The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American adventure family western. Beginning in October 1954 until May 1959, 164 episodes originally aired on ABC television network. It starred Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post known as Fort Apache. He and his German shepherd dog, Rin Tin Tin, helped the soldiers to establish order in the American West. James E. Brown appeared as Lieutenant Ripley "Rip" Masters. Co-stars included Joe Sawyer as Sergeant Biff O'Hara and Rand Brooks as Corporal Randy Boone.[1]

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
From left: Lee Aaker, Rin-Tin-Tin, James Brown and Rand Brooks in 1956.
GenreAdventure
Family
Western
Directed byRobert G. Walker
William Beaudine
StarringLee Aaker
James Brown
Joe Sawyer
Rand Brooks
Rin Tin Tin (various dogs)
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes164
Production
Producer(s)Herbert B. Leonard
Production company(s)Screen Gems
DistributorScreen Gems
Release
Original networkABC-TV
Original releaseOctober 15, 1954 
May 8, 1959
Chronology
Related showsBoots and Saddles

About Rin Tin Tin

Brown and Rin Tin Tin on a 1955 publicity postcard.

The episodes were filmed on a low budget, limiting the film stock to black-and-white. Outdoor action was shot largely at Corriganville Movie Ranch northwest of Los Angeles in Simi Valley, where the production made ample use of the facility's Fort Apache. Additional action sequences were shot on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., known for its huge sandstone boulders and widely recognized as the most heavily filmed outdoor shooting location in the history of Hollywood.

The show's troupe of 12 character actors were often required to play multiple parts in the same episode, sometimes to the point of one actor fighting himself, wearing a cavalry uniform in one shot and an Apache outfit in another. The eponymous dog, Rin Tin Tin IV, lived about 90 miles (140 km) away at Duncan's ranch in Riverside, California, receiving visitors who were eager to see the famous dog.[2]

Cast

Guest stars

Rin Tin Tin guest stars included veteran western actors Roscoe Ates and Dean Fredericks (later Steve Canyon) in six episodes. Others were Ron Hagerthy and Ewing Mitchell, both later semi-regulars on the Sky King series, and Ed Hinton.

John M. Pickard, star of the series Boots and Saddles (syndicated, 1957–1958), appeared three times on Rin Tin Tin. Lee Van Cleef and Harry Dean Stanton were other guest stars. Don Devlin appeared in the episodes "The Epidemic" (1958) and "The Ming Vase" (1959). Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., was cast as Don Alfonso Garcia in "The Bandit Kingdom" (1955). Nan Leslie was cast in three 1956 episodes, "Rin Tin Tin and the Second Chance", "Wagon Train", and "Fort Adventure"; in the last two segments she played Joan Lambert.

Robert Fuller, prior to Laramie, appeared as Stan in the 1958 episode "The Epidemic". Harry Cheshire, formerly Judge Ben Wiley on Buffalo Bill, Jr., appeared as Silas Mason in "The Misfit Marshal" (1959).

Brad Johnson (1924–1981), known as deputy Lofty Craig on the syndicated Western series Annie Oakley, appeared once on Rin Tin Tin in the role of John Quinn in the episode "The Iron Horse" (1955).

Robert Knapp was cast in the role of Allen in the 1955 episode "The Guilty One".

William Fawcett played an elderly fearless marshal fighting the outlaw element in four episodes including the 1955 episode, "Higgins Rides Again".

Rico Alaniz appeared twice, as Big Elk in "Rin Tin Tin Meets O'Hara's Mother" and as Don Valdez in "The Invaders" (both 1956)

Broadcast

The show ran for five seasons on ABC on Friday evenings from October 1954 to May 1959. ABC reran the series on late afternoons from September 1959 to September 1961.[3] During its first season (1954-1955), The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin finished at #23 in the Nielsen ratings, making it the second-highest rated series on ABC at the time behind Disneyland.[4]

Reruns ran on Saturdays on CBS from September 1962 until September 1964. A new package of reruns was shown in 1976, and continued into the mid-1980s. The original black and white prints were tinted light brown with new opening and closing segments filmed in color in Utah.[5]

The show currently airs in syndication on Antenna TV, with remastered episodes produced by Cerulean Digital Color and Animation, with lines redubbed for some scenes using actors other than those from the original series cast, with a different generic theme song.

