Who are these Warner Legends, where are they, and what are they doing???
— Tim
Dear fellow Flynn fans,
here is what Vienna authorities and libraries have to offer on Dr. med. Hermann Friedrich Karl Theodor Erben aka. Dr.Gerrit H. Koets, Errol Flynn`s travel companion on his wicked, wicked ways.
Born on November 15th of 1897 in Vienna to Dr. jur. Hermann Erben Sr., General Manager of one of the largest steele factories in the K & K monarchy and Jeanine Reichel, daughter of a rich cotton manifacturer in Prag. His mother was of Jewish descent, she had her son circumcized, otherwise the whole family was baptized into the evangelical faith. His sister Grete(l), was 10 years his minor.
He served in WWI as lieutenant along the Italian frontline. Soon after the war was lost, his father was let go from his post in the once weapon producing factory. Erben Sr. died from tuberculosis in 1919 leaving his family national state bonds 400.000 Kronen, the equivalent of four loaves of bread.
Like his uncle Fritz he joined a duelling student fraternity- the Corps Symposion, “earning” himself a gash wound on his left cheek he would parade proudly for the rest of his life.
Erben was one of the first members in Austria of the DNSAP- the German worker`s Party and pre- NSDAP, the political wing of the Nationalsocialists. Back in 1922 the agenda was to reunite Austria with Germany for the better good of both countries.
In June of 1920 he married his first wife, Klara, who was from Leipzig in Germany. Four days later she gave birth to their son, Kurt.
He tricked himself into a passage to Brazil in 1921, securing a construction worker`s job in Rio de Janeiro (where the World Fair of the year thereafter was prepared) even though he knew nothing about any hand craft.
This trip triggered his travel bug, a neurosis as he later claimed himself. Since he couldn`t back up on his working claim, he was forced to return a stowaway. The stage was set for more impostering to come.
Upon his return, he learned that Klara had given birth to another son. He consulted his diary in which Brazilian city he had been on the day of his second son`s birth and announced that his name therefore should be “Santos”. The marriage ended in a divorce on grounds of “incompatibilty”. To spare alimony payments, he let Klara and the boys live on in his apartment while away on his trips. Whenever he was home he consumed their in court dissolved marriage, washing, cooking and else, as if nothing had happened.
He claimed to have been an extra (then again who had not, given the monumental mass scenes) like many other Viennese University students on the Michael Kertesz film “Sodom and Gomorrah”.
See: www.theerrolflynnblog.com…
In 1923 he worked at a medical facility, studying on diabetes, in the United States. His announcement, that he was off to “Jew York” got him the laughs of his Corps Bros. He instantly applied for American citizenship, but managed only to get a sailor`s ID, while befriending dock workers.
His promotion to medical doctor at the Vienna University was on the 23rd of July in 1926. The original certificate shows his name in latin: Arminium Erben.
Two years prior there were first hints of substance abuse. When questioned by police, then and later he will always claim that the amount of morphium in his possession was for medical purposes only and strictly within the official limits. This is like being stopped for exceeding city limit speed restrictions, but pleading innocence for having stayed within the tachometer.
He went back to the US almost immediately after his promotion, fibbing he had a job lined up for him, but managed only to get a 20 day visa. He was advised to respect this timelimit, otherwise he would be warranted and deported. He stayed for two years, taking the Medical Board exam in Tulane and Seattle and passing twice with impressing results (>90%). He was employed at various hospitals, for example the Medical Lake Hospital in Spokane, Washington. He was fired once for misbehavin´ with a nurse on duty, other times he just wandered on.
After illegally alienating everybody, he requested an application form for reentry to the United States. He stated to the Office of Immigration and Naturalization that he intended to go on a one year world trip. He produced the passport he had shown when coming to the US the first time and not his second one where the short term visa would have had him ousted immediately. Reentry after a longer absence was granted. A pattern had been established. Erben-Koets had beaten the system and was off to Hongkong, Shanghai, the Philippines and Australia. His scientific achievements as a missionary doc were featured also in American newspapers. This may have contributed to reaching his primary goal: to settle in the US of A.
When he reentered North America in San Francisco, he at last got his first American passport (No. 9486) on grounds that a local medical doctor, Dr. Emil Otto Jelinek, originally from Austria and a friend of his father vouched for him. Erben claimed to have left the United States only twice in the last five years, both times to visit his ill mother. He would lose the American Citizenship after being blacklisted for drug distribution and when his lies about his residental periods in the US backfired on him.
