Saturday Morning Serial

By: Beverly Washburn / Hollywood Memories
 
I thought I'd write this month about a TV show I did called "Fury." The year was 1956 and I was cast in this Saturday morning NBC serial. The TV show was about a boy and his horse (much like Lassie the dog) since the boy and horse always came to someone's rescue!
 
The series ran from 1955 to 1960. I watched it every Saturday and was thrilled to be cast in one of my favorite shows.

In this episode, I played a little brat who was not happy that my mother was getting married to someone I did not like. I was almost thirteen, but was playing the part of a 10-year-old. It also starred Peter Graves, who later was remembered from the TV show Mission Impossible.

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In one scene, I started crying (what else is new) and run away after trying to drive a car which I smashed up and drove down a cliff. Enter Fury, the beautiful black stallion and the little boy, Joey (played by Bobby Diamond, that’s him in the photo with me) who miraculously bring me to safety.

Now a little about "Fury" the horse. His real name was "Beauty" and was mostly called "Beaut."
 
He lived to be 29 and was trained by Ralph McCutcheon who was like the Horse Whisperer. People were always astounded how Beaut understood everything he said. The horse was even trained to turn his head either left or right on command.
 
He also played baseball! The horse would stand in center field and when someone hit the ball, he would "fetch" it and take it to home plate! He could pretty much do anything he was told to do, just by listening to Ralph's commands. Beaut was also in other films, such as Lone Star, Johnny Guitar and was the featured black stallion in Giant.
 
There were actually four horses used in Fury; one being a "stand-in", one for long shots and then one for just standing still when there was a lot of dialogue going on. Yes, even horses can sometimes get the "star treatment" - especially when he was the main star of the show!
 
At the start of each show, the announcer would always say: "Fury...The story of a horse and a boy who loved him." Once again, I am so happy to have been a part of such a sweet show and one that could be watched by children as well as their parents.
 
Until next time, remember...The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.