Many moons ago (okay, actually probably half a moon ago), I finished listening to Rin Tin Tin, but I've been quite busy traveling and haven't had time to put my thoughts down. Then I forgot all my thoughts!So here's what I remember. The book is the history, as the subtitle says, of the actual Rin Tin Tin and then of his descendants as they followed in his famous footsteps. I found the early part of the book about the original Rinty, as he was called, to be fascinating and heartwarming.
The middle segment of the book follows the first Rinty's descendants, and I found that portion less interesting, as the stories tended to run together a bit. "Wait, are we on number three or number four now?"
The final segment covered the legal wranglings affecting who had rights to Rin's descendants, likeness, etc.
But, since it was my favorite part, let's go back to the beginning. German Shepherds were developed by - you guessed it - the Germans right around the turn of the 20th century. Rin Tin Tin was found in a village which sustained heavy shelling in an effort to drive out the Germans. Aside from some pigeons, the 5-day-old pup and his littermate sister were the only creatures in the kennel to survive the Allied onslaught. Lucky for Rin he was found by Lee Duncan, a California boy who was in such desperate need of a companion that he shepherded (ha!) the dogs all the way back to the US - no small feat in post-war France, where most animals were either killed or sold for food as the troops departed the country. Nenette died shortly after reaching New York, and only Rin Tin Tin accompanied Duncan back to the west coast.
They passed several enjoyable years together, during which the dog showed off his intelligence and physical prowess. The breakout canine star Strongheart paved the way for Rinty's entree into show business, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I think I didn't really appreciate how impressive Rin Tin Tin was as a film star, but check out this clip from Clash of the Wolves. Skip to 8:13 and watch from there to the end, and just remember that he is a dog - a dog! - who was trained to do this!
Overall the writing style was easy to follow; the sentences were sometimes long, but clear. Take this passage, in which TV producer Bert Leonard proposes the show The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin to execs in New York City:
"The show was aimed at children. They would love it, Bert explained, because they all go through a phase during which they devote all their affection to some dog, the only creature with whom they can share unselfish loyalty and complete wordless understanding.
The next section of the proposal was a surprise. It began, 'A child's grief over the loss of his dog is the most monumental sorrow he will ever experience. . . .After that loss, he is prepared for anything that growing up may do to him. A child and his dog together enjoy the most rewarding of companionships, one which is never topped for pure rapport again in his life.'"
How true.
[In case you're wondering, you can have a Rin Tin Tin all your own - order here!]
