— David DeWitt
Author Archive
Museum of Flight & The Dawn Patrol with Errol Flynn!
10
Nov
Eric Tillerson sends us this via the Mail Bag:
Down at the Museum of Flight in Renton, Wa., in the WWI section, they have the coat that Errol wore in The Dawn Patrol on what I believe is permanent display, shown next to the Academy Award that the earlier Fairbanks version of the film won. Sadly they spell his name “Erroll”, but coming across this was still a nice surprise. Some photos attached.
Regards,
Eric
Thanks, Eric!
— David DeWitt
Flynn, the Play coming soon to Audio!
31
Oct
Michael Druxman writes to us:
Hello,
I just discovered your blog.
I thought you’d like to know that an audio edition of my one-person stage play, FLYNN, is currently nearing the end of production and, if all goes well, should be available for download before the end of November via Audible, Amazon and iTunes. Sam Burns plays the role of Errol Flynn.
In the meantime, paperback and Kindle editions of the play are available via the link below.
Michael B. Druxman
Thanks, Michael!
— David DeWitt
An Errol Flynn Dilemma?
28
Oct
I am submitting a couple of pictures of Flynn I have had in my collection for many years.
They both appear to be from the same event since they are noted with the WB numbering I system (GEN PUB8546). But, there seems to be some confusion about my listing for time and place. So I am asking for help in confirming just where and when they were taken.
I have this shot of Errol with Faye Emerson, in front of the My Gallery at 850l0 Wishire, during May 25th to 27th, 1945 at the Eleanor Powell pre-auction, open-exhibition. A similar photo also appeared in the August, ’45 issue of Movie Stars Parade magazine. By the way that is Michael Curtiz back to camera looking at another artwork.
2
This shot is of Flynn and Curtiz inside the building, chatting. There are also a few more of these two together, all WB numbered. My confusion is that I also have some old hand notes that this is an exhibition at the Decker and Flynn Gallery sometime in May or June, ’45, but I have no back-up. Since I can not locate any old photos of the front of either of the two galleries, I am not sure which description is correct … or if they are both wrong. So … I appreciate any feedback that will straighten out my dilemma.
— David DeWitt
Mail Bag! Compass of the Zaca?
17
Oct
The Mail Bag brings another Question!
I am trying to find out information about the compass/binnacle that was originally installed on the Zaca.
My friend has one that he believes came from it. I have researched the compass and it was purchased from ES Ritchie & Sons in 1930.
I do not know if you would have more information about the binnacle from the Zaca like the serial number or what happened to it?
Thanks!
Crystal
— David DeWitt
Mail Bag! My Wicked, Wicked Ways TV Movie Question!
15
Oct
In the Mail Bag today:
Dear Flynn Blog,
I just finished watching the aforementioned TV movie on DECADES. Very enjoyable. I’m trying to find out who Billy Welch, the stunt man who died after he fell off a horse in the TV movie, was based on. Couldn’t find any info for him online so I’m guessing that wasn’t the stunt Man’s real name.
Delmo Walters, Jr.
Thanks, Delmo!
— David DeWitt
October 14, We Mark the Passing of Errol Flynn!
14
Oct
October 14, 1959. The passing of our dear Errol Flynn into history and legend …
— David DeWitt
Mail Bag! Errol Flynn Collectibles from Gene Ingram!
11
Oct
Gene Ingram writes to us:
I have listed some more movie memorabilia on Ebay, Lobby cards for the movie , “ The Sun Also Rises “, Lobby card for “ Too Much Too Soon “, An original Uncut Pressbook for the Movie, “ The Sisters “, with Errol and Betty Davis, 8 pages of information for the theaters on advertising and cast members; and all my Errol Flynn personal envelops with stamps reduced to $10.00 each! Thanks again for a great Blog!
Ebay seller name : nbforestiv
Item numbers:
“ Sisters “ Pressbook 142534003576
“ Too Much, Too Soon “ Lobby card 142529647158
“ The Sun Also Rises “ lobby card 142529648011
“ Along The Santa Fe Trail “ sheet music 142529648310
Errol Flynn Personal Envelops 142529648474 – 8565 – 8689 – 8889 – 9041 – 6374
Thanks Again,
Gene
Thanks, Gene!
