, roll over and play dead, bow, shake his head "yes" and "no," and come to Gene's whistle Research assistance provided by author Petrine Mitchum. Champion (Gene Autry horse) Champion (Gene Autry horse) Date Created/Published: 1954 Apr. 4 (date added to Look's library) Medium: 27 photographic prints (contact sheets). Summary: Photographs show actor Gene Autry and his horse Champion training a smaller horse at Autry's ranch.

Includes Champion and other horse performing tricks; Autry riding Champion as he performs tricks; Autry cleaning horse's hoofs; checking horse's teeth; Autry and other trainers working with horses. Also Champion and smaller horse being transported in truck; stables at the ranch; Autry on Champion donating money to a Los Angeles police charity. Reproduction Number: --- Rights Advisory: Publication may be restricted. For information see "Look Magazine Photograph Collection, Rights and Restrictions Information." ( Call Number: LOOK - Job 54-1528 <P&P> [P&P] Notes: Job title and date from photographers' logbook. Gift; Cowles Communications, Inc.; December 13, 1971. Bag count: 22. Part of: Look Magazine Photograph Collection (Library of Congress) Bookmark This Record: View the MARC Record for this item. Rights assessment is your responsibility. The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( ). Rights Advisory: Publication may be restricted.

For information see "Look Magazine Photograph Collection, Rights and Restrictions Information." Reproduction Number: --- Call Number: LOOK - Job 54-1528 <P&P> [P&P] Medium: 27 photographic prints (contact sheets). Rights assessment is your responsibility. Generally, Look Collection photographs have been described in groups. Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item, select images for reproduction through one of these methods: Check for digital images: In a small number of cases, selected images from a job have been digitized and display online: Copy the information in the Call Number field above (e.g., LOOK - Job 54-2946) Go to the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog home page, and enter the Call Number in the "Search All" blank and press "Go" If a desired image displays you can download it yourself. (Most images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.) Alternatively, you can purchase a copy through Library of Congress Duplication Services by citing the identifying information under the image (e.g., ) OR view materials in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room.

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Clue that a LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection image is affected is: Negative number begins with: LC-L92, L922, L924, or L927 You may wish to consult with Prints and Photographs Division reference staff (202-707-6394) to determine whether scans may already exist for an image (rare, but worth a try). To purchase copies through Duplication Services, cite the Call Number above and specify the medium you wish to order. If possible, include a copy of the catalog record when placing an order. Price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site ). Call Number: LOOK - Job 54-1528 <P&P> [P&P] Medium: 27 photographic prints (contact sheets). Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm. Is the item digitized?

(A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.) Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions. As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.) No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints? Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate. No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.

If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served. To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Question: What was the name of Gene Autry's horse?
Answer: Champion