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animal actor
Rin-Tin-Tin
Rin-Tin-Tin
 | short profile |
"At first the dog did not know [that] he was watching pictures of himself,
but when it dawned on him his tail wagged ferociously."
— trainer Lee Duncan
B I O
h e r e
was the world's biggest box-office draw by 1926; during voting for the first Academy Awards of 1927, Rin-Tin-Tin won for Best Actor; but the shocked Academy refused to give the award to an animal, and the Oscar was presented to Emil Jannings instead
Made his first film in 1923 and was the world's biggest box-office draw by 1926; by 1926 was earning $6000 a week.
trainer-owner Lee Duncan [18921960]
Lee Duncan credits [1923-59] at Internet Movie Database no entry at Wikipedia
Movies of Rin Tin Tin
The movie credits for Rin Rin Tin are a jumble, based on inaccuracies posted to IMDb from screenshots
& movie prints; the original Rin Tin Tin worked in movies from 1922 to 1931
Rin Tin Tin [1922-31] credits at Internet Movie Database
Rin Tin Tin, Jr. [circa 1932-39] credits at Internet Movie Database
Rin Tin Tin III [circa 1939-47] credits at Internet Movie Database
Rin Tin Tin II (or IV) [circa 1954-59] credits at Internet Movie Database
search Rin-Tin-Tin videos/DVDs at Amazon
 | "Wonder Dogs: 101 German Shepherd Dog Films" [2009] by Jordan Taylor Reel Dogs Press pb [12/2009] for $9.98 |
 | "The Legend of Rin Tin Tin" DVD Box Set [2008]
Mill Creek Ent. b&w DVD set [8/2011] 4 disks for $8.99 Mill Creek Ent. b&w DVD set [1/2008] 4 disks for $4.47 contains four Mascot Pictures 12-chapter serials {see details below}: "The Lone Defender" [1930] starring Rin Tin Tin; "The Lightning Warrior" [1931] starring Rin Tin Tin; "The Law of the Wild" [1934] starring Rin Tin Tin Jr. & Rex the Horse; and "The Adventures of Rex and Rinty" [1935] starring Rin Tin Tin Jr. & Rex the Horse more info on movie serials on Magic Lantern's Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages |
 | "The Rin Tin Tin Collection, Volume 1" DVD Box Set [2008]
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD set [4/2008] 9 disks for $34.89 contains 5 feature films and four Mascot Pictures 12-chapter serials {see details below}: "The Adventures of Rex and Rinty" [1935 serial] starring Rin Tin Tin Jr. & Rex the Horse; "Caryl of The Mountains [1936] starring Rin Tin Tin Jr.; "The Law of the Wild" [1934 serial] starring Rin Tin Tin Jr. & Rex the Horse; "The Lightning Warrior" [1931 serial] starring Rin Tin Tin; "The Lone Defender" [1930 serial] starring Rin Tin Tin; "The Return of Rin Tin Tin" [1947] starring Rin Tin Tin III & Robert Blake; "Skull and Crown" [1935] starring Rin Tin Tin, Jr.; "The Test" [1935] starring Rin Tin Tin, Jr. & Nanette The Dog; and "Vengeance of Rannah" [1936] starring Rin Tin Tin, Jr. |
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"The Man From Hell's River" silent feature [May 1922]
Rinty's screen debut, playing a wolf
"My Dad" silent feature [July 1922] /tt0013418/
Rinty's first screen credit
"Where The North Begins" silent feature [Warner Bros. July 1923]
 | The film was a huge success and has often been credited with saving Warner Bros. Pictures from bankruptcy; an Alsatian pup is lost in Alaska and raised by wolves; the grown 'wolf dog' rescues a trapper who was ambushed by thieves and left for dead. Then they go to town and the trapper meets a girl ...
