Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend

This book is not just about an individual dog (because there were many), but about the icon that Rin Tin Tin and about the people who built and fostered its legacy.

While reading this book, I admired the research that went into writing it--and my writer crush on Susan Orlean deepens. ( )

In the beginning, there was an orphaned German Shepherd puppy in the war-torn fields of World War One France, and a young American soldier who had spent a lot of his life lonely and isolated, and part of it in an orphanage. The young soldier was Lee Duncan; the orphan puppy became Rin Tin Tin, a leading canine actor of the silent movie period.

It’s easy to misunderstand that last bit, today, when animals in movies almost always play a comic role and are foils for the human actors. During the silent era, animal actors were on a much more equal footing with human actors, because neither had the advantage of speech. Rin Tin Tin, along with other dog actors, played a range of dramatic roles comparable to a human actor, and Rinty, as Duncan called him, was a major movie star. He was smart, highly trainable, and learned to express a wide range of emotions. Duncan took him home from France (an adventure in itself), trained him, and eventually started making the rounds of the movie studios, campaigning for a “break” for his beloved dog.

Orlean gives us the very human story of Duncan’s mostly isolated childhood, his pre-war happy employment in the gun department of a sporting goods store, and, after his return home from the war with the puppy Rin Tin Tin, his discovery that the experience of war had made him permanently uncomfortable around guns. He needed to find another way to support himself, and time spent with his dog was the surest way to ground himself and remain functional. (Many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have had remarkably similar experiences, including the steadying benefits of a companion dog, whether brought home from the war zone or not.) Rinty gets his chance, becomes a big star, and he and Duncan are living the good life.

Then Rinty gets older, less able to do his really athletic stunts, and the Depression hits. Lee Duncan was, as a businessman, honest and naive, and got hurt badly by the financial crash. But he never gave up, and he believed in the idea of Rin Tin Tin as much as in the specific dog he brought home from France. This is also the story of the descendants and maybe-descendants of the original Rin Tin Tin, and Duncan’s dedicated efforts to keep the idea and the ideal of Rin Tin Tin alive. This includes the incarnation of Rin Tin Tin that both Orlean and I knew as children: the tv show set in the American west, decades before the original Rin Tin Tin was born. That tv show was created by producer Bert Leonard, who became as dedicated a supporter of Rin Tin Tin as Duncan himself.
Both Duncan and Leonard experienced success because of Rin Tin Tin, but also paid a real price for a dedication that went beyond the pragmatic and, in business terms, beyond the sensible. This is a fascinating look at not only the dogs who were Rin Tin Tin, but the people around them, and the impact this dog had on their professional, personal, and family lives.

Recommended.

I bought this book. ( )

I liked Orchid Thief better. It was still interesting to read about the early days of Hollywood and the emergence of animals from working on the farm to pets. ( )

I didn't know that RIn Tin Tin was a real dog that just happened to be an actor. I didn't know that Rinty was rescued from a WWI battlefield by the man who became his trainer, his advocate and his person, Lee Duncan. This is a many layered story, all revolving around the dog, the entity and the legend. The people who were passionate about the dog and his offspring as well as those who were interested in keeping the concept of the wonder dog alive are all in the story. Orlean does a great job researching all who came into contact with Rinty, whether it be as a lover of the shepherd breed, a fan of the character he played or those wanting to keep the idea alive and make their fortunes.

Good book. Recommended. ( )

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ heart

Wow. I don't even know what to say about this book that would even begin to do it justice. I watched Rin Tin Tin, the TV show, as a kid (in re-run form of course, as I was born about 30 years too late to see the original). But I was unaware of the full history of the dog. He was more than just a character – he was a real dog whose legacy would live on well past the first Rin Tin Tin. And this book isn't just about the dog and his decedents, it's about the making and changing of movies and shows through a century, about the owner who loved him, the fans that adored him, life, love, and heroism. The author did an extraordinary amount of research and took nearly a decade to finish to book. She delves into so many aspects and the people that made the legend of Rin Tin Tin possible, from the owner, to trainers, to producers, fans, and many other people. She even delves into her own story and how she feels she connects to it all. I like how the author doesn't detach herself from the story but includes her narration and journey through it all. This book is definitely well written. If I could have just kept reading this book without pause, I would have. Very well done. If you ever grew up a fan of Rin Tin Tin or just love dogs in general, this is a great read. Recommended for many. ( )