Recently collector Ben Johnson of Ohio, USA claimed possibly the rarest of copies of Showdown signed by Errol to his parents! Ben added it to a fine looking display he’s created and allows us to show it on the EFB!
Dennis Mullen, editor and ghostwriter and personal tour guide to Flynn haunts Port Antonio, Jamaica, and Havana, Cuba, arranged the sale and told me he is sending an Errol Flynn marina brochure and a vial of sand from Navy Island to Ben for his display case, as well. (You can check out Dennis’s Flynn ebay items by searching for seller: HavannaArchives.)
The dedication reads:
Thanks, Ben and Dennis!
— David DeWitt
Gentleman Tim
January 9, 2015 at 12:28 am
Great work, Dennis! Congratulations, Ben!
[img]http://www.facsimiledustjackets.com/pictures/4488.jpg[/img]
zacal
January 9, 2015 at 6:33 am
Wow. (Couldn’t we have a lottery for it? ;)
Maria
January 9, 2015 at 2:12 pm
This is great – I love that picture above the table -looks like a watercolour -very nice! I find it interesting that Errol, despite having written this book, seems to apologise for it. What a shame! Also- my mother (who’s name began with an “E” as well) wrote the “E” the same way! I wonder if that is how you were taught back in the day – I wish I had thought to ask her about that!
David DeWitt
January 9, 2015 at 3:09 pm
I don’t know if you can see it or not but there is an image of someone in the clouds behind the image of Errol. Can you see who it is?
timerider
January 9, 2015 at 3:45 pm
Many artists put subliminals in their work David. I do see something there, spooky, LOL! Also the signed copy I remember seeing somewhere in a book with the note to his parents. Was it in Rory’s book? I must go check….. I have so many DVD’s and other photos. Errol was always full of energy and I think he wanted to please his father in more ways than acting. As writer and adventurer I think he did.
In Search of Errol Flynn
January 10, 2015 at 5:03 am
The provenance behind this signed copy of Showdown is almost as fascinating as the author himself.
While stumbling through Port Antonio’s faded facades and Portland’s secret-keeping jungles late in 2012, I happened to come across this signed copy of Errol’s second book. My steadfast–okay, I’ll admit it, obsessive–searching through the echoing ruins of the Titchfield Hotel, nearby Navy Island and beguiling Errol Flynn Marina had paid-off in so many different ways. Finding this book was merely one of them.
In reference to the inscription, Flynn wasn’t–in my humble opinion–attempting to apologize for Showdown with the scribed words to his parents, but instead, I think was dishing-out some subdued criticism to his publisher/editor(s).
Regarding the subliminal image hiding in the clouds of the Flynn painting situated just above the cabinet containing this signed copy of Showdown, it is none other than FDR. Zoom-in and you will easily see him there! Apparently, Flynn was a big fan of his. Benjamin Johnson of Ohio has done a classy job with this Flynn tribute and it commands a certain inspired presence in the foyer of his home. The photo alone emits a resonating aura!
About the condition of the book, don’t forget that after the demise of Errol’s parents it had not only survived the calculated apathy of Flynn’s third wife Patrice Wymore (not to mention the general disorganization and neglect of the friend in Portland she years later ‘gifted’ it to, but–not unlike Errol Flynn’s legacy–it has also survived over a dozen Jamaican hurricanes and tropical storms since!
It’s not an overstatement to say that this was quite a while ago, 1946 in fact–less than a single year after World War II had ended. From such unfortunate obscurity, it now resides with someone worthy of its ownership. There are many self-claimed Errol Flynn fans out there it seems (of the man himself I mean, and not just the Hollywood icon), but the new owner of this super-rare copy of Showdown is, in-arguably, one of the genuine ones.
This particular hand-signed copy still echoes Flynn’s dynamic and intriguing personality–at least it did for me when I held it in my hands in Port Antonio Jamaica. Imagine owning the copy Flynn held in his hands before dispatching it to his parents in May of ’46. There is an esoteric energy associated with it and it is this celebrated energy which is now an elemental component of Benjamin S. Johnson’s residence.
Thanks for sharing the intrigue Ben!
Dennis Mullen; British Columbia Canada
InSearchofErrolFlynn.com…
SeeTheWind.org…
ZacaTea.com…
Gentleman Tim
January 10, 2015 at 6:10 am
Thanks for sharing all of that, Dennis. Really Great!!
Maria
January 10, 2015 at 4:01 pm
Hi Dennis – I never thought that Errol might be referring to publisher issues – so thanks for that – good point!