The Horses (Courtesy of Minard Coons) (Courtesy of Les Adams) Left is an interesting tidbit from the pressbook for RENEGADE TRAIL (Paramount, 1939), which notes that Boyd's regular snow-white charger, King Nappy, was injured and replaced by Topper, one of the doubles. Right is the marker for Hoppy's horse Topper, who is buried at the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas, California. The park is called S.O.P.H.I.E. (Save Our Pets' History in Eternity). (Courtesy of Dale Crawford and Jim Sorensen) (From Old Corral image collection) In some of the later films, Boyd changed his range costume to a light hat and outfit as shown above in this scene from the 1948 FALSE PARADISE. (Courtesy of Minard Coons) A smiling William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd and Topper entertain the crowd. A notation on the back of the photo identifies this appearance as "Western Ways, Tucson, Az.", but no date is included (probably early 1950s when Boyd's Hoppy TV show was popular).

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy You know what I remember most about Hopalong Cassidy? Not his horse "Topper", even though I was a real horse nut when I was a kid. Here goes - it was his hat! Remember that big, black hat? Hoppy's hat was bigger and taller than any of the other cowboy's hats! Background of the Show So where did this old TV cowboy come from? Long before the TV show ever began in 1945, there was a 1935 movie written by Clarence E. Mulford that was called "Hop-Along Cassidy". William Boyd won the title role but the original crusty, rough-living, hard-drinking cowpoke character was recreated as a non-smoking, non-drinking, non-swearing hero. This fellow was really the inspiration for the character that we all loved on TV. The new Hopalong Cassidy was a far cry from that gimpy-legged cowboy from Mulford's early stories. He was a true Knight of the West! And he looked the part, too, dressed all in black with that big black hat covering most of his silver white hair.

All About the Show Just like a Knight, he rode a big, beautiful white horse (outfitted with black saddle and bridle), and together they were quite a sight as they chased the villain to his doom every week! And, as usual, Hoppy did all of that without getting his duds dirty or losing that big hat! The Adventures of Hopalong Cassidy (who was played by William Boyd) was shown on New York television as early as 1945, but the regular TV series that we all remember began in 1949 and ended in 1951. Those were the shows with the funny, bearded Gabby Hayes as his sidekick. DID YOU KNOW? Gabby Hayes was probably the most famous sidekick in Western movies during the 1930's and 1940's, playing opposite Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Wild Bill Elliott and, of course, Hopalong Cassidy in more than 40 cowboy dramas. In 1952 and 1953 William Boyd had a new sidekick (Edgar Buchanan) and made a whole new series of original TV films. Those were shown in syndication for many years. What About the Actors?

WILLIAM BOYD (that was his real name!) was born June 5, 1895 in Ohio, the son of a day laborer. After his father died, William moved to California and worked various jobs such as orange picker, auto salesman, surveyor, and as a film "extra" which gave him his start in the movies in the 1920's. Before he became the cowboy star that we all loved, he had a reputation as a "party animal" who drank way too much and really loved the ladies! But a very odd mistake in 1931 changed his life. There was another actor named William Boyd who was older than our (future) Hoppy. This older William Boyd was arrested on a "morals" charge and, before the identity was confirmed, newspapermen who assumed it was our William Boyd ran his picture along with a story of the arrest. Because of his reputation, they assumed it was the younger William Boyd. It ruined his reputation as an actor and he drowned his sorrows by drinking even more. His career went to pot because no one would hire him. After 3 years, he sobered up and landed the role of Hopalong Cassidy!

He quit drinking, smoking, and partying and made a vow to help strengthen his "friends" (as he called his young fans). William Boyd was smart enough to spend $350,000 to buy the rights to the character of Hopalong, and the film series. He released these films to television in 1949 where they became extremely popular and began the long-running genre of Westerns on TV. He also licensed merchandise like Hoppy watches, cowboy outfits, dishes, etc. (as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry did) and became quite wealthy. His high standards caused him to refuse to license any product that he viewed as unsuitable or dangerous, and he made no personal appearances at which his "friends" (fans) would be charged admission. He appeared as Hopalong Cassidy on numerous national magazine covers, including "Look" in August of 1950 and "Time" in November of 1950. William also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted posthumously into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1995.

