Daisy: Blondie and Dagwood's Dog

When the popular comic strip Blondie started its long-running film series (1938-1950), Spooks played the part of the family dog Daisy.

Penny Singleton (Blondie), Spooks (Daisy) and Arthur Lake (Dagwood)

Spooks, a male cocker spaniel/poodle/terrier mix, was born around 1937 and belonged to Rennie Renfro. Renfro, an animal trainer, rescued the dog from an LA animal shelter and gave him the name Spooks because of his timidness. With the help of Rudd Weatherwax, the famous dog trainer who trained Lassie, the nervous dog went on to appear in over 50 films - Blondie being the most well-known. Spooks had a great personality and was able to express a number of emotions ranging from excitement to fear.

Spook did 27 of the 28 Blondie films, and became known as Daisy to Renfro and the world. In the episode Blondie's Blessed Event (1942), Daisy gives birth to five puppies. Daisy fathered many puppies, but none of the dogs portraying the puppies were claimed to be of relation to him. Other films Daisy appeared in include National Velvet (1944), Follow the Boys (1944), Hollywood & Vine (1945) and The Red Stallion (1947).

Daisy (Spooks) passed away in 1955 at about the age of 17, and his body was cremated.

Teddy: The Comical Great Dane in Early Silent Films

Teddy the Great Dane, who became known as Keystone Teddy, the Wonder Dog captured the hearts of Americans in the early 1900s, making him one of the most famous dogs at that time.

Teddy stood 42 inches tall and weighed almost 150 pounds. The giant dog began his acting career in 1913 at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios. He started out as an extra in a short film called A Little Hero, and got his break in 1916 in Sennett's one-reeler The Nick of Time Baby. By 1917, his name appeared in the title of Sennett's most famous Keystone comedy short film called Teddy At The Throttle, where he starred alongside Gloria Swanson and Bob Vernon. In this silent film, Teddy sings with Gloria, dances with the maid and near the end of the film he saves Gloria who is chained to a railroad track from an oncoming train.

Teddy pulling Bob Vernon with his tail on "Teddy At The Throttle"

Because of his athletic ability and onscreen antics, Teddy - dubbed as "the dog with the human brain" -  became the most popular dog film star in America. He appeared in magazines, made public appearances, and even sold war bonds. Interest in Great Danes grew throughout the nation and the name Teddy became the most popular dog name. According to one magazine article, Teddy earned $50 a week and paid $25 in taxes, and he received six soup bones a week. At the peak of his career, he became one of Sennett's highest paid actors, earning $350 a week. The public adored Teddy, and soon he became known as Keystone Teddy, the Wonder Dog.

Teddy with Louise Fazenda and Mack Sennett

Teddy continued to appear in many comedies alongside all of Sennett's biggest stars like Chester Conklin, Marie Prevost and Louise Fazenda. He was featured or starred in at least 60 films, mostly all shorts. During one filming on the beach in 1918, he became a real-life hero when he rescued an actress from the water. His last film was The Extra Girl with superstar Mabel Normand. Teddy retired in 1923 and passed away in 1925 at the age of 14. According to a movie critic writing for Variety, Teddy's performance was "wonderfully interesting" and "this canine performer does many things better than some human beings."

Teddy at the Throttle

Skippy: Better Known as Asta

Skippy achieved fame after playing Asta in the hit film The Thin Man. Due to the popularity of the role, he was often referred to as Asta - was even credited in other films as Asta.

Asta

Skippy, a wire-haired fox terrier, was born into show biz. He was born in 1931 and his owner was Hollywood's legendary animal trainer Henry East. Training began early in the dog's life, and at the age of six months he made his first appearance in a Three Stooges picture. It wasn't until 1934 that Skippy became a huge hit playing the spunky dog Asta in The Thin Man. The film was such a success, four sequels followed. Skippy was in the first three films. The last two films credited the other dogs as Asta, and the last film starred his son Asta II.

