Strongheart, the German shepherd who was a canine superstar of American
cinema, was born and raised in Imperial Germany, where he was trained
to be a police dog and assigned to the German military during World War
I. Called "Etzel von Oringer," the German shepherd was born on October
1, 1917, descended from a carefully bred line. Trained as an attack
dog, the 125-pound (57 kilograms) Strongheart was fearless. American
director Laurence Trimble, who was famous as an animal trainer, and his
wife, Jane Murfin, a screenwriter, had been searching Europe for a dog
that could appear in motion pictures. When Trimble came across the
three-year-old Strongheart in 1920, he knew he had the makings of a
canine star.
The major problem Trimble faced was that, trained as a police dog,
Strongheart had not socialized much with human beings. Back in
Hollywood, it took Trimble months to train the dog in order to
de-emphasize his harsh police dog-style training. Trimble had the dog
by his side virtually non-stop for months, continually rewarding him
for good behavior. Eventually, Strongheart's prior police habits were
broken as his Libra personality came to the fore, and he was turned
into a magnificently trained animal. However, certain aspects of his
flat-footed past remained with him: Blessed with great instincts,
particularly regarding the moral character of strangers, the dog would
track people of dubious morality.
There were many canine stars of silent movies, including Teddy, the
Great Dane who co-starred with a young Gloria Swanson, the collie Jean at
Vitagraph, and the English pit bull Luke. In the 1920's, a group of German shepherd dogs romped on-screen and became stars, with Strongheart and `Rin Tin Tin' the most
prominent among them.
His first movie, "The Silent Call" (1921), bore Trimble's expectations
out, making Strongheart a star, beloved by movie-goers of all ages.
Strongheart was given the star treatment, traveling by train to make
personal appearances, at which he was greeted by crowds of adoring
fans. He was written up in newspapers and magazines, and even the radio
proclaimed "Strongheart" a star. A dog food named after him became
popular and is still being produced over three-quarters of a century
later. In the ultimate accolade, J. Allen Boone wrote two books about
the shepherd, "Letters to Strongheart" and "Kinship with All Life."
Strongheart appeared in "Brawn of the North" (1922), "The Love Master"
(1924), "White Fang" (1925), "North Star" (1925) and "The Return of
Boston Blackie" (1927). Love came his way when he was paired with Lady
Jule, a female German Shepherd who co-starred with him. The happy
canine couple produced many litters, including offspring who would sire
pups who grew up to be movie stars themselves.
The Trimbles placed a plaque over Strongheart's bed that contained a
quote from the Book of Job: "Ask the very beasts, and they will teach
you."
Tragedy struck down Strongheart at the height of his career, when he
slipped and was burned by a studio light. The burn rapidly turned into
a tumor and claimed Strongheart's life on or around June 24, 1929.
Strongheart's grandson "Lightning" was a canine movie star in the the
1930's, appearing in "A Dog of Flanders," "Wings in the Dark," and
"When Lightning Strikes." Another grandson, "Silver King," also
appeared in the movies and made personal appearances as part of a
safety program for children.
