Rin Tin Tin is a most famous name and at one time a powerhouse at the box office. But by the 1930's the original star was getting a bit long in the fang and soon his mantle would be taken up by Rin Tin Tin Jr.
The Legend of Rin Tin Tin features four serials starring both of these dogs. The first two star the original Rinty and the last two Rinty Jr. alongside Rex The Wonder Horse. All four of these movies are Mascot Serials, the company that would form the basis for Republic.
The Lone Defender was apparently one of the very first full-sound serial films. It's a solid story about a gold mine and the furious activity on the part of the badguys to make off with the claim. A young woman named Valdez loses her father, but the secret of the mine is etched in a watch and in the memory of Rinty her father's faithful dog. The baddies want to snatch both but are fended off by Buzz a young fellow who helps Miss Valdez and a mysterious character named Ramon, who many think is a villain named "The Cactus Kid". This serial is full of riding and Rin Tin Tin fights three other dogs in some rather intense sequences. The movie falls silent for long stretches, a common feature in early sound flicks, and there are some overly long sequences in sandstorms that are pretty difficult to follow. But overall it's an enjoyable journey with a few not-terribly-surprising twists to freshen things.
The Lightning Warrior is the second Rin Tin Tin sound serial. The plot is pretty straightforward, or at least I think so. A group of miners are being scared away from their claims by the threat of Indians stirred up by a mysterious cloaked figure called "The Wolfman" (this movie pre-dates the Universal flick by many years) and the government sends some men to investigate. A boy loses his father, the owner of the richest mine and a G-Man's brother is killed. Rin Tin Tin belongs to the dead brother but hooks up with the boy and they romp through the story escaping some pretty neat cliffhangers. Rin Tin Tin is the "Lightning Warrior" we learn about half way through, it being a nickname given to him by the Indians. It's a great title for a serial, but the explanation is pretty weak. There's other stuff, like a woman who has a father framed for murder who was raised by the sheriff. All of these guys including a few others look good to be the Wolfman. The story doesn't really make sense if you pay too close attention, but I found it had a good momentum and held my attention pretty well.
The Law of the Wild stars Rin Tin Tin Jr. and is a straightforward modern western with cars and horses chasing along the same backroads raising dust and doing damage. A wild stallion named "Rex" by our hero played by Bob Custer turns out to be a desirable racehorse and so gets stolen by veteran serial baddie Richard Alexander. Then the villains struggle with the hero for possession of a bill of sale and the horse is stolen and re-stolen over and over again as the action and the story unfold. The story frankly could use a few more maguffins to keep it fresh in the middle where it sort of bogs down a bit. Ben Turpin, a silent comedy star famous for his crossed eyes supplies the light moments and gets a lot of screen time. Rinty and Rex are a good team in this saga with Rex portraying a very convincing dangerous stallion. Rinty gets hurt a lot in this one, getting shot at least twice and thrown out of several cars and off horses. He must have some healing factor though as he keeps coming back for more.
The Adventures of Rex and Rinty stars Kane Richmond alongside Rin Tin Tin Jr. and Rex the Wonder Horse. This is a pretty good serial with a decent amount of variety in the action. Rinty is a dog possessed of "near human intelligence" who is a stray fending for himself in the world. Rex is a god-horse of Sujan a distant island kingdom who gets stolen by the badguys and ends up through a bunch of coincidences in the stables operated by Kane Richmond's girlfriend's daddy. Richmond plays an expert polo player who trains Rex in that sport. Meanwhile the baddies led by an evil polo player try to steal Rex over and over again. Often it is Rinty to the rescue and the pair have more than a few adventures on their own apart from the main plot. The save some animals and even a lost little boy from an evil human predator. Ultimately of course all is made well and the horse gets back to Sujan, but then you knew that all ready.
All in all these are a fun batch of movies. The quality of the movies is suspect, but I've come to expect that with older flicks. This is not great cinema, but it is fun cinema for sure.
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