Rin Tin Tin Movies

Having basically bankrolled the struggling Warner Bros., the era's most popular canine, Rin Tin Tin, signed a 5,000-dollars-a-picture contract with Poverty Row operator Nat Levine. The result, a 15-chapter serial (Levine demanded hard labor for his shekels), featured Rinty opposite veteran genre star Walter Miller. When Rinty's owner is murdered for his secret gold mine, the dog joins forces with Department of Justice agent Ramon (Miller) to catch the killer. Rinty, inevitably, is soon suspected of having killed a valuable colt and sentenced to death (shades of a previous Rin Tin Tin vehicle, The Night Cry, 1926). He is saved in the nick of time by Ramon and his juvenile sidekick, Buzz (former Western star Buzz Barton). The villain (Robert Kortman) then kidnaps the dog and forces him to reveal the location of the gold mine. Ramon, Buzz, and the dead prospector's lovely daughter, Dolores (June Marlowe of Our Gang fame) manage not only to save the dog once again but also bring the killer to justice. Sold on the states rights market as a "talkie" (or should it be a "barkie"?), The Silent Defender had long, drawn-out silent sequences interspersed with stilted dialogue. But it was packaged solely for children -- who didn't care about sound one way or another -- and made a mint for Levine's burgeoning Mascot Pictures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

So many silent favorites had fallen by the wayside with the comic of talkies that one shouldn't be surprised that canine star Rin-Tin-Tin had to content himself with fourth billing in The Man Hunter. The plot is typical of Rinty's silent vehicles, with the doggie hero tracking down villains, aiding the hero, and rescuing the heroine. The film's singular novelty is its setting: Darkest Africa, where Lady Jane Winston (Nora Lane) has arrived to find out what's been delaying her ivory shipments. It turns out that her overseer is a crook, whereupon Rinty, with the help of nominal human hero George Castle (John Loder), swings into action. The Rin-Tin-Tin features, once a mainstay of the Warner Bros. operation, steadily lost money after the advent of talkies, which is why Rinty ended his movie career starring in serials for low-budget Mascot Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic adventure, a feisty young woman (Velez) toys with the affections of a railroad worker (Withers) and a Mountie (Blue). She ends up with Withers and decides to accompany him to the city. Unfortunately, the other workers around her do not want her to go. As the lovers try to flee, Withers kills a man and the Mountie and his pal Rin Tin Tin begin their pursuit. The murderous duo end up shooting a dangerous river rapids and nearly losing their lives. In the end the Mountie lets the lovers go to find their happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Basically a filmed vaudeville presentation, The Show of Shows was Warner Bros.' entry in the "all star, all talking, all singing and all dancing" sweepstakes of 1929. Though slightly better than MGM's Hollywood Revue of 1929, the Warners entry pales in comparison to Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 and Paramount on Parade, due mainly to the film's master of ceremonies, the insufferable Frank Fay. Some of the individual acts seen in Show of Shows were pretty good, notably Winnie Lightner's delightful Singing in the Bathtub (a spoof of Hollywood Revue of 1929's Singin' in the Rain) and John Barrymore's brilliant rendition of Richard III's soliloquy from Shakespeare's Henry VI. Also easy to take was "Floradora Sextette," featuring such luminaries as Myrna Loy, Patsy Ruth Miller and cross-eyed comedian Ben Turpin, and "Eight Sister Acts," including such Hollywood siblings as Dolores and Helene Costello, Sally Blane and Loretta Young and Shirley Mason and Viola Dana (also teamed in this number are Ann Sothern and Marion Byron, who were not sisters). But for the most part, the acts are on a par with "Skull and Crossbones," a boring production number showcasing entertainer Ted Lewis, and "Recitations," a one-joke affair in which three different anecdotes (related by Frank Fay, Louis Fazenda, Lloyd Hamilton and Bea Lillie) are melded into one. Show of Shows was originally released in two-color Technicolor but now exists only in black in white, save for the "Chinese Fantasy" number featuring crooner Nick Lucas and Warner Bros. contractee Myrna Loy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite