Evil I see, but Medieval? That haircut, and that outfit??
And what about Hood’s hoodie? Errol could be rolling over in stitches over this error.
— Tim
Archive for the ‘Behind the Scenes’ Category
Hot Dog Diplomacy
30
Apr
“The Picnic That Won the War”
On Sunday, June 11, 1939, FDR & Eleanor hosted a picnic for the King and Queen of England at his summer “cottage” in Hyde Park. This was the legendary “Hot Dog Summit”, which is often credited with having very significantly increased America’s early support of England in World War II. As described by David Niven in the YouTube audio recording linked below, Errol was part of a “British Colony” radio program performed live in conjunction with the picnic.
“When Franklin Roosevelt invited Great Britain’s King George VI for a visit to the United States, the significance of the invitation did not go unnoticed. No reigning British Monarch had ever set foot on American soil, not even in colonial times. Ever since the Revolutionary War the United States and Great Britain oftentimes experienced tense relations, but Roosevelt’s invitation to the King carried great significance in the history of Anglo-American relations because it signified the dawn of a new era in American and British cooperation.”
“After two days in Washington, the tone of the royal couple’s visit transformed from formal to informal as they accompanied the Roosevelts to their home in Hyde Park, New York. The King and Queen’s stay in Hyde Park illustrated to the American people that although they were Royalty, they also enjoyed the simpler things in life. In contrast to the formal State Dinner at the White House, dinner at the Roosevelt’s Home “Springwood” was described to the press as a casual dinner between the two families; their evening entertainment was simple conversation, unfettered by formalities.”
“Even more relaxing and informal was the following day’s event – a picnic. FDR brought the couple to his new hilltop retreat, Top Cottage, on the eastern portion of his estate for an old-fashioned, American-style picnic. Much to the horror of FDR’s mother Sara Roosevelt, the King and Queen of England were served hot dogs on the front porch of the cottage. Although the press made a great deal about the hot dogs. (The picnic made the front page of the New York Times)”
“THE PICNIC THAT WON THE WAR”
David Niven describes the Hollywood British Colony radio show at 1:36:33 in this audio recording:
— Tim
Ratto Ranch: Rich in Hollywood History
04
Apr
Dashing actor Errol Flynn came to the 238-acre Ratto Ranch for the 1936 filming of “Charge of the Light Brigade.” Flynn also rode a horse alongside a moving steam train near the Stanislaus-Tuolumne County border for the 1939 film, “Dodge City.”
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Ratto Ranch was a setting for several famous Western films and TV shows, including “The Charge of the Light Brigade” starring Errol Flynn in 1936, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” with Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman in 1943, “High Noon” starring Cooper and Grace Kelly in 1952, and the TV series “Little House on the Prairie” in the 1970s-80s.
— Tim
The Ides of Flynn
15
Mar
Eighty-Five Years Ago Today (Sydney Time), on March 15, 1933, Errol Appeared Live AND On Film at the Prince Edward Theater in Sydney.
Errol was paid £2 to stand on stage in what he later described as a bad wig and bizarre naval uniform, appearing more like “an elderly keeper at a [Sydney brothel] than Fletcher Christian. The Ides of March ended bad for Caesar, but great for Flynn. It signaled the birth of Errol’s acting career.
A superb assembly of contemporaneous news articles by EFB Author “Isabel Australis”:
An intriguing history with some Errol and errors:
And here’s the cinematic Flynn himself, just as he appeared at the Prince Edward Theater, eighty-five years ago today, March 15, 1933 – On the Ides of Flynn:
— Tim
The Shape of Errol
05
Mar
Errol’s connection to The Shape of Water? The extraordinarily talented and beautiful Millicent Patrick. Before she worked on the shape of Gil-Man in Creature from the Black Lagoon, she worked on the shape of Errol.
“She began working as a “makeup illustrator” on an Errol Flynn film and worked her way up from there. Patrick created and designed the look of Mr. Hyde in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Xenomorphs in the B-picture This Island Earth and of course the iconic Gil-Man himself from Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
* Lake Zaca near Santa Barbara, California, which may have inspired Templeton Crockett to name Errol’s future yacht “The Zaca”, is very frequently reported to have been the lagoon filming location in “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.” These reports however may be apocryphal. The true “Black Lagoon” may actually have been Wakulla Springs in Florida.
