I, Toto: The Wizard of Oz Through the Eyes of a Dog
Written: Jan 08 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful history of Toto and the Wizard of Oz, great photos
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: I, Toto, is a wonderful memoir of one of the most famous dogs in history, full of old memorabilia and Hollywood tales.
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| SHeineman's Full Review: Willard Carroll - I Toto: The Autobiography of Ter... |
In 1993, Willard Carroll, owner of the world's largest Wizard of Oz collection made a discovery. Alice Spitz, widow of famous Hollywood dog trainer, gave him an address that once served as their kennel and where they buried their dogs. Carroll visited the site, then a construction area, and accidentally came across a small metal tin buried in the dirt. When he opened it up, he found a scrapbook that was kept by Spitz for his most famous dog ever, Terry. The scrapbook was kept as though she had written it herself in her own voice.
Terry was best known for her most famous role of Toto in the Wizard of Oz. Toto was of course Dorothy's loyal Cairn Terrier companion. Carroll compiled the scrapbook into a book which tells Terry's life story in I, Toto: The Autobiography of Terry, the Dog Who Was Toto. Being an owner of two Cairn Terriers myself and a big Oz and Toto fan,this book was a must read for me.
How Terry Came to Be Toto
The book begins with a look at Carl Spitz. He was a dog trainer who came to Hollywood from Germany to open a kennel. He offered training and boarding for pet dogs. Terry was brought in for training when her owners had problems housetraining her (sound familiar Cairn owners?). Her owners never returned, and Spitz decided Terry would stay there forever. The Wizard of Oz was of course her most famous role.
The Stories...
Terry has tales to tell. She worked with Shirley Temple, Cecil B. Demille and Spencer Tracy, in addition to Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz. She has a darling story in the book about Clark Gable.
The stories about Hollywood sets, especially the Wizard of Oz, through the eyes of an innocent little pup really make this book. Terry's favorite co-star was Shirley Temple. Her least favorite: the "Winkies" from the Wizard of Oz. One stepped on her foot and kept her out of work for a day. When she returned, there was a dog in her place. Being ever the Cairn, Terry went after the dog only to find out that it was stuffed!
Did you know Toto barked 44 times in the Wizard of Oz and that she had more scenes in the movie than Dorothy? Small facts like this are abundant in I, Toto.
The Memorabilia
One of the most interesting things in this book are the many old photographs of Terry and co-stars as well as pictures of memorabilia and movie posters from Terry's various roles. The book's pictures are bright and very high quality.
The Style of the Writing
The style of the writing is what makes I, Toto the unique book it is. It is published to look like a scrapbook. Photos are spaced on the pages with writing around them, and the actual paragraphs themselves look as though they were typed with a plain old typewriter.
The book is written as if spoken by Terry. If you know Cairn Terriers at all, you know they are a spunky, confident, fun loving breed. Spitz/Carroll have really captured the spirit of a Cairn and thus the spirit of Toto. It makes for a very quick and easy read.
Recommended Reading For...
*Cairn Terrier owners (we all love Toto)
*Animal lovers in general, especially those who love movie animals and training
*Wizard of Oz fans
*Movie fans
I would also highly recommend this book for children. It's short at 96 pages with colorful photographs from the Wizard of Oz. There is no bad language or inappropriate material, and I believe many children would enjoy this as much as their parents.
While the language is simple (remember, this is through the eyes of a small dog!), it is in no way childish or immature, so adults can rest easily. You will enjoy it too.
Overall, this is a very unique and enjoyable insight into Hollywood sets and personalities, trainer Carl Spitz, and especially into the life of Toto, all behind the scenes information told with the humor and spunk of a Cairn through its owner.
Thanks for reading!
Recommended:
Yes
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