Galloping Grail: Marilyn Newmark's Man O' War

All of my life, I've been a Man O' War fangirl. I grew up reading C. W. Anderson's horse stories and Walter Farley's wonderful fictionalized biography of the great horse. The awe both authors felt for the original Big Red undoubtedly influenced my interest in horse racing, the history of the sport, and the interplay of important pedigrees through the centuries. Even more than 100 years after his birth, Man O' War casts a long shadow over the Thoroughbred breed. He is still spoken of as the benchmark against which other great horses are measured. And while his sire line is sadly fading out, his blood can still be found carried forward through the generations by his outstanding daughters and their get.

Over the years, I have made pilgrimages to various places where important parts of Man O' War's story played out. I have driven past what was once Nursery Stud, his birthplace (now developed, alas) and visited the barn at Faraway Farm where his sire Fair Play and dam Mahubah lived and are buried. (Apologies for the less than great disposable camera pix.)

Faraway Farms in the early 2000s (before restoration)

I've visited Man O' War Farm next door where he stood at stud for most of his stallion career and where he was originally buried.

His stall (before restoration)

I pay my respects at his burial place every summer (going on 35 years now) at the Kentucky Horse Park. Someday, I hope to travel to Saratoga and Belmont Park to see where he ran so many of his races.

 Not surprisingly, I own a lot of Man O' War models, books, and memorabilia.

This is just the tip of the iceberg

For my 8th birthday, I was thrilled to receive a Breyer Man O' War, my most coveted model at that time. I remember cuddling him, pointy ears and all, while rereading C. W. Anderson's Another Man O' War. I don't have a photo of him handy, but he is a lovely rich red mid-1980s version. Once my family learned about the joys of model horse hunting at flea markets and antique malls, he was followed by numerous other older variations of Hess' traditional sculpture as well as by many copies of Maureen Love's smaller Classic scale model. I eventually also learned about the Hagen-Renaker origin of that piece and acquired several of those as well.

In the early 2000s, collector Liz Bouras shared some photos of models at a show she'd attended on the now defunct Breakables Yahoo Group, and one of them was a stunning bronze of Man O' War by Marilyn Newmark. I remember Liz saying she had lucked into the piece on eBay for a very good price. I saved her photos on my computer and hoped I would someday have a chance to own such a wonderful piece. (Liz had exquisite taste in models, and I was very much inspired by her artistry and collection. I promise a blog on that subject is forthcoming!)

In 2017, for the 100th anniversary of Man O' War's birth, the Kentucky Horse Park put together an interesting exhibit about the great horse's life and his importance in a post-World War I America.

The exhibit was a bit light on original artefacts, but it was full of terrific information on display boards.

One of the centerpieces of the exhibit was a copy of Marilyn Newmark's stupendous bronze of Man O' War. It was the first time I had ever seen one in person, and I remarked to my sister Sarah how much I loved the piece and hoped to someday be well-enough off that I could afford to buy a copy of my own.

The sculpture was issued in 1977 (I haven't been able to find the edition size), and while they come up for sale on occasion, they're usually well out of my price range. Not to mention I would also worry about shipping such a large, heavy item balanced on two thin fetlocks. During the pandemic, one came up for sale from an estate company in the Chicago suburbs which I could have picked up, but auction prices were sky high, and I was quickly and very decidedly outbid. C'est la vie. It wasn't meant to be.

Fast forward to a few of months ago. I was chatting with a friend online about grail models, and they asked if I collected any bronze pieces. I said that I had never really given a lot of thought to buying them, but if I ever did, my holiest of holies would be a Newmark Man O' War. But it was very much an on-the-back-burner kind of grail. Or so I thought.

My parents, sister, and I joke about being able to manifest rare models just by talking about them enough. Obviously, we can't really do that, but sometimes it does seem like certain things pop up on eBay or at estate sales when you've had them on your mind a lot. A couple of weeks ago, I got this text from my sister.

Needless to say, I about fell over. Sarah remembered how much I coveted this piece, and this particular one was practically in her backyard. And at a fraction of the price it normally sells for at auction to boot! By the time I talked to her that afternoon, Sarah had already contacted the seller to get the ball rolling because she knew the price and location were just too fortuitous to pass up. Happily, the owner was very motivated to sell it, especially with a potential buyer so nearby, and they offered it to my sister for an even lower price. I was so ecstatic I Paypaled her before she was even done telling me about it!