In the years to come, he would work as a ship doctor, encounter, infatuate and influence Errol Flynn. In Shanghai though the circle of exiled Germans regarded him as oddball and instigator. Pastor Prof. Dr. Fritz Maass will remember him coming uninvited to bible rounds and clearing the buffet. “Wherever he went he caused a commotion. With Communists he bashed Nazis, and with Nationalsocialists he blasted the Reds.” That way in official hearings later on he could always claim that back in the days he was regarded anti- this AND anti- that.
He provided himself with an additional income for documenting naval activites everywhere he went for the German Abwehr (the defence ministry). He may, just may have worked for Stalin too, keeping a photo lense on Trotzky, while in Mexico at the time of the assassination of the Comrade of the first hour.
He stood trial for treason after war was over, awaiting a sentence on death row, thrived on matching minds with the prosecution, got pardoned for naming Nazi names, reunited and rebonded with these names in a US detention camp in Ludwigsburg. Somehow this charismatic, highly intellectual and multicoloured turncoat managed to return to his hometown of Vienna and opened a doctor`s office.
He received the golden merit award by the Austrian Republic in 1974 for his 40 plus years of international scientific research. A year later he would stand accused for the death of a patient due to negligence on his behalf. Nothing could be proven and nothing came of it. Koets me if you can, gentlemen… He would practice medicine for ten more years.
On January 16th of 1985, Dr. Hermann F. Erben was found dead on the kitchen floor of his unheated apartment. No port, no partner, no prison had managed to hold this uninhibited free and fraudulent spirit for long. Cardiac arrest had finally put him to rest.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
A recent posting brings this Mailbag item from fron close friend Karl Holmberg, Flynn Detective from way back …
A photo Tim posted led me to a minor discovery- the radio log for The Modern Adventures of Casanova. (Don’t remember seeing this before.) It lists 39 shows (titled, briefly described, or blank) but I’m still pretty sure only one was broadcast (and thus survived: Missing Arms of Venus de Milo) as I only found just the one in the radio program listings of the newspaper (NYT) for the time period it was intended (1-3-52 to 1-8-53).
CURIOUSLY, the 5/22/52 Venus episode is what survives and yet a review on 1/9/52 appeared for the program (which would have been timed to the first episode ’s viewing of 1/3/52) “AGING LOTHARIO NOT SO GAY AS RADIO CASANOVA: He Sounds Exactly Like an Errol Flynn REMENIH, ANTON, Chicago Daily Tribune”.
I have provided, below, this so-called radio log:
The Modern Adventures of Casanova is a 1952 radio show starring Errol Flynn. Flynn played a modern day descendent of Casanova who actually works for Interpol.
Episode 1 – premiere – 3 January 1952 – set in Venice Italy
Episode 2 – “The Phony Count” – 10 January 1952 – Casanova saves a woman from a phony count
Episode 3 – “Family Vendetta” – 17 January 1952 – Casanova visits Venice and deals with the Marchetties, enemies of the Casanovas
Episode 4–24 January 1952 – while skiing in Switzerland, Casanova helps play cupid for a younger couple
Episode 5–31 January 1952
Episode 6–7 February 1952
Episode 7–14 February 1952 – Casanova helps on Valentine’s Day
Episode 8–21 February 1952
Episode 9–28 February 1952
Episode 10–6 March 1952
Episode 11–13 March 1952
Episode 12–20 March 1952
Episode 13–27 March 1952 – Casanova tracks down a dope smuggling ring in Paris
Episode 14 – “The Bride of the Rain God” – 3 April 1952 – Casanova investigates a cursed relic from the Mayan civilisation responsible for killing people
Episode 15–10 April 1952 – Casanova investigates a pair of con artists on the French riviera
Episode 16–17 April 1952 – Casanova smashes a gold smuggling syndicate
Episode 17 – “The Black Dowry Pearls” – 24 April 1952 – Casanova goes to Venice to retrieve some pearls from Phillip II
Episode 18–1 May 1952
Episode 19–8 May 1952
Episode 20–15 May 1952 – Casanova goes to Egypt to stop a drug smuggling ring
Episode 21 – “The Missing Arm of Venus de Milo” – 22 May 1952 – Christopher Casanova is sent to Jamaica to recover the missing arm of the Venus de Milo.
