March 23, 1950
After she made it big with Errol, Olivia won two Best Actress Oscars. She won her first in 1948 for “To Each His Own”. Seventy years ago today she won her second, for “The Heiress”. Below is Jimmy Stewart’s announcement of her winning, and her acceptance speech:
…
P.S. Ralph could tell us better than anyone else on earth who won Best Actor
— Tim
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March 23, 1940
Frank S. Nugent
The New York Times
All the extravagant adjectives in the book, plus a few lalapaloozas especially constructed for the occasion, may be employed without challenge by the Warner Brothers in calling attention to their latest prospection in the epic vein, “Virginia City.” For such a bundle of action-melodrama, such an excess of old-time super-colossalisms has not been seen in years to compare with this veritable archive of familiar outdoor thrill tricks, now showing at the Strand.
Practically everything guaranteed by long experience to stimulate an audience’s excitement—everything except technicolor—has been utilized by the Warner workshop to contrive this two-hour Blitzkrieg upon the human nerves.
From the moment that Federal Captain Bradford and Captain Irby of the Confederate Army square off in a Richmond prison, you and they are in for it, with such successive episodes as an explosive escape from the prison, a fight atop a runaway stagecoach, the usual roistering in a frontier town saloon, an outlaw raid upon a covered-wagon train and the arrival of the United States cavalry to while away the time. There is even a last-minute pardon from the lips of President Lincoln.
Put together as it is from patches which have the well-worn look, it is inevitable that this story of an unsuccessful Confederate attempt to run gold from Virginia City during the last days of the Civil War should be strictly synthetic. There is something depressingly pat about the personal interludes. You just know the beautiful Confederate spy, who doubles as a dancing girl, will fall in love with the Union captain, that she will agonize between love and duty, that the end will be duly heroic.
And, as played by Errol Flynn and Miriam Hopkins, the leading roles become no less obviously carpentered. Mr. Flynn is about as mobile as a floor walker; Miss Hopkins recites her stilted lines by rote. Only Randolph Scott as the Confederate captain behaves as though he was actually on the spot.
But waving the individuals aside, which is what is usually done in outdoor thrillers, there is enough concentrated action in the picture, enough of the old-time Western sweep, to make it lively entertainment. After all, with such models for obvious reference as “The Covered Wagon,” “Stagecoach” and even a bit of “Gone With the Wind,” Director Michael Curtiz could hardly have missed.
— Tim
March 20, 1939
Louella O. Parsons
Los Angeles Examiner
If Errol Flynn fails to show up for his preview, Bob Taplinger is going to lose some money. Errol’s trusting P.A. is betting that he will be there, but knowing the Flynn temperament I wouldn’t want to do any wagering myself. Errol doesn’t have to be back in Hollywood until May, when he plays Essex to Bette Davis’ Elizabeth.
Another change in the schedule has put The Knight and the LadyThe Miracle. You’ll see Claude Rains as Bacon, poet laureate of the Elizabethan era. It will all be in Technicolor. Bette’s first. This Queen Elizabeth is based on Robert Sherwood’s “Elizabeth the Queen”.
— Tim
March 21, 1949
Harrison Carroll
Evening Herald Express
Errol Flynn now talks of writing a part for Greer Garson in his screen story, The Last Buccaneer, I don’t know how much importance to attach to thecwarm new friendship of Errol and Greer, but I keep hearing that her romance with Buddy Fogelson is cooling, and she and Flynn certainly do have a good time together.
Greer has a lively sense if humor. On the last day of The Forsythe Saga, she and Flynn were doing a scene in a buggy. Greer had Errol’s side of the buggy wired. When she pressed a button, he went up in the air like he had been stuck with a pin.
The cast and crew had their “end of the picture” party a Chinese restaurant in Culver City.* Greer presented Errol with a gag-gift – red wig, beard and eyebrows to wear in England so the fans won’t recognize from him. Among other things, Errol presented Greer with two big kisses right in front of everybody.
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Perhaps Errol used that re-beard. gag-gift on the set of Kim!
Mrs. Miniver had maximum talent…
* In days of old in the Golden State, pre-corona v., Californians could dine-in at Chinese restaurants in Culver City.
