Book Notes | ‘Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend’
Most UMRA members will be familiar with Rin Tin Tin from “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” the television series that ran from 1954 to 1959. In the series, Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, was being raised by soldiers at a U.S. Cavalry post in Arizona. His German Shepherd dog, Rin Tin Tin, helped the soldiers to establish order in the American West. (I preferred the “Lassie” series, myself.)
But, as author Susan Orlean describes in her book, Rin Tin Tin (and his offspring) had a wide-ranging career beyond television, including film, radio, and the promotion of the military use of dogs during World War II.
The dog was born in France and rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan. Duncan trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for him. Rin Tin Tin became a world-famous star, appearing in 27 Hollywood films, and was responsible for increasing the popularity of German Shepherds as family pets.
Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend also follows the life of Duncan. He spent much of his childhood in an orphanage, and carried his admission papers to the orphanage in his pocket until the day he died. His emotional life seems arrested in a childlike state. His first wife went completely unmentioned in his memoir, and named Rin Tin Tin as a co-respondent in her divorce filing. Duncan’s only child told Orlean there was never any rivalry with Rin Tin Tin and his descendants. The dogs always came first.
Members of the UMRA Book Club enjoyed reading the book and reported learning a lot from it. The topics the members found particularly interesting included the evolution of the movie industry from silent films to talkies; the development of the German Shepherd breed and its increasing popularity; the use of dogs in World Wars I and II; and the domestication of animals from farm animals to pets. The book had some photos, but the members would have liked more.
—Diane Madlon-Kay, UMRA Book Club I
'Rin Tin Tin' by Susan Orlean
Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 2pm
UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 17. Diane Madson-Kay will lead the discussion.
The nonfiction book, published in 2011, is described as the poignant life story of the famous German shepherd. It chronicles his rescue on a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, and his rise as a silent film star and cultural icon.
Rin Tin Tin became a major box office draw in the 1920s. He starred in 27 films that saved Warner Bros. from bankruptcy.
Madison-Kay’s book also explores the changing role of dogs in society, from war heroes to family pets.
Email Pat Tollefson at [email protected] to learn more.
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