Episodes

Season 1

No. in
Series
No. in
Season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
0101"Meet Rin Tin Tin"TBATBAOctober 15, 1954 (1954-10-15)
0202"Wolf Cry"TBATBAOctober 22, 1954 (1954-10-22)
0303"Rin Tin Tin in the Flaming Forest"TBATBAOctober 29, 1954 (1954-10-29)
0404"Rin Tin Tin and the Raging River"TBATBANovember 5, 1954 (1954-11-05)
0505"The Killer Cat"TBATBANovember 12, 1954 (1954-11-12)
0606"The Education of Corporal Rusty"TBATBANovember 19, 1954 (1954-11-19)
0707"Rin Tin Tin and the Apache Chief"TBATBANovember 26, 1954 (1954-11-26)
0808"Rin Tin Tin, Outlaw"TBATBADecember 3, 1954 (1954-12-03)
0909"The Outcast of Fort Apache"TBATBADecember 10, 1954 (1954-12-10)
1010"Rin Tin Tin and the Ancient Mariner"TBATBADecember 17, 1954 (1954-12-17)
1111"Rin Tin Tin and the Raw Recruit"TBATBADecember 24, 1954 (1954-12-24)
1212"Blood Brothers"TBATBADecember 31, 1954 (1954-12-31)
1313"Rin Tin Tin and the Gold Bullion"TBATBAJanuary 7, 1955 (1955-01-07)
1414"Rin Tin Tin and the Sacred Lance"TBATBAJanuary 14, 1955 (1955-01-14)
1515"Rin Tin Tin and the Shifting Sands"TBATBAJanuary 21, 1955 (1955-01-21)
1616"Rusty Plays Cupid"TBATBAJanuary 28, 1955 (1955-01-28)
1717"Rin Tin Tin and the Medicine Man"TBATBAFebruary 4, 1955 (1955-02-04)
1818"Rin Tin Tin and the Babe in the Woods"TBATBAFebruary 11, 1955 (1955-02-11)
1919"Rin Tin Tin and the Eagle's Nest"TBATBAFebruary 18, 1955 (1955-02-18)
2020"Rusty Resigns from the Army"TBATBAFebruary 25, 1955 (1955-02-25)
2121"The Legacy of Sean O'Hara"TBATBAMarch 4, 1955 (1955-03-04)
2222"Rin Tin Tin and the Barber of Seville"TBATBAMarch 11, 1955 (1955-03-11)
2323"Rin Tin Tin and the Blushing Brides"TBATBAMarch 18, 1955 (1955-03-18)
2424"The Guilty One"TBATBAMarch 25, 1955 (1955-03-25)
2525"Rin Tin Tin and the Magic Box"TBATBAApril 1, 1955 (1955-04-01)
2626"Rin Tin Tin and the Bandit Kingdom"TBATBAApril 8, 1955 (1955-04-08)
2727"Rin Tin Tin and the Printer's Devil"TBATBAApril 15, 1955 (1955-04-15)
2828"Rin Tin Tin and the Dead Man's Gold"TBATBAApril 22, 1955 (1955-04-22)
2929"Rin Tin Tin and the Ghost Town"TBATBAApril 29, 1955 (1955-04-29)
3030"O'Hara Gets Busted"TBATBAMay 6, 1955 (1955-05-06)
3131"Rin Tin Tin and the Bounty Hunters"TBATBAMay 13, 1955 (1955-05-13)
3232"Farewell to Fort Apache"TBATBAMay 20, 1955 (1955-05-20)
3333"Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Scotchman"TBATBAMay 27, 1955 (1955-05-27)
3434"Rin Tin Tin and the Lonesome Road"TBATBAJune 3, 1955 (1955-06-03)