— Tim
A Spring Training Quiz
03
Mar
It’s 3/3, Baseball Spring. So here’s a FlynnQuiz involving the most famous No. 3 of all, Babe Ruth.
One was Ruthian, the other Errolympian.
Both were hugely popular and beloved stars, and still are.
One’s career ended in 1935, the other’s exploded in 1935.
It’s astonishing to me that there’s no record of Errol Flynn and Babe Ruth ever meeting. For example, it’s hard for me to believe that Babe never attended a party up at Mulholland. They did, however, both know a famous director. In fact, this director had a significant role in the film careers of both Errol and Babe. Indeed, it may be the case that Babe’s having worked with this famous director impeded Babe from meeting Errol. Whatever the reason here’s the quiz question:
What famous director did both Errol Flynn and Babe Ruth work with?
Pitch No. 1: It involved a very big and famous premier in New York.
Pitch No. 2: It did not involve the wonderful Harold Lloyd film depicted below.
Pitch No. 3: Nor did it involve the Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright masterpiece depicted below.
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Speedy: One of Harold Lloyd’s greatest, featuring Babe Ruth.
Pride of the Yankees: a heart-wrenching Super-Duper Gary Cooper movie, featuring the stunningly gorgeous and talented Teresa Wright. Look for Ruth in the beginning of this music video tribute.
— Tim
’56 Errol: A Charming Rogue
27
Feb
February 27, 1956 (62 years ago today)
San Bernardino Sun
THE DAILY SUN
ON THE HOLLYWOOD BEAT
Errol Flynn, ‘Charming Rogue’, Denies Reports
By JAMES BACON HOLLYWOOD
Errol Flynn, a charming rogue who never has pretended to be anything else, wants to debunk all those reports that he has reformed. Since his return to Hollywood, after more than four years abroad, the columns have been filled with items about the new Errol Flynn. It’s true that he is shelling out a reported $900,000 for back alimony and back taxes. It’s also true that he’s been in town for several weeks without engaging in any of the famous one-punch Sunset Strip brawls for which he was famed a decade ago. But a reformed Flynn? Never. “It’s all a lie, a malicious slander started, I suspect, by Bruce Cabot,” Errol reassures. “Don’t believe a word of it.
HE’S MORE DISCREET
“The only difference between the so-called new Flynn and the old Flynn is that the new Flynn is the same as ever only more discreet. And please spell that with three E’s. Nothing else has changed.” It hasn’t either. A visit to the set of NBC’s Screen Directors Playhouse television films finds the same Flynn who used to give Jack L. Warner ulcers. He’s still sipping straight vodka out of a water glass between takes; charming every girl on the set from the leading lady to the wardrobe seamstresses and surprisingly his ex-mother-in-law. Mrs. Jack Eddington, mother of Nora Eddington Flynn Haymes, had this to say about her ex-son-in-law: “He’s such a wonderful man, please write something nice about him.” To which Flynn interrupted: “If he does, it’ll ruin me. There are only a few of us characters left.”
How does it feel to be back home after four and a half years? “To tell you the truth,’ he answered “I was served with so many summons the first day I thought I had only been away a week.” Now that Errol is settling all back bills, he’s here to stay, Flynn, besides being the last of the Rabelaisian characters in Hollywood, is also a realist. He knew that he had to pay up in order to work.
PLAYS FAMOUS ROGUE
In the television film, “The Sword of Villon,” he plays the famous rogue poet, Francois Villon who was a sort of medieval Errol Flynn. From there, he goes to Universal-International to play modern day intrigue in “Istanbul,” then back to England for a television series and then Hollywood for good. Offers are coming in fast be cause Flynn, for all his peccadilloes, sells tickets at the boxoffice. In the television film, leading lady Hillary Brooke tells Villon: “You’re a rogue.” To which Flynn answers: “I give you no argument there.” “How’s that for typecasting?” he smiles between takes.
The Sword of Villon,1956
Istanbul,1956
Errol Flynn Theatre, 1956
— Tim
The Olympiads
24
Feb
aka The Bundy Drive Boys and Hollywood Hellfire Club
John Barrymore
John Carradine
John Decker
W.C. Fields
Errol
Gene Fowler
Will Fowler
Sadahichi Hartmann
Ben Hecht
Norman Kerry
Thomas Mitchell
Alan Mowbray
Vincent Price
Anthony Quinn
Roland Young
— Tim
