The Adventures of Black Beauty

Last updated

The Adventures of Black Beauty
The Adventures of Black Beauty titlecard.jpg
Genre Adventure, family drama
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer Denis King
Opening themeGalloping Home
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producerPaul Knight
Producer Sidney Cole
Production location Hertfordshire, England
Running time25 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network ITV
Release17 September 1972 (1972-09-17) –
10 March 1974 (1974-03-10)
Related
The New Adventures of Black Beauty

The Adventures of Black Beauty is a British adventure family television series produced by London Weekend Television and shown by ITV in the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1974. It was distributed internationally by London Weekend International. [1]

Contents

The New Adventures of Black Beauty (1990–91) was a continuation of the 1970s series, and was set at the beginning of the 20th century, twenty years after the original series.

Broadcast history

Two series were produced, the first airing from September 1972 to March 1973 and the second from September 1973 to March 1974. Although it was mainly aimed at children, it was shown in the Sunday teatime family timeslot and gained a wide audience, becoming popular enough to make the general Top 20 ratings. It was repeated regularly, although often on a regional basis, for many years, its last full repeat run being on Sunday mornings from 1986 to 1988 (a further repeat run was planned for the summer of 1990, but cancelled because of objections by Equity after repeat fees had not been re-negotiated [2] ). Having been shown in several major US markets when it was initially produced, it also aired in the United States on Nickelodeon in the 1980s. In July 2009, Retro Television Network picked up all 104 episodes of The Adventures of Black Beauty and The New Adventures of Black Beauty , and affiliates began airing the show, listing both shows as simply Black Beauty.

Plot

The series was not an adaptation of the 1877 book by Anna Sewell, but rather a "continuation" featuring new characters created by Ted Willis, most prominently Dr James Gordon, played by William Lucas, and his children Vicky, played by Judi Bowker (who became Jenny, played by Stacy Dorning, in the second series) and Kevin, played by Roderick Shaw (at the beginning of the New Adventures it is mentioned that Kevin had gone to sea and become a midshipman). Supporting characters included Dr. Gordon's loyal housekeeper Amy Winthrop, played by Charlotte Mitchell, and a local boy, Albert Clifton, portrayed by Tony Maiden. Other writers for the series included David Butler and Richard Carpenter, while directors included Charles Crichton and Peter Duffell. The series, which was filmed mainly at Stockers Farm, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.

Main cast

Episodes

Transmission dates given are for the network; they varied in London.

Series 1 (1972–73)

NºEpTitleAir date
11"The Fugitive"17 September 1972 (1972-09-17)
22"The Hostage"24 September 1972 (1972-09-24)
33"The Pit Pony"1 October 1972 (1972-10-01)
44"The Horse Thieves"8 October 1972 (1972-10-08)
55"Runaway"15 October 1972 (1972-10-15)
66"Warhorse"22 October 1972 (1972-10-22)
77"The Horsemen"29 October 1972 (1972-10-29)
88"The Duel"5 November 1972 (1972-11-05)
99"The Viking Helmet: Part 1"12 November 1972 (1972-11-12)
1010"The Viking Helmet: Part 2"19 November 1972 (1972-11-19)
1111"Day of Reckoning"26 November 1972 (1972-11-26)
1212"Man Trap"3 December 1972 (1972-12-03)
1313"Clown on Horseback"10 December 1972 (1972-12-10)
1414"Three Locks to Fortune"17 December 1972 (1972-12-17)
1515"The Recruiting Sergeant"31 December 1972 (1972-12-31)
1616"The Debt"7 January 1973 (1973-01-07)
1717"The Horse Healer"14 January 1973 (1973-01-14)
1818"The Witch"21 January 1973 (1973-01-21)
1919"The Ponies"28 January 1973 (1973-01-28)
2020"The Ruffians"4 February 1973 (1973-02-04)
2121"Two of a Kind"11 February 1973 (1973-02-11)
2222"Foul Play"18 February 1973 (1973-02-18)
2323"Sailor on a Horse"25 February 1973 (1973-02-25)
2424"Wild Justice"4 March 1973 (1973-03-04)
2525"The Barge"11 March 1973 (1973-03-11)
2626"Father and Son"18 March 1973 (1973-03-18)

Series 2 (1973–74)

