Lost 1950s cowboy show Hank Rides Again rediscovered after 64 years

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It feels like a follow-up to a classic Western movie – and in a way, it is, but mostly for people who grew up watching kids’ TV shows from the 1950s.

Hank, a character known for his tall tales and reputation as the toughest person in the Wild West, was created by Francis Coudrill. He first appeared on the BBC’s children’s show, Whirligig, which began broadcasting live from Lime Grove Studios on November 25, 1950.

The initial episode was simply called ‘The Adventures of Hank.’ However, the next one was renamed ‘Hank Rides Again,’ and that title stuck for all subsequent episodes.

Let me tell you, each episode of this show started with a really unique touch. The host, Coudrill, would appear dressed as a cowboy and chat directly to us, but he wasn’t alone! He’d be talking *with* little puppet versions of Hank and his horse, Silver King, to set up the story. It was a smart move, really. Everyone was already used to the way cowboys talked thanks to all those Western movies, so Coudrill built on that, creating a fun, authentic dialect that felt totally natural.

By May 1952, the characters in his cowboy series had become popular enough to be noticed by *TopMob* magazine. They reported receiving letters – not just from children, but from many viewers – asking about the different voices on ‘Hank Rides Again,’ the upbeat Western segment of the ‘Whirligig’ show.

Let me tell you, the secret is out! It’s all Francis Coudrill – he’s the ventriloquist and does *every* voice you hear. Seriously, he’s amazing – he handles practically everything about that whole old-timey character, too!

We recently met a friendly 36-year-old man who explained how he creates the program. He starts by developing the story and, at the same time, plans the animations to clearly and simply convey the idea through movement. He’s been creating animations since he was in school – he originally made cut-out animations then, and has since used animation in different projects, like creating pictures for nurseries.

I create the final animations you see on TV by drawing and painting each movement. I build some of these animations entirely myself, while Alfred Wurmser and his team finish the rest, operating them in time with the dialogue I write.

Coudrill says his six-year-old son, Jonathon, is a tough critic, and that all of his ‘Hank’ stories actually started as bedtime tales he told Jonathon.

We reached out to Jonathon, a creative person – he’s an artist, musician, and writer – who lives in Cornwall, to ask about his recollections.

The article didn’t mention something that seemed unimportant back then: all the animations were done live. It’s hard for most people today, except those who work in live news, to appreciate the excitement and pressure of live television. Controlling the characters and providing their voices at the same time takes incredible skill, and my father definitely had it!

He said he’d drawn the sombrero for the character Mexican Pete around 300 times, much more than the 50 times he designed Hank’s hat! Looking back, I realize he had a unique talent, but when he first started performing in variety shows – going out each night and returning with a suitcase full of cash (because performers were paid in cash back in the 1940s) – I honestly thought he was a thief!

Alfred Wurmser was a natural choice to assist in the studio because he regularly provided captions for BBC television. However, his skills closely mirrored those of the other person involved, creating a sense of rivalry between them.

Both my father and Wurmser were strong and energetic men. My father enjoyed witty conversation and visual gags, but disliked pranks. Wurmser, who was Austrian, didn’t understand British humor but loved playing tricks. One such trick backfired when my father discovered a jar of cold cream in his coat pocket, leaving a permanent stain and immediately revealing the culprit.

The next time my father encountered Wurmser, their argument quickly turned into a playful scuffle on the studio floor. Luckily, it was completely silent, as Annette Mills and Muffin the Mule were broadcasting live just a short distance away. Thankfully, the studio manager, Bob Tronson, intervened and got things under control, allowing my father – who was already dressed in his cowboy outfit – to perform as scheduled.

After leaving Whirligig in 1954, Hank continued to be popular with young readers through a regular comic strip in TV Comic. At the same time, Coudrill, a former science teacher, used his hands-on skills to build a studio at his home in Beaconsfield. There, he created a series of ten-minute Hank films.

Man, I remember Gregories Manor like it was yesterday. It was this amazing space where we could paint the sets upstairs, and then bring those cardboard cutouts downstairs to actually film them. My dad, he was a genius with this stuff, built this whole tracking and panning setup for the Bolex camera right in the old parlor. And get this – next to it, he rigged up a Bell and Howell projector in a little sound booth. He controlled it all with these crazy foot pedals and levers, letting us shoot the film and record the sound separately, then sync it all up perfectly. It was a real DIY filmmaking operation!