The Thin Man stars: William Powell, Skippy and Myrna Loy

Skippy was a really smart dog, and was great at following both verbal commands and hand cues. For the film Bringing Up Baby, he had to learn how to leer. To teach him, East would sit Skippy in front of a mirror, curl the dog's lips with his fingers and say the word leer each time he curled his lips. In no time, Skippy could leer on command.

According to East's wife, "When Skippy has to drink water in a scene, the first time he does it he really drinks. If there are retakes and he's had all the water he can drink, he'll go through the scene just as enthusiastically as though his throat were parched, but he'll fake it. If you watch closely you'll see he's just going through the motions of lapping and isn't really picking up water at all. And, because he has a sense of humor, he loves it when you laugh and tell him you've caught him faking but that it's all right with you."

When other dog actors were making $3.50 a day, Skippy was making $250 a week. He had his own dressing room, was fed a vegetarian diet, and was given 12 hours a night to get a good sleep.

Skippy starred in several films throughout his career. It is unsure when he retired, but some film historians believe he appeared in the last Thin Man film with his son in 1947. It is also unsure when he passed away. The East's never released this information.

Very cute scenes of Asta in The Thin Man.

London: The Littlest Hobo

When the US had the famous Lassie capturing the hearts of children and adults alike, Canada had the Littlest Hobo.

London in the 1958 film The Littlest Hobo, sparing a boy's beloved lamb from slaughter.

London, a German shepherd with "reverse mask" markings (where areas on the dog that are normally dark are lighter in color) was owned by Charles Eisenmann. Eisenmann, a professional baseball player and dog trainer, named his dog after the city he was stationed at during the second world war.

London was allowed to travel with the team during Eisenmann's baseball days and even provided entertainment to the fans. He would bow to the crowd, bring equipment to the players and run the bases. London appeared in Life magazine, and it was this article that got him a starring role in the US film The Littlest Hobo.

The film, released in 1958, inspired the Canadian television series (also named The Littlest Hobo) that aired in 1963 for three seasons and was later revived in 1979 for six seasons. London and other dogs trained by Eisenmann played the part of the stray dog who traveled around helping others. The name London was always credited as the star. The show appeared in over 40 countries, and guest stars of the show included well known actors such as DeForest Kelley, Leslie Nielsen and Mike Myers.

London starred in three other films: My Dog, Buddy, The Marks of Distinction, and Just Between Us. He was also featured in the book London: The Dog Who Made The Team.

One writer described London as "the smartest dog that ever lived." Eisenmann, who preferred the word educating than training, taught London and his other dogs to understand three languages (English, German and French) as well as over 1,500 words.

Sam: The Shaggy Dog

Although he played in only one movie, Sam became famous for his role as Chiffon in The Shaggy Dog.

Fred MacMurray and Sam

Sam, an Old English Sheepdog whose official name was Lillybrad's Sammy's Shadow, was born in Denver, Colorado. He belonged to Mrs. Billye Anderson who paid $500 for him when he was two months old. At four months old, Anderson enrolled Sam in an obedience class with William Koehler. Koehler was impressed with Sam after his nine weeks of training, and about a year later when learning the Disney Studio was looking for a sheepdog for its next film Koehler felt Sam would be perfect for the part.

"Walt Disney Productions had viewed more than 20 Old English Sheepdogs for the title role in a picture to be called The Shaggy Dog," Koehler recalled. "Each of them had exhibited the contemporary curse of the breed: degrees of neurosis that varied from 'geared and dingy' to cowardly and emotionally unstable. It appeared that the dearth of qualified candidates would set the stage for Sam who qualified in temperament and had novice obedience training."

Sam was originally planned to do the principal work while other dogs were to be used as doubles doing specialized actions; however, Sam was so skilled he ended up doing just about everything - including the scene where the shaggy dog is racing down the road in a hot rod. A special bucket seat was designed for Sam to sit comfortably in the car, hair-covered mittens were tied to the steering wheel for him to slide his paws into, and a seatbelt covered with hair was used to secure him. Of course Sam couldn't actually drive the car so a stuntman was used, hidden from sight in the rigged up car. When the stuntman turned his steering wheel, Sam's wheel would turn, making it look like Sam was moving the wheel.