NºEpTitleAir date
271"A Member of the Family: Part 1"23 September 1973 (1973-09-23)
282"A Member of the Family: Part 2"30 September 1973 (1973-09-30)
293"The Outcast"7 October 1973 (1973-10-07)
304"Good Neighbours"14 October 1973 (1973-10-14)
315"Mission of Mercy"21 October 1973 (1973-10-21)
326"Battle of Wills"28 October 1973 (1973-10-28)
337"The Medicine Man"4 November 1973 (1973-11-04)
348"Out of the Night"11 November 1973 (1973-11-11)
359"Panic"18 November 1973 (1973-11-18)
3610"The Challenge"25 November 1973 (1973-11-25)
3711"Pocket Money"2 December 1973 (1973-12-02)
3812"The Quarry"9 December 1973 (1973-12-09)
3913"Secret of Fear"16 December 1973 (1973-12-16)
4014"Lost: Part 1"23 December 1973 (1973-12-23)
4115"Lost: Part 2"23 December 1973 (1973-12-23)
4216"Lost Goddess"30 December 1973 (1973-12-30)
4317"Where's Jonah?"6 January 1974 (1974-01-06)
4418"A Long Hard Run"13 January 1974 (1974-01-13)
4519"The Horse Breaker"20 January 1974 (1974-01-20)
4620"The Last Round-Up"27 January 1974 (1974-01-27)
4721"Goodbye Beauty"3 February 1974 (1974-02-03)
4822"The Escape"10 February 1974 (1974-02-10)
4923"A Ribbon for Beauty"17 February 1974 (1974-02-17)
5024"The Last Charge"24 February 1974 (1974-02-24)
5125"Race Against Time"3 March 1974 (1974-03-03)
5226"Game of Chance"10 March 1974 (1974-03-10)

Theme tune

The theme tune, "Galloping Home", was written by Denis King and performed by the London String Chorale. In 1973 it won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Theme Tune. It was also released as a single and peaked at number 31 in the UK charts in the week of 2 February 1974.

It was later used at the climax of the first series of Absolutely Fabulous , with Edina Monsoon dreaming of running through a field as Black Beauty does in the series' title sequence. The theme tune was also featured in the series Brainiac: Science Abuse . It actually has lyrics by Dick Vosburgh as revealed by Denis King at a memorial concert for Vosburgh in July 2007.

The theme was also used in 1975, in an episode of The Goodies called 'Scatty Safari', when the team release the main attraction of their Star Safari Park, Tony Blackburn, into the wild. It was also used in the final episode of the first series of BBC TV comedy I'm Alan Partridge . Alan exclaims "It's brilliant" upon hearing the piece when his PA Lynn puts it on the stereo; they then listen to it again when clearing up after Alan's unsuccessful leaving party. On disc 2 of the I'm Alan Partridge Series 1 DVD release, the theme music also plays on a loop over the menu, the background of which is a picture of Alan Partridge running through a field. The tune was also used as the opening theme of Finnish comedy series Studio Julmahuvi .

Video releases

Over the years there have been a number of VHS video releases of episodes (both single episode and 2 episode volumes and both PAL and NTSC format) by The Fremantle Corporation (with London Weekend Television/Talbot TV), [3] [4] VCI, [5] Video Gems., [6] and WH Smith Video. [7] Sony is often cited as the producer of videos released by The Fremantle Corporation, but it appears that the name Sony, the manufacturer of the cassette, was retained on the slip cases. [8] [9] [10] [11]

In 2001, Network entered the series tentatively into the DVD market with two "best of" DVDs, one for each season. A few days later, these DVDs were available as a two disc set. The DVDs were released as region 0, but being PAL format were not suitable for the North American market. (Note: They released "The Best of Series One" on VHS first on 11 Jun 2001. [12] "The Best of Series Two" followed in VHS on 13 Aug 2001. [13] )

Season/SeriesEp#Release DateEpisodes
The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series One517 Sep 2001 [14] "The Fugitive", "The Hostage", "'The Recruiting Sergeant", "Sailor on a Horse", "Father and Son"
The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series Two617 Sep 2001 [15] "Member of the Family Part 1", "Member of the Family Part 2", "The Medicine Man", "Out of the Night", "The Escape", and "Game of Chance"
The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Best of Series One & Two1124 Sep 2001 [16] "The Fugitive", "The Hostage", "'The Recruiting Sergeant", "Sailor on a Horse", "Father and Son",
"Member of the Family Part 1", "Member of the Family Part 2", "The Medicine Man", "Out of the Night", "The Escape", and "Game of Chance"

In 2007, Network offered the complete Season 1 as a 4 disc set in region 2. A few months later in 2008, Season 2 was released, also 4 discs and region 2. In 2009, these were combined and released as the complete series.