After a week of coordinating, Sarah made the short drive to pick it up, and she drove home with Man O' War wrapped in foam in a large box safely seat-belted in her front passenger seat. She told me the seller really wanted to be rid of the sculpture because it didn't match the rest of the things he was selling in his antique mall booth. How this piece ended up in the middle of nowhere Georgia I'll never know, but I'm grateful that the racing gods smiled and the stars finally aligned for me.

I'm not entirely sure when we'll be able to trailer him home to me in Chicago, but I'm just thrilled to finally own such a remarkable piece of sculpture after so many years of admiring it. I'm so very lucky to have the most amazing sister ever! I can't wait to see her in July and visit with my Man O' War.

Remembering Andrea Gurdon

Longtime hobbyist and fellow model horse history nerd blogger Andrea Gurdon passed away on Saturday after a battle with cancer. While I didn't know Andrea well, we chatted a bit over the years at BreyerFest, and my sister and I always made a point to pick up her Morning Glory Ranch Sampler newsletter. 

Andrea at BreyerFest 2023

(photo by Shaun Basch)

Andrea began collecting in the 1970s, and by her own account, dabbled in a little of everything related to the hobby---showing, customizing, pedigree assignment, and even tack making. Her chief interest over the years became Breyer history, and since 2009, she regularly posted to her Breyer History Diva blog. She shared interesting tidbits about Breyer history as well as stories of her own collecting journey. 

Andrea was a regular at BreyerFest, participating in room sales, the live show, the hobby information booth, and the costume contest in particular. Sewing and quilting were another of her favorite hobbies, so it's no surprise she regularly excelled in the latter.

Clockwork Andrea 
(photo by Shaun Basch)

Some years ago at BreyerFest, I arrived earlier in the week than usual, and while wandering around the CHIN shopping in the middle of the day, I found Andrea's room. She had acquired some of Marney Walerius' photo albums, and we spent a fun afternoon flipping through the photos and exclaiming over the fascinating test run models pictured within. Andrea was such a font of knowledge, and it was a blast to talk to someone who enjoyed discussing odd minutiae as much as I do. 

Andrea's MGR sampler from BF 2023

Andrea's close friend Shaun related that what Andrea feared most was being forgotten. Though she has left us too soon, Andrea's blog is a tremendous repository of information and a window into her quirky sense of humor. So many hobbyists have read it over the years, and I hope we can find a way to preserve her posts to honor her contributions to the hobby and her memory. I am hoping (with permission of course) to scan all the MGR samplers I've picked up over the years and add them to the Model Horse History website I have been very slowly and haltingly building as a repository of hobby publications and ephemera. It's a small thing, but I hope it would make Andrea happy.

Dog Gone (It): A Breyer Rin Tin Tin Mystery

Though I've never had a dog of my own, I've always loved German Shepherds. My grandparents had several of them when I was growing up, and they were playful, affectionate, loyal dogs. I loved them dearly. Because of this, I've collected German Shepherd models by several makers---mostly Hagen-Renaker, Hartland, and Breyer. In particular, I'm happy to have a number of vintage variations on Breyer's Rin Tin Tin/German Shepherd mold, but I wish there were more releases to collect. The mold unfortunately had only two though, and the last one was over 50 years ago now.

The story of Breyer's Rin Tin Tin model begins on a battlefield in northeastern France in September of 1918 during World War I. Twenty-five year-old Corporal Lee Duncan, a native of California, had been sent to the town of Flirey to see if the surrounding countryside might be turned into an airfield for his unit. Like so much of that part of France, the area had been destroyed by shelling. While searching a bombed out kennel that had housed German military dogs, Duncan found one living German Shepherd and her newborn litter of five puppies. He gave the mother and three of the puppies to his superiors and friends in the unit, and kept the remaining two pups for himself. The following year, he managed to finagle passage for the dogs aboard his transport ship home. 

Duncan named them Rin Tin Tin and Nanette after yarn dolls given as good luck charms to soldiers by French children. Nanette unfortunately developed pneumonia and died (and was subsequently replaced by another puppy with the same name), but Rin Tin Tin made it safely to California with Duncan. 