He was married 5 times (Laura Maynard, Ruth Miller, Elinor Fair, Dorothy Sebastian, and Grace Bradley). He had only 1 son, with wife Elinor Fair, who died at just 9 months of age. William Boyd died in Laguna Beach, California from complications of Parkinson's disease and heart failure on September 12, 1972 at the age of 77, survived by his fifth wife Grace Bradley Boyd. GEORGE "GABBY" HAYES died of cardiovascular disease in Burbank, CA in 1969 at the age of 83. He was married, but had no children. What is your favorite memory of Hopalong Cassidy? So what do you remember most about Hoppy? Please share your memories with us! Hopalong Cassidy Memories Hopalong Cassidy/William Boyd Bios Hopalong Cassidy/William Boyd Bios Pin it HOPALONG CASSIDY was the hero of twenty-eight western novels written by Clarence E. Mulford in the twenties, thirties, and forties. Giving testimony to the lasting popularity of this fictional cowboy hero is the very real fact that a dozen of the novels are still in print.

In his early writings, Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. Beginning in 1935, the character—as played by movie actor William Boyd in films adapted from Mulford's books—was transformed into a clean-cut on-screen hero. A total of sixty-six immensely popular films were released, only a few of which relied on Mulford's original story lines. Mulford later revised and republished his earlier works to be more consistent with the character's new, polished on-screen persona. Hopalong Cassidy: On the Page, On the Screen covers each of Mulford's books and each of the Cassidy theatrical films in full detail. A comprehensive index enables readers interested in almost anything linked to the books or films WILLIAM (BILL) BOYD, a star of the silent movies under contract to Cecil B. DeMille, brought HOPALONG to the screen in a feature produced by Paramount Pictures. Paramount made 34 more pictures with Bill Boyd as Hoppy and United Artists produced 31 others, also with Bill Boyd. Never in Hollywood's history has one man played the same character in as many features. When audiences the world over saw the films, Bill Boyd and Hopalong Cassidy became synonymous.

As portrayed on the screen, the white-haired Bill "Hopalong" Cassidy was usually clad strikingly in black (including his hat, an exception to the longstanding western film stereotype that only villains wore black hats). He was reserved and well spoken, with a fine sense of fair play. He was often called upon to intercede when dishonest characters were taking advantage of honest citizens. "Hoppy" and his white horse, Topper, usually traveled through the west with two companions—one young and troubled, prone with a weakness for damsels in distress, the other comically awkward and outspoken. Time Magazine in 1950 said, "Boyd made Hoppy a veritable Galahad of the range, a soft spoken paragon who did not smoke, drink or kiss girls, who tried to capture the rustlers instead of shooting them, and who always let the villain draw first if gunplay was inevitable." Boyd himself said, "I played down the violence, tried to make Hoppy an admirable character and I insisted on grammatical English." Sixty-six motion picture features starring the same actor. An incredible feat! No wonder, then, that this large body of work led Bill Boyd to television in 1950.

The sixty-six Hopalong Cassidy pictures were filmed by independent producers who released the films through the studios. Most of the "Hoppies," as the films were known, were distributed by Paramount Pictures to highly favorable returns. They were noted for their fast action and excellent outdoor photography (usually by Russell Harlan ). Harry Sherman was anxious to make more ambitious movies and tried to cancel the Cassidy series, but popular demand forced Sherman to go back into production, this time for United Artists release. Sherman gave up the series once and for all in 1944, but William Boyd wanted to keep it going. To do this, he gambled his entire future, spending $350,000 to control “Hopalong Cassidy”, mortgaging virtually everything he owned to buy both the character rights from Mulford and the backlog of movies from Sherman. Boyd, with remarkable foresight, then sold the television rights to all the Hoppy motion pictures and licensed 52 of them to the fledgling NBC Television Network to be telecast as one hour episodes. The initial broadcasts were so successful that NBC could not wait for a television series to be produced and simply reedited the old feature films down to broadcast length.

On June 24, 1949, Hopalong Cassidy became the first network Western television series . From the moment that HOPALONG CASSIDY premiered on NBC, Bill Boyd became an international hero, for the films were telecast not only in America but all over the world as well. Twelve of the remaining motion picture features that Boyd retained under the Company name, "North Vines," were edited by him into half hour episodes. Following this move, he formed a new television production company to shoot a series of 40 new half hour episodes. The company ended up creating a total of 52 half hours for the NBC network. His popularity was astounding. He received 15 thousand fan letters a week. He received endless and persistent requests from individuals and international organizations to make public appearances. He made two worldwide tours while NBC pressed him to continue production. The stress was tremendous. He was in his sixties by this time, and he personally felt that the Hoppy character could not be properly portrayed at this age. He was also feeling the pressure of being before the cameras month after month.

