Rin Tin Tin
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Rin Tin Tin (often billed as Rin-Tin-Tin in the 1920s and 1930s) was the name given to several German Shepherd dogs in film and television.
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[edit] Original Rin Tin Tin
The first of the line (c. September 10, 1918 – August 10, 1932) was a shell-shocked pup found by American serviceman Lee Duncan in a bombed-out dog kennel in Lorraine, France, less than two months before the end of World War I. Named for a puppet called Rintintin that French children gave to the American soldiers for good luck, the dog returned at war's end with Duncan to his home in Los Angeles, California.
Nicknamed Rinty by his owner, the dog learned tricks and could leap 11 feet 9 inches. He was seen performing at a dog show by film producer Charles Jones, who paid Duncan to film Rinty. Duncan became convinced Rin Tin Tin could become the next Strongheart. The dog's big break came when he stepped in for a recalcitrant wolf in The Man From Hell's River (1922). Rin Tin Tin would be cast as a wolf or wolf-hybrid many times in his career, despite looking little to nothing like one. His first starring role, 1923's Where The North Begins, playing alongside silent screen actress Claire Adams, was a huge success often credited with saving Warner Brothers from bankruptcy. It was followed by Shadows Of The North (1923), Clash of the Wolves (1925), A Dog of the Regiment (1927), Tiger Rose (1929) and The Lightning Warrior (1931). The dog also had his own radio show in 1930, called The Wonder Dog, on which he did his own sound effects.
Though at the time his performances were well received, with advances in dog training techniques, contemporary dog actors are largely viewed as superior, delivering far more believable performances.
True to his French birthright, the dog dined each day — to the sounds of classical music — on a choice cut of tenderloin steak specially prepared by a private chef.
Following Rin Tin Tin's death in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, (in the arms of actress Jean Harlow, according to Hollywood legend) his owner arranged to have the dog returned to his country of birth for burial in the Cimetière des Chiens, the renowned pet cemetery in the Parisian suburb of Asnières-sur-Seine.
Rin Tin Tin was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1623 Vine St.
[edit] Successor Rin Tin Tins
As with most canine film stars, Rin Tin Tin had several uncredited doubles. Rin Tin Tin Jr. appeared in several short films in the 1930s including the 12-part serial, The Adventures of Rex and Rinty. Rin Tin Tin III starred alongside a young Robert Blake in 1947's The Return of Rin Tin Tin.
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, an ABC television series that ran between October 1954 and May 1959, featured Duncan's Rin Tin Tin IV as the lead dog, although much of the work actually was performed by Rin Tin Tin II and several other dogs.
None of the three resembled the original much physically. The name 'Rin Tin Tin' has since been attached to various projects that have had little if anything to do with Duncan or his dogs.
The bloodline of Rin Tin Tin IV continues through breeding of his offspring at the Rin Tin Tin kennel in Latexo, Texas. The current Rin Tin Tin is #10 in the line who continues in film and with personal appearances. In 2004, publisher Little, Brown reportedly agreed to pay Susan Orlean more than $1 million for a Rin Tin Tin biography.
[edit] Early filmography
- Man From Hell's River (1922)
- Where The North Begins (1923)
- Shadows Of The North (1923)
- The Lighthouse By The Sea (1924)
- Clash Of The Wolves (1925)
- The Night Cry (1926)
- While London Sleeps (1926)
- Hills Of Kentucky (1927)
- Tracked By The Police (1927)
- A Race For Life (1928)
- The Million Dollar Collar (1929)
- A Dog Of The Regiment (1929)
- Tiger Rose (1929)
- The Wonderdog (1930) - radio show
- The Lightning Warrior (1931)
[edit] Further reading
- Jeanine Basinger (1999), chapter on Rin Tin Tin in Silent Stars, (ISBN 0-8195-6451-6).
