Animal Stories for All Ages…
“The wolves swung in behind, yelping in chorus. And Buck ran with them, side by side with the wild brother, yelping as he ran.” – Jack London, THE CALL OF THE WILD
Animal Stories for Adults: On the Screen – Movies & Television – Call of the Wild to Hudson & Rex
When Jack London published THE CALL OF THE WILD in 1903, he wasn’t aware that he was creating a cultural phenomenon. The Klondike-set novel would be hailed as a beloved literary masterpiece and thrilling adventure story.
Inspired by the realistic animal stories of Canadian author Charles G D Roberts as well as Jack’s own struggles in the harsh, dangerous Klondike, THE CALL OF THE WILD would be the first in a brand new Literary Genre: the Northwestern.
The Northwestern category, including Animal Stories, would soon become a worldwide success.
Stories of action and romance in the land of snows, sled dogs, wild wolves and stalwart men of the North-West Mounted Police.
And CALL OF THE WILD would be the most successful Northwestern screen story. It was made into seven major movies and an hourly television program shown first on Animal Planet. And inspiring even more Northern-set dog stories.
Yet Jack London’s Buck wasn’t the first Hollywood canine character.
Meet Strongheart
Strongheart, a German Shepherd, had first appeared in 1921 and, in silent movies such as THE SILENT CALL, NORTH STAR, WHITE FANG and THE LOVE MASTER, became immensely popular in the U. S. and Canada.
Theatre audiences rose to their feet cheering the scene in THE LOVE MASTER when Strongheart pulls his mistress on narrow cross-country skis.
It was a thrilling, desperate “race for life” from a pack of hungering, unrelenting wolves across the snowy Canadian wilds! [See Printed Trade Ad at bottom of this page]
Strongheart’s owner and movie director, Lawrence Trimble, wrote the biography STRONGHEART: THE STORY OF A WONDER DOG, published in 1926 by Whitman. Trimble wrote, “His human counterparts on screen were pleased with Strongheart. For even though he tore their clothes to shreds, he never left a mark of fang or nail on any actor.”
Strongheart’s handler, John Allen Boone, produced LETTERS TO STRONGHEART, a sentimental remembrance published by Prentice-Hall in 1939.
Rin-Tin-Tin, a genuinely gifted and intelligent German Shepherd, captivated audiences from his first film appearance in 1922. He would become the first world-wide canine superstar. Rinty was found in a bombed-out building at a WWI German airfield by American soldier Lee Duncan.
Duncan took Rin-Tin-Tin home to California and began to train him for a Hollywood career.
Rinty’s first film appearance was in the iconic dog role of the times: a Mountie dog. It was in the Northwestern MAN FROM HELL’S RIVER, Rin-Tin-Tin played a sled dog of a Canadian Mounted Policeman.
From early movies like WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS, THE LAND OF THE SILVER FOX and CLASH OF THE WOLVES to the fascinating THE NIGHT CRY, Rinty drew audiences to the movies. And with more star-power than most human actors of the time.
In 1954, Rin Tin Tin IV was the star of the TV show THE ADVENTURES OF RIN TIN TIN.
The ABC television series starred Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid. Rusty was raised by the soldiers stationed in the US Cavalry post Fort Apache. Rusty and his German Shepherd Rinty are around whenever adventure begins. Episode titles included “The Wild Stallion,” “The White Buffalo” and “The Old Man of the Mountain.”
CALL OF THE WILD hits the Silver Screen
Hal Roach Studios released the first silent movie version of CALL OF THE WILD in 1923. The dog — actually named Buck — had been raised and trained by film producer Sol Lesser. He raised him from a full-blooded St. Bernard puppy with the role of Jack London’s beloved Buck in mind.
Although the dog breed in London’s original THE CALL OF THE WILD was a St. Bernard mix, the most common dog breed used in the movie versions is the German Shepherd.
Other dog stars of the Silver Screen and TV were Jean (The Vitagraph Dog), Cyclone, Champion, Ranger, Ace the Wonder Dog, Peter the Great (WILD JUSTICE, 1925), Napoleon Bonaparte, Sandow (CODE OF THE NORTHWEST, 1926) and Wolfheart. As well as Braveheart, Kazan the Wonder Dog (JAWS OF JUSTICE, 1933), Grey Shadow, Thunder, Lightnin’, Dynamite and Chinook (NORTHERN PATROL, 1953 — last of Monogram/Allied Artists’ Northwest Mountie series).