— David DeWitt
Mail Bag! Thomas McNulty: Remembrance of Heroes Errol Flynn
07
Oct
Hello David,
Here is some off-track trivia and random thoughts. All of these years later and Errol Flynn comes back to me in bits and pieces; rising from the depths of our cultural swamp with startling clarity. All of sudden there he is staring back at me from a stack of old Life magazines in some faraway antique shop; or grinning mischievously from some faded old movie magazine along with Roy Rogers and Trigger. I believe I own at least four copies of the famous Life magazine issue, last purchased at a flea market in June for five dollars and in perfect condition. I think of these images as “Lost America” which I’ve written about celebrating our remembrance of heroes and icons from yesteryear. I shouldn’t be surprised by this, although I am. A thousand years from now this image of Errol Flynn on horseback from Rocky Mountainwill no doubt find itself under scrutiny in some digital time-stream, lost in the nebulas of a galaxy swallowed by a black hole, perused by alien eyes, celebrated in song by the civilizations of our intergalactic future. This image has come to represent the iconic personification of the ideal Western hero. Of these images, my personal favorite is the Norman A. Fox paperback reprint by Dell in 1973, a fine novel that Fox reportedly wrote after meeting Audie Murphy on the set of Night Passage with James Stewart, based on Fox’s novel. Fox dedicated Rope the Wind to Audie Murphy who had encouraged Fox to write a novel that involved horses. Rope the Wind is a pretty damn good Western, too. They Called Him Calhoonis from the catalogue of Cleveland Westerns out of Australia, which strikes me as appropriate. Cleveland Westerns are the last pulp fiction Western digest magazines worldwide. The author, Brett McKinley, is a pseudonym for Paul Wheelahan, a prolific Australian author credited for writing hundreds of westerns for both Cleveland Publishing and Hale’s Black Horse Western imprint. There are more, but the Rocky Mountain image shows up constantly. I recently showed this still from Rocky Mountain to a young lass who shall remain nameless, and I asked her if she knew who this was and what did she think of the image? She squinted and pursed her lips, and finally said, “I don’t know who he is, but I wish there were men like him around today.” Need we say more?
Best wishes,
Tom
— David DeWitt
Writer Louis Kraft Weighs in on Errol Flynn!
29
Sep
Louis Kraft sent some information to us regarding Steve & Genene’s 2018 trip to the United States and it is filled with such great information and links that I just had to turn his comments into a stand alone post!
You know Louis Kraft as a writer and lecturer with three books in the works regarding Errol Flynn. Read about Louis Kraft on his website WriterLouisKraft.com….
Check out his books at Amazon.com….
© Pailin Subanna-Kraft
Hi David,
I hope that the following may be of interest to you and others interested in Errol Flynn (and Olivia de Havilland).
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills might be of interest (www.oscars.org…). They also have a link for their new museum that hasn’t been completed yet: (www.oscars.org…). Unfortunately I can’t find a link to the small research library the Academy had hidden away upstairs. I had visited it a number of times during the 1980s or early 1990s before I officially began researching a book on Flynn. Perhaps the Herrick Museum has replaced what I saw decades ago (www.oscars.org…). I haven’t been to the Herrick Museum yet, but it is on my to do list when I finally get to Flynn full time (as is returning to the USC Warner Bros. Archive; I have probably another decade of research there for two additional books on Flynn (see below).
The Television Academy on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood is less than two miles from my house (www.emmys.com…). I have never visited it or looked at their website, so I don’t know what is there.
I highly recommend the USC Warner Bros. Archive, which is just off the campus to the east side of the CA 110 Freeway (libraries.us…). I don’t if you can get in as I think that the archive only has room for six people on any given day (back when I was still researching there they were open four days/week from 10 to 4:30 by appointment only). Worse, I believe they only accept visitors that are university students researching projects, professional writers researching projects, and film and music staff researching for their companies (but I’m certain that this is not set in stone). Research there is time consuming. For example: It took me two months to get through The Adventures of Robin Hood file (two boxes) as I look at everything and read most of it. Reservations are required, and they fill up quickly. Also, the researcher to state exactly what he or she is researching (and for what project).
The Doheny Library (libraries.us…) is on the USC campus. I don’t know exactly what is there, but there is more cinema archival material, and from what I’ve heard this includes Jack Warner’s papers.
Oh, if you have time you might consider the Autry Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry National Center) in Griffith Park (I-5 and CA-134 Freeways and just a few miles east of where Errol and Pat are buried at Forrest Lawn) and about eight miles from my house (theautry.org… and theautry.org…). A number of years back the great Southwest Museum merged with the Autry. I had researched the two 1880s Charles Gatewood, Geronimo, and Apache wars & the Ned Wynkoop 1860s Cheyenne wars books (I compared Wynkoop to Flynn in the book); and my current project on the1864 Sand Creek Massacre, which also deals with the Cheyennes and Wynkoop at the Braun History Library. This library as well as the then Autry National Center’s research library both closed forever in 2014 (at least for me; and I had done research at the Autry’s library also). Both will soon reopen as one new research facility currently called the Resources Center of the Autry (it will be between 100,000 and 111,000 square feet), which is about six miles from my house (theautry.org…). The last time I checked the opening was scheduled for 2019. (They now between them house a lot of my Indian wars work and at least two Flynn articles.) Not sure how much Flynn the Autry has, but it began as basically a film and TV museum for Gene A., which honored himself and western film and TV.
I don’t know if you’ve seen all of the blogs below, … but they may be of interest to Flynn and de Havilland fans:
13aug2013: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
30nov2013: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
28mar2014: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
31jan2015: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
25oct2015: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
8jul2016: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
3jul2017: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
31aug2017: www.louiskraftwriter.com…
From Amazon:
Kraft is currently working to complete SAND CREEK AND THE TRAGIC END OF A LIFEWAY for OU Press. His book on Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland during their working time together during the Golden Age of Cinema (ERROL & OLIVIA) also moves toward conclusion.
Thanks, Louis!
— David DeWitt
