Frank Inn

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Frank Inn and Benji from Benji - His greatest adventure

Frank Inn (born May 8, 1916 in Cumby , Marion County , Indiana , † July 27, 2002 in Saugus , Santa Clarita , California ; maiden name Elias Franklin Freeman ) was an American animal trainer . He has trained various animals for movies, but is best known as the trainer of the dogs in the Benji movie franchise.

Life

Elias Franklin Freeman grew up in Camby, Indiana as the son of a Quaker family . He broke up with his family when he was 17, changed his name to Frank Inn, and moved to Hollywood , trying to get into the movie business. In Culver City , he trained as an animal trainer after a serious car accident.

His career began with the film series The Thin Man , for which he trained as an assistant to Skippy (later: Asta). In 1943 he was an assistant to Rudd Weatherwax , who trained Lassie actor Pal . In the early 1950s, he broke up with Weatherwax and started as an independent trainer. One of its big stars was the cat Orangey , who starred in The Incredible Tale of Mister C. (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and the television series Our Miss Brooks . Cleo was a Basset Hound who starred in the 1957 film My Bride Is Psychic and the sitcom The People's Choice . There were also animals that starred in television series, such as the pig Arnold Ziffel in Green Acres , the chimpanzees in Lancelot Link and several animals in The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty , My Three Sons and The Beverly Hillbillies .

He also trained Higgins, a mixed breed who became Benji's first performer. He trained the dog for the television series Petticoat Junction as well as the two films Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) and Benji - Auf hot track (1974). He was also the coach of Higgins 'daughter, Benjean, who was Higgins' successor from Benji in Peril (1977).

He had guest appearances in a few films. That's how he was in Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971), Hawmps! (1976) and Benji - His Greatest Adventure (1987).

He was the first artist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame by the International Association of Canine Professionals. His animals won about 40 Patsy Awards (the Oscar of the animal world), with Orangey and Arnold Ziffel each receiving three awards.

Private life

In 1946 Frank Inn married Juanita Heard, with whom he was married for fifty years until her death and with whom he had three children. She assisted him as a trainer, including on A Heavenly Dog from a Sniffer (1980). After her death, he retired from the film business. He continued to train animal trainers and set up a museum about his career.

Frank Inn died at the age of 86 after a brief illness.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frank Inn in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  2. ↑ Angielyn Hamilton-Lowe: "The Trainer Who Created Four-Legged Stars" . npr.org. July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2015
  3. ^ 1967 Patsy Award Frank Inn Credits / Awards / Honors ( Memento of March 11, 2005 in the Internet Archive ). Hooterville Petticoat Junction.
  4. ^ Frank Inn ( Memento of March 8, 2005 in the Internet Archive ). Hooterville Petticoat Junction.
personal data
SURNAME Inn, Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Freeman, Elias Franklin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American animal trainer
DATE OF BIRTH May 8, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Cumby , Marion County , Indiana
DATE OF DEATH July 27, 2002
Place of death Saugus , Santa Clarita , California