The year before he retired, he made 40 Hoppy episodes in as many weeks and made one more tour around the world for the Newsboys' Association. Completing that tour, he put his horse Topper out to pasture, hung up his guns, took off his boots, and said adios to HOPALONG CASSIDY, his alter ego. Boyd was reluctant to retire because of his loyal fans and the knowledge that his large production crew would be put out of work. Fortunately, CBS was about to start shooting the series, GUNSMOKE, and Boyd was able to turn over his company to that network, assuring employment for his entire crew. The series and character were so popular that Hopalong Cassidy was featured on the cover of national magazines, such as Look, Life and Time. Boyd earned millions as Hopalong ($800,000 in 1950 alone), mostly from merchandise licensing and endorsement deals. In 1950, Hopalong Cassidy was featured on the first lunchbox to bear an image, causing sales for Aladdin Industries to jump from 50,000 units to 600,000 units in just one year.

In stores, more than 100 companies in 1950 manufactured $70 million of Hopalong Cassidy products including children's dinnerware, pillows, roller skates, soap, wristwatches, and jackknives. Bill Boyd's television success has never been rivaled. During public appearances, as many as a million fans turned out to see him. These fans, believe it or not, included presidents, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, admirals, generals, ambassadors, prime ministers and of course John Q. Public. Boyd didn't sing, dance, play football, baseball or basketball, nor did he box or play tennis or race cars. Boyd was merely HOPALONG CASSIDY. He smiled, waved, and shook hands. He was simply...Mr. Goodguy...everybody's favorite cowboy...everybody's FRIEND, BUDDY, PAL and IMMORTAL HERO. Trivia: In the first film, Hopalong Cassidy (then spelled "Hop-along") got his name after being shot in the leg. Hopalong's "drink of choice" was the nonalcoholic sarsaparilla .

For more information see: __________________________________________________________ William Lawrence Boyd (June 5, 1895 - September 12, 1972) was an American film actor best known for portraying Hopalong Cassidy . Biography Boyd was born in Hendrysburg in Belmont County, located 26 miles east of Cambridge, Ohio . He was reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma , the son of day laborer Charles William Boyd and his wife, the former Lida Wilkens. Following his father's death, he moved to California and worked as an orange picker, surveyor, tool dresser and auto salesman. In Hollywood, he found extra work in Why Change Your Wife? and other films. During World War I, he enlisted in the army but was exempt because of a "weak heart." More prominent film roles followed, and he became famous as a leading man in silent film romances, earning an annual salary of $100,000. He was the lead actor in Cecil B. DeMille's The Volga Boatman (1926) and DeMille's extravaganza, The King of Kings , helping Christ carry the cross as Simon of Cyrene and also in DeMille's Skyscraper .

He then appeared in D.W. Griffith 's, Lady of the Pavements (1929). Radio Pictures ended Boyd's contract in 1931 when his picture was mistakenly run in a newspaper story about the arrest of another actor, William "Stage" Boyd , on gambling and liquor charges. Having been reckless with his money, Boyd was broke and without a job. Hopalong Cassidy In 1935, he was offered the supporting role of Red Connors in the movie Hop-Along Cassidy , but asked to be considered for the title role and won it. The original Hopalong Cassidy character, written by Clarence E. Mulford for pulp fiction, was changed from a hard-drinking, rough-living wrangler to its eventual incarnation as a cowboy hero who did not smoke, drink or swear and who always let the bad guy start the fight. Although Boyd "never branded a cow or mended a fence, cannot bulldog a steer", and disliked Western music ; he became indelibly associated with the Hopalong character and, like rival cowboy stars Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, gained lasting fame in the Western film genre.

The Hopalong Cassidy series ended in 1947 after 66 films, with Boyd producing the last 12. Anticipating television's rise, Boyd spent $350,000 to purchase the rights to the Hopalong Cassidy character, books and films. In 1949, he released the films to television, where they became extremely popular and began the long-running genre of Westerns on television. Like Rogers and Autry, Boyd licensed much merchandise, including such products as Hopalong Cassidy watches, trash cans, cups, dishes, Topps trading cards, a comic strip, comic books, radio shows and cowboy outfits. The actor identified with his character, often dressing as a cowboy in public. Although Boyd's portrayal of Hopalong made him very wealthy, he believed that it was his duty to help strengthen his "friends" - America's youth. The actor refused to license his name for products he viewed as unsuitable or dangerous, and turned down personal appearances at which his "friends" would be charged admission.