Co-written & directed by Chester M. Franklin; script co-written by Lee Duncan; starring Rin Tin Tin, Claire Adams, Walter McGrail, Pat Hartigan, Myrtle Owen, Charles Stevens & Fred Huntley
Grapevine Video b&w DVD-R [undated] for $14.95 Sublime CD & Video b&w VHS [undated] for $29.95 full credits at IMDb |
"Shadows of The North" silent feature [Aug 1923] /tt0014461/
Directed by Robert F. Hill; based on a novel by Edison Marshall
"Find Your Man" silent feature [Sept 1924] /tt0014901/
Written & produced by Darryl F. Zanuck; directed by Malcolm St. Clair
"Clash of The Wolves" silent feature [Nov 1925] /tt0015687/
starring Rin Tin Tin, Nanette, Charles Farrell & June Marlowe
listed on the National Film Registry in 2004
"A Hero of The Big Snows" [1926]
"Hero of The Big Snows: A Story of The Frozen North" novelization [1926]
Based on the motion picture story by Ewart Adamson /B00430DE2Y/
"Tracked By The Police" [Warner Bros. May 1927] /tt0018501/
"A Dog of The Regiment" [Oct 1927] /tt0017817/
"Tiger Rose" [1929]
"The Lone Defender" 12-chapter serial
[Mascot Pictures March 1930]
 | The Cactus Kid and his gang ambush two prospectors, killing one; the murder is witnessed by the man's dog, Rinty. The gang pursues the dog, hoping to locate the gold mine; the dog gets help from a girl and a government agent.
Chapter Titles: 1. The Mystery of The Desert; 2. The Fugitive; 3. Jaws of Peril; 4. Trapped; 5. Circle of Death; 6. Surrounded By Law; 7. The Ghost Speaks; 8. The Brink of Destruction; 9. The Avalanche; 10. Fury of The Desert; 11. Cornered; and 12. Vindicated! Directed by Richard Thorpe; starring Rin Tin Tin, June Marlowe, Walter Miller, Lee Shumway, Frank Lanning & Josef Swickard
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [7/2007] for $7.98 full credits at IMDb serial entry at Wikipedia |
more info on movie serials on Magic Lantern's Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages
"On The Border" [Warner Bros. March 1930]
 | A smuggler of Chinese workers buys the Las Floras Rancho because it is on the border with Mexico; he also has designs on the former owner's daughter. Directed by William C. McGann; written by Lillie Hayward; starring Rin Tin Tin, Armida, John Litel, Philo McCullough & Bruce Covington
DVD/Blu-ray not available credits at IMDb no entry at Wikipedia |
"The Lightning Warrior" 12-chapter serial [Mascot Pictures Dec 1931]
 | A mysterious masked figure, The Wolfman, leads an Indian uprising to drive local settlers off their land; he kills two men, whose son & brother & dog Rinty hunt down and defeat the villain. Chapter Titles: 1. Drums of Doom; 2. The Wolf Man; 3. Empty Saddles; 4. Flaming Arrows; 5. The Invisible Enemy; 6. The Fatal Name; 7. The Ordeal of Fire; 8. The Man Who Knew; 9. Traitor's Hour; 10. Secret of The Cave; 11. Red Shadows; and 12. Painted Faces Directed by Benjamin H. Kline & Armand Schaefer; starring Rin Tin Tin, Frankie Darro, Hayden Stevenson, George Brent, Pat O'Malley, Georgia Hale, Yakima Canutt & Theodore Lorch
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [8/2006] for $7.98 V.C.I. Video b&w VHS [6/2002] 2 tapes for $25.00 full credits at IMDb serial entry at Wikipedia |
more info on movie serials on Magic Lantern's Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages
"The Wolf Dog" 12-chapter serial [Mascot Pictures Sept 1933]