Season/SeriesEp#Release Date
The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 1 - Complete263 Sep 2007 [17]
The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 2 - Complete2614 Apr 2008 [18]
The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Complete Series525 Oct 2009 [19]

In 2008, Network released an anomalous offering of a DVD that included "The Recruiting Sergeant" (Season 1) and both parts of "Member of the Family" (Season 2), all of which had been part of their earlier "Best Of" DVDs. These were region 2 only.

Season/SeriesEp#Release DateEpisodes
The Adventures of Black Beauty - Two Episodes312 Jun 2008 [20] "The Recruiting Sergeant", "A Member of the Family Part 1", "A Member of the Family Part 2"

In 2009 Image Entertainment released first Season 1 and then Season 2 in Region 1. Each season was three discs.

Season/SeriesEp#Release Date
The Adventures of Black Beauty: Season 1265 May 2009 [21]
The Adventures of Black Beauty: Season 2264 August 2009 [22]

In 2012 Madacy Entertainment and Image Entertainment released The Best of Black Beauty a 10 disc Region 1 box set containing 42 episodes of The Adventures of Black Beauty and 44 episodes of The New Adventures of Black Beauty .

Season/SeriesEp#Release Date
The Best of Black Beauty42, plus 44 more from the later series18 Sep 2012 [23]

The Adventures of Black Beauty episodes included in The Best of Black Beauty are:

Season 1 - 1 episode omitted
Disc 1: The Fugitive, The Pit Pony, Man Trap, The Hostage, The Horse Thieves, Warhorse, Clown on Horseback
Disc 2: The Duel, The Viking Helmet (Part 1), The Viking Helmet (Part 2), The Barge, Day of Reckoning, The Horse Dealer, The Debt, Runaway, Three Lock to Fortune
Disc 3: Recruiting Sergeant, The Ruffians, The Witch, Two of a Kind, The Ponies, Father and Son, Wild Justice, Foul Play, Sailor on a Horse

Season 2 - 9 episodes omitted
Disc 4: A Member of the Family (Part 1), A Member of the Family (Part 2), The Outcast, Good Neighbours, Mission of Mercy, Battle of Wills, The Medicine Man, Out of the Night
Disc 5: A Long Hard Run, The Horse Breaker, The Last Roundup, Goodbye Beauty, The Escape, A Ribbon for Beauty, The Last Charge, Race against Time, Game of Chance

For the rest of the episodes in this box set, see The New Adventures of Black Beauty .

Related Research Articles

<i>Batman: The Animated Series</i> American animated television series

Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes. After the series ended its original run, a follow-up titled The New Batman Adventures began airing on Kids' WB in 1997 as a continuation of the series, featuring a revamped animation style to match that of the concurrently running Superman: The Animated Series, which was also set in the same continuity. Lasting 24 episodes, it has often been included in the same syndicated re-run packages and home media releases as the final season.

<i>The Amanda Show</i> American comedy television series

The Amanda Show is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show television series created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sullivan, and featured John Kassir, Raquel Lee, and Josh Peck. The show was a spin-off from All That, in which Bynes had co-starred for several years. The show ended on September 21, 2002. Writers for the show included Schneider, John Hoberg, Steven Molaro, and Andrew Hill Newman.

<i>She-Ra: Princess of Power</i> American animated television series from 1985–1987

She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated series produced in 1985 by Filmation. A spin-off of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, She-Ra was aimed primarily at a young female audience to complement He-Man's popularity with young males. Unlike He-Man, which was based on the Masters of the Universe toy line by Mattel, the creation of She-Ra was a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski for Filmation, while the characters introduced later were designed by Mattel. Mattel provided financial backing for the series, as well as an accompanying toy line. The series premiered in 1985 and was ended in 1987, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes.

<i>Foyles War</i> British television detective series (2002–2015)

Foyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by Midsomer Murders screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse ended in 2000. It began broadcasting on ITV in October 2002. ITV director of programmes Simon Shaps cancelled Foyle's War in 2007, but Peter Fincham revived the programme after good ratings for 2008's fifth series. The final episode was broadcast on 18 January 2015, after eight series.

<i>Men in Black: The Series</i> American animated television series

Men in Black: The Series is an American animated television series that originally aired on Kids' WB from October 11, 1997, to June 30, 2001.

<i>The Man from Snowy River</i> (TV series) Australian TV series or program

The Man from Snowy River is an Australian adventure drama television series based on Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man from Snowy River". Released in Australia as Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River, the series was subsequently released in both the United States and the United Kingdom as Snowy River: The McGregor Saga.