"Driving the car was the dog himself and it worked beautifully," said assistant director Arthur Vitarelli. "The dog would look over the top of the windshield and out the side. It looked like he was really driving."

The cast and crew loved working with Sam. According to Fred MacMurray, "Shaggy kept the whole cast and crew in stitches. He even broke me up a couple of times, and for an actor, believe me, that's no laughing matter. I knew I had to give everything I had to keep him from walking away with the picture. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd been just a trick dog. I tell you he's an actor. I never saw any amateur catch on to the business so fast as this one did. He's a natural screen personality."

The Shaggy Dog was released in March 1959, and was more profitable than the movie Ben-Hur which was released the same year. Sam won the 1960 PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) award from the American Humane Association for his performance, and his paw prints were immortalized in cement in the courtyard of the Burbank Animal Shelter in Burbank, California.

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Terry: Best Known as Toto

Terry was in several films, but her most famous was The Wizard of Oz. The audience loved her character so much that her name was officially changed to Toto.

Terry and Judy Garland

Terry, a purebred Cairn terrier, was born in November 1933 in Aalta Dena, California. She was soon taken in by a married couple in nearby Pasadena. Soon after, the owners brought the dog to Carl Spitz, who ran the successful Hollywood Dog Training School in the nearby San Fernando Valley, to be trained to stop wetting the rugs. Once trained, the couple had no intention of picking Terry up or paying the bill so Spitz kept the dog.

Terry was an intelligent dog and Spitz saw potential in her for acting. She appeared in several films before her role as Toto in The Wizard of Oz. Her first major appearance was in 1934 with Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes as Rags. When the choice of dogs for the part was narrowed down, it was up to Shirley (and her own dog who was not part of the film, a Pomeranian named Ching-Ching) to decide who would get it. Terry and Ching-Ching hit it off, and Shirley gave her approval: "She's hired."

Hundreds of dogs auditioned for the part of Toto, but Spitz prepared Terry well for the part. Judy Garland, who played Dorothy, took an immediate liking to Terry, as well as the other cast members. Terry was selected to play the part.

Terry did the part well and even performed all the stunts during the filming, including being put in a basket and withstanding three wind machines mimicking a tornado. According to American Girl Magazine in 1940 "The hardest thing this little dog ever had to do was during the drawbridge scene in the Wizard of Oz, when she was chased by the huge Winkie guards of the Wicked Witch. Toto had to come running out of the castle and was trying to cross the drawbridge. She had almost reached the middle when the drawbridge was pulled straight up. The only safety Toto had was by clutching the edge of the bridge with her little paws and balancing herself thirty feet in the air. One of a dog's greatest fears is the fear of falling, so it took a great deal of courage to follow her master's orders that time."

During the filming on the Witches Castle, a large Winkie accidentally stepped on Terry's paw causing the dog to squeal. Garland insisted Terry was given a few days off to recuperate. Terry's hard work paid off well. She received $125 a week, more than many of the human actors made. Garland fell in love with the little terrier as she worked with her, and even wanted to buy her from Spitz, but he refused to sell. Although a great actress, apparently Terry wasn't all that perfect. According to Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft, her mom said Terry had the worst breath in the world, making it hard to not wince when the dog would pant in her face.

In 1939 when the film was released, Terry was there at the premiere held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. She became an instant star, began making public appearances, and was called Toto by all her fans. Spitz felt it was only right to officially change her name to Toto.

Toto went on to make more films, the last released in 1945, shortly before she passed away of old age on September 1 of that year. Spitz buried her on the kennel grounds which was later destroyed during the construction of the Ventura Freeway in 1958. On June 18, 2011 a memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA was unveiled in memory of Toto - funded by an active group of Toto fans.

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Higgins: From Shelter Dog to Beloved Benji

Higgins made history after being discovered in a shelter. He started in TV then went on to the big screen with his most famous role as the original Benji.

