The classic career of Rin Tin Tin
Lassie wasn’t the only dog to make it big on television. In fact, Lassie emerged on the scene after a previous star had already made it big. That star was Rin Tin Tinoriginally a German Shepherd pup found by American soldier Lee Duncan. Duncan was stationed in Lorraine, France during World War I when he came across the lost dog. Naming him for a French puppet supposed to bring good luck, Duncan took the dog home with him to his Los Angeles home.
It was there that film producer Charles Jones observed “Rinty” performing at a dog show. Jones paid Duncan to film the dog. Another German Shepherd, Etzel von Oeringen aka Strongheart, had already started a career as a successful film star, and Duncan and Jones believed that Rin Tin Tin could replicate his success.
Rin Tin Tin first appeared on-screen as a wolf in the 1922 film The Man From Hell’s Riverdespite not looking anything like one. However, he would be typecast in this role many times through the years. In 1931, he starred in one of his only sound productions, the 12-part The Lightning Warrior, helping to bring down a mysterious masked villain.
Shortly before his death, Rin Tin Tin began starring in the radio serial The Wonder Doglater changed simply to Rin Tin Tin. Although Rinty died in 1932, this did nothing to diminish the show’s popularity. Instead, Rin Tin Tin, Jr., one of Rinty’s 48 pups, stepped in to fill the role. Rin Tin Tin, Jr. also starred in several short films during the 1930s, including The Law of the Wild and the Adventures of Rex and Rinty.
The Rin Tin Tin saga reached the small screen in 1954 with the launch of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. The dog was played by Rin Tin Tin IV, a direct descendant of Rinty and Rin Tin Tin, Jr. The show was set at a US Cavalry post called Fort ApacheRin Tin Tin was the pet of a young orphan boy who helped the soldiers patrol the Wild West. Numerous Western stars appeared on the show, including Rosco Ates, Dean Fredericks, Ed Hinton, Lee Van Cleef, and Harry Dean Stanton. Adventures was produced until 1959, and reruns originally ran until 1964. In 1976, reruns returned to the screen and were shown into the 1980s.
In 1988, a French/Canadian series called Katts and Dog was retitled Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop for American audiences. However, this show was not otherwise connected with the Rin Tin Tin legacy.