Etzel von Oeringen, better known as Strongheart, was a male German Shepherd that was one of the early canine stars of feature films.
Laurence Norwood Trimble was an American silent film director, writer and actor. Trimble began his film career directing Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine to have a leading role in motion pictures. He made his acting debut in the 1910 silent Saved by the Flag, directed scores of films for Vitagraph and other studios, and became head of production for Florence Turner's independent film company in England (1913–1916). Trimble was most widely known for his four films starring Strongheart, a German Shepherd dog he discovered and trained that became the first major canine film star. After he left filmmaking he trained animals exclusively, particularly guide dogs for the blind.
Jean, also known as the Vitagraph Dog (1902–1916), was a female collie that starred in silent films. Owned and guided by director Laurence Trimble, she was the first canine to have a leading role in motion pictures. Jean was with Vitagraph Studios from 1909, and in 1913 went with Trimble to England to work with Florence Turner in her own independent film company.
Lillian Rose Rich Woodland, more commonly known as Lillian Rich was an English-born actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1919 and 1940.
The Great Love is a 1918 American silent war drama film directed and written by D. W. Griffith who, along with scenario writer Stanner E.V. Taylor, is credited as "Captain Victor Marier". The film stars George Fawcett, Robert Harron, and Lillian Gish. Set during World War I, exterior scenes were shot on location in England. The Great Love is now considered to be a lost film.
Jane Murfin, née Macklem was an American playwright and screenwriter. The author of several successful plays, she wrote some of them with actress Jane Cowl—most notably Smilin' Through (1919), which was adapted three times for motion pictures. In Hollywood Murfin became a popular screenwriter whose credits include What Price Hollywood? (1932), for which she received an Academy Award nomination. In the 1920s she lived with Laurence Trimble, writing and producing films for their dog Strongheart, the first major canine star.
Cytherea is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Alma Rubens, Lewis Stone, Constance Bennett, and Norman Kerry. Based on the novel Cytherea, Goddess of Love, by Joseph Hergesheimer and was adapted for the screen by Frances Marion. Cytherea features two dream sequences filmed in an early version of the Technicolor color film process. The film is also known as The Forbidden Way.
Braveheart is a 1925 American silent contemporary Western film directed by Alan Hale Sr. and starring Rod La Rocque. The story focuses on members of a tribe of Indians who are being intimidated by the owners of a canning company seeking to violate a treaty protecting the tribe's fishing grounds. Braveheart is a remake of the 1914 film Strongheart directed by James Kirkwood Sr. and produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
Arizona Express is a 1924 American silent crime drama film directed by Tom Buckingham and starring Pauline Starke and Evelyn Brent.
Sundown is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Laurence Trimble and Harry O. Hoyt, produced and distributed by First National Pictures, and starring Bessie Love. Frances Marion, Marion Fairfax, and Kenneth B. Clarke wrote the screenplay based on an original screen story by Earl Hudson. This film was the only production cinematographer David Thompson ever worked on. This film is presumed lost.
Brawn of the North is a lost 1922 American silent Northwoods film. It was produced by Laurence Trimble and Jane Murfin with release through Associated First National Pictures. The film stars Irene Rich and a new canine find by Trimble named Strongheart. This was the second film starring the dog after his introduction in The Silent Call (1921). The film is now considered lost.
Between Friends is a 1924 American silent melodrama film based on the eponymous 1914 novel by Robert W. Chambers. The film was directed by J. Stuart Blackton and produced by Albert E. Smith. It stars Lou Tellegen, Anna Q. Nilsson, and Norman Kerry. The feature was distributed by Vitagraph Studios, which was founded by Blackton and Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. The film is lost.
South Sea Love is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by David Selman, which stars Shirley Mason, J. Frank Glendon, and Francis McDonald. The screenplay was written by Harrison Josephs, based on a short story by Fanny Hatton and Frederick Hatton, which appeared in the March 1923 edition of Young's Magazine.
Afraid to Fight is a 1922 silent American drama film directed by William Worthington and written by Charles Sarver. The film stars Frank Mayo, Lillian Rich, Peggy Cartwright, Lydia Knott, W.S. McDunnough, and Tom McGuire. The film was released on July 24, 1922, by Universal Film Manufacturing Company.
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.
The Phantom Horseman is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Robert North Bradbury and written by Isadore Bernstein. The film stars Jack Hoxie, Lillian Rich, Neil McKinnon, Wade Boteler, William McCall, and Ben Corbett. The film was released on March 3, 1924, by Universal Pictures.
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.
The Wild Girl is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Billy Bletcher and starring Louise Lorraine, Art Acord, and Andrew Waldron.
White Fang is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Laurence Trimble and featuring Theodore von Eltz, Ruth Dwyer, and Matthew Betz. It was produced by FBO Pictures as a starring vehicle for Strongheart, an Alsatian who appeared in a number of films during the decade. It is based on the 1906 novel White Fang by Jack London.
The Silent Call is a 1921 American silent adventure film directed by Laurence Trimble and featuring John Bowers, Kathryn McGuire and William Dyer. It was produced as a vehicle for the canine star Strongheart who appeared in several silent films.