Higgins was born on December 12, 1957. In 1960 animal trainer Frank Inn adopted the dog from the Burbank Animal Shelter in California - shelters were the first place Inn would go to when looking for future stars. The trainer took an immediate liking to Higgins and saw a real potential for acting in him. The mixed-breed dog ended up being his biggest star.

Higgins started his career in television. He first played the part of the uncredited and nameless dog in Petticoat Junction, having appeared in 149 episodes from 1964 to 1970. Inn trained many animals and told reporters that Higgins was the smartest dog he had ever worked with. He said Higgins had an expressive face and was able to convey many emotions, and could successfully master a new routine or trick, such as yawning and sneezing on cue, every week. Higgins also appeared as a guest on Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies. In 1967 he won a PATSY (Performing Animal Television Star of the Year) award, and was featured on the cover of TV Guide.

Higgins moved on to the movies. He starred in the TV film Mooch Goes to Hollywood with Vincent Price and Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1971, and in 1974 he starred in the first Benji movie Benji which was the #3 grossing movie of the year. This was Higgins' last role as he was getting up in age. His daughter Benjean took over the role of Benji in three movies.

When the word spread that the beloved original Benji was rescued from a shelter, the number of adoptions from the American Humane Society greatly increased. So not only did Higgins entertain us, he brought awareness to the need of helping thousands of abandoned dogs.

Higgins died on November 11, 1975, just a few weeks short of his 18th birthday, and his body was cremated. When Inn died in 2002 he had requested that Higgins' ashes be buried with him. It is said his request was not fulfilled and that his daughter has the urn containing the dog's ashes.

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Jean: The First Canine Film Star in the US

Jean became famous in history as the first dog to star on film in the US.

In 1910, Laurence Trimble, an aspiring writer and actor, visited Vitagraph Studios in New York with his dog, a female collie named Jean, to do research on a story he was writing about film making. While on the set, the director was in need of a dog to play a scene and Trimble suggested Jean might be able to play the role. Trimble guided Jean during the filming and the talented dog performed perfectly. She soon became famously known as the Vitagraph Dog.

Jean not only became the first dog to have a leading role in motion pictures in the US (the first canine film star was Blair, also a collie, who starred in British films), she was the first dog to have her name in the title of her films. Trimble directed Jean in more than a dozen silent films between 1910 - 1915. Jean worked with Florence Turner, an actress known as the Vitagraph Girl, and with other actresses including Helen Hayes who was eight years old at the time. According to Hayes in a 1931 interview with The New York Times, "I had long curls and they let me play the juvenile lead in two pictures in support of Jean, the collie... Jean was the most famous dog of the day and I was very thrilled."

In 1913, Jean took a break from filming to have a family. Motion Picture World reported the news "Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, is the happy mother of six little ones. Mother and children all doing nicely, thank you." A documentary short film titled Jean and Her Family was released that year.

Jean passed away in 1916.

Jean the Match-Maker

Many silent films were lost over time; however, Jean the Match-Maker (1910) was recently discovered and preserved. You can watch the 13 minute video at National Film Preservation Foundation.

Pal: The First Lassie

Pal became famous in history as the first dog to play Lassie in film and television.

On June 4, 1940 a pure-bred collie, whose ancestry is traced to the 19th century and England's first great collie Old Cockie, gave birth to a litter of puppies at Cherry Osborne's Glamis Kennels in North Hollywood. One male puppy, with large eyes and a white blaze on his forehead, was judged only pet quality and sold to a family who named the dog Pal.

At eight months old, Pal was taken to a dog training school to help break several bad habits, including barking all the time, chewing up everything in the house, and chasing motorcycles. The school was Studio Dog Training, owned by Rudd Weatherwax who also trained dogs to become movie stars. After one week of training, all of Pal's bad habits, except for the motorcycle chasing (which would require more work), were broken. Instead of keeping Pal, the owner decided to give the dog to Weatherwax in exchange for the $10 fee he owed.