I’ll never forget the smell of those old film screenings – the hot lights and machinery created this amazing, unique aroma of roasting celluloid. The music was a really special part of it too. My dad’s cowboy songs became the basis for improvisations by Gy Baskin and a young Lawrence Sheaff, who was only seventeen at the time. When they’d hit the road, my dad would ask *me* to handle the music and sound effects. I was already pretty comfortable with a lot of instruments and loved composing, so it was a blast. Honestly, getting paid for it at fourteen felt huge – it was my first professional gig!

The initial episodes were shown as part of “Let’s Get Together,” a series on Associated Rediffusion hosted by Jon Pertwee. In 1960, Francis Coudrill returned to the BBC, not as part of a show, but with his own dedicated time slot. Radio Times (RT) recognized this and published a profile about him.

The show initially ran for six episodes, followed by another seven in 1961. This seems to have been Hank’s final appearance on British TV, but fans were reassured by RT, who famously declared: “No matter the danger – whether it’s a vast desert, a steep cliff, a speeding train, or the schemes of villains like Mexican Pete or Big Chief Dirty Face – Hank will always return!”

Okay, so after 64 years, it looks like the predictions about the show *RT* are finally coming true! Hank, the main character, is set to reappear on television, which is amazing considering the BBC and ITV completely lost all the original episodes – they weren’t saved in any of the archives. Thankfully, a project called the *TopMob Treasure Hunt* stepped in. This was basically a public appeal for lost programs, and it’s been incredibly successful, getting over 250 responses! One of those responses came from a guy named Lee Clark, a friend of someone involved with the show, Jonathon Coudrille – though he spells his name with an extra ‘e’ now.

I was so excited when Clark got in touch! He’d been holding onto a bunch of old films for a friend – they were saved when Francis Coudrill’s studio shut down and everything else was sold off. He saw our request for lost TV episodes and thought we might be able to give them a good home. We checked them out, and wow – we found over 20 episodes of *Hank Rides Again*, including ones that originally aired in 1960 and 1961! It’s a real treasure.

The films were well-preserved, but it was surprising to discover they were all in color – and made at least seven years before color television became available in Britain. Jonathon explained that his father had been ahead of his time. Later, when Gerry Anderson stated that *Stingray* was the first children’s show filmed in color, Jonathon’s father officially protested to the television network ATV, asserting his earlier work.

It used to be impossible to imagine a renewed interest in classic TV shows. However, with the arrival of channels like Talking Pictures and Rewind TV, these older programs are finding an audience again. While they might not have the same special effects as modern shows, they offer a strong sense of nostalgia that viewers enjoy.

These old puppets aren’t just toys for some people; they represent a piece of 1950s culture. Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, a former head of the Arts Council and expert on Spaghetti Westerns, now owns Hank and the other puppets originally made by Francis Coudrill. We had a chance to speak with him about their significance.

“I was one the first generation of children lucky enough to have grown up with a TV in his home,” he explained. “It was Hank ‘s adventures which first kindled my interest in European Westerns. Every fortnight, on Whirligig, we could see an English artist in a check shirt reinterpreting American Westerns – especially ‘B’ Westerns with their whiskery sidekicks – for the enjoyment of British children.

I particularly enjoyed the unique, handcrafted animation style of Francis Coudrill, which felt like a refreshing alternative to the slick cartoons coming out of major American studios. While some of his characters, like Mexican Pete and Big Chief Dirty Face, were based on outdated stereotypes from the 1950s, they were ultimately good-natured and clearly inspired by old movies rather than reality.

I loved the puppets so much that when they were put up for sale in Penzance, I bought them to give them a good home. They’ve been with me for about 20 years now, and it’s still a little strange to see these characters, originally from an old TV show, become real, tangible objects.

I can still vividly picture the closing scene of each episode: Hank riding away into the sunset, disappearing over the horizon. For those of us old enough to remember simpler times – sitting in small living rooms, imagining adventures in vast landscapes, and listening to stories that seemed to grow with each retelling – Francis Coudrill’s creation, Hank, remains a powerful and lasting memory.

Rewind TV will be screening Hank Rides Again on Sundays at 3:45pm starting 19th October.

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2025-10-07 03:24