Champion the Wonder Horse series; he was one of several horses that Autry rode in that production. After learning about the horse through stunt man and movie horse wrangler Tracey Layne, Autry paid $75 for the original Champion, whose sire was a Morgan trotting horse from Ardmore, Oklahoma. Trained to perform numerous tricks, Champion could untie knots, fall, roll over and play dead, come at Autry's whistle, bow, and shake his head yes and no. In one film he pushes Autry into the arms of his leading lady June Storey. By 1939 his reported worth was $25,000. The original Champion died in 1943, at
Gene Autry filmography Gene Autry filmography This Gene Autry filmography lists the films and television episodes starring the American singing cowboy Gene Autry. From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films. Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934, Autry and his sidekick Smiley Burnette made their film debut for Mascot Pictures in "In Old Santa Fe" as part of a singing cowboy quartet. In 1935, Levine gave him the starring role in the 12-part serial "The Phantom Empire". When Mascot was absorbed by the newly formed Republic Pictures, Autry went along to make 57 B Westerns in which he played under