the challenges of his many imitators, there was only one Rin Tin Tin, as proven in such tailor-made vehicles as Rinty of the Desert. The plot is summed up by the title, as Rinty rescues heroine Audrey Ferris and hero Carroll Nye from all manner of desert dangers, both natural and man-made. The film's high point of tension finds the canine star rescuing Nye from a deep pit (and yes, there are a few snakes in the vicinity). Audiences and critics alike carped that Rinty of the Desert contained too many extraneous scenes in the heroine's bedroom, but the non-dog fans in that crowd had to watch something. The film was directed by D. Ross Lederman, who later helmed several episodes of the Rin Tin Tin TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Canine star Rin Tin Tin topped the cast of Warner Bros.' A Race for Life. The combination of star and title was in itself enough to pack theaters, but Warners insisted upon adding a plot, if only to appease the critics. In this one, Rinty becomes the best pal of juvenile "human" hero Danny O'Shea (Bobby Gordon). Their devotion to one another is proven beyond doubt when Danny is threatened by kidnappers. For those uninterested in the boy-and-dog angle, a romantic subplot was wedged into the proceedings involving Virginia Calhoun (Virginia Brown Faire) and Robert Hammong (Carroll Nye, who later played Frank Kennedy in 1939's Gone with the Wind). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hills of Kentucky is regarded as the best of the Rin-Tin-Tin vehicles, largely because it is the most readily available. When famine hits the Kentucky hinterlands, Rinty is set free by his masters, who can't afford to feed him. Though he goes through a period of feeling rejected, the doggy star remains loyal to the Human Race. In a beautifully photographed climactic sequence, he rescues both schoolteacher Dorothy Dwan and his canine lady friend "Nanette" from a watery grave. Also featured in Hills of Kentucky are Jason Robards Sr. and Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jaws of Steel is not the name of a carnival sideshow act, but rather the title of this standard 1928 Rin Tin Tin vehicle. In this one, the doggy hero is abandoned in the desert while in pup-hood. Upon reaching maturity, Tin Tin has undeservedly earned the reputation as a killer canine. Thus, the human characters spend most of their time hunting down the dog in hopes of collecting a huge bounty. Tin Tin redeems himself by rounding up a gang of crooks, whereupon he is reunited with his rightful owners. As was often the case in the Rin Tin Tin pictures, Warner Bros. contractee Jason Robards Sr. played second fiddle to the tail-wagging star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Canine star Rin Tin Tin Jr. finds himself in foggy London town in this fast-paced meller. The story doesn't make much sense, but it seems to have something to do with a vicious "ape man" who holds the city in thrall. The hirsute villain overpowers hero Walter Merrill and abducts heroine Helene Costello, whereupon Rinty springs into action. The dauntless doggie nearly tears the ape man to shreds before the London bobbies catch up with him. According to contemporary reviews, none of the human stars received as many close-ups as Rin Tin Tin, leading one wag to suggest that the dog star had inherited Gloria Swanson's press agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This melodrama required less stunts than usual from dog star Rin-Tin-Tin and more "acting." Always the trouper, Rin-Tin-Tin proved to be the histrionic equal of his co-stars. Slasher (Rin-Tin-Tin, a famed fighting dog, falls off the train that is carrying him. He is found, broken in spirit, by Donald Cass (John Harron). The dog is regenerated by Donald's love. Donald is equally devoted to his sweetheart, May Barton (June Marlowe), a minister's daughter. A wealthy young woman donates a large sum of money to the church and is later found murdered. The sinister Jamber Niles (Pat Hartigan) knows that the money is in Donald's safekeeping, and he attacks the young man. Slasher springs into action and kills his master's assailant. Jamber's half-wit brother Cuckoo (Victor Potel) sets a pack of bloodhounds on Donald and May, but once again Slasher comes to the rescue and fends them off. Evidence proves that Jamber was the woman's murderer. Donald, May, and the loyal Slasher look forward to a happy life together. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide