Strongheart
Strongheart (actually Etzel von Oeringen ) (born October 1, 1917 or 1918 in Germany ; died June 24, 1929 in Los Angeles , California ) was a German Shepherd and one of three dogs that received a star on the Walk of Fame ( Status: March 2012). His breeder was the Quedlinburg indoor champion Robert Niedhardt, one of the first members of the SV district group Quedlinburg (today Hundesportverein Quedlinburg / Harz 1909 eV). As the SV Körbuch from 1925 shows, in addition to Strongheart alias Etzel, other dogs from Niedhardt's breeding kennel “von Oeringen” were sold to the USA.
Strongheart had been trained to be a police dog in Germany and was brought to the United States in the early 1920s by silent film director Laurence Trimble and screenwriter Jane Murfin. There he was used as one of the earliest animal actors in a total of six films and quickly won the hearts of the audience. While filming in 1929, he slipped and was badly burned by a hot film light. Months later he died as a result of this injury. With a bitch named Lady Jule he had provided for offspring. Descendants from this line are still detectable today.
aftermath
His star on the Walk of Fame is located at 1724 Building on Vine Street in Hollywood. One type of dog food was named after Strongheart and J. Allen Boone wrote the books Letters to Strongheart and Kinship with All Life about him.
Filmography
- 1921: The Silent Call
- 1922: Brawn of the North
- 1924: The Love Master
- 1925: White Fang (for FBO )
- 1925: North Star
- 1927: The Return of Boston Blackie
Web links
- Strong Heart in the Internet Movie Database (English)