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 canine film stars. After being trained in Germany as a police dog, he was brought to the United States by husband-and-wife film-makers Laurence Trimble and Jane Murfin. 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.

Filmography

• The Silent Call (1921)
• Brawn of the North (1922)
• The Love Master (1924)
• White Fang (1925)
• The Return of Boston Blackie (1927)

References

• Letters to Strongheart (Prentice-Hall, inc., 1939; Robert H Sommer, 1977, ISBN 0933062192; Tree of Life Publications, 1999, ISBN 0930852346)
• Kinship with All Life (Harper and Row, 1954; HarperCollins, 1976, ISBN 0060609125)

External Links

• Strongheart at the Internet Movie Database
• A Forgotten Hero by Dan Condon
• Strongheart Letterbox