Boyd appeared as Hopalong Cassidy on the cover of numerous national magazines, including the August 29, 1950 issue of Look and the November 27, 1950 issue of Time. Boyd had a cameo as himself in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth . DeMille reportedly asked Boyd to take the role of Moses in his remake, The Ten Commandments, but Boyd felt his identification with the Cassidy character would make it impossible for audiences to accept him as Moses. Personal life Boyd was married five times, first to Laura Maynard and then to actresses Ruth Miller, Elinor Fair , Dorothy Sebastian and Grace Bradley . A son, by third wife Fair, died aged 9 months. Hoppy & Grace Wedding Day June 5th 1937 Following his retirement from the screen, Boyd invested both his time and money in real estate and moved to Palm Desert, California. He refused interviews and photographs in later years, preferring not to disillusion his millions of fans who remembered him as their screen idol. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1734 Vine Street.

In 1995, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The original American Pie album by Don McLean inner sleeve featured a free verse poem written by McLean about Boyd (See Below) along with a picture of Boyd in full Hopalong regalia. This sleeve was removed within a year of the album's release. The words to this poem appear on a plaque at the hospital where Boyd died. At his death in 1972, he was survived by his fifth wife, actress Grace Bradley Boyd, who died on September 21, 2010 on her 97th birthday. William Boyd - Biography - IMDb William Boyd Biography Showing all 28 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (5) | Trivia (13) | Personal Quotes (2) | Salary (3) Overview (4) 6' (1.83 m) Mini Bio (1) The son of a day laborer, William Boyd moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was seven.

His parents died while he was in his early teens, forcing him to quit school and take such jobs as a grocery clerk, surveyor and oil field worker. He went to Hollywood in 1919, already gray-haired. His first role was as an extra in Cecil B. DeMille 's Why Change Your Wife? (1920). He bought some fancy clothes, caught DeMille's eye and got the romantic lead in The Volga Boatman (1926), quickly becoming a matinée idol and earning upwards of $100,000 a year. However, with the end of silent movies, Boyd was without a contract, couldn't find work and was going broke. By mistake his picture was run in a newspaper story about the arrest of another actor with a similar name ( William 'Stage' Boyd ) on gambling, liquor and morals charges, and that hurt his career even more. In 1935 he was offered the lead role in Hop-Along Cassidy (1935) (named because of a limp caused by an earlier bullet wound).

He changed the original pulp-fiction character to its opposite, made sure that "Hoppy" didn't smoke, drink, chew tobacco or swear, rarely kissed agirl and let the bad guy draw first. By 1943 he had made 54 "Hoppies" for his original producer, Harry Sherman ; after Sherman dropped the series, Boyd produced and starred in 12 more on his own. The series was wildly popular and all at least doubled their profit. In 1948 Boyd, in a savvy and precedent-setting move, bought the rights to all his pictures, he had to sell his ranch to raise the money, just as TV was looking for Saturday-morning Western fare. He marketed all sorts of "Hoppy" products, lunch boxes, toy guns, cowboy hats, etc., and received royalties from comic books, radio and records. He retired to Palm Desert, California, in 1953. In 1968 he had surgery to remove a tumor from a lymph gland and, from then on, refused all interview and photograph requests.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu> Spouse (5) ( 6 February 1917 - 1921) (divorced) Trivia (13) Boyd was Cecil B. DeMille 's first choice for Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956). Boyd turned the role down, fearing the Hopalong Cassidy identification would hurt the movie. Hopalong Cassidy's beautiful white horse was named "Topper". Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Sacred Promise. After buying the rights to all of his films, he secured the rights to the name "Hopalong Cassidy" and formed a company called "Hopalong Cassidy Productions". Star of the syndicated radio show "Hopalong Cassidy" (1950-1952). The shows were actually recorded between 1948 and 1950. Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1995.

Television talk-show host Johnny Carson told a story of how, in the mid-1960s, he met Boyd on a plane while flying cross-country. He asked Boyd, who hadn't made any public appearances in many years, if he would like to come on Carson's show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Boyd politely declined, and when Carson asked why, Boyd replied that he thought it would be too much of a jolt for kids--even though they were now adults--who had grown up seeing Hoppy as a tall, strong young cowboy hero to see him as the old man that Boyd now was. The "Hoppies" launched the formula "Trio Western." Boyd was 40 years old when the series started.

He got a younger partner to play the romantic leads James Ellison the only singing cowboy in the series, Russell Hayden , Brad King , Jay Kirby , Jimmy Rogers ,George Reeves(only in "Bar 20") and Rand Brooks ) and a second, usually older, partner for comic relief George Hayes known as "Gabby" playing Windy Holiday, ( Britt Wood , Andy Clyde as California Carlson) and Edgar Buchanan as Red Connnors (as a duo with "Hoppy" in TV series). There is a Hopalong Cassidy Museum located in Cambridge, Ohio. His career was derailed in the early 1930s when he was mistakenly identified as having been arrested for public drunkenness after his picture was mistakenly used in articles about the arrest. In fact, the culprit was William 'Stage' Boyd , an actor who later portrayed the villain in the serial The Lost City (1935). His only child, a son by second wife Ruth Miller, died in infancy. Appears as Hopalong Cassidy, with Topper the Horse , on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early TV Memories issue honoring Hopalong Cassidy (1952), issued 11 August 2009.

