Hollywood's Top Dogs: The Dog Hero in Film

By Deborah Painter.

Man's Best Friend also happens to be one of Hollywood's Best Friends as Deborah Painter examines the contribution to the silver screen by lovable, talented and brave stars of the cinema: Hollywood's Top Dogs. Their bark was silent but their impact was great as you meet the canine stars of the early silent movies and then trot through time with the likes of Peter the Great, Rin-Tin-Tin, Ace, Flash, Lightnin', Lad, Lassieand Benji. These heroes are brave, pure and offer unequivocal love and devotion, and in today's depressing world, it's nice to find some real heroes of the silver screen.

Deborah Painter s insistent focus on her carefully circumscribed and defined viewpoint on the movie dog hero will hold the reader s attention. The result is an attractive narrative account of over 100 years of canine hero movies. This is no mean achievement, given the extent of the original, scattered resources. Simply dropping a few names of your friends and mine helps to suggest her coverage: Strongheart, Jean (a very early star), Rin-Tin-Tin, Peter the Great, Asta, Flash, Lad a Dog, Lassie (a dog), and Benji. The mere listing of early and late actors reveals the long-range coverage of the text. This fascinating roster of leading males and females (and one cross-over), whose admirers are legion, argue prima facie for a rich story and the reader will not be disappointed. Allan Shields, author, The Spirit of Rin-Tin-Tin; Emeritus Professor of Philosophy --Allan Shields