During April of 1939, newspapers throughout the U.S. published a Chesterfield Cigarettes ad featuring Errol and Olivia in their Dodge City costumes. The film’s famous world premier was on April 1, 1939. The ads below were published on April 10 in the Yuma Sun, and April 28 in the Detroit Jewish News.
The Detroit Jewish Chronicle – April 28, 1939
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— Tim
STARS GET WELCOMED FOR FILM PREVIEW
Evening Herald Express
By Jimmy Starr
Dodge City, Kan. April 1 (1939)
For years they have been saying that Hollywood is colossal, but it took the Warner Brothers’ 14-car special train which arrived in Dodge City this morning to prove that moviedom was never colossal until today.
With no strings on a bank account, the party, which includes 35 stellar names, 72 newspapermen and magazine correspondents and cameramen and dozens of studio technicians departed Thursday night from Santa Fe station in Los Angeles and arrived in Dodge City this morning.
A typical Hollywood gathering of several thousand persons were at the station to greet the stars. Radios and loud speakers blared gala tunes. Dozens of luminaries were ushered through wildly gesticulating crowds.
The baggage car of the special train was transformed into a replica of the famous “Gay Lady Saloon” of Dodge City’s wildest and wooliest days, and it was visited by thousands of Dodge City fans.
OLD WEST ATMOSPHERE
The Warner studio had given it an Old West atmosphere with sawdust on the floor, typical signs warning customers against crooked faro dealers and advice to check shooting irons with the bartender. All it needed to complete the picture was a dirty old villain to shoot it up and a tree to hang him on.
Then there was a palace car, but it was not for for the human stars of Hollywood. Instead it housed 16 equine stars to be used in an especially staged rodeo in Dodge City this afternoon as a warm-up for the triple preview of the 2-million dollar Technicolor picture Dodge City tonight. In order to accommodate the terrific influx of visitors from four states it was necessary to engage three theaters, which will run all night, to show the production to the tremendously swollen population.
150,000 THERE
Dodge City, which has a normal population of 13,000 persons, is today entertaining a swarming multitude of 150,000 yelling, restless, staring, snoopy, autograph-hunting, curious, hungry, thirsty, dusty, foot-weary and movie-mad spectators. As a tribute to Jack Warner and the picture, Dodge City citizens took it upon themselves to emulate the founders of their rough and ready village by growing enough bushy beards that not only would frighten Boris Karloff, but also would supply a thousand baseball teams for the House of David. It was indeed a sight to turn a mattress factory green with envy.
ODDITIES BETWEEN WHISTLESTOPS
Olivia de Havilland, heroine of the picture, was the heartbroken ingenue of the train when she was rudely and without warning snatched from the special at Pasadena.
It seems that Mr. Selznick, who stalled for two years before making Gone with the Wind, is now in a big hurry. It also happens that Miss de Havilland is playing Melanie in Mr. Selznick’s picture and there was rumor that her presence would be needed. Olivia jumped up and down, stamped her feet, yelled and carried on. But she isn’t on the train anymore. Poor Melanie.
SCHOOLS LET OUT
Unusual fascination for such a stellar caravan caused city officials of three cities to declare a school holiday so that Young America could see and hear some of its celluloid heroes and heroines. Fifteen-minute stops were made in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Gallup, N.M.; and Albuquerque, N.M. Indians, Mexicans, hermits, prospectors and ranchers with their families came afoot, on horseback, in rickety buggies and chugging jalopies to join the townsfolk in their amazing display of admiration for Hollywood’s parade on wheels.
— Tim
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:
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P.S. Ralph could tell us better than anyone else on earth who won Best Actor
— 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
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.
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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
