Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan, who nicknamed him "Rinty". Duncan trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for the dog. Rin Tin Tin was an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame. Along with the earlier canine film star Strongheart, Rin Tin Tin was responsible for greatly increasing the popularity of German Shepherd dogs as family pets. The immense profitability of his films contributed to the success of Warner Bros. studios and helped advance the career of Darryl F. Zanuck from screenwriter to producer and studio executive.
The Clash of the Wolves is a 1925 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Directed by Noel M. Smith, the film stars canine actor Rin Tin Tin, Charles Farrell and June Marlowe. It was filmed on location in Chatsworth, California, and at what would later become the Joshua Tree National Park. It was transferred onto 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s and shown on television. A 35mm print of the film was discovered in South Africa and restored in 2003. In 2004, The Clash of the Wolves was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
While London Sleeps is a 1926 synchronized sound Warner Bros. film about a police-dog, Rinty, who helps Scotland Yard defeat a dangerous criminal organisation known as the Mediterranean Brotherhood that operates out of the Limehouse district of London. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. Walter Morosco wrote the screenplay. It was the first of many films directed by Howard Bretherton, and one of several created for Rin Tin Tin, a German Shepherd dog used in films during the 1920s and 1930s. Only the sound discs to the film survive today with the visual film portions being lost. The British release prints censored the more horrific aspects of the film.
Kiss Me Again is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It stars Marie Prevost, Monte Blue, and Clara Bow. The film was based on the French play Divorçons! (1880), by Victorien Sardou and Émile de Najac, and the adapted version of the play Cyprienne.
The Lighthouse by the Sea is a 1924 American silent adventure film produced by and distributed by Warner Bros. The film's star is canine sensation Rin Tin Tin, the most famous animal actor of the 1920s. The film was directed by Malcolm St. Clair.
Where the North Begins is a 1923 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. This was the third film for up-and-coming canine actor Rin Tin Tin. The film survives today and lapsed into the public domain on January 1, 2019, along with all remaining American works from 1923 that had not yet lapsed.
Tracked by the Police is a 1927 silent film produced and distributed by the Warner Bros. with a story written by Darryl Zanuck. It stars dog actor Rin Tin Tin. Ray Enright directed with 'Rinty's' costars being Jason Robards, Sr. and Virginia Brown Faire. The film may have had a Vitaphone sound effects/music track that is now lost. The film is preserved at the Library of Congress.
Rough Waters is a 1930 American pre-Code all-talking adventure drama film that directed by John Daumery and starring Rin Tin Tin. The film was adapted by James A. Starr from a story by Lillie Hayward, and was the last Rin Tin Tin film produced by Warner Bros.
Find Your Man is a 1924 American silent action/drama film starring Rin Tin Tin and June Marlowe. It was directed by Mal St. Clair who persuaded Warner Bros. to hire his friend, Darryl F. Zanuck, to write the screenplay; this began a long association between Zanuck and Rin Tin Tin. Filming took place in Klamath Falls, Oregon. This film survives. It was transferred onto 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s and shown on television.
A Dog of the Regiment is a 1927 American synchronized sound drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. This film is presumed lost. According to Warner Bros records the film earned $188,000 domestic and $59,000 foreign.
A Race for Life is a 1928 American synchronized sound drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the sound-on-disc Vitaphone process. Originally, the film was presumed to be lost. However, according to the Library of Congress Database, the film was found in the Netherlands. The film was released with a Vitaphone soundtrack with a synchronised musical score and sound effects.
The Night Cry is a 1926 American silent family drama film directed by Herman C. Raymaker and starring Rin Tin Tin. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros.
Frozen River is a lost 1929 sound part-talkie film directed by F. Harmon Weight and starring the canine star Rin Tin Tin and boy actor Davey Lee. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. Warner Bros. produced and distributed the film.
Jaws of Steel is a 1927 American synchronized sound family adventure film directed by Ray Enright and featuring dog star Rin Tin Tin and Jason Robards, Sr. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. Warner Bros. produced and distributed the film. Darryl Zanuck, under the alias Gregory Rogers, wrote the story.
Tracked in the Snow Country is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Herman C. Raymaker, written by Edward J. Meagher and Herman C. Raymaker, and starring Rin Tin Tin, June Marlowe, David Butler, Mitchell Lewis, Charles Sellon, and Princess Lea. It was released by Warner Bros. on July 13, 1925.
Hills of Kentucky is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Edward Clark. The film stars Rin Tin Tin, Jason Robards, Sr. and Dorothy Dwan. It was released by Warner Bros. on February 19, 1927.
His Majesty, Bunker Bean is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Matt Moore. It is based on a 1916 play, His Majesty, Bunker Bean by Lee Wilson Dodd, taken from a novel Bunker Bean by Harry Leon Wilson. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros.
Recompense is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Harry Beaumont and written by Dorothy Farnum. It is based on the 1924 novel Recompense by Robert Keable. The film stars Marie Prevost, Monte Blue, John Roche, George Siegmann, Charles Stevens, and Virginia Brown Faire. The film was released by Warner Bros. on April 26, 1925.
North Star is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Paul Powell and starring Virginia Lee Corbin, Stuart Holmes, and Ken Maynard. The film was made as a showcase for Strongheart the Dog, a rival of Rin Tin Tin. Future star Clark Gable appears in a supporting role.
Thunder the Dog was a male German Shepherd that performed in American silent films from 1923 through 1927. Although Thunder's filmography is rather brief, his six- and seven-reel features were much longer and more elaborate than the films in which many of his fellow canine actors appeared during the silent era. His releases did, though, have to compete in the 1920s with other feature films starring rival German Shepherds such as Peter the Great, Napoleon, Rex, and, most notably, Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. During his career, Thunder worked for Paramount, Gotham Pictures, and Fox Film Corporation; and he shared screen time with Clara Bow, Dorothy Dalton, William Russell, Caryl Lincoln, and other prominent actors of the period.
