The Lone Defender

The Lone Defender is a 1930 American Pre-Code Mascot serial film starring Rin Tin Tin. It was Mascot's first all-sound serial (the second to have any sound at all, after the partial sound in The King of the Kongo). It was Rin Tin Tin's first serial at Mascot, after being dropped by Warner Bros. when they decided animal pictures would not work with "Talkies". He also starred in the later serial The Lightning Warrior, which was his last appearance (he died in 1932).[1]

The Lone Defender
Poster for chapter two of the serial
Directed byRichard Thorpe
Written byWilliam Presley Burt
Bennett Cohen
Harry Fraser
Produced byNat Levine
StarringRin Tin Tin
Walter Miller
June Marlowe
Josef Swickard
Buzz Barton
Lee Shumway
CinematographyBenjamin Kline
Edited byWyndham Gittens
Music byLee Zahler
Distributed byMascot Pictures
Release date
1930
Running time
12 chapters (217 min)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40,000 (estimated)

The plot revolves around Rin Tin Tin as "Rinty" and a secret gold mine fought over by the criminal "The Cactus Kid" and the legitimate owners. Material from this serial was edited into a feature film version and released under the same name in 1934.

Plot

Prospector Juan Valdez is murdered by The Cactus Kid and his gang in an attempt to discover the location of his gold mine. Valdez's dog Rinty witnesses the murder and can also lead the gang to the mine, making him the villain's target throughout the serial. In addition Rinty must help Valdez's daughter Dolores legitimately find and claim the mine while being blamed for being the wolf that has been attacking local livestock.

The mysterious figure of Ramon is constantly on hand, overhearing pieces of the villain's conversations. He appears to be another bandit but his actions seem to contradict that. It is revealed in the finale of the serial that Ramon is in fact "Marco Roberto", an agent of the Justice Department.

Cast
  • Rin Tin Tin as "Rinty", Juan Valdez's dog
  • Josef Swickard as Juan Valdez, Prospector who owns a secret gold mine
  • June Marlowe as Dolores Valdez, Juan Valdez's daughter
  • Walter Miller as Marco Roberto, Justice Department Agent posing as the "Mysterious Figure", Ramon
  • Buzz Barton as Buzz, Ramon's sidekick
  • Lee Shumway as Amos Harkey, the villainous cantina owner
  • Julia Bejarano as Maria, the Dueña
  • Lafe McKee as Sheriff Billings
  • Arthur Morrison as Limpy
  • Frank Lanning as Burke, Prospector and Juan Valdez's partner
  • Bob Kortman as Jenkins, one of the Cactus Kid's Henchmen
  • Victor Metzetti as Red, one of the Cactus Kid's Henchmen
  • Otto Metzetti as Red's Partner

Production

Stunts

Chapter titles
  1. Mystery of the Desert
  2. The Fugitive
  3. Jaws of Peril
  4. Trapped
  5. Circle of Death
  6. Surrounded by the Law
  7. The Ghost Speaks
  8. The Brink of Destruction
  9. The Avalanche
  10. Fury of the Desert
  11. Cornered
  12. Vindicated

Source:[2]

See also

References
  1. NPR Staff (January 9, 2012). "Rin Tin Tin: A Silent Film Star On Four Legs". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 202. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
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