Lightning was a
German shepherd
The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899.
It was originally bred as a herding dog, for he ...
from a line of canine
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
stars. A grandson of
Strongheart
Etzel von Oeringen (October 1, 1917 – June 24, 1929), better known as Strongheart, was a male German Shepherd who was one of the early canine stars of feature films.
Biography
Born October 1, 1917, Etzel von Oeringen was a male German Shepherd ...
, Lightning was billed as "The Wonder Dog"
[ and "The Marvel Dog". He began life as a ]runt
In a group of animals (usually a litter of animals born in multiple births), a runt is a member which is significantly smaller or weaker than the others. Owing to its small size, a runt in a litter faces obvious disadvantage, including difficulti ...
but grew to be larger than average for the breed, and he was very intelligent.[ ][
]
Select filmography
Gallery
File:When-Lightning-Strikes-1934-Poster.jpg, Poster for ''When Lightning Strikes'' (1934)
File:Man's-Best-Friend-1935-Poster.jpg, Poster for ''Man's Best Friend'' (1935)
File:Wings-in-the-Dark.jpg, Cary Grant
Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
and Lightning in ''Wings in the Dark
''Wings in the Dark'' is a 1935 film directed by James Flood and starring Myrna Loy and Cary Grant and focusing on a daring woman aviator and an inventor thrust into a desperate situation. ''Wings in the Dark'' was produced by Arthur Hornblow, Jr ...
'' (1935)
File:Renfrew-1937-Lobby-Card.jpg, Lobby card for ''Renfrew of the Royal Mounted
''Renfrew of the Royal Mounted'' was a popular series of boy's adventure books written by Laurie York Erskine that were later filmed and became a series on both radio and television.
Canon
'Inspector Douglas Renfrew' was a former Royal Flying C ...
'' (1937)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightning (Dog)
German shepherds
Dog actors