Champion the Wonder Horse to 1953, and in the television series during the 1950s. Several other "Champion" horses were used as stunt doubles and for personal appearances throughout the years. There were three official Champions that appeared in Gene Autry films. The original Champion was a dark sorrel with a blaze face and white stockings on all his legs except the right front. The original Champion first appeared on screen with Autry in "Melody Trail" (1935) and went on to co-star in 51 additional Autry films. The horse was previously owned by Tom Mix and was used during the filming of "The Phantom Empire"
Gene Autry, Oklahoma Walker and Robert Gillio. Gene Autry is located in northeastern Carter County at (34.281858, -97.036927). It is bordered to the north by Murray County. A portion of the city of Ardmore, separate from the main part of the city, borders Gene Autry to the east and contains the Ardmore Municipal Airport. The center of Ardmore is southwest of Gene Autry by highways 53 and 77. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.72%, is water. The town's area has expanded significantly to the north of