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      The four high white stockings of Champion Jr. earned him the nickname Boots.

      The Touring Champions

      Autry made quite a few appearances with at least three more Champions. The touring Champions were also sorrel geldings with white blazes and four stockings, instead of three. All were highly trained trick horses.

      One of these was known as the Lindy Champion because he was born in 1927 on the day of Charles Lindberg’s first flight over the Atlantic. Originally from Nashville, Lindy was a registered Tennessee Walking Horse trained by Johnny Agee. He had also been used by Tom Mix in live appearances. Distinguished by an oval-topped blaze and a black dot on his nose (sometimes powdered or bleached), he made aviation history of his own when he became the first horse to take a transcontinental flight. In September 1940, he flew in a customized stall aboard a TWA plane from Burbank, California, to New York City for the opening of the Gene Autry rodeo show at Madison Square Garden. It is not known how long the Lindy Champion lived, but since he was born in 1927 and was still working at thirteen, he undoubtedly had a long life.

      The horse most commonly known to insiders as the Touring Champion appeared with Autry in the late 1940s and the 1950s at rodeos and stage shows, including Madison Square Garden in 1947. He joined Autry on a publicity tour of England in 1953 and accompanied him into the Savoy Hotel. Widely photographed, this Champion is also the horse immortalized by his hoofprints next to Gene Autry’s handprints at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. He can be identified by his medium-wide blaze, which veers to the right side of his forehead. It’s possible that the “Touring Champion” was the one called Wag who, like Boots, was euthanized in 1969. The final Touring Champion, and Autry’s last horse to be honored by the name, had a crooked blaze that feathered into his roan color on the left side of his face. Yet another sorrel with four white stockings, he was a stockier gelding than his predecessors. He never worked in films but accompanied Autry on personal appearances from the late 1950s until 1960. He also joined the star on the Merv Griffin and Ed Sullivan television shows. This final Champion, called Champion III by Autry insiders, died at Melody Ranch in 1990. He was forty-one.

      Gene Autry, of course, fulfilled his youthful dream of financial stability and implemented his business skills to build a media empire. Returning to his roots in broadcasting, Autry launched a solo career for his mythical horse with The Adventures of Champion radio serial. Lasting one season, from 1949 to 1950, the show aired on the Mutual Broadcasting system and featured celebrity guest stars.

      Among the first entertainers to understand the power of television, Autry starred in his own production, The Gene Autry Show. Yet another Champion starred with Gene in ninety-one episodes from 1950 to 1955. Trained by Glenn Randall, this horse was a light sorrel gelding with a wide blaze extending over his nose and lower lip. A lack of pigmentation around his eyes was usually covered with make-up. In 1949, at the outset of the horse’s career, as a publicity stunt, Autry took out a $25,000 insurance policy naming this Champion as beneficiary. The same Champion inspired a comic book series, Gene Autry’s Champion. When The Gene Autry Show left the air, Champion remained on TV without Autry in a spin-off of the comic-book series. Named after the radio program, The Adventures of Champion aired on CBS from September 1955 to March 1956, for twenty-six episodes. This Champion had replaced Champion Jr. as Autry’s movie horse in the 1950s, so he appeared in Autry’s final films as well. Gene Autry passed away on October 2, 1998, just a few days after his ninety-first birthday. The great singing cowboy and his iconic horse Champion have been immortalized by a gorgeous life-size bronze sculpture aptly titled “Back in the Saddle,” which graces the plaza of the Autry National Center in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Autry’s last Champion, Champion III, was the life model for the sculpture by De L’Esprie.

      TV Champion and Little Champ flank Gene Autry in this photo.

      Lindy Champion and autry prepare for takeoff in September 1940 with TWA stewardess Esther Benefiel, who fed Champ carrots at takeoff and landing to protect his eardrums from pressure changes.

      Champion Jr. starred with Gene Autry in his favorite movie, Sioux City Sue, but the Touring Champion, with his veering blaze, posed for this lobby card.

      The Touring Champion looks a bit uncertain about becoming the second horse (after Tom Mix’s Tony) to leave his mark in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Trainer Johnny Agee (in plaid shirt) holds the reins while Gene washes his hoof with the help of theater owner Sid Grauman, on the right. The date was December 23, 1949.

      The King of the Cowboys and the Smartest Horse in Movies

      Gene Autry and Champion blazed the trail for their chief rivals, Roy Rogers and Trigger. The cowboy with twinkling eyes and his beautiful golden palomino stallion still hold a special place in the hearts of many movie fans. Some are lucky enough to have seen the spectacular duo in one of their many personal appearances, as Rogers, bedecked in rhinestone-fringed splendor, galloped into a stadium on his shimmering stallion. The dazzling sight was pure magic.

      Gene is seen here with his last Champion, Champion III.

      Leonard Slye and the Sons of the Pioneers

      Born Leonard Frank Slye in a Cincinnati tenement on November 5, 1911, Rogers overcame his humble beginnings to pursue his dream of a career in show business. Developing his natural musical talents, he eventually headed for Hollywood, where he formed the Pioneer Trio, which landed a KFWB radio spot in 1933. The Pioneer Trio evolved into the Sons of the Pioneers, one of the most successful cowboy groups in history.

      The Sons of the Pioneers appeared in several films, including Gene Autry’s Tumbling Tumbleweeds. But Leonard Slye had his sights set on solo stardom. In 1937, Republic Pictures was holding auditions for singing cowboys. Without an appointment, Slye pulled on his white Stetson and sallied past the Republic gate guard with a group of studio employees. A fan of the Sons of the Pioneers, producer Sol Siegel invited the singer to audition, and on October 13, 1937, Slye signed a seven-year contract with Republic at $75 a week. His name was promptly changed to Dick Weston.

      Dick Weston languished in bit parts until Autry went on strike in 1938 just before the start of his new picture Under Western Stars. Slye/Weston was tapped to replace the star. After the producers decided he needed a catchier name, Slye picked the surname Rogers in tribute to his hero, Will Rogers—ironically the man who had kick-started Autry’s career. Even though the actor didn’t particularly like the name, Roy was chosen because of its pleasing alliteration with Rogers.

      Quick on the Trigger

      Roy Rogers shrewdly figured that if he partnered with a unique horse, he would be harder to replace should he fall out of favor with Republic. He tried out several horses owned by the Hudkins Brothers Stable and struck gold with Golden Cloud, a registered palomino, half-Thoroughbred stallion with a wide blaze and one left hind sock. His golden color was highlighted by

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