Famous Canines - Rin Tin Tin
Published in Cats & Dogs News
Rin Tin Tin was one of the earliest canine stars of screen and radio. He was found as a shell-shocked pup found by American Lee Duncan in a bombed-out dog kennel in Lorraine, France.
Named for a puppet called Rintintin, the dog returned at war's end with Duncan to his home in Los Angeles, California. Nicknamed Rinty by his owner, the dog learned tricks and could leap 11 feet 9 inches. He was seen performing at a dog show by film producer Charles Jones, who paid Duncan to film Rinty. The dog's big break came when he stepped in for a recalcitrant wolf in The Man From Hell's River (1922).
Rin Tin Tin would be cast as a wolf or wolf-hybrid many times in his career, despite looking little to nothing like one. He also had his own radio show in 1930, called The Wonder Dog, on which he did his own sound effects. Rin Tin Tin was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1623 Vine St.
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