Attended Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy preparatory school. Personal Quotes (2) [on his fondness for his many fans] Sometimes I can feel hands all over me when I get home. But they do it because they're Hoppy's friends. I've tried to make Hoppy a plain and simple man in manners and dress. Hoppy isn't a flashy character. He isn't illiterate. Nor is he smart-alecky. He doesn't use big words or bad words. After all, I felt that Hoppy might be looked up to and that children might try to pattern their lives after the man. If Hoppy said 'ain't' and 'reckon' and that-away', all the kids might start saying the same things. Salary (3) Hopalong Cassidy (TV Series 1952–1954) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Hopalong and his horse Topper catch bad guys with Red Connors for comic relief.

Stars: Soon after Hoppy and Red arrive where the murderous outlaws operate with impunity and precision in lawless Canyon City to help sheriff Barnett the mark of the vigilante, 3-7-77, starts to appear at ... 8.3 When Ted Gray is attacked by Martinez for lying about receipt of mortgage money, his uncle Ollie states he will foreclose and then Ollie is found murdered with several pieces of clear evidence ... 8.0 An Indian agent asks Hoppy to help persuade an Indian chief to reveal the location where crude oil can be found on the land's surface. The country will be opened to settlement and unless the tribe ...

7.8 a list of 39 titles created 19 Feb 2014 a list of 35 titles created 22 Feb 2014 a list of 112 titles created 23 Oct 2015 a list of 90 titles created 11 months ago a list of 500 titles created 7 months ago Search for " Hopalong Cassidy " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: Hopalong Cassidy (1952–1954) 7.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner. Stars: Jay Silverheels, Clayton Moore, John Hart The Double R Ranch featured "The King of the Cowboys" Roy, his "Smartest Horse in the Movies" Trigger, "Queen of the West" Dale, her horse Buttermilk, their dog Bullet, and even Pat's jeep, Nellybelle.

Stars: Dale Evans, Roy Rogers, Trigger The Cisco Kid and his English-mangling sidekick Pancho travel the old west in the grand tradition of the Lone Ranger, righting wrongs and fighting injustice wherever they find it. Stars: Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo, Troy Melton Marshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in the rough and tumble Dodge City. Stars: James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake Neighbor Blanche Morton frequently joins Gracie in escapades which annoy hubby Harry and provide George with an opportunity to offer a humorous soliloquy. Stars: George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bea Benaderet The submarine Seaview is commissioned to investigate the mysteries of the seas. Usually it finds more problems than answers... Stars: Richard Basehart, David Hedison, Robert Dowdell A Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s. Stars: Steve McQueen, Wright King, Olan Soule Marshal Earp keeps the law, first in Kansas and later in Arizona, using his over-sized pistols and a variety of sidekicks.

Most of the saga is based loosely on fact, with historical badguys... See full summary » Stars: Hugh O'Brian, Jimmy Noel, Ethan Laidlaw Frontier hero Daniel Boone conducts surveys and expeditions around Boonesborough, running into both friendly and hostile Indians, just before and during the Revolutionary War. Stars: Fess Parker, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts and Rocky Mountains. The first treks were led by gruff, ... See full summary » Stars: Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, Robert Horton Two scientists with a secret time travel project find themselves trapped in the time stream and appearing in notable periods of history. Stars: James Darren, Robert Colbert, Whit Bissell Mike Nelson is a Scuba Diver in the days when it was still very new. He works alone and the plot was always mostly carried through his voice over narrations. These gave the show a flavor of... See full summary » Stars: Lloyd Bridges, Ken Drake, Courtney Brown Mono (Western Electric Sound System) Color: Did You Know?

Trivia William Boyd insisted on speaking grammatical English during this series, because he knew so many children would be watching and wanted to set a good example. See more » Connections Correction on Hoppy revival on television 12 April 2009 | by mike-newton30 (United States) – See all my reviews One of your bloggers makes the comment that the Hopalong Cassidy films began running on television as early as 1945. Obviously they haven't done their research because (1) television sets were not put on the market for public use until 1947 and Boyd did not begin running his films until mid summer of 1948. Boyd was still making theatrical pictures in 1944, and then went on tour with Cole Brothers Circus for two seasons until 1946, when he began producing his own series for United Artists. These films co-starred Andy Clyde and Rand Brooks. When the series ended, Boyd hocked everything he had to gain the rights to Hopalong Cassidy. His old movies began running on NBC in June, 1948.

