Lights. Camera. ACTION! First Pup in a Film! "Athlete with Wand" by Thomas Edison, 1894
Roll "em!
Canines have been part of our lives for thousands of years. They have kept us sane, protected us, helped us hunt, and have traveled with us to the ends of the earth.
Some of our most important inventions have been created with dogs right along side us. Case in point, 124 years ago Thomas Edison produced one of the first recorded moving pictures--a film-- titled "Athlete with Wand" (we think a better title would have been "Dog and Athlete Contemplate Stick") with a man slowly moving a long stick-like wand while a dog sleeps and then gets up as though to ask "When you going to throw that thing?" Don't bother turning on the sound, this isn't a "talkie." Sound wasn't added until much later, and dogs were part of that too.*
We think a better title would have been
"Dog and Athlete Contemplate Stick."
This black dog with the white stripe down the neck is the first dog on film! We don't know his/her name but she is a superstar to us!
We found this clip on Youtube, compliments of the US Library of Congress. Seattle Pup Magazine supports local libraries. Check out the Seattle Public Library or your local library today!
*keep an eye out for more films and dogs!
Seattle Pup Magazine loves to review and write about films both new and old! Do you love film? Would you like to review a dog film for us? Got ideas for what we should post next? Contact us!