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Was Errol in Abdul the Damned?

20 Jul
    Some say so. Some say no.

    What say you?

    bit.ly/1MjE1hj…

    Is he the palace guard on our far left?

    Abdul-46-inspection

    Thank you for all the great previous research on this topic, from Karl Holmberg, Tom McNulty, Tina, Brian Twist, Gerry Connelly, et al. This post is intended not to challenge or replace any of their superb research on this topic, rather to bring attention to it and to see if there are any updates and/or new perspectives regarding this Flynnian mystery. Thank you All.

    Please see the following EFB post from 2010:

    Update on “Abdul The Damned”

    — Tim

     
5 Comments

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  1. Gentleman Tim

    July 20, 2015 at 8:12 am

    Being that Errol’s alleged appearance in this film (as a palace guard) has been attested to by a very notable and knowledgeable first-hand witness (bit.ly/1MjE1hj…), and being that (at least parts of this film) were apparently filmed while Errol was in England, I believe/agree the possibility of Errol-looking fellow at the bottom left of the photo below may well be Flynn himself. Even more so since there is no evidence disproving the aithoritative, first-hand witness statement of Mr. Morris, who worked on the film and knew Flynn, backed up by this photo.

    With regard to the thought that Flynn wouldn’t take an extra job, because he was “already a star”, I think that’s very speculative. After all, by Errol’s own admissions, he was in desperate need of cash in those days, he had been playing extras in various plays, and would subsequently be playing a corpse, which is about as extra as one can get. Another incentive Errol may have had was that this was a major production, perhaps/likely the biggest he would have ever been in up to that date. (Perhaps, too, Errol seized the chance to entertain sone of those harem girls between takes.)

    Of course, I might well be missing something. If so, please say so. As always, the goal is the truth. Flynn’s true story and legacy is already so overwhelmingly full and astonishing, he certainly doesn’t require Abdul the Damned on his resume! Whether Jack or his brothers knew it or not, Errol Flynn was already one of cinema’s Young Turks, before Abdul ever swung a scimitar in this film.

    [img]https://books.google.com/books/content?id=kD6kJTBmFiIC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&edge=curl&imgtk=AFLRE733bxQdEHz1Nu4P19bcsynV0c6XSR_l-L9uLAXBct24ccuPPlB2Jo4ZtpkICmxp1itdZVCb0ki8Z8QULMt6Uf67rbHkpq2BMovrkpuo051ev50ELgWd7uNHZgBuLP2IbBMM4rOT[/img]

     

  2. Tina

    July 20, 2015 at 3:43 pm

    Hi Tim;
    I am glad you found this book in which it proofs that it was Errol.
    I always believed it was him and he did work as an EXTRA where ever he could find it.
    Just look at the ears – are they Errol ears or not!
    When the movie was filmed in October 1935 Errol was still in England.
    By the way what is in the book “Huston”?

    Here are some close-ups I made from the picture:

    [img]http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Abdul2.jpg[/img]

    [img]http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Abdul1.jpg[/img]

    [img]http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Abdul3.jpg[/img]

     

    • Gentleman Tim

      July 20, 2015 at 4:47 pm

      Wow. You’re amazing with all your varios talents! Research, music videos, photo editing. Really tremendous#

      I believe you called it right years back, Tina. Awesome discovery!! Thank you & congratulations!

      The book cover shown is from Oswald Morris’s autobiography, bitly link above.

       

      • Maria

        July 20, 2015 at 11:05 pm

        The great NILS ASTHER was in Abdul the Damned -but my favorite was “The Bitter Tea of General Yen” with Barbara Stanwyck-who of course starred with ERROL IN “Cry Wolf”. Patric Knowles was in “Abdul” as well. Small World!

         

        • Gentleman Tim

          July 22, 2015 at 3:57 am

          Thanks for that, Maria. Starring the beautiful Adrienne Ames, too! …

          [img]http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3aX6ZadWVEdBk5UmrrijjzkPgQA.jpg[img]

          Around the same time as Abdul, she co-starred with her Hollywood hubby, Bruce Cabot, in Disgraced, which would be an apt title also for a movie about Cabot’s back-stabbing his best friend in the Italian Alps twenty years later:

          [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5c/07/f0/5c07f0114439aa3f16f94e56146b2847.jpg[/img]

          I wonder if Errol knew Adrienne …