Andy Warhol—This iconic artist of the 1960s owned a taxidermied Harlequin Great Dane named Cecil. It was named for (reportedly) former owner, Cecil B. DeMille. Cecil was a model for Warhol, and is on display at the Andy Warhol museum.
Great Dane Trailers Not an official Great Dane, nonetheless, Great Dane Trailers may be the most frequently seen Great Dane in the United States. The well-recognized logo of a stately standing cropped Great Dane is seen on the mud flaps of many trucks on America’s highways. In the 1930s, Steel Products Co. hired a respected trailer designer who referred to his trailers as “Great Danes.” He was familiar with the breed as work animals known for their strength and stamina. The name stuck, and by 1958, the Steel Production Company changed its name to Great Dane Trailers Inc. At their base in Georgia, a larger-than-life Harlequin statue has stood outside their office for more than 16 years.
MACH Morgan “Danger” Powers This black-and-white natural-eared bitch has more than a dozen titles in areas ranging from agility to flyball. In 2004, she became the first Great Dane to achieve the ultimate agility title, Masters Agility Championship (MACH). Morgan was born in 1999. In 2003, she appeared on two television competitions. Morgan was Miss Colorado for Fox’s “Miss Dog Beauty Pageant,” and she was part of the winning team in Purina’s Incredible Dog Challenge Outdoor Adventure. The latter event had the biggest (Morgan) and smallest dog entered on one team—the Mountain West Altidogs. At 10 years of age, Morgan has headed toward a Rally Novice title. Morgan has also been nominated to the Flyball Hall of Fame. She retired after the 2009 Great Dane Club of America National Specialty Agility Trials. (For more information on Morgan, check out her website at www.deaspeedwaggin.com/dogs/morgan.)
Diamonds Are a Dane’s Best Friend?
Evalyn Walsh McLean, an owner of the famed Hope diamond in the early 1900s, reportedly would let her Great Dane, Mike, wear the diamond on walks around town!
Great Danes on Screens Large and Small
Because of their size, Great Danes have been a popular addition to movies, appearing in nearly 100 feature films. Their ability to be goofy or intimidating makes them perfect for laughs or terror. They have shared the big screen with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, such as W.C. Fields, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Bette Davis, Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Rock Hudson, Jack Lemmon, Spencer Tracy, Jackie Gleason, Mel Gibson, Freddie Prinze Jr., Leslie Nielson, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Uma Thurman, and more. Here is a small selection of movie titles you may wish to look for.
• Teddy at the Throttle (1917). Keystone Teddy, a lightly marked Brindle Great Dane, is featured in the title of this film that co-stars silent superstar Gloria Swanson. Teddy sings with Gloria, dances with her maid, stops a train, saves the girl from a fortune hunter, and reunites her with the right man in time for the closing credits.
• Seven Chances (1925). In this Buster Keaton silent feature, Keaton finds he will inherit a fortune if married by 7 P.M. that day. The leading lady owns a Harlequin Great Dane who steals the ending of the film. Of note, the Great Dane is played by different Harlequins, some cropped and some uncropped!
• Six of a Kind (1934). A couple beginning their second honeymoon invites another couple along to save money. The new couple (famed comedians George Bums and Gracie Allen) bring their Fawn Great Dane, Rang Tang Tang, who insists on sitting in the front seat and causes constant commotion on the trip.
• Blondie in Society (1941). This is one of the features based on the popular Blondie comic strip. Dagwood is given a Fawn Great Dane in lieu of money owed. Blondie decides to enter the Dane in a dog show, hoping to win a monetary prize. Meanwhile, it seems everyone wants the Great Dane, who is Champion Chin Up White Tie for Dinner.
• Hollwood or Bust (1956). In the duo’s final film, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis drive across the country with Jerry’s Fawn Great Dane, Mr. Bascomb. On the way Mr. Bascomb sings with Jerry, drives the car, falls in love with Anita Ekberg’s Toy Poodle, and attends a Hollywood premiere. This is a fun film and a great showcase for the breed.
• The Ugly Dachshund (1966). This Disney live-action romp has a married couple (Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette) raising a Great Dane puppy with a litter of Dachshunds. As the Fawn Great Dane, called Brutus, grows, he creates mischief around the house but wins the day when he wins at a dog show.
• Live a Little, Love a Little (1968). Elvis Presley falls for a free-spirited young lady who owns a Fawn Great Dane. In a dream sequence, Elvis sings a song while an actor in a Great Dane costume dances around him.
• Oliver and Company (1988). This Disney animated feature tells Dickens’s Oliver Twist with animals. Oliver is a cat with a gang of pickpocket dogs. One of the canine gang members is Einstein, a Great Dane voiced by Richard Mulligan. Einstein’s cartoon color leads one to believe he is closest to being a Blue.
• Head Over Heels (2001). An undercover agent walks a neighbor’s dog (Fawn Great Dane) that seems overly interested in human females. The Great Dane is sometimes played by a large puppet.
• Chestnut: Hero of Central Park (2004). In this family film, orphaned sisters find a Fawn puppy in Central Park. They try to keep him a secret from their new parents, who live in a posh New York apartment that does not allow dogs.
• Marmaduke (2010). Based on the popular comic strip, the story has Marmaduke and his family moving from the Midwest to a new home in a trendy Southern California city. There he falls in love, surfs, and takes on a dog-park bully. Marmaduke talks in the film, though he does not in the comic strip.
On the small screen, Great Danes have appeared in several series. Hanna-Barbera’s Scooby-Doo is one of the longest-running characters in cartoons, having appeared in a variety of animated series and movies since his debut in 1969. The Jetsons starred Astro (whose real name is discovered to be Tralfaz) as the family pet. Diana Rigg had a Great Dane as her pet in the series Diana. Great Danes have also been guest stars on such series as Two and a Half Men, Bewitched, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Dream of Jeannie, ALF, Judging Amy, Walker, Texas Ranger, and The Honeymooners.
FYI: The Dane in Print
The Great Dane’s size and royal appearance have made him popular with authors and cartoonists. Here are several books that feature the breed:
• The Ugly Dachshund (1938). Written by Gladys Bronwyn Stern and first published in 1938, the book tells of a Great Dane raised with a family of Dachshunds. In the book, the animals talk to each other (unlike the Disney film of 1966). The Dane wonders why he is treated differently from the other Dachshunds in the house … and why “the great dog” in the mirror comes to look at him.
• The Great Dane Thor (1966). Written by Walter Farley, of Black Stallion fame, the story follows the struggles of a young boy and his father’s Great Dane. The dog has killed wildlife around the farm, and the boy fears it. However, the father insists that the boy rehabilitate the dog.
• The Invisible Dog (1995). Written by Dick King-Smith, the story follows a young girl who creates an imaginary, invisible dog, Henry. Henry is a Harlequin Great Dane … that seems to be coming to life.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997).