Season 2

No. in
Series
No. in
Season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
3501"Rin Tin Tin and the Bugle Call"TBATBASeptember 9, 1955 (1955-09-09)
3602"Rin Tin Tin Meets Shakespeare"TBATBASeptember 16, 1955 (1955-09-16)
3703"Rin Tin Tin and the Wild Stallion"TBATBASeptember 23, 1955 (1955-09-23)
3804"Rusty Volunteers"TBATBASeptember 30, 1955 (1955-09-30)
3905"Rin Tin Tin and the Poor Little Rich Boy"TBATBAOctober 7, 1955 (1955-10-07)
4006"Rin Tin Tin and the White Buffalo"TBATBAOctober 14, 1955 (1955-10-14)
4107"Rin Tin Tin Meets Mister President"TBATBAOctober 21, 1955 (1955-10-21)
4208"Rin Tin Tin and the Iron Horse"TBATBAOctober 28, 1955 (1955-10-28)
4309"Rin Tin Tin and the Connecticut Yankee"TBATBANovember 4, 1955 (1955-11-04)
4410"Higgins Rides Again"TBATBANovember 11, 1955 (1955-11-11)
4511"Boone's Wedding Day"TBATBANovember 18, 1955 (1955-11-18)
4612"Rusty Goes to Town"TBATBANovember 25, 1955 (1955-11-25)
4713"Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Patrol"TBATBADecember 2, 1955 (1955-12-02)
4814"Rin Tin Tin and the Star Witness"TBATBADecember 9, 1955 (1955-12-09)
4915"Rin Tin Tin and the Last Chance"TBATBADecember 16, 1955 (1955-12-16)
5016"Rin Tin Tin and the Christmas Story"TBATBADecember 23, 1955 (1955-12-23)
5117"Rin Tin Tin and the Indian Burial Grounds"TBATBADecember 30, 1955 (1955-12-30)
5218"Rin Tin Tin and the Missing Heir"TBATBAJanuary 13, 1956 (1956-01-13)
5319"Rusty's Romance"TBATBAJanuary 20, 1956 (1956-01-20)
5420"Rin Tin Tin and the Tin Soldier"TBATBAJanuary 27, 1956 (1956-01-27)
5521"Rin Tin Tin and the Big Top"TBATBAFebruary 3, 1956 (1956-02-03)
5622"Rusty's Bank Account"TBATBAFebruary 10, 1956 (1956-02-10)
5723"Rin Tin Tin Meets O'Hara's Mother"TBATBAFebruary 17, 1956 (1956-02-17)
5824"Rin Tin Tin and the Return of the Ancient Mariner"TBATBAFebruary 24, 1956 (1956-02-24)
5925"The Failing Light"TBATBAMarch 2, 1956 (1956-03-02)
6026"Rusty's Mystery"TBATBAMarch 9, 1956 (1956-03-09)
6127"The Third Rider"TBATBAMarch 16, 1956 (1956-03-16)
6228"Rusty Surrenders"TBATBAMarch 23, 1956 (1956-03-23)
6329"Rin Tin Tin and the Rainmaker"TBATBAMarch 30, 1956 (1956-03-30)
6430"Scotchman's Gold"TBATBAApril 6, 1956 (1956-04-06)
6531"Attack on Fort Apache"TBATBAApril 13, 1956 (1956-04-13)
6632"Rin Tin Tin and Homer the Great"TBATBAApril 20, 1956 (1956-04-20)
6733"Rinty Finds a Bone"TBATBAApril 27, 1956 (1956-04-27)
6834"Rin Tin Tin Meets Mister Nobody"TBATBAMay 4, 1956 (1956-05-04)
6935"Rin Tin Tin and the Circle of Fire"TBATBAMay 11, 1956 (1956-05-11)
7036"Hubert Goes West"TBATBAMay 18, 1956 (1956-05-18)
7137"Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Treasure"TBATBAMay 25, 1956 (1956-05-25)
7238"Rin Tin Tin and the Second Chance"TBATBAJune 1, 1956 (1956-06-01)

