All Flynn followers are familiar with the brief appearance of Errol and Lily in Pirate Party on Catalina Island, but there was always a little confusion about when this quiet little short subject appeared. To help quell any more questions, here is a clip from the Los Angeles Times newspaper of Feb. 12, 1936, page 11.
It premiered with the Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times.
Enjoy,
— Topper
Historic Art Deco Theater in England Opened Eighty Years Ago with Charge of the Light Brigade
— Tim
A Salute to Elvis on the Fortieth Anniversary of His Passing.
Hal Wallis had seen one of Elvis Presley’s appearances on the Dorsey Brothers Show, and before the performance was even over, he was making calls, trying to get Presley to come to Hollywood for a screen test. Wallis remembers his first impressions of Presley in his autobiography Starmaker:
“A test was necessary to determine if Elvis could act. I selected a scene for him to do with that very fine actor Frank Faylen. Elvis would play a young man just starting out in life and Faylen would play his father, holding him back. It was a difficult dramatic scene for an amateur. But I had to be sure. When I ran the test I felt the same thrill I experienced when I first saw Errol Flynn on the screen. Elvis, in a very different, modern way, had exactly the same power, virility, and sex drive. The camera caressed him.”
— Tim
From our friend, Shel:
David,
— David DeWitt
From the time he became a household name, people were making claims to their being the discover of this magnificent icon known as Errol Flynn; Jack and his other Warner Brother(s) – Irving Asher who was enthusiastic about Flynn’s performance and cabled Warner Bros in Hollywood about the movie he just finished making with Flynn; ” Murder at Monte Carlo”(1934) – which was made by Warner Brothers at their Teddington Studios in Middlesex England. Asher cabled Warner in Hollywood and recommend a contract, Warner agreed and Errol was shipped out to Los Angeles.
Lilly Damita, Errol’s first wife, also made claims of being the responsible one; helping Errol get the leading part of Dr. Peter Blood in “Captain Blood” (1935) – being that she was close to Michael Curtiz, for a few years prior were married briefly to each other. He also had directed her in her earlier film success in Europe. Curtiz was to direct the movie “Captain Blood“, thus she made an emotional appeal to Curtiz and Jack Warner and doing so got Errol who was then still considered an unknown, the lead part in the extravagant million dollar movie.
Michael Curtiz also has claims in the one responsible of Flynn’s discovery and success, and although he was somewhat responsible for Errol most successful films, due to his awesome directing. He would however have one hell of time convincing Jack Warner he was the one, and/or Errol himself for that mater. For anyone who knows a little about EF film career knows how he and MC were not one’s to chum it up anytime soon, to say the least.
Then we have Charles Chauvel, he was after all the first of what we know of putting Errol on screen or any other type of acting situation for that mater, earlier than anyone else already mentioned.
Chauvel’s 1933 version of Mutiny on the Bounty – “In the Wake of the Bounty” had some circulation but not enough for anyone to have taken any real notice of the so called actor dawning that awful wig, in the role of Fletcher Christian named Errol Flynn.
And then there was one other that may have the first claim. Just before Flynn’s setting foot on the set of Chauvel’s film, there was one named John Warwick.
Errol and Warwick had met and became friends while in Sydney (Au), and one day Warwick brought Errol along to a casting session of ” Wake of the Bounty”, of which Warwick had a part in the film and also was the casting director of the film itself, and there we the one person that bought Errol to its acting bug and the rest became history…..
As far as Warwick himself, he had an upwardly moderate successful career in acting, and other small attempts in the business – mostly known for playing police roles of sorts – more of his work was for TV though. In wonder, being that Warwick did give Errol somewhat of a break or seeing an opportunity of easy money by pursuing a film/acting career, and in doing so, Errol became very rich (for a time) and somewhat powerful in the film business. Why didn’t Errol ever returned the favor to Warwick, or did he? In as far as I can find from Warwick’s acting credits, it does not seem so, but one never knows, for we are always unveiling new things about our man Flynn, and with that being said, there may be one still out there making claims to Errol’s discovery in wanting claim to that covenant Trophy. Yet no mater who say they were the one, it really belongs to the people – it always comes down to that; the people make or break you…
— Sergio
Elmer Griffin’s legendary Tennis Club renovated and ready for the next set. One of Errol’s favorite courts.
— Tim
Dear fellow Flynn fans,
I just want to let you know that my little treasure chest “LOCK, STOCK & ERROL” locked up its 100th Flynnthusiast this week. Join the festivities and catch a glimpse at an ultrarare clip of Errol and the crew in Courmayeur while filming Will Tell: www.facebook.com…
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
