If you are a dog lover who fancies him or herself as being savvy about dogs in movies, and you don’t know about Skippy, sorry, but you’re not savvy at all.

“Skippy’ was a Wire Fox Terrier who appeared in dozens of movies during the 1930s, the most popular among them the detective comedy series, The Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. The movies were so popular, that Skippy was often credited as “Asta,” his movie name, in public and in other films. Skippy was trained by his owners, Gale and Henry East, but also by Frank Weatherwax. He also played a pivotal part in Bringing Up Baby (1938), and in Topper Takes a Trip (1938).

The first glimpse most of us with an interest in vintage movies had of Skippy was in the very first of the Thin Man series:

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The first movie was such a hit that it spawned five sequels. We think they hold up even today:

• After the Thin Man (1936)
• Another Thin Man (1939)
• Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
• The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
• Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Old movie buffs may recognize another familiar face in that clip: Maureen O’Sullivan was the Irish actress best known for playing Jane in the Tarzan series of films starring Johnny Weissmuller.