Lee Duncan had a hard and lonely childhood, and he got along with animals far better than with people (something I think a lot of us can relate to). He spent several formative years as a child in an orphanage while his mother worked to save up money to be able to retrieve Duncan and his little sister and provide a home for them. They all eventually settled on a remote ranch where Duncan learned he had a knack for training animals, especially dogs.

When Duncan returned to California after the war, he intended to show Rin Tin Tin and eventually sell puppies from breedings with Nanette II. German Shepherds had become wildly popular due to their athleticism and usefulness in the war, and footage of Rin Tin Tin leaping a 12 foot wall at a dog show eventually made it into newsreels. Realizing he had a star in the making, Duncan worked tirelessly to break into the burgeoning movie business with Rin Tin Tin. They eventually scored a part with Warner Brothers, then only a small, struggling studio. But the partnership eventually spawned 23 silent films and made Rin Tin Tin a household name. In his films, Rinty wrestled villains, saved damsels in distress, rescued babies, thwarted bootleggers and claim-jumpers, and outwitted gangsters. Rin Tin Tin was expressive and athletic, and audiences loved him no matter what his role. His popularity made millions for Warner Brothers and was instrumental in turning the studio into the powerhouse it is today. 

Warner Bros., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The advent of "talkies" in the late 1920s mostly ended Rin Tin Tin's acting career, but he still remained popular with fans who flocked to see him at vaudeville shows. When Rinty died in 1932 a month shy of his 14th birthday, he was still such a celebrity that newspapers and radio stations around the country shared the sad news in obituaries and special broadcasts. In the years that followed, Duncan tried to recapture the Rin Tin Tin magic with several of the dog's offspring, but they lacked the intelligence and appeal of the original. Rin Tin Tin III did help keep the name alive during WWII when he and Duncan helped promote the war effort, and they had moderate film success after the war. But Duncan and  Rinty's heirs return to fame didn't come until 1953 when one of his old Hollywood friends pitched a new television series aimed at children. 

Breyer's model was based on this show, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, a Western for children that aired from October 1954 to May 1959. The TV show, despite the name, bore no resemblance to the life of the real dog. According to Wikipedia, the show centered on an orphan boy, "Rusty. and his dog, Rin Tin Tin (Rinty), [who] are the only survivors of an Indian raid on their wagon train. The boy and his dog are adopted by the 101st Cavalry at Fort Apache, Arizona, where Rusty is commissioned as an honorary corporal. Throughout the series, Rusty and Rinty help the cavalry and the nearby people to establish order in the American West." Duncan, who recognized echoes of his own lonely childhood in the premise of the show, enthusiastically supported it, and he trained Rin Tin Tin IV to be the titular star. 

Unfortunately, this latest Rin Tin Tin lacked the charisma and talent of the original, and producers chose a dog named Flame Jr, usually referred to as JR, to be the lead acting dog. Rin Tin Tin IV instead received visitors and fans at Duncan's ranch. The name and legend of Rin Tin Tin had come to encompass more than just one dog.

Photo via tvguide.com

The baby boom years after the war meant that the huge new generation of children, the first to have regular television access, were a highly receptive audience for licensed toys, and Westerns were hugely popular at the time. Promoters of the show raved about the "outstanding merchandising plusses for juvenile audiences" [1] and banked on the childrens' parents remembering their own fondness of the original silent films starring Rin Tin Tin.

Though Breyer was slow to cash in on licenses for other Westerns at the time, they did become official licensees for the Rin Tin Tin franchise. This was announced in the December 1955 issue of Toys and Novelties, and production had started earlier that year, meaning toy Rinty's were available for Christmas that year.

Toys and Novelties, December 1955 issue

Breyer's Rin Tin Tin was sold in a colorfully decorated box with a hang tag. Badge shaped and square hang tags have been found. The tag references the "Fighting Blue Devils," the nickname for Rinty's cavalry unit at Fort Apache on the TV series.

 
Rin Tin Tin was made from 1955 to 1965, and not surprisingly, several variations are known. The most common variations are the "saddle" patterned dogs. They are molded in white or creamy-toned plastic and have a dark saddle down both sides of the barrel and along the topline onto the tail. They usually have a bit of shading around the eyes and on the ridges of the neck ruff. The saddle color ranges from a ruddy brown color to dark chocolate to nearly black. All Rin Tin Tins are glossy or semi-glossy.

