This article has appeared previously in Equestrian Life magazine. To see what’s in the latest digital issue, click here.

A publicity shot for the ‘Fury’ TV series, with Joey (Bobby Diamond) in the saddle

Fury, a stallion with standards

By Suzy Jarratt

Long before Fast & Furious and Fury Road, there was Fury! This wild black stallion not only taught morality to a generation of Saturday morning television viewers, he went on to be the highest grossing animal star after Lassie!

Every Saturday morning Fury (1955-1960, NBC) was watched by tens of thousands of eager young viewers. These were “wholesome” 30-minute westerns with simple storylines promoting moral and ethical values (the total antithesis to Inglourious Basterds!).

The wife and son of widower (Jim Newton) had been killed by a drunk driver. Newton, who owned a ranch, adopted an orphan boy (Joey) who had been wrongly accused of a minor crime. At the ranch, Joey developed a close relationship with Fury. The horse felt the same about the boy and wouldn’t let anyone else ride him unless Joey said it was okay. Each episode involved a person getting into trouble for doing something bad who would then be saved by Fury. There was a definite attempt to teach the kids what was and was not acceptable behaviour.

It is not documented whether all Fury fans grew up to be squeaky-clean citizens; what we do know is that they were glued to their televisions every week because each episode featured a beautiful black American Saddlebred…

Read the full article in the July 2021 issue of Equestrian Life magazine here.

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