The statement that Hoppy movies were being seen on television originally came from a video documentary on early television cowboys, featuring Will "Sugarfoot" Hutchins. 7 of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Horses of Famous Western Movie Stars and Their Sidekicks | ReelRundown Horses of Famous Western Movie Stars and Their Sidekicks Horses of Famous Western Movie Stars and Their Sidekicks Updated on August 29, 2016 Joined: 4 years agoFollowers: 75Articles: 103 4 6 months ago ROY ROGERS' HORSE, TRIGGER Trigger first appeared in the film, The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938 starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland under the name, Golden Cloud. He was Miss de Havilland's horse in the film. Roy Rogers bought the Palomino stallion and renamed him Trigger. Trigger was never bred as many think. Therefore, Trigger, Jr. was not his descendant. Roy rode Trigger in many of his films and in his television series. He is the most famous horse in film history.

Trigger died in 1965.﻿ Advertisement BUCK JONES' HORSE, SILVER Silver made 73 films from 1922 until 1942 and was Buck Jones' horse in approximately 50 of those films. Buck died in a tragic fire along with 491 others in the 1942 Coconut Grove fire in Boston. A party was being hosted at the club for Jones.﻿ Advertisement Advertisement ALLEN ROCKY LANE'S HORSE, BLACK JACK Black Jack was originally called Thunder and was ridden by Will Bill Elliott when Elliott was making films as Red Ryder. Lane would take over the part played by Elliott with the same horse. When Lane became Rocky Lane, he bought the horse and renamed him Black Jack. They appeared in almost 100 films together.﻿ DALE EVANS' HORSE, BUTTERMILK Buttermilk lived from 1941 until 1972. He was a buckskin quarter horse and appeared with Dale in many of her films and throughout her television series. Many sites on the internet list Dale's horse as Buttercup.

Buttercup is a flower that will kill a horse if eaten.﻿ Advertisement Advertisement GENE AUTRY'S HORSE, CHAMPION Champion appeared in over 70 films with Gene from 1935 until 1953 as well as Gene's television series. Champion had his own television series following Gene's titled, The Adventures of Champion in 1955. However, there were three Champions. The first died in 1947. The third lived to be 42 and died in 1991.﻿ ﻿ REX ALLEN'S HORSE, KOKO Koko performed in over 30 films as Allen's horse and Rex took him with him to his ranch when he retired.

Koko lived from 1940-1967.﻿ PANCHO'S HORSE, LOCO Loco only appeared in just two films with Pancho in 1949 and 1950, but continued to be his horse in the television series, The Cisco Kid from 1950-1956.﻿ ﻿ LONE RANGER'S HORSE, SILVER Silver was in the only two films as the Lone Ranger's horse that can still be found. More were filmed on the back lots of Republic Pictures, but are not available. Silver would continue to be the Ranger's horse in the television series of the same name.﻿ LASH LaRUE'S HORSE, BLACK DIAMOND/RUSH I can not find the dates of the horse's birth, or death. However, I can tell you that LaRue's horse was Black Diamond and at a later date the name was changed to Rush.﻿ ﻿ JOHNNY MACK BROWN'S HORSES, SCOUT/RENO & REBEL Johnny started out on a white steed called Scout.

Later, he changed to a Palomino first named Reno and then changed to Rebel.﻿ SMILEY BURNETTE'S HORSE, RING EYE Smiley made over 62 films with Gene Autry. He left Gene to make 56 films with the Durango Kid and came back for Autry's final six films. He also spent time with Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson. His horse through all this went through three name changes; Black-eyed Nellie, Ring-eyed Nellie and finally just Ring Eye. TOM MIX'S HORSE, TONY Tony made his debut with Tom Mix in 1917 and they would make 181 films together. Tony did his own tricks and was referred to as, The Wonder Horse. Tony was the most famous horse in the world until Trigger came along. Tony was born in 1899 and died on October 12, 1942.﻿ TEX RITTER'S HORSE, WHITE FLASH White Flash appeared in 20 films with Tex. In Tex's later films, they used different white horses and still referred to them as White Flash, but the real White Flash was too old to play the part.

