As reported in the April 23, 1949, issue of PIX Magazine, shown below, Errol threw a party at Mulholland full of “his filmland friends”. During this A-list event: Errol conducted “white mice races”; Shelley Winters was arrested by a bogus police officer, and a guest was caught and evicted for stealing a revolver. For the record, I find the photos captions rather stupid and insulting. Despite so, the article is valuable because its candid photos capture Flynn with other Hollywood celebrities he was rarely, if ever, photographed with before or after.
— Tim
Karl
April 24, 2021 at 1:27 am
A-List indeed, GT, and quite the turn out (especially compared to the post rape trial):
Dr. Marcus Welby, Livy’s sis, President Hall and wife (of “Ivy” fame): Ronald and Benita Colman, still then Mrs. Ronald Reagan (Jane Wyman), “The King” and Joan Harrison (personal assistant to “Hitch”, who graduated to screen writing, film producing, TV producing- check your “AH Presents” credits), a photo of a scoundrel (photographica veritae), Lew Ayres (alleged to have been involved with Wyman also at the time), Mr. Miniver (Michael Landon named a pet pigeon after him), and finally the then Mrs John Agar-
“In the 1930s, was the biggest star in Hollywood. She received more fan mail than Greta Garbo, and was photographed more often than the president.”
“She became extremely popular, and President Franklin Roosevelt even credited her for helping the United States through the bleak years of the Great Depression.”
“And, had one heck of a singing and, in particular, dancing career with such notables as Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Buddy Ebsen, Clifton Webb, George Murphy, George Raft, James Dunn, and “Ha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Chaaaaa!”… Jimmy Durante.”
How’s that for a party roster?
Ralph Schiller
April 24, 2021 at 5:50 pm
Thanks Karl, One note former Ziegfeld showgirl Tony Lanier soon married the man she was living with Eddie Mannix, the MGM executive who saved the reputations of many of the studio’s stars. Tony also had an open relationship with actor George Reeves before and during his run starring in the hit TV series “The Adventures Of Superman” (1951-1958). Eddie Mannix had his own concubine and was grateful to Reeves. However later George Reeves left Tony and moved onto one of Polly Adler’s professional girls Leonore Lemmon. His violent death by gunshot in 1959, just as season seven of the TV series was starting up, is shrouded in mystery. Leonore was in Reeves’ house on that star-crossed night while Tony (as well as many others in the industry) felt Reeves was murdered. Leonore fled California and never returned. Tony died in 1983 broken-hearted over the loss of her beloved George. Leonore took a slow suicide and drank herself to death in 1989.
Karl
April 25, 2021 at 6:36 pm
Thank you, Ralph, for highlighting another of the partygoers,and the sad story that went with it.
[In a bit of irony of a sort “Toni” was previously married to the son of Jesse Livermore (a LEGENDARY pioneer of day trading whose career spanned from 1893-1940) who was also shot (but survived) by his mother.]
So many people from so many different “walks” of movie related life assembled here and just prior to an entertainment crossroads…
“On January 11, 1949, the coaxial cable linking East and Midwest (known in television circles as “the Golden Spike,” in reference to the golden spike that united the First Transcontinental Railroad) was activated.”
So, at the time of this party, storm clouds were already beginning to brew over an industry and many of these people attempted to meet the challenge of the new medium- Errol, presciently, being one of the very first.