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 | |
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From left: Lee Aaker, Rin-Tin-Tin, James Brown and Rand Brooks in 1956. | |
Genre | Adventure Family Western |
Directed by | Robert G. Walker William Beaudine |
Starring | Lee Aaker James Brown Joe Sawyer Rand Brooks Rin Tin Tin (various dogs) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 5 |
No. of episodes | 164 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Herbert B. Leonard |
Production company(s) | Screen Gems |
Distributor | Screen Gems |
Release | |
Original network | ABC-TV |
Original release | October 15, 1954 – May 8, 1959 |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Boots and Saddles |
About Rin Tin Tin
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
- Lee Aaker - Corporal Rusty "B-Company"
- James Brown - Lt. Ripley 'Rip' Masters
- Rin Tin Tin IV/Flame, Jr. - Rin Tin Tin
- Joe Sawyer - Sgt. Biff O'Hara
- Rand Brooks - Corporal Randy Boone
- William Forrest - Major Swanson
- Hal Hopper - Cpl. Clark
- John Hoyt - Colonel Barker
- Harry Strang - Sheriff
- Dean Fredericks - Komawi
- Mildred von Hollen - Mrs. Barrington
- George Keymas - Black Billy
- Ralph Moody - Silas Gunn
- Tom McKee - Capt. Davis
- William Fawcett - Captain Longey/Marshal George Higgins
- Morris Ankrum - Chief Red Eagle
- Lane Bradford - Barrows
- Ernest Sarracino - Hamid Bey
- Jack Littlefield - Karl
- Dehl Berti - Katawa
- Bill Hale - Cole Hogarth
- Steven Ritch - Lone Hawk
- Lee Roberts - Aaron Depew
- Larry Chance - Apache Jack
- Charles Stevens - Geronimo
- Gordon Richards - Hubert Twombly
- Pierre Watkin - The Vet
- Tommy Farrell - Carpenter
- Harry Hickox - John Carter
- Andy Clyde - Homer Tubbs
- Ed Hinton - Seth Ramsey
- Patrick Whyte - McKenzie
- Stanley Andrews - Ed Whitmore
- Abel Fernandez - O-ye-tza
- Louis Lettieri - Chief Pokiwah
- Jan Arvan - Chief Running Horse
- William Henry - Bill Anderson
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | 01 | "Meet Rin Tin Tin" | TBA | TBA | October 15, 1954 |
02 | 02 | "Wolf Cry" | TBA | TBA | October 22, 1954 |
03 | 03 | "Rin Tin Tin in the Flaming Forest" | TBA | TBA | October 29, 1954 |
04 | 04 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Raging River" | TBA | TBA | November 5, 1954 |
05 | 05 | "The Killer Cat" | TBA | TBA | November 12, 1954 |
06 | 06 | "The Education of Corporal Rusty" | TBA | TBA | November 19, 1954 |
07 | 07 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Apache Chief" | TBA | TBA | November 26, 1954 |
08 | 08 | "Rin Tin Tin, Outlaw" | TBA | TBA | December 3, 1954 |
09 | 09 | "The Outcast of Fort Apache" | TBA | TBA | December 10, 1954 |
10 | 10 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Ancient Mariner" | TBA | TBA | December 17, 1954 |
11 | 11 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Raw Recruit" | TBA | TBA | December 24, 1954 |
12 | 12 | "Blood Brothers" | TBA | TBA | December 31, 1954 |
13 | 13 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Gold Bullion" | TBA | TBA | January 7, 1955 |
14 | 14 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Sacred Lance" | TBA | TBA | January 14, 1955 |
15 | 15 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Shifting Sands" | TBA | TBA | January 21, 1955 |
16 | 16 | "Rusty Plays Cupid" | TBA | TBA | January 28, 1955 |
17 | 17 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Medicine Man" | TBA | TBA | February 4, 1955 |
18 | 18 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Babe in the Woods" | TBA | TBA | February 11, 1955 |
19 | 19 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Eagle's Nest" | TBA | TBA | February 18, 1955 |
