The original feature film
The first The Littlest Hobo feature is the original London’s clearest documented Hobo role. London is credited as the canine star, with Charles P. Eisenmann as trainer.
Explore this eraScreen history
The dog on screen was never only one dog.
The Hobo identity crossed films, television eras and individual canine performers.
The screen story
Follow the dog, then meet the dogs behind the name.
For audiences, “London” was a familiar screen hero. Behind that name were several dogs, a character and a public identity.
This guide follows the broad story through film and television, while keeping individual performers separate where their names and histories are not yet clear.
The early television series
Contemporary accounts describe London, Thorn, Toro and Litlon as sharing the Hobo role. They show a shared screen identity, rather than a scene-by-scene record of who appeared when.
Explore this eraThe revival
A contemporary 1981 caption names London, Bo, Toro, Lance and Thorn, and calls London the dog used in most scenes. The names alone do not connect these performers to dogs of the earlier era.
Explore this eraThe next layer
Help us uncover the story.
We’re still looking for production dates, credits, photographs, publicity, episode records and information about which dogs worked in each period. If you have memories, documents or anything else that could help us fill in the story, please email contact@thehobostory.org.
Begin with the original London
His 1958 feature role is the clearest starting point for the screen story.
Read London’s storyMeet the other dogs
Each dog has a story of its own; together they made the familiar Hobo identity.
Explore the dogs