He was put to sleep in 1961.﻿ WILD BILL ELLIOTT'S HORSE, THUNDER Will Bill played Red Ryder in the 40's with his black horse, Thunder. Later, Allan Lane would ride the same horse when he took over the role of Red Ryder. Later, when Allen became Rocky Lane, he changed the horse's name to Black Jack.﻿ SUNSET CARSON' HORSE, CACTUS Cactus was actually Buck Jones' horse, Silver. Jones died in a tragic fire and Carson decided to change the name from Silver to Cactus. The two made dozens of films together in the 40's before Sunset was fired for showing up at the studio drunk with an under-aged girl. He would never gain back his popularity.﻿ BOB STEELE'S HORSE, BROWNIE Bob actually used dozens of horses of different colors. Brownie was just one of many. Others were Flambow, Boy, Shiek and Sacks. Brownie may have been his favorite. One can only guess.﻿ DURANGO KID'S HORSE, RAIDER When dressed in disguise as the Durango Kid, he rode a white horse named Raider.

When out of disguise as Charles Starrett his brown horse was Bullet. There were two horses playing Raider. One was the real Raider; the other was backup, El Granito. Raider made 20 films from 1940 to 1952.﻿ HOPALONG CASSIDY'S HORSE, TOPPER Hoppy's original horse, King Nappy was injured in 1939 and replaced by his double, Topper. Topper would be with Cassidy throughout his film and television career until 1954.﻿ WHIP WILSON'S HORSE, SILVER BULLET Whip's horse, Silver Bullet was later shortened to Bullet and then changed to Rocket because Roy Rogers had a dog in his films named Bullet. Whip and Bullet only lasted three years as a western film cowboy.﻿ GABBY HAYES'S HORSES Gabby didn't even learn to ride until age 40. In his films, he rode three horses including Calico pictured here, Eddie and Blossom. Gabby Hayes was the most famous sidekick in western film history.

Since he did not ride that much, his horses were never that famous.﻿ ANDY DEVINE'S HORSE, JOKER I never could find a photo of Andy on a horse in his western films and to tell you the truth, I don't remember ever seeing him on horseback in any of the films that I watched. This is a picture of his horse, Joker in the television series, Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. This article is about horses ridden by stars and sidekicks in the old B westerns, but since Andy was a major part of that genre, I could not leave him out.﻿ KEN MAYNARD'S HORSE, TARZAN There were as many as 4 backups for the real Tarzan who was a trick horse and called Wonder Horse by Ken. He worked with Ken during the 20's and 30's in films and into the 40's in a circus tour.﻿ ﻿ TIM HOLT'S HORSES Tim rode Duke prior to his entering the military. When he returned to pictures, he rode Shiek, Lightning, Steel and Sundance. The horses pictured here are Duke and below, Steel.

Advertisement Movie/TV Cowboy Horses - The Wild West Movie/TV Cowboy Horses Movie/TV Cowboy Horses Buckshot - TV Wild Bill Hickok Wild Bill Hickok's horse in the 'Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok' TV show running from 1951-58. Guy Madison as Hickok rode Buckshot and Jingles rode Joker. Buttermilk - Dale Evans Horse Buttermilk (1941-1972) was a light buckskin Quarter Horse made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowgirl star Dale Evans. The horse was ridden by Dale in a 1950s television series with her husband Roy Rogers who rode his Golden Palomino, "Trigger." Both horses were extremely popular and became a marketing success with cast iron and plastic replicas, lamps, and dozens of other products purchased by adults and children alike. After Buttermilk died in 1972, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California which has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri.

Champion - Gene Autry’s Horse Champion appeared with Gene Autry as his partner and sidekick throughout their legendary career in film, radio, and television. Pictured here is the Original Champion in Autry's 1939 "Home on the Prairie". Actually, there were three "official" Champions that performed in Autry films and several specialized horses, such as Little Champ, Lindy Champion, Touring Champion, and Champion Three. Other horses 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 Autry was in military service. Champion was the only horse of a western film hero to have a TV series. “The Adventures of Champion” was produced by Autry's Flying A production company, and starred Barry Curtis as Ricky North, Jim Bannon as Uncle Sandy North, Francis McDonald as Will Calhoun, and Ewing Mitchell as Sheriff Powers. The program first aired on the CBS television network, and ran from September, 1955 through February, 1956.

There was also a Champion comic book (but Gene's horse wasn't the only one to have a comic series - Roy Rogers' Trigger also had a comic book run). Duke - John Wayne Duke is John Wayne's horse in the western, 'Ride Him, Cowboy' (1932). John Drury saves Duke, a wild horse accused of murder, and trains him. When he discovers that the real murderer, a badguy known as The Hawk, is the town's leading citizen, Drury arrested on a fraudulent charge. Loco and Diablo Pancho and the Cisco Kid's horses. Scout - Tonto’s Horse Tonto, who rode Scout the pinto horse, was the sidekick of The Lone Ranger, the popular Western character created by George W. Trendle (in collaboration with others). Tonto himself was created by writer Fran Striker for the original radio series which began in 1933; Tonto made his first appearance on the twelfth show (which aired on station WXYZ in February 25, 1933). Though he became as iconic as his friend, Tonto was originally created just so the Lone Ranger would have someone to talk to.