20 | 20 | "Rusty Resigns from the Army" | TBA | TBA | February 25, 1955 |
21 | 21 | "The Legacy of Sean O'Hara" | TBA | TBA | March 4, 1955 |
22 | 22 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Barber of Seville" | TBA | TBA | March 11, 1955 |
23 | 23 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Blushing Brides" | TBA | TBA | March 18, 1955 |
24 | 24 | "The Guilty One" | TBA | TBA | March 25, 1955 |
25 | 25 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Magic Box" | TBA | TBA | April 1, 1955 |
26 | 26 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Bandit Kingdom" | TBA | TBA | April 8, 1955 |
27 | 27 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Printer's Devil" | TBA | TBA | April 15, 1955 |
28 | 28 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Dead Man's Gold" | TBA | TBA | April 22, 1955 |
29 | 29 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Ghost Town" | TBA | TBA | April 29, 1955 |
30 | 30 | "O'Hara Gets Busted" | TBA | TBA | May 6, 1955 |
31 | 31 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Bounty Hunters" | TBA | TBA | May 13, 1955 |
32 | 32 | "Farewell to Fort Apache" | TBA | TBA | May 20, 1955 |
33 | 33 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Scotchman" | TBA | TBA | May 27, 1955 |
34 | 34 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Lonesome Road" | TBA | TBA | June 3, 1955 |
Season 2
No. in Series |
No. in Season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
35 | 01 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Bugle Call" | TBA | TBA | September 9, 1955 |
36 | 02 | "Rin Tin Tin Meets Shakespeare" | TBA | TBA | September 16, 1955 |
37 | 03 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Wild Stallion" | TBA | TBA | September 23, 1955 |
38 | 04 | "Rusty Volunteers" | TBA | TBA | September 30, 1955 |
39 | 05 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Poor Little Rich Boy" | TBA | TBA | October 7, 1955 |
40 | 06 | "Rin Tin Tin and the White Buffalo" | TBA | TBA | October 14, 1955 |
41 | 07 | "Rin Tin Tin Meets Mister President" | TBA | TBA | October 21, 1955 |
42 | 08 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Iron Horse" | TBA | TBA | October 28, 1955 |
43 | 09 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Connecticut Yankee" | TBA | TBA | November 4, 1955 |
44 | 10 | "Higgins Rides Again" | TBA | TBA | November 11, 1955 |
45 | 11 | "Boone's Wedding Day" | TBA | TBA | November 18, 1955 |
46 | 12 | "Rusty Goes to Town" | TBA | TBA | November 25, 1955 |
47 | 13 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Patrol" | TBA | TBA | December 2, 1955 |
48 | 14 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Star Witness" | TBA | TBA | December 9, 1955 |
49 | 15 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Last Chance" | TBA | TBA | December 16, 1955 |
50 | 16 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Christmas Story" | TBA | TBA | December 23, 1955 |
51 | 17 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Indian Burial Grounds" | TBA | TBA | December 30, 1955 |
52 | 18 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Missing Heir" | TBA | TBA | January 13, 1956 |
53 | 19 | "Rusty's Romance" | TBA | TBA | January 20, 1956 |
54 | 20 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Tin Soldier" | TBA | TBA | January 27, 1956 |
55 | 21 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Big Top" | TBA | TBA | February 3, 1956 |
56 | 22 | "Rusty's Bank Account" | TBA | TBA | February 10, 1956 |
57 | 23 | "Rin Tin Tin Meets O'Hara's Mother" | TBA | TBA | February 17, 1956 |
58 | 24 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Return of the Ancient Mariner" | TBA | TBA | February 24, 1956 |
