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A review by trike
Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean
4.0
This is an excellent look at just what it says in the title "The Life and the Legend."
There's not as much about Rinty himself, but after you hit the highlights of his film career there's not much to cover. There's no question that Rin Tin Tin was an exceptional dog in every way. Not just a gifted athlete, he was a genuine movie star the equal of any human star you can name. The fact he was awarded the very first Oscar for Best Actor (only to have it taken away because some thought it would tarnish the fledgling award's reputation) was not a silly or impulsive decision. Rin Tin Tin actually was that good.
But after that you are, ultimately, left talking about a dog. No matter how exceptional, you can't really get to know him, and dogs are not complicated animals. I've been in animal rescue for more than three decades and have owned more than 20 dogs. I'm looking at three of them asleep in front of me right now. I know what they want, what they can do and how they'll behave in any situation, but their desires are not complicated. I certainly couldn't get a 300-page book out of their stories.
So Orlean's choice to focus on Rinty's owner, Lee Duncan, was expected, yet it turns out Duncan is about as uncomplicated as his dog. He wants a simple life of training dogs and riding horses, and that's about it. He clearly loved the idea of having a world-famous dog and enjoyed showing him off, but not really comfortable in the spotlight himself.
The real story is what happened after Rin Tin Tin died and Duncan -- and everyone else -- wanted to preserve the legacy or continue riding the gravy train.
I knew most of Rinty's story already, but had no idea what happened after. The typical Hollywood chicanery and politics, of course, but the specifics of it are crazy even for the entertainment business.
Beyond that are the stories of two world wars. WWII never fails to amaze me. That entire conflict, from Germany's first invasion to Japan's surrender, lasted about six years, yet it seems like every few months we hear about some new little piece of history. Duncan and Rinty's involvement with the wardog program of the US Army, the fact that both Adolf Hitler and Anne Frank loved Rin Tin Tin, and so much more, really surprised me with brand new information.
There was a bit too much of Orlean's personal history regarding Rin Tin Tin for my taste, but it does serve to underscore how obsessed (and obsessive) people can become with movie stars in general and with Rin Tin Tin in particular.
If you like bigger-than-life personalities and tales of Hollywood's back lots, this is the book for you. The people get more page time than the dogs, but none of these people would be worth writing about if it hadn't been for Lee Duncan's discovery of the orphaned pups in that bombed-out dog kennel during World War I.
There's not as much about Rinty himself, but after you hit the highlights of his film career there's not much to cover. There's no question that Rin Tin Tin was an exceptional dog in every way. Not just a gifted athlete, he was a genuine movie star the equal of any human star you can name. The fact he was awarded the very first Oscar for Best Actor (only to have it taken away because some thought it would tarnish the fledgling award's reputation) was not a silly or impulsive decision. Rin Tin Tin actually was that good.
But after that you are, ultimately, left talking about a dog. No matter how exceptional, you can't really get to know him, and dogs are not complicated animals. I've been in animal rescue for more than three decades and have owned more than 20 dogs. I'm looking at three of them asleep in front of me right now. I know what they want, what they can do and how they'll behave in any situation, but their desires are not complicated. I certainly couldn't get a 300-page book out of their stories.
So Orlean's choice to focus on Rinty's owner, Lee Duncan, was expected, yet it turns out Duncan is about as uncomplicated as his dog. He wants a simple life of training dogs and riding horses, and that's about it. He clearly loved the idea of having a world-famous dog and enjoyed showing him off, but not really comfortable in the spotlight himself.
The real story is what happened after Rin Tin Tin died and Duncan -- and everyone else -- wanted to preserve the legacy or continue riding the gravy train.
I knew most of Rinty's story already, but had no idea what happened after. The typical Hollywood chicanery and politics, of course, but the specifics of it are crazy even for the entertainment business.
Beyond that are the stories of two world wars. WWII never fails to amaze me. That entire conflict, from Germany's first invasion to Japan's surrender, lasted about six years, yet it seems like every few months we hear about some new little piece of history. Duncan and Rinty's involvement with the wardog program of the US Army, the fact that both Adolf Hitler and Anne Frank loved Rin Tin Tin, and so much more, really surprised me with brand new information.
There was a bit too much of Orlean's personal history regarding Rin Tin Tin for my taste, but it does serve to underscore how obsessed (and obsessive) people can become with movie stars in general and with Rin Tin Tin in particular.
If you like bigger-than-life personalities and tales of Hollywood's back lots, this is the book for you. The people get more page time than the dogs, but none of these people would be worth writing about if it hadn't been for Lee Duncan's discovery of the orphaned pups in that bombed-out dog kennel during World War I.