When Pal was two years old, Weatherwax took the dog to MGM to audition for an upcoming film called Lassie Come Home. It was the story (from the popular 1940 novel by Eric Knight) of a loyal collie who struggles across hundreds of miles of rugged English countryside to rejoin the Scottish boy she loves. Weatherwax knew Pal was an intelligent animal and felt he would be right for the part. Pal did get a part, but only as a backup. A female prize-winning show dog was chosen to play the title role.

When Lassie was to cross a river with raging water, Director Fred Wilcox wanted to save the energy of his female star so he used Pal instead. Pal did an exceptional job and the scene was completed in one take. The director was so impressed, he had tears in his eyes. "The dog went into the water as Pal, but he emerged as Lassie!" proclaimed Wilcox. He decided to reshoot the first six weeks of filming, making Pal the star. The movie, which featured two juvenile leads, Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowall, was released in 1943 and became an enormous hit.

Elizabeth Taylor and Pal in Lassie Come Home

Pal and Roddy McDowall in Lassie Come Home

Pal starred in six more MGM Lassie films (Son of Lassie - a sequel to Lassie Come Home, Courage of Lassie, Hills of Home, The Sun Comes Up, Challenge to Lassie and The Painted Hills) as well as the two pilots for the Lassie television series. The pilots were a success, but Pal was getting too old to play the part. Lassie Junior (Pal's son and stand-in) took over the role of Lassie in the television program. The Emmy winning show ran for 19 years (1954-1973) and all the dogs used to portray Lassie were descendants of Pal. Although Lassie is a female character, Weatherwax continued to use males, mainly because of their larger size which gave them that big heroic dog look.

In June 1958, Lassie passed away of natural causes at the age of 18. Rudd Weatherwax slipped in and out of depression for quite some time after Pal's death. Robert Weatherwax, Rudd's son, later recalled, "It hit him very hard when Pal died. He buried him in a special place on the ranch and would often visit the grave. Dad would never again watch an MGM Lassie movie. He just couldn't bear to see Pal. He didn't want to have to be reminded of just how much he loved that dog."

In 1960, Lassie was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Strongheart: The First Major Canine Film Star

Strongheart became famous in history as the first major dog celebrity, having starred in six silent films between 1921 and 1927.

Strongheart, originally named Etzel von Oeringen, was born on October 1, 1917 in Wroclaw, Poland. The male German shepherd was descended from a carefully-bred line of police dogs, was trained in the kennels of the Berlin police department, and had a gallant record of service in the German Red Cross during the First World War. After the war, Etzel's owner could no longer afford to keep the three year old dog so he sent him to a friend who owned a reputable kennel in New York to be sold.

American director Laurence Trimble, who had achieved fame as an animal trainer for his work with Jean - the first canine film star in the US, was in search of a new dog. In the autumn of 1920 Trimble and Jane Murfin, a screenwriter for his films, bought Etzel, knowing the dog had the makings of being a star. The name Etzel von Oeringen seemed to long and complicated so it was decided by the publicity department of the motion picture studio to name the dog Strongheart.

Because Strongheart was so well trained in police methods, it took Trimble months to teach him to feel comfortable around groups of people, to have fun, and (because he was to play a dog hero) to attack gently. According to Trimble, "His human counterparts on screen were pleased with Strongheart, for even though he tore their clothes to shreds, he never left a mark of fang or nail on any actor."

Strongheart's first picture, The Silent Call (1921), was a huge success. He was loved by people of all ages and was given the star treatment when making personal appearances. He was the biggest grossing star in Hollywood during his lifetime - according to the Los Angeles Times, "...it is estimated that he has earned no less than $2.5 million since entering pictures and his income tax alone in one year was said to be $38,000."

Strongheart starred in five other films: Brawn of the North (1922), The Love Master (1924), White Fang (1925), North Star (1925) and The Return of Boston Blackie (1927). The Love Master and The Return of Boston Blackie are the only films known to survive today.

Lady Julie and Strongheart visiting a children's hospital in Boston, 1924

Strongheart produced many litters with his mate Lady Julie, a light-colored German shepherd who co-starred with him. One grandson, Lightning, appeared in several movies during the 1930s. Another grandson named Silver King also appeared in a couple of movies and made personal appearances teaching children about safety.

