Strongheart
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Infobox animal Etzel von Oeringen (October 1, 1917 – June 24, 1929), better known as Strongheart, was a male German Shepherd that was one of the early canine stars of feature films.
BiographyEdit
Born October 1, 1917, Etzel von Oeringen was a male German Shepherd dog bred by a private breeder, Robert Niedhardt of Quedlinburg, Germany.<ref name="AKC Gazette">Template:Cite journal</ref> Etzel was trained in Berlin as a police dog and served in the German Red Cross during World War I.<ref name="NYT Obit">Template:Cite news</ref> His owner was left in poverty after the war, and was unable to even support the dog. Concerned that Etzel would end up in less humane hands, he declined larger offers and instead sent the dog to a friend who operated a reputable kennel in White Plains, New York.<ref name="Whitman">Template:Cite book</ref> At age three, Etzel was brought to the United States to be sold.<ref name="Photoplay">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
At the sixth annual show of the Shepherd Dog Club of America, October 15–16, 1920, Etzel placed third in his class. He was described as "immense in body and hind leg formation, in body and legs a trifle better than either of the dogs above him".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Etzel was seen by film director Laurence Trimble, who had owned and guided Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine movie star in the United States. Trimble recognized Etzel's potential and persuaded Jane Murfin, a screenwriter for his films, to buy the dog.<ref name="Whitman"/><ref name="Photoplay"/> A new name, Strongheart, was suggested by the publicity department of First National Pictures, which released his first film.<ref name="LA Times">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Trimble trained Strongheart and directed him in four rugged outdoor adventure films scripted by Murfin: The Silent Call (1921), Brawn of the North (1922), The Love Master (1924), and White Fang (1925).<ref name="AFI"/> Strongheart became the first major canine film star,<ref name="NYT Obit Trimble">Template:Cite news</ref> preceding the fame of Rin Tin Tin, also a male German Shepherd, by two years.<ref name="Buck">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1929, while being filmed for a movie, Strongheart accidentally made contact with a hot studio light and was burned, which caused a tumor to form, and ultimately caused his death.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Strongheart died June 24, 1929, at Murfin's home.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>
FilmographyEdit
Virtually all of Strongheart's films have been lost.<ref name="Orlean">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp A print of The Love Master (1924) survives in France, at the National Center of Cinematography and the Moving Image.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Return of Boston Blackie (1927) survives from a 16mm print<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> and is available on region-free DVD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | The Silent Call | Template:Sortname | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 1922 | Brawn of the North | Template:Sortname | <ref name="AFI"/> | |
| 1924 | Template:Sortname | Template:Sortname | <ref name="AFI"/> | |
| 1925 | White Fang | Template:Sortname | <ref name="AFI"/> | |
| 1925 | North Star | Template:Sortname | <ref name="AFI"/> | |
| 1927 | Template:Sortname | Template:Sortname | <ref name="AFI"/> |
AccoladesEdit
Strongheart was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960. His star is located at 1724 Vine Street.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In literature and commerceEdit
Strongheart's popularity inspired Doyle Packing Company to adopt his name and photograph for a canned dog food in 1932.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>John Morrell & Co. v. Doyle et al., No. 6446, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 97 F.2d 232; 1938 U.S. App. Lexis 3747. May 9, 1938.</ref> Strongheart Dog Food did a respectable business, especially in the Midwest,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and ninety years later (as of 2025) was still being made.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 1926 picture book Strongheart; The Story of a Wonder Dog, Trimble wrote the story of how Strongheart came to the United States and was chosen for motion pictures, of his training, and of his progress in films culminating with White Fang.<ref name="Whitman"/>
J. Allen Boone wrote two books, Letters to Strongheart (1939)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Kinship with All Life (1954),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> about animal communication and the survival of the dog's soul after death. Both books were reprinted many times and remain classics of the Spiritualist faith. Boone was a Washington Post correspondent who looked after Strongheart for an extended period while Murfin and Trimble were away on business. Boone and Strongheart reportedly formed a deep bond, and Boone believed the dog was a transformational being.<ref name="Orlean"/>Template:Rp
Strongheart: The World’s First Movie Star Dog (2014) is a picture book for young audiences by Caldecott Medal winner Emily Arnold McCully.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The New York Times praised her "meticulous job of recreating the quicksilver world of that bygone media age. The megaphones, bobbed hair and jodhpurs are all here. And in Etzel, a dog born and bred to be strong and brave, she has given young readers a rare portrait of a Hollywood hero who was just as heroic off-screen as on."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen (2018) is a novel for ages 8–12 by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Eric Rohmann.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kirkus Reviews said, "Like a silent movie plot, Fleming’s narrative is full of adventure, romance, and suspense."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The book received a starred review in Booklist.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 1237575
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- Etzel von Oeringen at the Pedigree Database