 | The caretaker of a young boy plots to kill him for the inherited wealth; the boy escapes several attempts on his life, and then is aided by a telegraph operator and his 'wolf dog', and a girl. Chapter Titles: 1. The Call of The Wilderness; 2. The Shadow of A Crime; 3. The Fugitive; 4. A Dead Man's Hand; 5. Wolf Pack Law; 6. Gates of Mercy; 7. The Empty Room; 8. Avenging Fanks; 9. Wizard of The Wireless; 10. Accused!; 11. The Broken Record; and 12. Danger Lights
Co-written & co-directed by Colbert Clark; co-directed by Harry L. Fraser; starring Rin Tin Tin Jr., Frankie Darro, Boots Mallory, George J. Lewis, Henry B. Walthall, Hale Hamilton, Yakima Canutt & Niles Welch
DVD/Blu-ray not available full credits at IMDb serial entry at Wikipedia |
more info on movie serials on Magic Lantern's Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages
"The Law of The Wild" 12-chapter serial
[Mascot Pictures Sept 1934]
 | Nolan falsely accuses Sheldon of murder, then steals his horse to ride in the big race; Sheldon's dog and a girl rescue the horse, and she rides him in the big race, and their winnings are enough to pay for a defense lawyer for Sheldon. Chapter Titles: 1. The Man Killer; 2. The Battle of The Strong; 3. The Cross-Eyed Goony; 4. Avenging Fangs; 5. A Dean Man's Hand; 6. Horse Thief Justice; 7. The Death Stampede; 8. The Canyon of Calamity; 9. Robber's Roost; 10. King of The Range; 11. Winner Take All; and 12. The Grand Sweepstakes Co-written & co-directed by B. Reeves Eason; co-directed by Armand Schaefer; starring Rin Tin Tin Jr., Rex the Horse, Bob Custer, Lucile Browne, Ben Turpin & Richard Cramer
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [11/2006] for $7.98 V.C.I. Video b&w VHS [10/95] for $10.95 full credits at IMDb serial entry at Wikipedia |
more info on movie serials on Magic Lantern's Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages
"Skull and Crown" [Dec 1935] starring Rin Tin Tin, Jr.
"The Test" [1935] starring Rin Tin Tin, Jr. & Nanette the Dog
"The Adventures of Rex and Rinty" 12-chapter serial
[Mascot Pictures Aug 1935]
 | Greedy rancher Crawford steals a sacred god-horse from Africa, to train as a polo pony, but the horse escapes and joins an independent dog (Rinty) in the wild. A friendly polo player takes them back to Africa, where Crawford convinces the natives that the horse must be burned as a sacrifice. — Chapter Titles: 1. The God Horse of Sujan; 2. Sport of Kings; 3. Fangs of Flame; 4. Home-ward Bound; 5. Babes In The Woods; 6. Dead Man's Tale; 7. End of The Road; 8. A Dog's Devotion; 9. The Stranger's Recall; 10. The Siren of Death; 11. New Gods For Old; and 12. Primitive Justice
Co-written & co-directed by B. Reeves Eason; co-written by Ford Beebe; starring Rin Tin Tin Jr., Rex The Horse, Kane Richmond, Norma Taylor, Mischa Auer, Smiley Burnette & Harry Woods
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [6/2007] for $7.98 V.C.I. Video b&w VHS [3/91] 2 tapes for $19.99 full credits at IMDb serial entry at Wikipedia |
more info on movie serials on Magic Lantern's Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages
"Caryl of The Mountains" [1936] starring Rin Tin Tin Jr.
"Vengeance of Rannah" [1936] /tt0168239/
starring Bob Custer, Nanette The Dog & Rin Tin Tin, Jr.
"Hollywood Cavalcade" [Fox Oct 1939]
 | Filmed in Technicolor and black & white; loosely based on the team of Mack Sennett {technical advisor} & Mabel Normand. A movie director of the Silent Era brings a young actress from Broadway to Hollywood, where she becomes a star; although they love each other, she marries a costar, so the director fires both actors, and his directing career declines.