Throughout the radio run (which spanned twenty-one years), with only a few exceptions, Tonto was played by American actor John Todd. Over the years, Tonto's horses names were White Feller, Paint and Scout. Before September 1935 (on the radio series) Tonto rode double with the Lone Ranger. Silver - The Lone Ranger’s Horse Silver was the name of the hero's horse in the long-running radio, and later, television program The Lone Ranger. Silver was a magnificent white stallion, named after his being found near a silver mine also found by The Lone Ranger and his Indian sidekick, Tonto. (In a later, retcon version, The Ranger saved Silver from a raging buffalo and then adopted him.) Silver's exploits almost made him the equivalent of another character in the series, as he was extremely intelligent and well-trained (this could also be said of Tonto's mount, Scout). Silver won the Award for Excellence (Patsy) in 1957. This award is for animals who are outstanding actors in the television and motion picture industry. Target - TV Annie Oakley's horse Target was Annie Oakley's horse in the western adventure series 'Annie Oakley'.

Target was owned by sharpshooter and rancher, Annie Oakley (Gail Davis) who lived in the old west town of Diablo. She later owned a horse named Daisy. The two horses used to play the role of Target were rental horses from the Ace Hudkins Stables. Annie's younger brother Tagg (Jimmy Hawkins) rode the Amigo colt Pixie and Deputy Lofty Craig (Brad Johnson) rode Forest. Topper - Hopalong Cassidy's horse Topper, the Arabian white stallion with black ears was ridden by western cowboy star William Boyd when he starred in the 1930s Hopalong Cassidy movies and TV series based on the stories written by Clarence E. Mulford. Boyd purchased Topper in 1937 for the "Hoppy" movies. Topper is buried at the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas, California. The park is called S.O.P.H.I.E. (Save Our Pets' History in Eternity).

Trigger (1932-1965) - Roy Rogers’ Horse Trigger, a 15.3 hands golden Palomino stallion, was made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowboy star Roy Rogers. The horse was ridden by Roy in many of his motion pictures and in Rogers' 1950s television series with his wife Dale Evans who rode Buttermilk. Trigger became the most famous horse in film entertainment, even having his own Dell comic book recounting his exploits. Trigger was bought by Roy in 1938 after he spotted him on the set of “The Adventures of Robin Hood” where he was being ridden by Olivia de Havilland. After Trigger died in 1965, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California. The museum has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri. Buckshot - TV Wild Bill Hickok Wild Bill Hickok's horse in the 'Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok' TV show running from 1951-58. Guy Madison as Hickok rode Buckshot and Jingles rode Joker.

Buttermilk - Dale Evans horse Buttermilk (1941-1972) was a light buckskin Quarter Horse made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowgirl star Dale Evans. The horse was ridden by Dale in a 1950s television series with her husband Roy Rogers who rode his Golden Palomino, "Trigger." Both horses were extremely popular and became a marketing success with cast iron and plastic replicas, lamps, and dozens of other products purchased by adults and children alike. After Buttermilk died in 1972, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California which has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri. Champion - Gene Autry’s Horse Champion appeared with Gene Autry as his partner and sidekick throughout their legendary career in film, radio, and television. Pictured here is the Original Champion in Autry's 1939 "Home on the Prairie". Actually, there were three "official" Champions that performed in Autry films and several specialized horses, such as Little Champ, Lindy Champion, Touring Champion, and Champion Three.

Other horses 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 Autry was in military service. Champion was the only horse of a western film hero to have a TV series. “The Adventures of Champion” was produced by Autry's Flying A production company, and starred Barry Curtis as Ricky North, Jim Bannon as Uncle Sandy North, Francis McDonald as Will Calhoun, and Ewing Mitchell as Sheriff Powers. The program first aired on the CBS television network, and ran from September, 1955 through February, 1956. There was also a Champion comic book (but Gene's horse wasn't the only one to have a comic series - Roy Rogers' Trigger also had a comic book run). Duke - John Wayne Duke is John Wayne's horse in the western, 'Ride Him, Cowboy' (1932). John Drury saves Duke, a wild horse accused of murder, and trains him.

When he discovers that the real murderer, a badguy known as The Hawk, is the town's leading citizen, Drury arrested on a fraudulent charge. Loco and Diablo

Question: In Western films what was the name of Hopalong Cassidy's horse?
Answer: TOPPER