Fury – A Saturday Morning Favorite

by Guy Belleranti

As a boy in the early sixties I remember spending many an early Saturday morning watching several favorite TV programs. One of these programs was Fury.

Actually, Fury originally ran on TV from 1955 to 1960. However, from 1960 to 1966 the program was shown in syndication around the country under the title Brave Stallion, and it was these syndicated programs that I often watched.

Fury was sort of like Lassie, but instead of being about a boy and his dog it was about a boy and his horse. The show was half an hour long, and 116 black and white episodes were produced.

The series revolved around Fury, a beautiful and intelligent wild black stallion, and Joey, an orphan who was befriended by a widowed rancher named Jim Newton. Newton’s wife and own son had been recently killed in an auto accident, so the father/son-like pairing of Jim and Joey was just what each of them needed.

Anyway, Joey goes to live on Jim’s Broken Wheel Ranch, and it is here on the ranch where Joey meets Fury. Fury is wild and seemingly not rideable. However, Joey and Fury become fast friends, and thereafter Fury allows Joey to ride him.

Also living on the ranch is Jim Newton’s foreman, Pete. It is Pete who has named the horse, calling him Fury because he was full of “fire and fury”.

Each episode had Joey and Fury taking on new adventures. Often Joey’s friends Pee Wee and Packy were involved.

Joey was played by Robert “Bobby” Diamond. Peter Graves (later Jim Phelps in the highly successful Mission Impossible TV show) was Jim Newton. Pete was played by William Fawcett. Jimmy Baird played Rodney “Pee Wee” Jenkins and Roger Mobley was Homer “Packy” Lambert.

Fury’s real name was Beaut, and the horse also appeared in other Hollywood productions including the highly regarded motion picture Giant.

Fury’s popularity led to a number of children’s books. One was a Little Golden Book for younger kids. A couple others were mysteries (I owned both) published by Whitman Publishing Company.

Fury was a television program that could be enjoyed by the entire family. Filled with adventure and suspense, it taught valuable life lessons. It was the type of program they just don’t seem to make any longer.

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