After escaping his past as a circus contortionist, a cunning orphan reinvents himself in 1900s New York high society—using charm and deception to climb the social ladder. But when a betrayal threatens to expose his sordid origins, he must outwit his enemies to keep his American Dream alive. Based on a true story. 

SYNOPSIS:

This serial limited series is an adaptation from my feature length screenplay, “BRIDGE OF SIGHS”.

The Dandy follows the extraordinary true story of John “Jack” Rauschenbach, a resourceful immigrant orphan who escapes a brutal Baltimore orphanage to reinvent himself as a charismatic circus contortionist.

Fueled by ambition and charm, Jack rises from circus life to the dazzling heights of New York’s Gilded Age elite, hiding a dark past. But betrayal and law enforcement threaten to expose him, forcing Jack to outwit his enemies to survive and protect his American Dream.

A life that measures how far it is to the top, and how fast it is to the bottom.

A “DANDY” is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies, pursued with an appearance of nonchalance in a Cult of Self.

A “DANDY” could be a self-made man both in person and persona, who emulated the aristocratic style of life regardless of his middle-class origin, birth, and background.

We meet Jack in 1905 New York City as a 25-year-old, at the top of his game, without a care in the world. Jack is unexpectedly arrested after having dinner at the Lambs Club. While in jail, Jack flashes back over his life and how he got into his present predicament.

After losing both parents Jack is cast upon the world a young immigrant orphan. Jack’s chance to grab his golden ring, comes to town on a circus train. After Jack runs away from his orphanage, his teenage years are spent traveling and performing on the trapeze as an acrobat and contortionist, being mentored by circus owners Zimbo & Merlin. Here we meet both Milo Myers, Jack’s nemesis, and Jack’s love interest Mabel DeKuno. Milo’s treachery force Merlin’s circus to collapse, thrusting Jack back onto the harsh city streets.

Jack relocates to NYC and finds work with an upscale 5th Avenue Haberdashery. His clients include men like J.P. Morgan, John Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Jack uses his steady income, deception, duplicity, and deceit, to transform himself from circus “Human Snake” into “Jack Dandy.”

For Jack, life is a grand performance; living on New York’s Riverside Drive, vacationing in Europe, surrounding himself with beautiful men and women. But deep within, Jack knows he is a fraud. His dual-life harbors dark secrets, and many of them belong to NYC’s social elite.

Jack discovers that his employer hired Pinkerton Detectives to investigate him, risking the exposure of his sordid past and leading to his arrest and current confinement.

Like the original “Ponte dei Sospiri” in Venice Italy which Casanova himself crossed in 1755; NYC has its own “Bridge of Sighs” that perpetrators must cross to learn their Fate. Standing on that bridge, handcuffed and with local and federal charges pending, 25-year-old Jack realizes… all that glitters is not gold. By using his society secrets, old circus friends and reunited family, he forges a cunning plan to prevent his demise and obtain his revenge on Milo. But will it work?

THE DANDY