<i>Goosebumps</i> (1995 TV series) Horror anthology television series

Goosebumps is a children's anthology horror television series based on R. L. Stine's best-selling book series of the same name. It is an anthology of stories involving children and young adults in strange situations. The series is centered around the same supernatural or occult elements featured in the novels with most episodes being direct adaptions of the novels.

<i>Merlin</i> (2008 TV series) British fantasy-adventure television series (2008–2012)

Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure drama television programme, loosely based on the Arthurian legends regarding the close relations of Merlin and King Arthur. Created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy for the BBC, it was broadcast for five series on BBC One between 20 September 2008 and 24 December 2012. The programme starred Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, Anthony Head, and John Hurt.

<i>Frozen Planet</i> Nature documentary series focusing on life and the environment in both the Arctic and Antarctic

Frozen Planet is a 2011 British nature documentary series, co-produced by the BBC ZDF and The Open University. It was filmed by the BBC Natural History Unit. The production team, which includes executive producer Alastair Fothergill and series producer Vanessa Berlowitz, were previously responsible for the award-winning series The Blue Planet (2001) and Planet Earth (2006), and Frozen Planet is billed as a sequel of sorts. David Attenborough returns as narrator. It is distributed under licence by the BBC in other countries, Discovery Channel for North America, ZDF for Germany, Antena 3 for Spain and Skai TV for Greece.

<i>The New Adventures of Black Beauty</i> 1990s television series

The New Adventures of Black Beauty was a television drama series produced in the early 1990s. The show was produced first in New Zealand, then in Australia. The two different productions had different characters and plotlines, un-related except through the horse, Black Beauty.

<i>The Vampire Diaries</i> 2009 American supernatural teen drama television series

The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, 2009, and concluded on March 10, 2017, having aired 171 episodes over eight seasons.

<i>Breaking Bad</i> (season 1) First season of the AMC crime drama television series

The first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad premiered on January 20, 2008 and concluded on March 9, 2008. It consisted of seven episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length, except the pilot episode which runs for approximately 58 minutes. AMC broadcast the first season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States. The first season was originally going to consist of nine episodes, but was reduced to seven by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The complete first season was released on Region 1 DVD on February 24, 2009 and Region A Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.

The American television series Glee has generated a range of merchandise including soundtracks, DVD and Blu-ray sets, young adult novels and apparel. The show's musical releases have been a commercial success, including several number one, platinum-selling albums. A Glee karaoke game based on the series by Karaoke Revolution was released in November 2009 only on Wii, as well as the fictional autobiography of the character Sue Sylvester.

<i>The Dating Guy</i> Canadian adult animated TV series

The Dating Guy is a Canadian adult animated series and sitcom that originally aired on Teletoon at Night starting on September 17, 2008 and ending on May 8, 2010.

References

  1. ↑ Sheridan, Simon (2004). The A-Z of Classic Children's Television: From Alberto Frog to Zebedee. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. pp. 27–29. ISBN   1903111277.
  2. ↑ "Equity to back Black Beauty rights", The Stage and Television Today , 6 December 1990
  3. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty (Various Volumes). "The Adventures of Black Beauty (Various Volumes)". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  4. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Fugitive: The Origin of Black Beauty (Season 1, Episode 1). "The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Fugitive: The Origin of Black Beauty (Season 1, Episode 1)". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Viking Helmet. "The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Viking Helmet". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  6. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty. "The Adventures of Black Beauty". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  7. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - 4 Episodes. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - 4 Episodes". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 2 Member of the Family. "The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 2 Member of the Family". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 3 A Ribbon for Beauty, A Mission of Mercy. "The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 3 A Ribbon for Beauty, A Mission of Mercy". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 5 Out of the Night, Good Neighbors. "The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 5 Out of the Night, Good Neighbors". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 6 The Quarry, The Challenge. "The Adventures of Black Beauty Vol 6 The Quarry, The Challenge". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series One. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series One". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  13. ↑ The New Adventures of Black Beauty: Season One. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series Two". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  14. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series One. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series One". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  15. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series Two. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Best of Series Two". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  16. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Best of Series One & Two. "The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Best of Series One & Two". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  17. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 1 - Complete. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 1 - Complete". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 2 - Complete. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 2 - Complete". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Complete Series. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - The Complete Series". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  20. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty - Two Episodes. "The Adventures of Black Beauty - Two Episodes". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  21. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty: Season One (5 May 2009). "The Adventures of Black Beauty: Season One". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  22. ↑ The Adventures of Black Beauty: Season Two (4 August 2009). "The Adventures of Black Beauty: Season Two". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  23. ↑ The Best of Black Beauty. "The Best of Black Beauty". Amazon. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.