Two notable Bruces have identical connections to this date, May 3. Who were they?
The first knew Errol in three decades.
The second knew him in two.
— Tim
Archive for the ‘Flynn and…’ Category
Goodnight Georgeous Gia
01
May
“On the night of April 30, 1972, 38-year-old Scala was found dead in her Hollywood Hills home. Los Angeles County Coroner Thomas Noguchi reported her cause of death was from an “acute ethanol and barbiturate intoxication” and was later ruled accidental.”
“The circumstances surrounding Scala’s death have been questioned, with some believing it was a result of either murder or suicide rather than accidental. Her sister, movie actress Tina Scala, believed that she did not intend to take her life nor that her death was accidental. Scala had a prescription for valium and three tablets were missing from the bottle, but valium is a benzodiazepine, not a barbiturate. Also, Scala was discovered nude sprawled across her bed and bruises were found on her body and blood was on her pillow.”
…
On May 23, 1956, Louella Parsons reports that “while Errol Flynn was making Istanbul in Hollywood, he saw Gia Scala at Universal-International. ‘That’s the girl I want for my picture, The Big Brodie,’ he said. So what Errol wants, Errol gets.”
In 1962, Gia and her husband, Don Burnett, starred together in The Triumph of Robin Hood. He as Robin Hood, she as Anna, much the equivalent of Maid Marian. Later that year they bought a home on Mulholland Drive.
— Tim
April 29 — 1945 — — Errol Peps Up Hollywood Party
29
Apr
Huston was a very skilled boxer, with a very long reach. Both went to the hospital, were complimentary of each others fighting skills and etiquette, and subsequently became friendly. The fight is thought to have been over OdH, with whom both Errol and JH had been in love.
— Tim
“Errol and Peggy are a Thing”
23
Apr
So said Sidney Skolsky on this date in 1944
Here she is, Miss Atlantic City, circa the mid-Forties, the days Errol and her were said to (very briefly) be “a thing”
— Tim
THE BIG FLOP – April 7, 1991
07
Apr
Flynn and the fiercest forehand
06
Apr
Dear fellow Flynn fans,
Francisco Olegario Segura called “Pancho” by friends and pros, had what many labeled the best forehand ever in the history of tennis.
Former World No. 1 Player Ellsworth Vines remembered it all too well: “(His) Two-handed forehand is most outstanding stroke in game’s history; unbeatable unless opponent could avoid it.”
Pancho, the eldest of 7-10 children (reports vary) was born in Ecuador on a raft on the way to the hospital on June 20th 1921.
Not only did he share Errol`s birthday, but also crossed rackets with him in later years in Spain.
“I used to play at midnight in Madrid for 1000 dollars. Errol Flynn would send a chauffeur to pick me up.”
After an exceptional career on the lawns all around the world, considering he had suffered from rickets and malaria from an early age, he settled in the US and taught many flynntimos his most deadly shot at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club.
Ava Gardner, Kirk Douglas and Shelley Winters, just to name a few, honed their tennis court skills with this great character known for his humor, relentnessness and longevity.
He retired at 49 at the US open and died at 96 with fond memories of mentoring Jimmy Connors and to a lesser extent the son of Dean Martin to felt ball stardom.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Errol NOT Killed in Spain — But Wounds to Reputation Near Fatal!
05
Apr
Only “slightly wounded” by falling plaster. However, his heroic reputation suffers severe, long-lasting, near-fatal wounds due to fraudulently-false, self-serving reports of Errol’s death by publicity-seeking, back-stabbing, fascist-colloaborating-pawn and psycho-quack-physician, Hermann Erben. As a publicity Erben was the first to report that Errol was killed, which he knew not to be true.
Los Angeles Evening Herald Express – April 5, 1937
LILI DAMITA MAY FLY TO WOUNDED ERROL FLYNN
All Lili Damita is sure of today is that she must get post-haste to the side
of her wounded husband, Errol Flynn — by airplane if possible.
After a night of frantic worry over the fate of the handsome actor-adventurer
as the result of an alarmist telephone call from a London friend saying Flynn
had been killed near Madrid, Miss Damita planned to ask the foreign office for
a special permit to fly to Spain.
The actress poured out her thanks in a torrent of emotional words when she was
informed that latest information said that Flynn had been only slightly wounded
and had left Madrid for Valencia.
(Madrid advisers said Flynn was grazed on the head by a machine gun bullet
when he was visiting the University City front.)
In the meantime Miss Damita made frantic efforts to get in touch with Flynn,
planning to defer her departure until she gets direct word from her husband.
Her only worry as she prepared from Leeds Castle in Kent to the foreign office
here was whether the reported injury to Flynn’s handsome Irish face will mar his
film career.
“Lili Frantically Worried About Errol’s Handsome Irish Face”
— Tim
Honeymoon, Yes — Marriage, No
27
Mar
Honeymoon Over Miami Way
March 28, 1938
Jimmy Starr
Although maritime laws permit a captain to perform a perfectly legal marriage ceremony, it isn’t as easy as it might sound. There are certain official papers that a seaworthy captain must have.
Of course, Errol Flynn is the captain of his yacht, but that doesn’t alone give him the right to tie the holy bonds of matrimony, as he was informed by local maritime officials.
And that revelation somewhat changes the marital plans of Gertrude Hemmer and Ralph Cobley, Miami friends of Errol’s, who planned to have the Warner star perform the wedding ceremony for them aboard his new yacht, which stops over at the southern city en route to Hollywood. The couple will be married on shore and will spend a brief honeymoon aboard Flynn’s boat.
…
Miami Beach 1938
…
Miami 1938
— Tim
Two Big Kisses
22
Mar
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.
_____
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
