… every day.
Today, there was the marriage of Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and they showed a documentary about the history of the House of Hohenzollern. I had no idea that Lili Damita had dated a Hohenzollern Prince! But since she was no Princess, she was not allowed to marry him. Just imagine the way history would have gone if…
A little more info (didn't have time to dig deeper):
— Inga
Anonymous
August 27, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Very Interesting Inga! There is also an article in this Time Magazine dated Monday, February 22, 1937 more or less advertising Errol's “Beam Ends.”
The article reads as follows:
Books: Flynn's Yarn
Feb 22, 1937
BEAM ENDS—Errol Flynn—Longmans, Green ($2). Seven years ago Cinemactor Errol Flynn (Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade) whose private life last made news when he and his wife, Cinemactress Lili Damita, announced last December that they would go on a second honeymoon instead of getting a divorce, was known to the barroom clientele …
BEAM ENDS—Errol Flynn—Longmans, Green ($2).
Seven years ago Cinemactor Errol Flynn (Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade) whose private life last made news when he and his wife, Cinemactress Lili Damita, announced last December (must have been December 1936 – he should have gone through with it and saved himself a lot of grieve, but the – wow – if we would know – right!) that they would go on a second honeymoon instead of getting a divorce, was known to the barroom clientele of Sydney, Australia, as a happy-go-lucky, well-set-up young Irishman from the New Guinea gold fields who had lately celebrated himself into a sanatorium, had not been on his uppers long before his abandoned claim was bought for $5,000. One morning he woke up to find that somewhere along his way he had paid out most of it for a 44-ft., 50-year-old harbor yacht called the Sirocco. Remorseful, but liking her low, raking lines, he decided to sail her 3,000 miles to New Guinea. All for it were three footloose companions. Setting a distinct highwater mark in personable, salty entertainment, Beam Ends is Errol Flynn's yarn of the voyage that followed.
Navigating was “The Dook,” wiry, chaste, non-practicing bridge engineer, whose sober tinkering with the sextant gave their position anywhere from mid-ocean to mid-Australia. Real navigator, says Author Flynn, was Providence. They all took turns at the hand pump, which had to be kept going most of the time. Figuring a couple of months for the trip, they took seven, with many a layover for repairs and beachcombing. Once they made $50 catching kingfish; poker games showed a profit; they poached a sheep, paid for it later out of the fee collected on an opium-runner's errand. Diversions included their own brand of Rabelaisian horseplay, drinking bouts, a couple of carnivals, acquaintance with many an odd character.
Loitering through the beautiful coral islands of the Great Barrier Reef, they put in one day at a small island inhabited by the Wilson family, who lived on shell fishing. Oldest Daughter Lucy was breathlessly beautiful, listened wide-eyed and adoring to Author Flynn's descriptions of the magical outside world. But when she took him to a secluded pool and jumped in trustingly with nothing on, he decided that innocence disarms and went to say goodby. Lucy did not see why she could not go with him, swam out to the boat after them, scratched and bit while they trussed her up, took her ashore.
In the Coral Sea they hit bad weather. The Sirocco leaked like a screen, was ready to go to pieces until they let it run with the gale. After three days of it, more dead than alive, they reached New Guinea, found a native pilot and set out for Port Moresby. Two days away, in a sudden cyclone, the Sirocco was smashed to splinters on a reef, “kindly, lovable old Dook” drowned.
Anonymous
August 27, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Sometimes one has to wonder what was what?
Time Magazine – August 23, 1943
Errol Flynn, a yacht, and a girl again made news. Nora Eddington, 19, recently an aircraft worker, was cruising with him off Acapulco, Mexico. Word got around that they were married. Actor Errol denied it; so did Nora. Her mother, who works in a Los Angeles bakery, told reporters that Nora had said “she didn't know whether she loved him for himself, or whether she just was in love with his glamor. So I kissed her good-by and I haven't heard from her since.”
Anonymous
August 28, 2011 at 5:38 am
Thanks for adding, Tina. These online news archives are so great!
Anonymous
August 28, 2011 at 5:31 pm
This is a great source Inga, thanks for posting it!
There are pages and pages of news about Errol. I didn't have time to read them all, but I will. I couldn't resist to add these two. The one with Nora is quite interesting? Sort of a hint an insinuation if you will! It's an AHAAA!
Where do you dig up these great archives you must possess a special sense for great keywords!
Anonymous
August 28, 2011 at 5:59 pm
It was pure coincidence, I wanted to check if it was true about Lili and that Prussian prince, and I found this archive.
Anonymous
August 28, 2011 at 8:19 pm
I have read about this “Techtel-Mechtel” before. It was the time when he toured the US and was an apprentice at the Ford plant in Detroit. He wanted to learn the mechanical functions of cars.
Somewhere he met Lili and was a while in Hollywood in the late 20's or very early 30's. (Errol still far away)
Most likely her cantankerous behavior drove him away too. At that time, after the collapse of the monarchy and if he really wanted to marry her he could have. Of course, even though the monarchy was abolished there was still the might of a most powerful top aristocratic family code to be considered. No getting away from it!
He would have needed to renounce his position of becoming Chef of the Hohenzollern family and their entire fortune, a powerful position even after Kaiser-time and with mega – mega, not millions but billions behind it.
Would Lli have been worth it to throw it all away? Being any wife of any Hohenzollern the women have to be educated a lot more than Lili was.
As Errol stated he could not find mental rapport with her – her sole interest was only in appearance, presentation, fashion, hairdo's, what outfit fitted with what shoes or handbag etc.etc.etc.
So why did the thought of marriage fell through between Lili and the prince?
She would have gone for it – hook, line and sinker!
So what was it that changed his mind?
Did he maybe think:”Oh Lili you are a wonderful, lovely most sexy creature, you have given me such great times – the best, but what else is there? Sorry to say thanks, but no thanks!”
If it would have happened – Errol sure would have been a much happier man! Or would he have been? If we just could turn time back and see! Let's keep on dreaming!
Anonymous
August 28, 2011 at 10:27 pm
P.S. – just read the 2nd link and here it states that he was 19 at the time. Statement – “Meanwhile, at 19, he fell in love with Actress Lily Damita…. so it was 1926 and Lili was 25 – nine years prior to Errol.
She must have had something for younger man! AhAAA!
Anonymous
August 29, 2011 at 7:21 pm
It was clearly stated that he was not allowed to marry her because of not being a princess, and the Hohenzollern were very strict at that. Remember that even the ex-Emperor William II was still alive at the time – let us not underestimate his influence.
Anonymous
August 29, 2011 at 10:05 pm
But mostly because she had an annoying habit of pulling pranks on the royal family, and the Hohenzollerns had had enough of her hot foot, whoopie cushion, and squirting flower routines.
Anonymous
August 30, 2011 at 1:14 am
Yes my dear Inga they had power and I said so, but renouncing the succession and or abdication was always a way even then, somewhat problematic BUT possible. The Hohenzollern had their share of it too, like all the Royal Houses. Prior to WWI it was impossible! Please keep reading a little about them you will find it interesting. Take care!
Anonymous
August 30, 2011 at 3:59 am
'Hear Ye' – 'Hear Ye' – Robert you are dead on!
Anonymous
August 30, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Where did you read about such a prank?
Anonymous
August 30, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Dear Tina, at that time, there was no question about abdication or succession because they were not in power anymore. It was a question of family pressure, and the Hohenzollern could use a lot of pressure.
Anonymous
August 30, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Of course they could and would do so – no question about it – but it was done and he could have done it if he or anyone really wanted to do it! That's all I am saying!