- Strongheart
Strongheart was the screen name of Etzel von Oeringen (
October 1 ,1917 –June 24 ,1929 ), a German shepherd that became one of the earliest caninefilm stars. After being trained inGermany as apolice dog , he was brought to theUnited States by husband and wife filmmakersLaurence Trimble andJane Murfin , who had previously worked successfully with Jean, theVitagraph Dog . He appeared in several movies, including a 1925 adaptation of "White Fang ". Some of these pictures were highly successful, and did much to encourage the popularity of the breed, but most have been lost.A popular celebrity in his day, Strongheart paved the way for the much better remembered
Rin Tin Tin . Strongheart and his mate,Lady Jule , had many offspring and their line survives to this day. In 1929, while filming a movie, Strongheart accidentally fell against hot studio lights and was burned. These burns caused atumor to form and Strongheart died as a result of it.Filmography
*"The Silent Call" (1921)
*"Brawn of the North" (1922)
*"The Love Master" (1924)
*"White Fang" (1925)
*"The Return of Boston Blackie " (1927); thought to be the only Strongheart movie still in existencetrongheart in Popular Culture
*A dog food company named their product after him; Strongheart Dog Food is still being produced.
*Strongheart has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame . It can be found at 1724 Vine Street.References
*"Letters to Strongheart" (
Prentice Hall , 1939;Robert H Sommer , 1977, ISBN 0-933062-19-2; Tree of Life Publications, 1999, ISBN 0-930852-34-6)
*"Kinship with All Life " (Harper and Row , 1954;HarperCollins , 1976, ISBN 0-06-060912-5)External links
*imdb name|id=1237575|name=Strongheart
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