Rin Tin Tin :: essays research papers

The Dynasty and Legacy of Rin Tin Tin Some twelve thousand years ago, in what is now the Jordan Valley of Israel, a middle-aged man of the Natufian civilization died. When modern archaeologists excavated his tomb, they found that he had been buried with one hand lying on a puppy that had been buried with him. According to the archaeologists, that tomb shows that the very first animal domesticated by the human race was the dog, which was mankind's hunting companion and pet since ancient times (Edelson, 28). In the catacombs of Hollywood we uncover another representative of this great canine legacy – a dog named Rin Tin Tin. He was one of the first animal â€Å"stars† beloved to not one man but to millions of fans around the world. This entertainment great changed Hollywood and acted as a guide and example for successive animal celebrities. Rin Tin Tin showed the world that an animal could be just as big of a star as a human. This was one of the ironic truths for those working with â€Å"Rinty† as they used to call him. He would always steal the show from his human counterparts. Rinty was a strong influence to many future animal stars such as Lassie and Bengi. Rinty made dogs and other animals hero’s in the hearts of the people. He gave people an appreciation for animals all over the world. Even though Rinty helped other species of animal actors break through he was the biggest influence on other dogs in the film industry. Rin Tin Tin did have a predecessor. One of the greatest of those before Rin Tin Tin was a German shepherd named Strongheart. Director Larry Trimble decided in 1920 that a series of films starring a heroic dog would be a profitable venture and so the first dog star was made (Rothel, 152). A three-year-old German shepherd named Etzel von Oeringen, born of champion stock in Germany and trained to kill for military purposes was trained to be an actor in American motion pictures. Etzel von Oeringen, soon named Strongheart, became a star in a 1921 epic titled â€Å"The Silent Call†. Strongheart played a dog that was half wolf and that was more intelligent than its human owners. In this film Strongheart saved the life of a woman and managed to get her married, all while raising a family of his own.