— Tim
March 19, 1936
Louella O. Parsons
Los Angeles Examiner
The blonde, harp-playing Anita Louise, who seems to have more admirers than any other girl of her age in Hollywood, is being given the biggest chance of her career by Warner Brothers. She will furnish the feminine touch in The Charge of the Light Brigade, which again brings us Errol Flynn, Warner’s newest star. One picture, Captain Blood, put Flynn in the success class.
— Tim
While it’s still St. Patrick’s Day (in some parts of the world) …
Was The Fighting O’Flynn part satire of Errol Flynn?
Lobby Card: www.gettyimages.com…
— Tim
Errol
The popularity of the name Errol soared after Captain Blood!
A variation of Earl, Errol is a Scottish name that means nobleman and wanderer.
Sean
Rare in the U.S. when Errol named Sean.
Sean (written “Seán” or “Séan” in Irish) is a Hibernization of the English name “John” (‘God has favoured’ in Hebrew); that is, it’s a transliteration of “John” into a form which can be pronounced in Irish and written with the Irish alphabet, which nowadays is simply a version of the Roman alphabet.
Deirdre
Deirdre was the name borne by a legendary Irish princess who was betrothed to the king of Ulster, Conchobar. She eloped, however, to Scotland with her lover Naoise, who was then treacherously murdered by the king. Deirdre supposedly died of a broken heart. The name might be derived from the Old Irish Derdriu (young girl) or from the Celtic Diédrè (fear).
Rory
Off the chart rarity when Rory was born!
An anglicisation of the Irish Ruairí, Rory is a buoyant, spirited name for a redhead with Celtic roots. …Rory may also be a nickname for Aurora.
Arnella
Perhaps the most rare!
Not a Gaelic name, but being that St. Patrick was of Italian blood, Arnella fits right in as well as Patricio!
Arnella was first found in various parts of Southern Italy including early references in Sicily, and the city of Naples. The name eventually moved further north, and those members of the family that lived there adopted the northern tradition of ending their name in “i”, whereas those that stayed in the south kept the southern suffixes. The name Arnella means “sand” and was probably first given to someone who lived near a beach or sandy area.
— Tim
March 15, 1920 – Hobart, Tasmania
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No, not Errol Flynn! His Dad – Professor Flynn!
On March 15, 1920, Errol’s father, Theodore T. Flynn wrote a letter to the Academic Council of Tasmania University where he taught and was their star professor of biology. Despite his undisputed talents and preeminent achievements, the Academic Council viewed him as unconventional, difficult to control, even rebellious, and was investigating him for allegedly taking university property (home), neglecting his duties, and mismanaging his personal finances (i.e. owing taxes.) Sound familiar? Perhaps like Errol and Warner Brothers?
Rather than cower in his response to TU’s Academic Council, Professor Flynn emphatically protested that he was overworked, underpaid, not properly appreciated, and deserved a significant raise. Sound familiar? Like Father like Son?
Ultimately, Professor Flynn was censured by the University’s Council of Inquiry for “unprofessional behavior”. As a consequence, he decided to return to his alma mater on the mainland, Sydney University, where he earned his Ph.D. and went on to even greater heights and fame as a scientific researcher, writer, and instructor.
— Tim
March 16, 1949
Harrison Carroll
Evening Herald Express
After saying he wanted to stay away from Hollywood for a long time, Errol Flynn now talks of returning from Europe in a month.
This is more or less a shot in the dark, Buddy Fogelson had better watch out.
People predicted that Errol and Greer wouldn’t get on in The Forthsyte Saga. Just the contrary happened. They got along famously and Greer thinks Errol is tops.
I know that she was up to his house for a small dinner party Sunday.
Now, wouldn’t that combination be something? And, don’t forget, Errol is partial to redheads.
…
Errol had a small window of time to romance gorgeous Greer Garson, who had just ended an odd marriage with the allegedly “morose” neysayer, Richard Ney (who was twelve years younger and looked a touch like Sean Flynn did in the early Sixties), followed by the very tame and wealthy Texas wildcatter, Buddy Fogelson.
So, here’s Greer, with Dick Neysayer, Errol Swashbuckler, and Buddy Wildcatter (sporting a Flynn-pencil-thin-like stache, but very thin on the Flynn panache):
— Tim
March 14, 1938
Harrison Carroll
Evening Herald Express
A Florida Sea Scout is tentatively selected as one of the boys to accompany Errol Flynn on his cruise.
— Tim