Lassie, of course, would become one of the Hollywood giants, along with others, from Terry (Toto) and Benji (a small mixed-breed, “perhaps a bit of spaniel”) to Spike (Old Yeller) and Beasly (Hooch — a Dogue de Bordeaux or French Mastif).
London the Littlest Hobo continues to be a perennial fave. As well as Koton (Jerry Lee of the K-9 movies), Rudolph Von Holstein III (a descendant of Rin-Tin-Tin, aka Rudy), Lincoln (Diefenbaker the wolf dog of Paul Gross’ DUE SOUTH — a modern day Mountie dog), Sandy (a slow-paced Basset Hound who played Flash on DUKES OF HAZZARD), Buddy (Air Bud), Chris (Beethoven), Enzo the Dog (Skip), Moose (cute Jack Russell terrier who played Eddie on FRASIER). Recent doggie faves are Uggy (the Jack Russell in THE ARTIST) and Diesel (Togo — Diesel’s a descendant of Togo, the Siberian husky who led the dog team making the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska). There are more.
Remember THE LITTLEST HOBO? A Canadian classic, eh?
Animal Stories: The latest TV canine hit is Canada’s own HUDSON & REX.
Shown on CityTV, John Reardon is Detective Charlie Hudson of the St. John’s Police Department and Diesel von Burgimwald — a German Shepherd and former K9 — is Rex. Rex, with his acute canine senses and intelligence, is central to solving the crime of the week.
Episodes of the new second season include “Game of Bones,” ” The Woods Have Eyes” and “Rex Machina.” Other actors include Mayko Nguyen, Sarah Truong, Kevin Hanchard and Justin Kelly. The series is filmed on location in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Coincidence or fate? About first being offered the role, John Reardon said, “My wife and I, we just had a little boy named Hudson. He was probably about 10 months old when I first received the script.”
HUDSON & REX is produced by Shaftesbury Films, best known for MURDOCH MYSTERIES. We never miss an episode of REX in this household. Love ’em!
And now THE CALL OF THE WILD is back on the screen.
The production company described its storyline as “A domesticated St. Bernard/Scotch Collie dog named Buck is stolen from his Santa Clara, California home and sold to freight haulers in the Canadian Yukon.”
Starring Harrison Ford as John Thornton, the 20th Century Studios’ release has a film score by John Powell of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON fame.
Actor and stunt coordinator Terry Notary worked his magic in bringing Buck to life. Notary is renowned for his creations in AVATAR, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, the Planet of the Apes reboot series, and The Hobbit film trilogy.
Directed by Chris Sanders, produced by Erwin Stoff, the screenplay was written by Michael Green. Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski, known for his work on SCHINDLER’S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and WAR HORSE.
==>> To learn more about Harrison Ford’s THE CALL OF THE WILD Movie, you’ve gotta read my popular post: Does the Dog Die in Call of the Wild Movie: Harrison Ford 2020, Wolves & Sled Dogs
Did You Like This Animal Stories Post?
THEN YOU’VE GOTTA READ WOLFBLOOD — MY MOST POPULAR ANIMAL STORY:
“THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!” Jack London created an entire new Literary Genre — THE NORTHWESTERN! Now it’s Back!
“I JUST READ WOLFBLOOD AGAIN FOR GOOD MEASURE. ONE FOR ANY WOLF LOVER. ENJOYED IT BUT WISH IT WAS A FULL LENGTH NOVEL.” – Gina Chronowicz @ginachron
“GREAT SHORT STORY! DOES REMIND ME OF CALL OF THE WILD, WHITE FANG…” – Evelyn @evelyn_m_k
An “enthralling and loving” tale in the Jack London Tradition of a lone Grey Wolf and it’s search for its place in the untamed Northern wilderness. FREE TO READ ==> WOLFBLOOD: A Wild Wolf, A Half-Wild Husky & A Wily Old Trapper
“But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights. Listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest. Reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book. And seeking for the mysterious something that called. Called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come.” – Jack London, THE CALL OF THE WILD.
<== Rare Trade Ad for THE LOVE MASTER.
“The race for life, with all depending on Strongheart!”
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