Dear Flynnmates,
‘nwuff said.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Author Archive
Black Flynnday
28
Nov
Dear Flynnmates,
this is the original farewell article of PARIS MATCH about our Hollywood heroe‘s untimely demise.
It shows a pensive Flynn, who may very well have felt the night coming on.
The in the headline suggested cause of death: too much heart(beat)…
Adieu,
— shangheinz
Love Boat
25
Nov
Dear Flynnmates,
let me take you on a little ship trip again. Some images have been shown here before and if you remember we wondered who the lads and the ladies in attendance were.
Weekend Cruise with Errol Flynn! « The Errol Flynn Blog
The opinions varied and in the end we had some pretty educated guesses as well as far out assumptions. Let`s rock the boot one more time and look at the who`s who at the helm of the Sirocco.
I think Karl is right, the lady in white looks a lot like Cabot`s girl from the Vanderbilt wedding and not Beverly Tyler .
Then I opt for a black tanned Bud Ernst and his two time wife Betty Furness holding on to the steering wheel.
Big Boy is a fix, while Lupe Velez is a nix. That`s not her. Not sure if it is Barbara Weeks either.
Now things get interesting. I think I saw a young Otto Reichow pleading love to one of the girls. This would be quite a find, since we know Otto only from photos at Flynn`s funeral and poolside with Beverly Aadland.
Here is a picture at a different angle with the man facing the camera.
If I had any money I`d bet it on Reichow to win by a whale`s length.
Maybe that`s why I don`t have any.
Here he is in later years.
I leave it for you to decide.
But the real trove would be, if that girl behind his left was a young Ava Gardner. In her biography she wrote she went out with Flynn before her career took off. They stayed friendly and years later were starring together in “The Sun also rises”. Flynntimo Ventu Sala told me Errol stood her up once in Mallorca, when she came to his hotel room door and he wouldn`t/couldn`t open the door.
Anyways, what do you think?
Here she is on the movie lot in another relaxing pose.
I may have a winner here.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Shooting the Breeze with the Boys
22
Nov
Dear Flynnmates,
here is a picture of Errol Flynn and the crew of the Kathleen (more likely the sloop than the schooner) at the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club.
The first blog member that guesses, who the lady at his side was, wins a rum punch lollipop.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Flynn`s footsteps- Harry, Peg & Paesano
30
Oct
Dear Flynnmates,
As some of his letters show Errol stayed at the Hotel Bauer when in Venice.
While its name literally means peasant, very few homini agricolae are encountered there, for it is one of the top spots to stay in the City of love.
The cubic building is only a gondola`s drive over the canal away from Peggy Guggenheim`s one story palace with its fine surrealistic art works and garden sculptures, a feast for an art lover like Flynn.
But their liaison dated back even further according to the bio Mistress of Modernism- The life of Peggy Guggenheim.
Harry`s Bar completes the bohemian triangle, of historic places our Hollywood hero visited: www.italianfoodmadesimple.com…
Arrigo (Italian for Harry) Cipriani`s culinary expertise secured him a franchise outlet atop the Rockefeller Centre called the Rainbow Room. The family`s signature drink is the Bellini, made of white peaches and sparkling wine.
Enciao,
— shangheinz
A quantum of flynnboyance
12
Sep
Dear Flynnmates,
Daniel Craig paraphrased Errol in an interview he recently gave to Candis magazine.
He said he found it “distasteful” to leave much money behind and is planning to get rid of his fortune during his lifetime. “Dying rich, means dying a failure” mimics Flynn`s quote ‘Any man who dies with more than $10000 to his name is a failure.’ rather nicely. While our Hollywood hero kept his word and died a success, James B(l)ond may be facing his biggest battle yet. His estimated worth is said to be about $160 millions.
This kinda explains the title of his upcoming 007 movie “No time to die”.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Living according to Sean
21
Aug
Dear Flynnmates,
here are some photos of Sean Flynn`s Paris apartment courtesy of PARIS MATCH Magazine.
It was kept intact by his mother Lili Damita, long after he went missing in Vietnam, in hope he might return.
