Rex (horse)
Encyclopedia
Rex, also known as Rex the Wonder Horse and King of the Wild Horses, was a 16 hands
(64 in
; 1.63 m
) Morgan
stallion
who starred in films and film serials
in the 1920s and 30s.
His trainer was Jack "Swede" Lindell, who found him in a boy's school in Golden, Colorado [Morgan Horse Register, volumes 4 & 5]. He found that Rex had the unusual behaviour of trying to bite a whip
when it was cracked. Lindell encouraged this and would often stand behind the camera to get a dramatic shot on film. Lindell never left Rex alone on set unless he was locked in his own trailer.
During filming of The Law of the Wild
Rex made a commotion on set. When he charged the camera (with Lindell behind it) as intended he did not stop when Lindell gave the signal to do so (by holding his whip in both hands). He reared, knocking over several reflector
s and causing the cast and crew to scatter for cover. Rex chased one actor, Ernie Adams
, who attempted to hide under a car. Rex dropped to his knees and attempted to bite Adams with his head thrust sideways underneath the car. Lindell managed to call Rex off by simply cracking the whip, after which the horse calmly walked over to him. When William Witney
, working as an assistant director
on the serial, made Stranger at My Door (1956
) he described the event to trainer Glen Randall and the scene was recreated for that movie.
(1936
) but it was not the same animal.
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
(64 in
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
; 1.63 m
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
) Morgan
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
who starred in films and film serials
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
in the 1920s and 30s.
His trainer was Jack "Swede" Lindell, who found him in a boy's school in Golden, Colorado [Morgan Horse Register, volumes 4 & 5]. He found that Rex had the unusual behaviour of trying to bite a whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
when it was cracked. Lindell encouraged this and would often stand behind the camera to get a dramatic shot on film. Lindell never left Rex alone on set unless he was locked in his own trailer.
During filming of The Law of the Wild
The Law of the Wild
The Law of the Wild is a 1934 American Mascot movie serial directed by B. Reeves Eason and Armand Schaefer.-Plot:John Sheldon is falsely accused by Frank Nolan of killing Lou Salters. With his owner now in prison, Nolan steals Sheldon's horse Rex with plans to ride him in a big race...
Rex made a commotion on set. When he charged the camera (with Lindell behind it) as intended he did not stop when Lindell gave the signal to do so (by holding his whip in both hands). He reared, knocking over several reflector
Reflector (photography)
In photography and cinematography, a reflector is an improvised or specialised reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene.- Types :...
s and causing the cast and crew to scatter for cover. Rex chased one actor, Ernie Adams
Ernie Adams (actor)
Ernie Adams was an American film actor. He appeared in over 400 films between 1919 and 1948.He was born in San Francisco, California and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
, who attempted to hide under a car. Rex dropped to his knees and attempted to bite Adams with his head thrust sideways underneath the car. Lindell managed to call Rex off by simply cracking the whip, after which the horse calmly walked over to him. When William Witney
William Witney
William Nuelsen Witney was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the movie serials he co-directed with John English for Republic Pictures such as Daredevils of the Red Circle, Zorro's Fighting Legion and Drums of Fu Manchu.He directed many Westerns during his career,...
, working as an assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
on the serial, made Stranger at My Door (1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
) he described the event to trainer Glen Randall and the scene was recreated for that movie.
Filmography
- Stormy Actor (19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
) - The Law of the WildThe Law of the WildThe Law of the Wild is a 1934 American Mascot movie serial directed by B. Reeves Eason and Armand Schaefer.-Plot:John Sheldon is falsely accused by Frank Nolan of killing Lou Salters. With his owner now in prison, Nolan steals Sheldon's horse Rex with plans to ride him in a big race...
(19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) - The King of the Wild Horses (19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) - The Harvest of Hate (19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
) - Hoofbeats of Vengeance (19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
) - Wild Beauty (19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - No Man's Land (19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - No Man's LawNo Man's LawNo Man's Law is a 1927 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Rex the Wonder Horse - Rex, a Wild Horse* Barbara Kent - Toby Belcher* James Finlayson - Jack Belcher * Theodore von Eltz - Spider O'Day...
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - The Devil Horse (19261926 in film-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
) - Black Cyclone (19251925 in film-Events:*November 5: The Big Parade holds its Grand Premier*December 30: premier of Ben-Hur the most expensive silent film ever made costing 4-6 million dollars -Top grossing films :...
)
Other Rexes
Another horse appeared under the name of Rex the Wonder Horse in Robinson Crusoe of Clipper IslandRobinson Crusoe of Clipper Island
Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island is a Republic Movie serial starring Ray Mala. It was the fourth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic and the last to be released in 1936...
(1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
) but it was not the same animal.