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.
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.
None but the Brave (1928) is an American silent film, released by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Albert Ray, and starring Charles Morton as Charles Stanton, Sally Phipps as Mary. The film also co-starred J. Farrell MacDonald, Sharon Lynn, and Tom Kennedy. One or two sequences were filmed in a two-strip Technicolor, made of black-and-white 35mm film dyed in colors. The film consists of six reels.
The Last Frontier is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by George B. Seitz and starring William Boyd, Marguerite De La Motte, and Jack Hoxie. The plot of this film was later reused in the 1948 Columbia Pictures serial Tex Granger.
Naughty but Nice is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Millard Webb. Colleen Moore plays Bernice Sumners, a hayseed sent to a ritzy boarding school for finishing after her family strikes it rich in oil.
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.
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.
The Love Master is a 1924 American silent family drama film starring canine star Strongheart and actress Lillian Rich, directed by Laurence Trimble. The film survives in a French archive.
With Buffalo Bill on the U.P. Trail, alternately called Buffalo Bill on the U.P. Trail, is a 1926 American silent historical Western film starring Roy Stewart as Buffalo Bill Cody. It was directed by Frank Mattison and produced by Anthony J. Xydias.
Texas Masquerade is a 1944 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud, written by Jack Lait Jr. and Norman Houston, and starring William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jimmy Rogers, Don Costello, Mady Correll and Francis McDonald. It was released on February 8, 1944, by United Artists.
From Headquarters is a 1929 American sound part-talkie adventure drama film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring Monte Blue, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Gladys Brockwell, Lionel Belmore, and Henry B. Walthall. 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. The film was released by Warner Bros. on April 27, 1929.
Two-Fisted Jones is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and written by Scott Darling. The film stars Jack Hoxie, Kathryn McGuire, William Steele, Harry Todd, Frank Rice, and Paul Grimes. The film was released on December 6, 1925, by Universal Pictures.
The Opening Night is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Claire Windsor, John Bowers and E. Alyn Warren.
Conflict is 1921 American silent drama film directed by Stuart Paton and starring Priscilla Dean, Edward Connelly and Hector V. Sarno.
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, a German Shepherd who appeared in a number of films during the decade. It is based on the 1906 novel White Fang by Jack London.
The Love Pirate is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Richard Thomas and starring Melbourne MacDowell, Carmel Myers and Kathryn McGuire.
Blood and Steel is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Helen Holmes, William Desmond, and Robert Edeson.
Bucking the Line is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Carl Harbaugh and starring Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn, Molly Malone and Kathryn McGuire.
