In Rin Tin Tin, Susan Orleans writes, as usual, about obsession. She writes not only about the dog star himself but also about how industries--specifically the film industry--can turn on its stars.
Rin Tin Tin was explosive force of goodness--heroic, loyal, and brave--who would make people fortunes. He would also, through no fault of his own, cause people to lose fortunes.
Lee Duncan rescued the puppy that would become Rin Tin Tin on a WWI battlefield in France. Convincing his superiors to let him take the puppy home to the US, Lee embarked on a journey that would change his life, the dog's, and the world.
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| Rin Tin Tin in A Dog of the Regiment |
When Duncan took Rin Tin Tin to Hollywood, the dog not only saved Warner Brother's studios from bankruptcy, he also became its highest paid actor. Other dog stars achieved fame during the silent film era, but Rin Tin Tin was the most revered and adored.
When talkies came out, though, Duncan and Rin Tin Tin lost their elusive contract and film deal. Rin Tin Tin worked for a less lucrative film company before he died in 1932.
After Rin Tin Tin's death, Duncan made one of Rin's puppies the new Rin Tin Tin. Duncan put Rin's son in movies, but he lacked some of the old Rin's spark. In 1934, Rin Tin Tin Jr. made 1/3 of what he had made in Old Rin's heyday.
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| Rin Tin Tin, Jr in 1936 |
The could have been the end of the story but Lee knew "there would always be a Rin Tin Tin." Lee was right. Rin Tin Tin III starred in The Return of Rin Tin Tin. Rin Tin Tin IV would have a nominal role in beloved television series, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin which became a huge hit and one of the most popular television shows in the world.
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| Rin Tin Tin in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin |
Rin Tin Tin IV only played a symbolic role while another dog did most of the acting. Duncan's ability to train top dogs was diminishing, leaving others eager to step in.
Orleans' describes another tragic figure in her book, Bert Leonard. His story also moves from rags to riches to rags. His obsession to tell stories made him a successful Hollywood producer, but his obsession with Rin Tin Tin would undo him.
Bert's concept for the show, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, was inspired by a visit to a Hollywood shooting location, Corrigan Movie Ranch, that was used to film Westerns. The show was, thus, set in the 1870s, about a boy, a dog, and U.S. cavalry troop at Fort Apache.
Although Bert had many other successful projects, he never wanted to give up rights to Rin Tin Tin. During the 1960s and 1970s television changed, but Bert was still steadfastly loyal to Rin Tin Tin. Another problem was that Bert was incredibly argumentative with executives at film studios.
Whatever the exact reasons, Bert had a tragic end. He died nearly penniless, but he was still attached to an idea he had with Lee. He wanted to create a movie about Lee's life and his transformative relationship with Rin Tin Tin.
That movie never came to be. A movie, Finding Rin Tin Tin (2017) is the closest to retelling Lee's story. Finding Rin Tin Tin was developed years after Bert died. The movie is only loosely based on Lee's life and it was not a commercial success.
Orleans does a wonderful job explaining the magic behind the original Rin Tin Tin's success. Before Lee Duncan and his wonder dog, no one trained dogs the way they do now. Dogs were mostly ranch animals. Those who watched the original silent films, believed in Rin Tin Tin's loyalty, bravery, and genius. Like Lee had predicted, old Rin's legacy would live on.
All of Rin Tin Tin's successors merge into one in the Duncan's mind:
"Lee knew that he had created something that meant more than any individual dog or moment--something with a kind of elastic reality. The intensity of his connection with old Rin was so special that all the dogs that followed merged in Lee's mind into one dog--one vessel for containing and carrying forward what old Rin had begun."
Orlean's book on Rin Tin Tin is an award-winning best-selling book, that is as much a biography as it is a critique of popular culture, the television and movie industries. Much of the events happen by coincidence, chance, or miracles, like the chance meeting of a soldier and a puppy on a French battlefield or the surprising success that Lee finds when he brings that same dog to Hollywood.