In 1929, while making a film, Strongheart was accidentally burned by a studio light. The burn never healed, causing a tumor to form which ultimately took his life. The beloved dog died at Murfin's home on June 24, 1929. Descendants of Strongheart and Lady Julie are still living today.

In 1960, Strongheart was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Blair: The First Canine Film Star

Blair, who's stage name was Rover, became famous in history as the first dog to play a major role in a motion picture film.

In the dawn of cinema, many silent films were made and many were lost over time making it hard to say when dogs first appeared on film. However, the first dog to actually star in a film was a male collie named Blair.

Blair in Rescued by Rover
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The dog's first appearance was in a six and a half minute film called Rescued by Rover. It is a 1905 British silent drama directed by Cecil Hepworth, the owner of Blair. The story is about a heroic dog named Rover who rescues the family's baby (played by Hepworth's daughter) that was kidnapped from the nanny by a drunken beggar woman. Most of the footage is devoted to the dog's journey in finding the baby then leading his master (played by Hepworth) to the baby. Hepworth's wife wrote the scenario and also acted as the mother in the film.

The film became so popular that Hepworth had to re-shoot the entire film twice to keep up with demand. So many prints were sold that the negatives wore out requiring the film to be re-shot.

It was after this film that the uncommon name of Rover became one of the most recognized names for dogs in the English-speaking world.

Blair in The Dog Outwits the Kidnapper
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A sequel was made in 1908 called The Dog Outwits the Kidnapper. This time Rover finds the little girl sitting in the kidnapper's car by herself. The dog jumps into the driver's seat and drives her back home to the safety of her mother's arms.

When Blair passed away, the film company put out a newsletter which announced "The Hepworth Manufacturing Company has just suffered quite a severe loss in the death of their famous old dog Rover. This faithful animal had been Mr. Hepworth's constant companion even before the Hepworth Company had been founded, and was the general pet of the studio at Walton-on Thames. He was the first animal to play an independent part in a cinematographic film and was the hero of many pictures. Many others beside the Hepworth Company will deplore the death of this old favorite."

Jean: The First Canine Film Star in the US

Petey: The Little Rascals Dog

Petey became famous as one of the most lovable and recognized dogs in film history.

Pete with some of the little rascals

The Little Rascals (originally called Our Gang) is a short comedy film series created by producer Hal Roach. It's about a group of poor neighborhood children being their adventurous selves. Petey, seen as a nanny dog, is the kids loyal and affectionate companion who protects and entertains them.

The first dog to play Petey in The Little Rascals was an American pit bull terrier named Pal, owned by Harry Lucenay. Many sources say Pal was hired in 1927 and his career ended in 1930 when he died of suspected poisoning by someone with a grudge against Harry.

Pal's puppy Pete replaced him in the show after his death. According to Ted Lucenay, Harry's son who grew up with Pete, "There were other Petes, but this is the original Pete."

Many sources say Pal had a partial ring around his right eye which was made into a complete ring with a permanent dye by Hollywood make-up artist Max Factor, and Pete was given a complete ring around his left eye with make-up. However, according to Ted "The ring around his [Pete's] eye was natural, he was born with that." Tiffany Pifer, Ted's granddaughter, says "The black ring around Pete's left eye was not the work of a makeup artist. The natural skin coloration was such an oddity that it became certified by Ripley's Believe It or Not."

Pete retired from the show in 1932 after Harry was fired from the Hal Roach Studios, but the lovable dog continued to please his fans. The family would spend summers in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Harry would take Pete to the Steel Pier where children and adults could meet him and pose for photographs.

Pete died of old age in 1946 when Ted was 18 years old. Ted said "He was a gentle, playful and warm dog. He would sleep at the foot of my bed. He was just the regular family dog. I really miss him."

The child actors loved working with Pete. Jackie Cooper, who was allowed to take Pete home with him for the weekend, wrote in his autobiography "I loved that dog. To stay a whole weekend with Pete was my idea of glory and paradise combined."