Directed by Irving Cummings & Malcolm St. Clair; starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Stuart Erwin & Donald Meek, with cameos by silent film actors Chick Chandler, Chester Conklin, Heinie Conklin, James Finlayson, Al Jolson, Buster Keaton, Hank Mann, 'Snub' Pollard, Jed Prouty, Rin-Tin-Tin, Jr., Mack Sennett & Ben Turpin
Fox b&w/color DVD [10/2008] for $13.49 full credits from IMDb |
"Law of The Wolf" [1939] starring Rin Tin Tin III
"The Return of Rin Tin Tin" [1947] starring Rin Tin Tin III & Robert Blake
http://www.amazon.com/Return-Rin-Tin/dp/B000DN5VQM/
http://www.amazon.com/Return-Rin-Tin-Slim-Case/dp/B0006MYKBC/
"The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" TV series
[Screen Gems/A.B.C. Oct 1954 to May 1959; daytime reruns Oct 1959 to Sept 1964]
series credits at IMDb series entry at Wikipedia
164-episode half-hour TV series (about a dozen episodes are available on VHS); starring
Rin Tin Tin {II or III or IV?}, Lee Aaker, James Brown, Joe Sawyer, Rand Brooks & Hal Hopper
watch color TV show opener [32 seconds] for free at YouTube
Rin-Tin-Tin TV theme song [MP3 1:01]
 | "Rin-Tin-Tin: Hero of The West" [indep video April 1991] Features three 'colorized' Rin-Tin-Tin television episodes starring Rin Tin Tin {II or III or IV?}, Lee Aaker, James Brown, Joe Sawyer, Rand Brooks, Leo Gordon, Louis Lettieri, Steve Rich & Pierre Watkin Monterey Home Video color VHS [4/91] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
 | "Forward Ho! The Life of Rin Tin Tin Actor James Brown" [2010] by Linda Ruhl, RVT Mill City Press 10x7 pb [8/2010] out ot print/SOLD OUT! |
"Rin Tin Tin: K9 Cop" {USA title} TV series [Canada 198893]
"Katts and Dog" {Canadian title}
series credits at IMDb
series entry at Wikipedia
106 half-hour episodes produced by Herbert B. Leonard; starring Jesse Collins & Andrew Bednarski;
the dog in the Canadian original was 'Rudy', which was over-dubbed for America as 'Rinty'
Books, Stageplays, Other Media
"The Wonder Dog" radio show [April to Sept 1930]
15-minute program broadcast on the Blue Network
"Rin Tin Tin" radio show [Sept 1930 to June 1933]
original Rin Tin Tin replaced by Rin Tin Tin, Jr, in 1932; also starring Don Ameche & Junior McLain
"Rin Tin Tin" radio show [Oct 1933 to May 1934]
15-minute program sponsored by Ken-L Ration, broadcast on C.B.S.
"Rin Tin Tin" radio show [Jan to Dec 1955]
30-minute program broadcast on Mutual, sponsored by National Biscuit for Shredded Wheat & Milk-Bone
dog biscuits; starred Lee Aaker {as Rusty}, James Brown {as Lt. 'Rip' Masters of the 101st Cavalry}
and Joe Sawyer {as Sergeant Biff O'Hara}
 | "The Rin-Tin-Tin Book of Dog Care: A Complete Guide To The Care and Training of Dogs of All Breeds" [1958] by Lee Duncan Prentice-Hall hardcover [1958] out of print/used |
F i c t i o n
 | "Rin Tin Tin and Rusty: A Little Golden Book" [S&S 1955] by Monica Hill, Illustrated by Mel Crawford Simon & Schuster / Golden Books hardcover [1955] out of print/used |
 | "Rinda: Daughter of Rin-Tin-Tin" [1970] by Marguerite Lofthus, Foreword by L.E. Maxwell self publd hardcover [1970] out of print/used self publd hardcover [1970] out of print/scarce |
"Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood" [Paramount May 1976]