59 | 25 | "The Failing Light" | TBA | TBA | March 2, 1956 |
60 | 26 | "Rusty's Mystery" | TBA | TBA | March 9, 1956 |
61 | 27 | "The Third Rider" | TBA | TBA | March 16, 1956 |
62 | 28 | "Rusty Surrenders" | TBA | TBA | March 23, 1956 |
63 | 29 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Rainmaker" | TBA | TBA | March 30, 1956 |
64 | 30 | "Scotchman's Gold" | TBA | TBA | April 6, 1956 |
65 | 31 | "Attack on Fort Apache" | TBA | TBA | April 13, 1956 |
66 | 32 | "Rin Tin Tin and Homer the Great" | TBA | TBA | April 20, 1956 |
67 | 33 | "Rinty Finds a Bone" | TBA | TBA | April 27, 1956 |
68 | 34 | "Rin Tin Tin Meets Mister Nobody" | TBA | TBA | May 4, 1956 |
69 | 35 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Circle of Fire" | TBA | TBA | May 11, 1956 |
70 | 36 | "Hubert Goes West" | TBA | TBA | May 18, 1956 |
71 | 37 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Treasure" | TBA | TBA | May 25, 1956 |
72 | 38 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Second Chance" | TBA | TBA | June 1, 1956 |
Season 3
No. in Series |
No. in Season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
73 | 01 | "Forward Ho!" | TBA | TBA | September 7, 1956 |
74 | 02 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Witch of the Woods" | TBA | TBA | September 14, 1956 |
75 | 03 | "Sorrowful Joe" | TBA | TBA | September 21, 1956 |
76 | 04 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Return of the Chief" | TBA | TBA | September 28, 1956 |
77 | 05 | "Silent Battle" | TBA | TBA | October 5, 1956 |
78 | 06 | "Yo-o Rinty" | TBA | TBA | October 12, 1956 |
79 | 07 | "Rin Tin Tin and the White Wolf" | TBA | TBA | October 19, 1956 |
80 | 08 | "Return of Rin Tin Tin" | TBA | TBA | October 26, 1956 |
81 | 09 | "Boone's Grandpappy" | TBA | TBA | November 2, 1956 |
82 | 10 | "The Lost Puppy" | TBA | TBA | November 9, 1956 |
83 | 11 | "Presidential Citation" | TBA | TBA | November 16, 1956 |
84 | 12 | "Wagon Train" | TBA | TBA | November 23, 1956 |
85 | 13 | "Fort Adventure" | TBA | TBA | November 30, 1956 |
86 | 14 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Invaders" | TBA | TBA | December 14, 1956 |
87 | 15 | "Racing Rails" | TBA | TBA | December 28, 1956 |
88 | 16 | "Higgins' Last Stand" | TBA | TBA | January 4, 1957 |
89 | 17 | "The Indian Hater" | TBA | TBA | January 11, 1957 |
90 | 18 | "Rin Tin Tin Meets the Southern Colonel" | TBA | TBA | January 18, 1957 |
91 | 19 | "The Warrior's Promise" | TBA | TBA | January 25, 1957 |
92 | 20 | "Sorrowful Joe Returns" | TBA | TBA | February 1, 1957 |
93 | 21 | "The Lieutenant's Lesson" | TBA | TBA | February 8, 1957 |
94 | 22 | "The Swedish Cook" | TBA | TBA | February 15, 1957 |
95 | 23 | "Rusty Gets Busted" | TBA | TBA | February 22, 1957 |
96 | 24 | "O'Hara's Gold" | TBA | TBA | March 1, 1957 |
97 | 25 | "O'Hara Gets Culture" | TBA | TBA | March 8, 1957 |
98 | 26 | "The Frame-Up" | TBA | TBA | March 15, 1957 |
99 | 27 | "Boone's Commission" | TBA | TBA | March 22, 1957 |
100 | 28 | "The Silent Witness" | TBA | TBA | March 29, 1957 |
101 | 29 | "Indian Blood" | TBA | TBA | April 5, 1957 |
102 | 30 | "The Old Soldier" | TBA | TBA | April 12, 1957 |
103 | 31 | "Stagecoach Sally" | TBA | TBA | April 19, 1957 |
104 | 32 | "Bitter Medicine" | TBA | TBA | April 26, 1957 |
105 | 33 | "Corporal Carson" | TBA | TBA | May 3, 1957 |
106 | 34 | "Hubert's Niece" | TBA | TBA | May 10, 1957 |
107 | 35 | "O'Hara Gets Amnesia" | TBA | TBA | May 17, 1957 |
108 | 36 | "Along Came Tubbs" | TBA | TBA | May 24, 1957 |
109 | 37 | "Swanson's Choice" | TBA | TBA | May 31, 1957 |
110 | 38 | "The Gentle Kingdom" | TBA | TBA | June 7, 1957 |
111 | 39 | "The Swapper" | TBA | TBA | June 14, 1957 |
