diff --git a/django/template/response.py b/django/template/response.py
index 7741a3e3ad..990a17b6bf 100644
--- a/django/template/response.py
+++ b/django/template/response.py
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@ class SimpleTemplateResponse(HttpResponse):
         self.template_name = template
         self.context_data = context
 
-        # _is_rendered tracks whether the template and context has been
-        # baked into a final response.
-        self._is_rendered = False
-
         self._post_render_callbacks = []
 
         # content argument doesn't make sense here because it will be replaced
@@ -33,6 +29,14 @@ class SimpleTemplateResponse(HttpResponse):
         super(SimpleTemplateResponse, self).__init__('', mimetype, status,
                                                      content_type)
 
+        # _is_rendered tracks whether the template and context has been baked
+        # into a final response.
+        # Super __init__ doesn't know any better than to set self.content to
+        # the empty string we just gave it, which wrongly sets _is_rendered
+        # True, so we initialize it to False after the call to super __init__.
+        self._is_rendered = False
+
+
     def __getstate__(self):
         """Pickling support function.