Season 3

No. in
Series
No. in
Season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
7301"Forward Ho!"TBATBASeptember 7, 1956 (1956-09-07)
7402"Rin Tin Tin and the Witch of the Woods"TBATBASeptember 14, 1956 (1956-09-14)
7503"Sorrowful Joe"TBATBASeptember 21, 1956 (1956-09-21)
7604"Rin Tin Tin and the Return of the Chief"TBATBASeptember 28, 1956 (1956-09-28)
7705"Silent Battle"TBATBAOctober 5, 1956 (1956-10-05)
7806"Yo-o Rinty"TBATBAOctober 12, 1956 (1956-10-12)
7907"Rin Tin Tin and the White Wolf"TBATBAOctober 19, 1956 (1956-10-19)
8008"Return of Rin Tin Tin"TBATBAOctober 26, 1956 (1956-10-26)
8109"Boone's Grandpappy"TBATBANovember 2, 1956 (1956-11-02)
8210"The Lost Puppy"TBATBANovember 9, 1956 (1956-11-09)
8311"Presidential Citation"TBATBANovember 16, 1956 (1956-11-16)
8412"Wagon Train"TBATBANovember 23, 1956 (1956-11-23)
8513"Fort Adventure"TBATBANovember 30, 1956 (1956-11-30)
8614"Rin Tin Tin and the Invaders"TBATBADecember 14, 1956 (1956-12-14)
8715"Racing Rails"TBATBADecember 28, 1956 (1956-12-28)
8816"Higgins' Last Stand"TBATBAJanuary 4, 1957 (1957-01-04)
8917"The Indian Hater"TBATBAJanuary 11, 1957 (1957-01-11)
9018"Rin Tin Tin Meets the Southern Colonel"TBATBAJanuary 18, 1957 (1957-01-18)
9119"The Warrior's Promise"TBATBAJanuary 25, 1957 (1957-01-25)
9220"Sorrowful Joe Returns"TBATBAFebruary 1, 1957 (1957-02-01)
9321"The Lieutenant's Lesson"TBATBAFebruary 8, 1957 (1957-02-08)
9422"The Swedish Cook"TBATBAFebruary 15, 1957 (1957-02-15)
9523"Rusty Gets Busted"TBATBAFebruary 22, 1957 (1957-02-22)
9624"O'Hara's Gold"TBATBAMarch 1, 1957 (1957-03-01)
9725"O'Hara Gets Culture"TBATBAMarch 8, 1957 (1957-03-08)
9826"The Frame-Up"TBATBAMarch 15, 1957 (1957-03-15)
9927"Boone's Commission"TBATBAMarch 22, 1957 (1957-03-22)
10028"The Silent Witness"TBATBAMarch 29, 1957 (1957-03-29)
10129"Indian Blood"TBATBAApril 5, 1957 (1957-04-05)
10230"The Old Soldier"TBATBAApril 12, 1957 (1957-04-12)
10331"Stagecoach Sally"TBATBAApril 19, 1957 (1957-04-19)
10432"Bitter Medicine"TBATBAApril 26, 1957 (1957-04-26)
10533"Corporal Carson"TBATBAMay 3, 1957 (1957-05-03)
10634"Hubert's Niece"TBATBAMay 10, 1957 (1957-05-10)
10735"O'Hara Gets Amnesia"TBATBAMay 17, 1957 (1957-05-17)
10836"Along Came Tubbs"TBATBAMay 24, 1957 (1957-05-24)
10937"Swanson's Choice"TBATBAMay 31, 1957 (1957-05-31)
11038"The Gentle Kingdom"TBATBAJune 7, 1957 (1957-06-07)
11139"The Swapper"TBATBAJune 14, 1957 (1957-06-14)
11240"The Old Man of the Mountain"TBATBAJune 21, 1957 (1957-06-21)