112 | 40 | "The Old Man of the Mountain" | TBA | TBA | June 21, 1957 |
Season 4
No. in Series |
No. in Season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
113 | 01 | "Return to Fort Apache" | TBA | TBA | September 20, 1957 |
114 | 02 | "The Courtship of Marshal Higgins" | TBA | TBA | September 27, 1957 |
115 | 03 | "Rusty's Reward" | TBA | TBA | October 4, 1957 |
116 | 04 | "A Look of Eagles" | TBA | TBA | October 11, 1957 |
117 | 05 | "The Last Navajo" | TBA | TBA | October 18, 1957 |
118 | 06 | "Mother O'Hara's Marriage" | TBA | TBA | October 25, 1957 |
119 | 07 | "Hostage of War Bonnet" | TBA | TBA | November 1, 1957 |
120 | 08 | "Rodeo Clown" | TBA | TBA | November 8, 1957 |
121 | 09 | "Rusty's Strategy" | TBA | TBA | November 15, 1957 |
122 | 10 | "Frontier Angel" | TBA | TBA | November 22, 1957 |
123 | 11 | "The Hunted" | TBA | TBA | December 6, 1957 |
124 | 12 | "White Chief" | TBA | TBA | December 13, 1957 |
125 | 13 | "Boundary Busters" | TBA | TBA | December 20, 1957 |
126 | 14 | "Rin Tin Tin and the River Chase" | TBA | TBA | January 10, 1958 |
127 | 15 | "Top Gun" | TBA | TBA | January 24, 1958 |
128 | 16 | "Tomahawk Tubbs" | TBA | TBA | February 7, 1958 |
129 | 17 | "The New C.O." | TBA | TBA | February 14, 1958 |
130 | 18 | "Pritikin's Predicament" | TBA | TBA | February 21, 1958 |
131 | 19 | "Rusty's Remedy" | TBA | TBA | February 28, 1958 |
132 | 20 | "Spanish Gold" | TBA | TBA | March 7, 1958 |
133 | 21 | "Bitter Bounty" | TBA | TBA | March 14, 1958 |
134 | 22 | "Sorrowful Joe's Policy" | TBA | TBA | March 21, 1958 |
135 | 23 | "Border Incident" | TBA | TBA | March 28, 1958 |
136 | 24 | "Wind-Wagon McClanahan" | TBA | TBA | April 4, 1958 |
137 | 25 | "Rin Tin Tin and the Secret Weapon" | TBA | TBA | April 11, 1958 |
138 | 26 | "Brave Bow" | TBA | TBA | April 18, 1958 |
Season 5
No. in Series |
No. in Season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
139 | 01 | "The General's Daughter" | TBA | TBA | September 19, 1958 |
140 | 02 | "Escape to Danger" | TBA | TBA | September 26, 1958 |
141 | 03 | "Decision of Rin Tin Tin" | TBA | TBA | October 3, 1958 |
142 | 04 | "The Foot Soldier" | TBA | TBA | October 10, 1958 |
143 | 05 | "Rusty's Opportunity" | TBA | TBA | October 17, 1958 |
144 | 06 | "Running Horse" | TBA | TBA | October 24, 1958 |
145 | 07 | "The Cloudbusters" | TBA | TBA | October 31, 1958 |
146 | 08 | "Deadman's Valley" | TBA | TBA | November 7, 1958 |
147 | 09 | "Grandpappy's Love Affair" | TBA | TBA | November 14, 1958 |
148 | 10 | "The Epidemic" | TBA | TBA | November 21, 1958 |
149 | 11 | "The Best Policy" | TBA | TBA | December 5, 1958 |
150 | 12 | "Miracle of the Mission" | TBA | TBA | December 12, 1958 |
151 | 13 | "Star of India" | TBA | TBA | January 2, 1959 |
152 | 14 | "The Misfit Marshal" | TBA | TBA | January 9, 1959 |
153 | 15 | "Old Betsy" | TBA | TBA | January 16, 1959 |
154 | 16 | "Stagecoach to Phoenix" | TBA | TBA | January 23, 1959 |
155 | 17 | "Major Mockingbird" | TBA | TBA | January 30, 1959 |
156 | 18 | "The Matador" | TBA | TBA | February 6, 1959 |
157 | 19 | "The Accusation" | TBA | TBA | February 13, 1959 |
158 | 20 | "Royal Recruit" | TBA | TBA | February 20, 1959 |
159 | 21 | "The Devil Rides Point" | TBA | TBA | February 27, 1959 |
160 | 22 | "Pillajohn's Progress" | TBA | TBA | March 6, 1959 |
161 | 23 | "The Ming Vase" | TBA | TBA | March 13, 1959 |
162 | 24 | "Apache Stampede" | TBA | TBA | March 20, 1959 |
163 | 25 | "The Luck of O'Hara" | TBA | TBA | April 3, 1959 |
164 | 26 | "The Failure" | TBA | TBA | May 8, 1959 |
References
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- "TV Ratings: 1954-1955". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.