Episode 22–29 May 1952
Episode 23–5 June 1952
Episode 24–12 June 1952
Episode 25–19 June 1952
Episode 26–26 June 1952 – Casanova investigates the murder of a beauty in Paris
Episode 27 – first of season two – 2 October 1952
Episode 28 – “The Sumatra Adventure” – 9 October 1952
Episode 29–16 October 1952
Episode 30–23 October 1952
Episode 31 – “The Gold Brick Swindle” – 30 October 1952 – Casanova goes to Karachi
Episode 32–6 November 1952
Episode 33–13 November 1952
Episode 34–20 November 1952
Episode 35 – “The Star of Thessaly” – 27 November 1952 – Casanova guards an old Greek millionaire who is visiting Paris with a diamond
Episode 36–4 December 1952
Episode 37–11 December 1952
Episode 38
Episode 39
Reception
The critic from the Chicago Daily Tribune said that “this swashbuckling mademoiselle chaser reads a script loaded with improbable situations, double entendres and what I suppose is Riviera playboy talk.”
^ Viewers Complain About TV Slight to Favorites; Vaughn Monroe May Do Local Show Ames, Walter. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 03 Jan 1952: 28.
^ Film Stars Feeding At the Radio Table By John Crosby The Washington Post (1923-1954); Jan 16, 1952; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1997) pg. B13
^ MUTUAL GETS NEW SHOWS OUT OF RADIO PACT Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) [Chicago, Ill] 22 Dec 1951: c4.
^ AGING LOTHARIO NOT SO GAY AS RADIO CASANOVA: He Sounds Exactly Like an Errol Flynn REMENIH, ANTON. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) [Chicago, Ill] 09 Jan 1952: a6.
Episode log at The Digital Deli
Best, Karl
— David DeWitt
This is a little poem (and not quite PC) I found:www.koi-hai.com… respect stories and facts about Burma during the war. I have copied the introduction (in italics).
Whilst on holiday in Cyprus last month, we met Bert Peers who turned out to be quite a character! He entertained us for many hours with his poems and extracts from Kipling, etc. One in particular took our fancy, “Errol Flynn and me” – so much so that he sent us a copy because of my Burma connection. I have checked with Bert, and he is to quote:- “quite happy for you to spread his poem but wants to point out that he wrote it as a skit after seeing the film ‘Burma Victory’ (sic) ‘Objective Burma’ which apparently anyone who was there during the War absolutely hated.”
I thought Objective Burma was great!
HOW WE WON THE WAR IN BURMA
-just Errol Flynn – and me.
The war in Europe was ending in the winter of ‘44
I thought that I had done my bit but the Air Force wanted more;
They said that now the Jerries had been beaten well and true,
It’s time the Japs were taught just what a Yorkshire lad can do;
And so they then decided before the battle could begin
They’d send for reinforcements – me and Errol Flynn.
They sent us off to Chittagong and on to Cox’ Bazaar,
We flew right down from Ramree, it wasn’t very far,
They said that we should both report to Burma GHQ
As the brass hats at the centre really hadn’t got a clue,
So they then decided we should help out General Slim
And so we went to meet him – me and Errol Flynn.
‘At last’, said Bill we’ve got a chance now that you lads have arrived,
We’ll give the Japs a shake up, a mighty big surprise;
We’ll chase the blighters all the way from Magwe down to Prome
Those little yellow perils will wish they had stayed at home
So come on lads get cracking if battle you would win
We only needed you to come – you and Errol Flynn
So we chased them all the morning, – we were feeling very warm;
We chased through the evening, through night until the dawn,
We chased them through the jungle ‘till we came to old Pegu,
And the Japanese commander just knew not what to do
His Generals suggested that they might as well give in
When they were told that what they faced was me and Errol Flynn.
A few snags we encountered as we advanced all that day,
A Nip armoured division we swept out of our way
Some Geisha girls the Japs then sent to try to halt our push,
And some 40,000 Japanese were trampled in the rush
And who was in the forefront with a beatific grin
None other than yours truly, yes me and Errol Flynn.
Those Geisha girls were lovely, and we really made them swoon
They said that they would wait for us when we finally reached Rangoon
So we pressed on forward our just reward to take
We had Banana money and my mother’s Christmas cake
To take advantage of those girls, it really was a sin
But we were hard, the two of us – me and Errol Flynn.
At last the Japs surrendered, you could see they’d had enough,
They had run the length of Burma, and were feeling pretty rough;
Mountbatten took their swords from them, for that really was his due
And looked around to see who he would present them to
And then he smiled; ‘They go to those who have set Burma free’
And so he gave those Nippon swords to Errol Flynn and me.
— Maria
Lawyers “descended” on both Beverly and Errol’s Estate – along with “prodigal mother” Florence:
— Tim