Season 4

No. in
Series
No. in
Season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
11301"Return to Fort Apache"TBATBASeptember 20, 1957 (1957-09-20)
11402"The Courtship of Marshal Higgins"TBATBASeptember 27, 1957 (1957-09-27)
11503"Rusty's Reward"TBATBAOctober 4, 1957 (1957-10-04)
11604"A Look of Eagles"TBATBAOctober 11, 1957 (1957-10-11)
11705"The Last Navajo"TBATBAOctober 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)
11806"Mother O'Hara's Marriage"TBATBAOctober 25, 1957 (1957-10-25)
11907"Hostage of War Bonnet"TBATBANovember 1, 1957 (1957-11-01)
12008"Rodeo Clown"TBATBANovember 8, 1957 (1957-11-08)
12109"Rusty's Strategy"TBATBANovember 15, 1957 (1957-11-15)
12210"Frontier Angel"TBATBANovember 22, 1957 (1957-11-22)
12311"The Hunted"TBATBADecember 6, 1957 (1957-12-06)
12412"White Chief"TBATBADecember 13, 1957 (1957-12-13)
12513"Boundary Busters"TBATBADecember 20, 1957 (1957-12-20)
12614"Rin Tin Tin and the River Chase"TBATBAJanuary 10, 1958 (1958-01-10)
12715"Top Gun"TBATBAJanuary 24, 1958 (1958-01-24)
12816"Tomahawk Tubbs"TBATBAFebruary 7, 1958 (1958-02-07)
12917"The New C.O."TBATBAFebruary 14, 1958 (1958-02-14)
13018"Pritikin's Predicament"TBATBAFebruary 21, 1958 (1958-02-21)
13119"Rusty's Remedy"TBATBAFebruary 28, 1958 (1958-02-28)
13220"Spanish Gold"TBATBAMarch 7, 1958 (1958-03-07)
13321"Bitter Bounty"TBATBAMarch 14, 1958 (1958-03-14)
13422"Sorrowful Joe's Policy"TBATBAMarch 21, 1958 (1958-03-21)
13523"Border Incident"TBATBAMarch 28, 1958 (1958-03-28)
13624"Wind-Wagon McClanahan"TBATBAApril 4, 1958 (1958-04-04)
13725"Rin Tin Tin and the Secret Weapon"TBATBAApril 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)
13826"Brave Bow"TBATBAApril 18, 1958 (1958-04-18)

Season 5

No. in
Series
No. in
Season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
13901"The General's Daughter"TBATBASeptember 19, 1958 (1958-09-19)
14002"Escape to Danger"TBATBASeptember 26, 1958 (1958-09-26)
14103"Decision of Rin Tin Tin"TBATBAOctober 3, 1958 (1958-10-03)
14204"The Foot Soldier"TBATBAOctober 10, 1958 (1958-10-10)
14305"Rusty's Opportunity"TBATBAOctober 17, 1958 (1958-10-17)
14406"Running Horse"TBATBAOctober 24, 1958 (1958-10-24)
14507"The Cloudbusters"TBATBAOctober 31, 1958 (1958-10-31)
14608"Deadman's Valley"TBATBANovember 7, 1958 (1958-11-07)
14709"Grandpappy's Love Affair"TBATBANovember 14, 1958 (1958-11-14)
14810"The Epidemic"TBATBANovember 21, 1958 (1958-11-21)
14911"The Best Policy"TBATBADecember 5, 1958 (1958-12-05)
15012"Miracle of the Mission"TBATBADecember 12, 1958 (1958-12-12)
15113"Star of India"TBATBAJanuary 2, 1959 (1959-01-02)
15214"The Misfit Marshal"TBATBAJanuary 9, 1959 (1959-01-09)
15315"Old Betsy"TBATBAJanuary 16, 1959 (1959-01-16)
15416"Stagecoach to Phoenix"TBATBAJanuary 23, 1959 (1959-01-23)
15517"Major Mockingbird"TBATBAJanuary 30, 1959 (1959-01-30)
15618"The Matador"TBATBAFebruary 6, 1959 (1959-02-06)
15719"The Accusation"TBATBAFebruary 13, 1959 (1959-02-13)
15820"Royal Recruit"TBATBAFebruary 20, 1959 (1959-02-20)
15921"The Devil Rides Point"TBATBAFebruary 27, 1959 (1959-02-27)
16022"Pillajohn's Progress"TBATBAMarch 6, 1959 (1959-03-06)
16123"The Ming Vase"TBATBAMarch 13, 1959 (1959-03-13)
16224"Apache Stampede"TBATBAMarch 20, 1959 (1959-03-20)
16325"The Luck of O'Hara"TBATBAApril 3, 1959 (1959-04-03)
16426"The Failure"TBATBAMay 8, 1959 (1959-05-08)

References

  1. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 23–26. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  2. Orlean, Susan (2011). Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. New York City: Simon & Schuster. pp. 191–193. ISBN 978-1-4391-9013-5.
  3. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  4. "TV Ratings: 1954-1955". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
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