My Train of Thought

It's Saddle Up Time Again!

The two equine heroes for today were never as famous as Silver, Scout, or even Topper (Hoppy's steed), yet they served their masters well.  The first of these was the palomino who even had his own IMDb listing!

Billed as “The Wonder Horse”, he appeared in 15 films as the mount of Dick Foran (FOUR-ANN), ranging from 1936 to 1941.  Smoke was born in 1931 and was owned by Victor Daniels, aka, Chief Thunder Cloud, who appeared as Tonto in the Lone Ranger serial.  Smoke was of the dappled variety of palomino, so you see his spots in some photos. 

Quite a clever horse, Smoke performed many tricks in both films and on the stage.  How appropriate that the Wonder Horse should have “The Singing Cowboy” on his back!  Dick Foran was a Princeton grad who studied music at the Leibling Studio in New York before singing on radio. The baritone quickly became a lead singer in a band and later formed his own orchestra.  Foran was first hired as a supporting actor.  As for his singing, both Roy Rogers and Gene Autry combined could not hold a candle to the vocal quality of this man!  Foran was one of the few singing cowboys who transitioned into other venues like drama and romantic comedies. His appearances on many favorite TV shows form an impressive resumé.  While Foran’s career in films and television lasted until 1969, his faithful four-legged steed ended his career as of 1941, presumably for retirement.  Smoke died in 1952 at the age of 21.  His owner, Mr. Daniels was so heartbroken over the death of his beloved palomino that he had him buried in the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery in Calabasas.  His grave marker reads “Famous Horse of Stage & Screen, Beloved Pet of Chief & Mrs. Thunder Cloud."   

Unlike other palominos like Trigger and Rebel, Smoke did not have a blaze on his face.

Perhaps it is the lighting or the film quality from this 1936 western, Song of the Saddle, but the horse appears to have darker shading beneath his eye and around his snout in some photos but not in others.

Also seen in this movie was another familiar face to those who watched the Flash Gordon serials - none other than veteran actor Charles Middleton, better known as Emperor Ming the Merciless.  This film was made the same year Middleton reigned on the planet, Mongo and he is just as devious in the western as he was in outer space.

In one of Smoke’s films, Treachery Rides the Range, he is the Army mount of Captain Red Taylor (Foran) and he seems almost naked without his usual silver bridle and saddle. 

 Also featured is famous U.S. Olympic athlete, Jim Thorpe as Chief Red Smoke.

Sadly, Smoke never achieved the fame of Trigger or Champion.  Nevertheless, for the five years that he and Dick Foran were partners, the “Wonder Horse” and “The Singing Cowboy” rode the range together with each new adventure.

Monte Hale admits that, during his stint as a singing cowboy, he had several horses that were ridden in films.  One of those horses was named Lightnin’.  He was a dark brown sorrel, but the mane and tail were flaxen. 

Some people thought that Hale and Lightnin' bore quite a similarity to Gene Autry and Champion, the TV horse.  It's true that both horses had similar body coloring, along with their manes and tails.  In fact, it is Lightnin' who appeared with Monte in both Home on the Range (1946) and Under Colorado Skies (1947).

The one horse that would be identified as Monte’s mount in most of his films, was “The Horse With No Name” as he was never mentioned in the movie scripts.  In Hale’s own words, he called him “Fred”, however, thanks to the comic book industry and Fawcett Publications, Monte’s horse was finally named “Partner”.  This horse was black and had a large white blaze that extended over his eyes and ran all the way down to his nostril.  He had three white stockings and the left front leg was black. 

The comics piggybacked off the film horse as the model for their version of Partner.  There were a few films where Partner, while black, had no blaze whatsoever. 

While not as well known as Roy or Gene, Monte Hale was a cowboy for real.  Before he came to Republic Studios, he had already been in rodeos, and sang and played guitar.  When Autry went away to WW II, Hale was one of the resident western stars that the Studio promoted. 

While Smoke and Partner were never destined to become superstars, they were the trusted companions of the cowboys seated on them.  They were part of a team, working with the men who relied on them to come when beckoned, to rescue when necessary, and speed to catch up with outlaws.  These mounts have earned their place among the horses of the westerns for eternity.

Next Time: Koko, Stardusk, and Tarzan

Good-bye, Amigos!  See you soon!