After Pete's retirement, other unrelated dogs were used to play Petey in The Little Rascals, and rings were applied to their eyes, some around the right eye and some around the left eye.

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Rin Tin Tin: From War Dog to Film Star

A puppy rescued in France during WWI made history by becoming a famous film star in the US. The puppy was Rin Tin Tin, who captured thousands of hearts and made the small studio Warner Bros. into a major studio.

On September 15, 1918, a young American corporal named Leland Duncan was sent to a small farm town in France, a former German encampment flattened by bombing, to see if it would be suitable as an airfield. While strolling around, he came upon what appeared to be a kennel. Inside were at least a dozen war dogs killed by artillery shells and one frantic German shepherd with five very young puppies. Fond of animals, Duncan took the mom and puppies back to his barracks. Not able to care for all of them, he gave away the mom and three puppies to fellow soldiers, and kept the other two puppies. He named the male Rin Tin Tin and the female Nanette, after the good-luck charms that were popular with soldiers in France.

Corporal Duncan and Rin Tin Tin

When the war ended, almost two months after finding the dogs, Duncan was determined to bring the puppies home with him. After much hassle, he was able to get the paperwork needed to bring them on the ship back to America. Shortly after making it to the US, Nanette died of pneumonia - she was later replaced with another German shepherd named Nanette II. Duncan returned to his home in Los Angeles and resumed working at his former job in a sports shop. Knowing Rin Tin Tin (nicknamed Rinty) was a smart dog, Duncan began training him to do tricks, and later entered him in a dog show when he was nearly full grown. Competing with a female shepherd, Rin Tin Tin was caught on film jumping over an 11 1/2 foot wall, clearing it at almost 12 feet, winning the competition.

After watching Rinty on film, Duncan was determined to get him to Hollywood. Both would go to Poverty Row (a strip in Hollywood where small B-movie studies were located) and knock on doors, trying to interest someone in using Rin Tin Tin in a film. His efforts eventually paid off, after knocking on the door of Harry Warner. Rinty got a small part in a melodrama called The Man from Hell's River (1922), replacing a wolf that was not performing properly. This was the beginning of an eight-year relationship with Warner Bros. His first starring role was in Where the North Begins (1923), a screenplay written by Duncan. The film was a huge success and Rin Tin Tin became a celebrity.

Thousands of fan letters were arriving at Warner Bros. requesting pictures of Rin Tin Tin. Each picture was autographed with a paw print and signed by Duncan on his behalf. Rinty's films were so profitable that Warner Bros. paid him almost eight times as much as they paid human actors. He was known as the mortgage lifter because every time the studio was hurting financially, it would release a Rin Tin Tin film and the income from that would set things right again. According to Hollywood legend, Rin Tin Tin received the most votes for Best Actor at the first Academy Award competition in 1929. The Academy was determined to have a human actor win, so the dog was removed as a choice.

Rinty's career with Warner Bros. ended in 1929 when the silent film era ended. The studio knew people were fascinated by the new capacity to hear sound, and felt dogs seemed less interesting in a movie since they could not talk. Rin Tin Tin continued his career with another studio, making a few more films, and even had his own radio show.

Rin Tin Tin died on August 10, 1932 at Duncan's home. In the US, his death set off a national response. Newspapers ran long obituaries, regular programming was interrupted to pay homage, and an hour-long tribute was broadcast on radio networks across the country the day after his death. Rinty was buried with his favorite squeaky toy in Duncan's backyard. Shortly afterwards, he was reburied in the world's oldest pet cemetery in Paris. Rinty's son, Rin Tin Tin Junior, went on to act and appeared in several films in the 1930s. He lacked the abilities of his father, but audiences seemed happy to accept him as Rin Tin Tin. Today's descendants are trained as service dogs for special needs children, and the current Rin Tin Tin XII attends events across the country promoting the Rin Tin Tin legacy.

Rinty made 23 silent films, with only six of them known to exist today. He also appeared in four sound features. In 1960, Rin Tin Tin was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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