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Archive for the ‘Behind the Scenes’ Category

Go Get ‘Em, Livvie!

14 Sep

We’re in your corner!

The Feud Over Feud is Not Over: Livvie Scores an Early Knock Down!m.economictimes.com…

— Tim

 

A Lone Wolf Quiz

13 Sep
    Which of the following did Errol refer to as “a lone wolf”?

    Doris Duke

    Ralph Bellamy

    John Garfield

    Warren William

    Louis Hayworth

    Hermann Erben

    Freddie McEvoy

    King Farouk

    Orson Welles

    Fidel Castro

    Howard Hughes

    Rex Long-Innes

    Barbara Stanwyck

    Talullah Bankhead

    Generalisimo Francisco Franco

    — Tim

     

“Bosum Buddies”

13 Sep

Flynn & Livvie, Stan & George

See the new article and video for details:

comicbook.com…

— Tim

 

“Blown Off Course”

10 Sep

Legend has it Errol was “blown off course” by a hurricane in 1946, causing him to dock The Zaca in Jamaica, leading him to discover and soon move to Port Antonio. If this is true, which hurricane was it? Officially, per the charts below, there were seven Atlantic Ocean hurricanes in ’46. By my calculations, it appears No. 7 would have been most likely. Earlier that year, during all the other official hurricanes that could have forced Errol into Jamaica (except possibly “extratropical” No. 6), it appears to me that Zaca was exclusively in the Pacific – San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexican islands & waters (filming Cruise of The Zaca), Acapulco (filming Lady from Shanghai), et al. Anyone out there know for sure? If any of this is not accurate, please let us all know!

Here’s a Jamaican-written history:

“1946: Actor Errol Flynn’s schooner Zaca docks in Kingston for repairs, Flynn discovers Port Antonio and then sails there, beginning his lifelong love affair with the area and reviving Porty as a secluded destination for the rich and famous.

Christopher Columbus arrived in Jamaica in 1494 and claimed it for Spain. He liked the island so much he returned four times. In 1655 the British took control, turning it into a colony. It was Errol Flynn, however, who really turned the international spotlight toward Port Antonio. The swashbuckling actor was a social swashbuckler in real life, and to this day the people of Porty love to tell tales about Flynn – many of them taller than the Blue Mountains.

No doubt, the hard-living, high-sporting Flynn enjoyed women, drinking, gambling, sailing, fishing and being a prankster. He was dead serious, however, about his love of Port Antonio and its prospects. Flynn’s very presence in Port Antonio in the 1950s helped attract celebrities and international attention.”

— Tim

 

Crews of The Zaca

05 Sep

I think it would be great to collect and publish names of Zaca crew members since the days of the legendary schooner’s first launch in Sausalito nearly ninety years ago.

It’s been reported that Templeton Crocker’s Zaca had up to eighteen crew members, including on his circumnavigation of the world, and his legendary scientific expeditions. This included his personal valet, a doctor, and a photographer. From photos, it appears the Navy appears to have had that amount or even more crew.

The number of crew on Zaca when Errol sailed her appears to have varied.

Nail polish millionaire, Freddie Tinsley, certainly must have had some crew at times, mostly only a skeletal crew for dockside entertainment. It’s unclear, however, how often he actually sailed The Zaca.

I am not certain if Joseph Rosenberg, Bernard Voisin or Phillip Coussins ever actually sailed Zaca.

Today’s Zaca – majestically restored and cared for by its current owner, Robert Memmo – has been said to day cruise out of Monaco with as few as four in its crew.

For the historical record, can anyone help name members of these various crews?
(Ahoy San Francisco Bay Area Marine Historians, Wallace Berry, WWII Navy Alumni Associations, Port Antonians, Bonny Cother, and Palma de Majorcans!!!)

1929 – 1942 – Templeton Crocker, San Francisco
1942 – 1945 – U.S. Navy – renamed “USS Zaca” “IX-73”, San Francisco
1945 – 1945 – War Shipping Administration
1945 – 1946 – Joseph Rosenberg, San Francisco
1946 – 1959 – Errol Flynn, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Jamaica, Mediterranean
1959 – 1965 – Freddie Tinsley, Palma de Mallorca to Villefranche Su Mer
1965 – 1990 – Bernard Voisin, Villefranche Su Mer
1990 – 1990 – Phillip Coussins, Villafranche Su Mer
1990 – 2017 – Robert Memmo, Monaco

LE “ZACA” DANS LE PORT DE FONTVIEILLE, MONACO.

Some of the crews can be seen in the videos below:

— Tim

 

In the Words of Wallis

17 Aug

A Salute to Elvis on the Fortieth Anniversary of His Passing.

Hal Wallis had seen one of Elvis Presley’s appearances on the Dorsey Brothers Show, and before the performance was even over, he was making calls, trying to get Presley to come to Hollywood for a screen test. Wallis remembers his first impressions of Presley in his autobiography Starmaker:

“A test was necessary to determine if Elvis could act. I selected a scene for him to do with that very fine actor Frank Faylen. Elvis would play a young man just starting out in life and Faylen would play his father, holding him back. It was a difficult dramatic scene for an amateur. But I had to be sure. When I ran the test I felt the same thrill I experienced when I first saw Errol Flynn on the screen. Elvis, in a very different, modern way, had exactly the same power, virility, and sex drive. The camera caressed him.”

— Tim

 

“The Leonardo of Leather”

24 Jul

He made Errol’s Robin Hood leather boots, and lent his horse Don to Errol for “Boots”. He was Bob Brown. Norman Rockwell declared him “The Leonardo of Leather”.

“Bob Brown’s first job was to create the tunic, belt, shoes and cap for Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Other famous owners of Bob’s work are John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Lash Larue, Sunset Carson, Hopalong Cassidy, Tex Williams and many many more. There is a story saying that Bob Brown was the one who taught John Wayne his famous walk.”

californiabountiful.com…

m.newsok.com…

— Tim

 

What’s His or Her Name?

23 Jul

Errol once had a employee who typed for him, made (a lot of) tea for him, and helped him run a business across from Warner Bros. Who was he or she?

His or her employment started prior to and ended during WWII.

He or she worked for Uncle Sam both before and after working for Errol.

His or her first name and last name are among those listed below:

FIRST NAME

Gordita

Junior

Max

Minnie

Shorty

Slim

Stretch

LAST NAME

Avalon

Berkeley

Carmel

Fresno

La Jolla

Monterey

Ventura

— Tim

 

Girlfriend or Girl Friend?

20 Jul

Was this mega-talented beauty Errol’s first girlfriend in LA LA Land? This is who he was often seen with during his early bachelor days in the U.S. Both he and Jack Warner say so in their autobiographies. Who was she and do you think there was any romance or hanky panky between the two?

— Tim

 

Thank Our Plucky Stars

13 Jul
    folioweekly.com…

    Magnificent, Flynn! Magnificent!

    What other non-singing, non-dancing star but Errol could have pulled off anything as clever and fun as this? It’s no wonder he was so phenomenally popular.

    — Tim