 | Spoof of the days when the top box office star in Hollywood was a dog. Co-produced & directed by Michael Winner; music by Neal Hefti; starring Madeline Kahn, Bruce Dern, Art Carney, Phil Silvers, Teri Garr & Ron Leibman; with cameos by an impressive cast of old movie stars, supporting actors, bit players, and celebrities, including Stepin Fetchit, Rudy Vallee, George Jessel, Ann Rutherford, Andy Devine, Huntz Hall, Doodles Weaver, William Demarest, Dorothy Lamour, Johnny Weissmuller, Mike Mazurki & Peter Lawford Legend Films widescreen color DVD [7/2008] for $5.99 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $6.29 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $9.99 full credits at IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia novelization [1976] by E.M. Corder Pocket Books movie tie-in mass pb [4/76] out of print/used |
 | "Sunnyside: A Novel" [2009 bestseller] by Glen David Gold The lives of three men overlap at the beginning of The Great War: a soldier sent to France, another soldier sent to Russia, and the first and biggest worldwide movie star of the Silent Era, Charlie Chaplin; the cast includes Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Rin-Tin-Tin, Adolph Zukor, Chaplins child bride, three Russian princesses, a thieving Girl Scout, and assorted movie-makers & starstruck fans. Vintage 8x5¼ pb [5/2010] for $11.53 Knopf 9¼x6¾ deckle-edge hardcover [5/2009] for $17.79 |
Works About Rin-Tin-Tin
"Dog Stars of Hollywood" [Saalfield Publng, 1936] by Gertrude Orr
 | "The Rin Tin Tin Story" [1949] by James W. English Dodd, Mead & Co. hardcover [1958] out of print/used Dodd, Mead & Co. hardcover [1949] out of print/used |
 | "Rin Tin Tin's Legacy" [1998] by Daphne Hereford, president of Rin Tin Tin, Inc. self-publd booklet [1998] out of print/scarce |
 | "Silent Stars" [1999] by Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan Univ Press pb [11/2000] for $21.24 Diane Publng hardcover [4/99] for $35.00 Knopf 9x7 hardcover [10/99] out of print/used featured stars include Clara Bow, Lon Chaney, Marion Davies, Douglas Fairbanks, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, William S. Hart, The Keystone Cops, Tom Mix, Colleen Moore, Pola Negri, Mabel Normand, Mary Pickford, Rin-Tin-Tin, Gloria Swanson, Constance & Norma Talmadge, and Rudolph Valentino |
"The Spirit of Rin-Tin-Tin" [self-publd 2001] by Allan Shields
"Rin Tin Tin: Top Dog In The Movies" [2004] author unknown
McGraw Hill hardcover [2004] out of print/used
"Finding Rin Tin Tin" [2007 video release]
 | The 'true story' of Lee Duncan's discovery during World War I of the Alsatian pup that he trained to become the movie star Rin Tin Tin. The official Rin Tin Tin, Inc. people were very displeased, as permission to use Rinty's identity was neither sought nor granted (and their lawsuit lost). Filmed in Bulgaria; directed by Danny Lerner; starring Tyler Jensen {as Lee Duncan}, Ben Cross & Garrick Hagon; the dog was played by six different animals
First Look/Millennium widescreen color DVD [9/2008] for $7.99 full credits at IMDb |
 | "Hollywood's Top Dogs: The Dog Hero In Film" [2008] by Deborah Painter animal stars covered include Ace, Asta, Benji, Flash, Jean, Lad, Lassie, Lightnin', Peter the Great, Rin-Tin-Tin, and Strongheart Midnight Marquee Press 9x6 pb [6/2008] for $25.00 |
 | "Rin-Tin-Tin: The Movie Star" [2010] by Ann Elwood CreateSpace 10x7 pb [10/2010] for $14.95 |
 | "Rin Tin Tin: The Life and The Legend [2011] by Susan Orlean Simon & Schuster hardcover [9/2011] for $17.76 |
L i n k s
official Rin Tin Tin website
Rin Tin Tin entry at Wikipedia
Rin Tin Tin [1922-31] credits at Internet Movie Database
search Rin-Tin-Tin videos/DVDs at Amazon
El Rancho Rin Tin Tin in Latexo, Texas
here on the animal actor Rin-Tin-Tin Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
top of page short profile movies of Rin Tin Tin Rin-Tin-Tin TV series books, plays, other media fiction works about Rin Tin Tin links
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