Creamy and white plastic versions

Less common are dogs with shading only along the topline but not on the sides of the barrel.

Non-saddle and saddle versions

The etching on this saddle version Rin Tin Tin is after market, but it's fun to see all the same. This dog was someone's souvenir of a trip to New York in 1956 during the height of the TV show's popularity.

The saddle version of Rin Tin Tin is shown in all extant Breyer catalogs until 1963. That catalog featured another more thoroughly painted variation with color on the ears, neck, hind quarters, and upper legs in addition to the usual saddle pattern.

Images from the 1958 and 1963 Breyer dealer catalogs

This pretty variation (pictured on the right in the photo below) is much less common than the earlier saddle version. Like the earlier dogs, they vary a bit in terms of color and how much of the dog is painted. I have seen some that are lighter brown toned or have little color on the ears, neck, or shoulders while still having fully painted barrels, hind quarters, and upper legs. 

L to R: Non-saddle, saddle, and late run variations

Dogs that appear to be transitional between the earlier and later styles are also known but hard to find.

Photo from Worthpoint

Nearly all Rin Tin Tins have painted tongues ranging from red to pink. The dog with the unpainted tongue in the photo below may be unfinished or may have just been an oops.

L to R: Non-saddle, saddle, fully painted, and 2 more
saddle versions

Rin Tin Tin was last issued in 1965 which coincided with the end of the TV show which had continued to air as reruns from 1959-1964. The mold was released for a second time a few years later, from 1972-1973, as #327 the German Shepherd. Like Rinty, this dog also came painted in various ways. They can be found in shades of matte brown, charcoal, and black.

Black and brown variations

Some are painted almost solidly while others have white on the neck, legs, or belly.

Unlike Rin Tin Tin who only had a painted tongue, the German Shepherds also usually have painted teeth.

The later run Rin Tin Tins are easy to confuse with the German Shepherd because of their more extensive paint job. The German Shepherds are very matte however while Rinty is glossy.

L to R: German Shepherds in black and brown and
a late issue Rin Tin Tin

And as mentioned above, the German Shepherds usually have painted teeth while Rin Tin Tin does not.

German Shepherd on the left, Rinty on the right

Since 1973, Breyer has reissued most of their other large dog molds like Lassie, Jolly Cholly, the Boxer, the Saint Bernard, and even the rare Small Poodle (after its rediscovery). The Rin Tin Tin mold however has been noticeably absent for the last 50 years. So too has the Large Poodle, but we do at least know the fate of that mold. According to Breyer historian Nancy Young, the Large Poodle was discontinued in 1973 as a cost cutting measure at the beginning of the oil crisis. The thick legs are solid plastic and a molding flaw on the left side has a tendency to crack. [2] It makes sense therefore why this mold has not resurfaced.

What has become of the Rin Tin Tin mold however is a mystery. Collectors have speculated for a number of years that the mold must be damaged or even lost. I had hoped that if it was still usable or at least could be fixed that it would have been released as a special run at the German-themed 2023 BreyerFest, but alas, no such luck. 

Given that Breyer still has the molds for the Small Poodle and the In Between Mare, neither of which were officially released until more than 40 years after their original creation, one would think the Rin Tin Tin mold must still be in their warehouse somewhere, too. Perhaps the damage is just too costly to repair? It's a shame if that's the case because I know many collectors besides myself who would love to have this mold in new colors on their shelves.

Lee Duncan used to say that "there will always be a Rin Tin Tin," and while fans have carried on breeding the Rinty line, the dogs are no longer stars of the silver screen nor even a household name. Except to us Breyer nerds who keep his memory alive in plastic form. I hope you have enjoyed this post, and if you're interested in learning more about the life of Lee Duncan and the meanderings of his dogs and fate, I highly recommend Susan Orlean's book Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of WWI, the early days of Hollywood, and the baby boom years that were so formative for Breyer.

Works Cited:

1) Orlean, Susan. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2011), 234.

2) Young, Nancy. Breyer Molds and Models: Horses, Riders, and Animals. (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 1999), 325.