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An Errol Flynn recollection by actor Richard Erdman.

23 Jun

thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com…

— Bob

 
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  1. Anonymous

    June 24, 2010 at 3:14 am

    Hi Bob;
    I could not open your link and I have no idea why – it is correct, yet it does not open. I found another way to get to it and found it.
    I thought just in case if other members have the same problem I copied the part of Errol, which is wonderful and just like Errol always did go into action. I am placing it here for our members to read that part about Errol.
    Richard Erdman Remembers! An Interview March, 2010
    thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com…
    Interview:
    Your most famous war film is probably Stalag 17 (1953), but a lesser known one I really admire is Objective, Burma! (1945).
    That was one of the first really brutal war pictures; it broke a lot of ground. Raoul Walsh directed it.
    I like it because there’s not a lot of phony Hollywood drama crammed into it. It’s a very nuts-and-bolts procedural about infantry tactics and combat operations. You could almost run it for troops today as a training film.
    It was a miserable shoot. We did most of it during the summer up on that hill overlooking Warner Bros., and a swamp out in Pasadena on Lucky Baldwin’s old estate. We were out there, up to our necks in goddamn slime, carrying those guns through that swamp… it was awful. Two guys got killed on that shoot. One of them fell off a parallel, and another backed into—I can’t remember what—but it broke his spine and killed him.
    Now Errol Flynn was a terrific guy; I liked him a lot. When that guy fell off the parallel, somebody said they should take his body to a hospital, but this unit manager we had—this son of a bitch—growled, “We’ll get this last shot, and take care of him when we go to lunch!” Errol said, very politely, “No, we stop shooting right now. Get that man to a hospital.” …and he walked off the set!
    I remember the very first day, they brought us these awful lunches—powdered eggs and stewed tomatoes—just a shitty, awful lunch… and they served Errol the same thing! He took one look at that, and had it sent down to Jack Warner’s office, with a message: “We get decent food up here by two o’clock, or we stop shooting.” There was an actor named Frank Tang, who had a restaurant downtown called Tang’s. He said to Flynn, “You want Chinese food?” Thirty minutes later, they were unloading it for us. Flynn took the bill… and gave it to Warner!
    He took care of his men. Just like in the film.

     

  2. Anonymous

    June 24, 2010 at 9:52 am

    Thanks guys nice story and just what you would expect from EF

     

  3. Anonymous

    June 24, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    Hi Lesley;
    You are so right!

     

  4. Anonymous

    June 25, 2010 at 5:26 pm

    Great insight by Richard Erdman, and thank-you Tina for posting the portion of it dealing with Errol Flynn.
    Ralph Schiller

     

  5. Anonymous

    June 25, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    Hi Ralph;
    Did you had problems too to open the link? I still cannot open it!
    It is therefore that I posted the article in this form.
    It is such a nice remark about Errol by Richard Erdman, reflecting on the real Errol !
    Thank you for your comment!
    Take care,
    Tina

     

  6. Anonymous

    June 26, 2010 at 10:14 am

    I picked up a rather good book a few years by David Shipman (author of the must-read The History of Cinema), the book was called 'Movie Talk' and it contains a series of attributed quote or comments by people about the big movie stars. There are a handful on Flynn but my favourite, which ties-in nicely with the Erdman comment is this one —
    “Flynn was a great guy but he hated the head of the studio, Jack Warner, and all the front office. When Jack Warner would come on the set Flynn would walk off. He didn't like the top brass but he loved the crew and the crew thought he was a helluva lad.”… FRANK WESTMORE. *
    Obviously this must have come from Errol's later years at Warners as his and JLs working relationship was becoming more strained. These kind of quotes do open up Errol's desire to fight for the 'little guy'; always makes me feel he would have been great in a Capra movie.
    * Movie Talk, Shipman, D. Bloomsbury, 1988.

     

  7. Anonymous

    June 26, 2010 at 6:56 pm

    Hi Tina. I was also unable to open the link so I appreciate very much how you supplied another way and also copied what was pertinent to EF. Great article in its entirety regarding Mr. Erdman but always great to read tidbits about EF. I can't imagine being served powdered eggs and stewed tomatoes!!! On top of working in a swamp and slime. Just imagine all the smiles when the Cinese food was served (none sent to Jack Warner for sure). According to Internet search Mr. Tang played Captain Li and passed from this world on June 29, 1968. Also, thanks Bob for posting article.

     

  8. Anonymous

    June 26, 2010 at 7:05 pm

    Always great to read quotes by those who knew EF. Thanks for posting. If you get positive vibes from those who worked with EF daily aren't those the true reflection of his character? You can't always believe what you read in magazines and newspapers. That's why I love to learn of these tidbits of info. Keep them coming EF fans.

     

  9. Anonymous

    June 27, 2010 at 12:24 am

    Hi Kathleen;
    Very well said!
    All the best to you!
    Tina

     

  10. Anonymous

    June 27, 2010 at 12:39 am

    Hi Kathleen;
    Yes, the positive feedback from the people he worked with are giving the side of Errol's character. It shows the great man he was!
    Here is a giggle for you! My father always used to say: “What you really can believe as a truthful story in the papers is – who died and who was born!” Another of his quotes was: “Paper is most patient, it never complains about bad writing!
    Have a great time!
    Tina