Its interior shows his old man`s lust for adventure as well as his mom`s knack for flair.
A miniature Zaca can be spotted sitting atop the book shelves and a how-to-become-a-photographer manual resides prominently on the kitchen table.
This time capsule`s address was Champs Elysees No. 77.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Flynn`s footsteps- in the Will Tell town of Courmayeur
08
Aug
Dear Flynnmates,
brace yourselves, we may not have seen the last of Errol Flynn.
When I embarked via Berchtesgaden to the Italian town of Courmayeur, where in 1953 our Hollywood hero sadly missed the apple shot, I was determined to add at least one more chapter to that half full filled dream movie called “The Story of William Tell”.
Lying at the foot of the Mont Blanc massif, Courmayeur greeted me with sunshine (a rarity, even in summer).
Weather also had been a factor back in the day, when first time director Jack Cardiff constantly had to cleanse his lense for a clear shot at the “Dente del Gigante” as seen above.
Courmayeur after and most of all is a skiing resort.
And a splendid one at that with its historic houses, clear air and the innate Italian art of fine wining and dining.
One can easily see through the decision to make it a film location.
Even as a stand-in for a Swiss town in an ancient epic of a heroic father-archer battling an Austrian army almost all by himself.
Walking about you can spot the buildings Academy winning art director Nino Novarese very probably used as an inspiration for that village he built from scratch.
It was this construction made with real stones, that consumed the lion share of production costs.
Above is the exact spot where Little Altdorf once stood complete with church.
And below is the river where Errol battled his buddy-turned-real-life-nemesis Bruce Cabot in one of the few finished scenes.
Stunt man Jock Easton, who could pack a punch, had to take the plunge.
I figured this nearby mountain side would have been the perfect place for the avalanche that was to be set off for the grand finale:
The Monte Bianco Hotel, once shelter for cast and crew, now is an apartment complex.
It was there where Mrs. Waltraut Haas and the wife of actor Dave Crowely, Pat, rescued their stuff over the balcony when bailiffs were seizing all private belongings for back payment.
Finally it was time to sit down for a chat with Signor Leo, a former race car driver, who as a kid witnessed the filming of Flynn in person.
He told me a typical Errol-like episode, how the horses for a big battle scene in the streets were fed sparkling wine to keep going.
And then he really popped the corks- metaphorically speaking.
Some of the missing Tell reels still lie dormant in an attic of a local alpine hut and wait for restoration; if they can be processed, they will be released at a future special event for all the world to see.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Errol likes his women…ripe
01
Jul
Dear Flynnmates, for some actresses filming with Errol Flynn equals a life insurance.
Maureen O`Hara lived for 95 years, Lady Livvie even saw 104 and recently Mrs. Waltraut Haas celebrated her 94th birthday.
The co-co-star from his unfinished Will Tell epic overcame a stunt-worthy fall down her staircase and plans on a big party once the corona`s box is closed again.
Errol still vividly is on her mind in her new autobiography “But now I tell it…”
When he fell ill during the ill fated shoot, she cooked him chicken soup.
But when approached by King Farouk for a liaison in exchange for funding the film, she left the post production scene in a hurry.
She has no regrets of not making it to Hollywood (“I wouldn`t have wanted my nose shortened, anyway”), since she had a fabulous career in Europe starring alongside local greats Peter Alexander, Jopi Heesters and Curd Juergens.
I raise a glass of apple wine to her.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Flynn`s footsteps- When in Venice…
10
Apr
Dear Flynnmates,
the old saying that life resembles a solitary beach has never been truer than today.
Last fall I had the opportunity to roam the desert sands of Lido isle in Venice almost all by myself
The Excelsior Hotel, well known from the Thomas Mann novel “Death in Venice” emerged as a ghost castle right before me.
It was there in September of 1953, where Errol´s “The Story of William Tell” movie came to a full stop.
At the Biennale film festival, prankster Flynn faked a back injury while dancing the Bogalloo in the presence of John Huston and King Farouk.
He wanted to cash in his insurance policy and finish “the greatest film ever” in Italy.
But instead of taking Lloyd`s for a gondola ride, Will Tell sailed into the sunset.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
