Champion the Wonder Horse Champion the Wonder Horse Champion the Wonder Horse was the on-screen companion of singing cowboy Gene Autry in 79 films between 1935 and 1952, and 91 television episodes of "The Gene Autry Show" between 1950 and 1955. In addition, Champion starred in 26 episodes of his own television series "The Adventures of Champion" in 1955 and 1956. Throughout these years, Autry used three horses to portray "Champion": the original Champion who appeared in Autry films from 1935 to 1942, Champion Jr. who appeared in Autry films from 1946 to 1950, and Television Champion, who appeared in Autry's films from 1950
Gene Autry filmography of the 91 episodes. While his films never achieved the critical recognition given to the films by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and others, Autry was more popular than John Wayne for nearly a decade. He was voted the top Western movie star for six years in a row, and was named the fourth most popular of all box-office stars in America by film exhibitors in 1940. In the "Motion Picture Herald" Top Ten Money-Making Western Stars poll, Autry was listed every year from 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1954 (he served in the AAF 1943–45), holding first place from