— Tim
Archive for the ‘Friends & Family’ Category
Errol’s Royal Geek
19
May
70 YEARS AGO TODAY – GHICA FINDS ERROL IRRESISTIBLE
New Orleans, May 18, 1950– Errol Flynn is irresistible to Rumanian Princess Irene Ghica
“because he keeps his mouth shut when I want quiet,” she said.
Forty-year-old Flynn
and the 19-year-old princess will probably marry in September – he for the third time.
He brought her to the United States from Bermuda so that he could finish a film based
on Rudyard Kipling’s “Kim.”
Flynn explained that the princess’ nickname, “Geek,” was the first syllable of Ghica.
She commented: “When I found out that a ‘geek’ is a person who, bites off chickens’ heads
at a carnival, I threw a pan at Errol.”
Flynn, who earns about £A89,286 a year, complained that he was going deeper into debt every day.
“There seems to be a lot of people I owe money to, he said. “You would think I had paid enough to one of the
ladies to whom I’ve been paying alimony for 10 years. Those payments are a terrible drain on a man’s income.”
He was referring to his first wife, Lili Damita. He recently asked the court for alimony relief, saying he was
paying £10,357 a year to support her and their nine year-old son, Sean.
…
Here are the Nearlyweds in November of 1949.
…
Sean Flynn Monument Update! David Rocco, Mail Bag!
04
May
David,
The replacement Sean Flynn Memorial Tree has been planted and the memorial monument has been relocated so that it now faces the entrance to the Trail of Honor.
Next step now is to obtain a memorial monument for Dana Stone and place it at a tree that is across from the Sean Flynn monument. I am in negotiations with the Friends of Lasdon Park organization to reach an agreement on how we can honor Dana Stone.
David Rocco
Thanks so much, David!
— David DeWitt
April 29 — 1957 — — Errol Settles Down
30
Apr
Louella 0. Parsons in Hollywood
International News Service
Louella O. Parsons Motion Picture Editor
After six years abroad Errol and Mrs. Flynn (Patrice Wymore) return to Hollywood with baby Arnella.
He’s a real homebody now.
DASHING, happy-go-lucky, colorful Errol Flynn, who lost millions, is poorer today but happier than he’s ever been in his life. And he didn’t hesitate to say that Patrice Wymore (the present Mrs. Flynn) is responsible. Six months ago, Errol owed $900,000. Today, he has paid off $750,000 and sees his way clear to handing over the remainder by December. This is a changed Errol. No longer does that roving eye of his look at every pretty girl who enters a room. In the past, Errol was as wild, unpredictable and full of pranks as anyone I ever interviewed. He always talked with his tongue in cheek, and while I always liked him, I used to have the feeling that some of his nonsense was due to the fact that life was not happy. He asked me to have dinner with him and Patrice at La Rue. You can always depend upon Errol to say something different and to make an interview an occasion, and his first words to me were: “Well, what do you think of her?” pointing to the calm, gracious Patrice. A little embarrassed with such frankness, I countered with, “What do you think of her yourself?” “Well, she’s not my type, but 1 love her,” he laughed. “You know, she saved my life. I’d have run when the going was so tough, but, Pat, without a word of complaint, helped me straighten out my affairs, stuck by me and gave me encouragement. “I never thought I’d ever say I’d be lonely for any woman,” he continued, “but, do you know something? I can’t bear to be separated from her. She gives me a confidence I all but lost during those months of worry.”
The Flynns have been in Europe for six years. They left Hollywood in 1950, and Errol had considerable trouble with William Tell, the picture he was to make in Italy. He says he lost over $200,000 of his own money in it. Errol said, “To show you the kind of girl Pat is, she was expecting our bambina any hour when I got word that I had to be in New York on business. She said, ‘You go right ahead and I’ll wait until you return to have the baby.’ I got back Christmas Eve to find that she’d invited 30 people for Christmas Day egg nogs. On Christmas I rushed her to the hospital where the baby was born within a few hours. We just left all our guests at the party. “I never thought I’d want to settle down to family life,” Errol went on, “but you should see me now. You know how I never wanted domesticity. Whenever it threatened me I’d go away on my boat or take a picture assignment away from home. We now have the greatest family life you ever saw.
“Since I’ve been back in Hollywood,” he said, “we’ve had Pat’s parents from Kansas, her grandmother, and all the children with us My two little girls, Deirdre and Rory, by my marriage to Nora Haymes, spend every week end with us, and our daughter Arnella loves playing with them.” His fourteen-year-old son, Sean, by his marriage to Lili Damita, is the spittin’ image of Errol. Patrice told me Sean spent a little time with them in Europe. “He is so handsome and so intelligent,” she said. “He’s now in Florida with his mother.” A woman who can praise a previous wife’s child is all right for my money. Usually there is a feeling of resentment, but if Pat has any feeling of this sort she’s a great actress. Errol said, “At Universal-International they gave me some of rry ‘face’ back with a great part in Istanbul. I hope to come back and make another picture for them; it’s a nice studio. I’ll return in December.” “Didn’t you almost turn in at Warner Brothers studio by mistake?” I asked him. He started his career Warners with Captain Blood [the film which made him] one of the top stars in the country.
Errol is older now and wiser. He has taken off some of the weight which so shocked me when I first saw him after his return here. But he’s still and always will be the same charm boy. When domesticity threatened in the past, he’d be off to other shores.
— 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’ s Last (?) Will and Testament filed April 27, 1954
27
Apr
Flynn Will Omits Bev
NEW YORK (UPI)
— A fight brewed today over the estate of actor Errol Flynn, whose will was filed for probate here Wednesday. The will, dated April 27, 1954, left most of his estate to his widow, Mrs. Patrice Wymore Flynn, with specific bequests to his children and parents. In Hollywood, his former wife, Mrs. Nora Haymes, said Flynn had told her there was another will dated sometime in 1957 in which he left everything to his children and parents. She said she planned to consult an attorney to protect the interests of her two daughters by Flynn.
Melvin Belli, San Francisco attorney representing Beverly Aadland, Flynn’s 17-year-old companion for the past year, said he was amazed that no provision had been made for his client He said he knew Flynn wanted to provide for Beverly and Belli said he would do something about it. Flynn and his widow had been separated for some time while he travelled to Europe and the Caribbean with Beverly.
— Tim
In Memoriam: Bud Ernst — Flynn’s First Buddy in Hollywood
14
Apr
He Died 70 Years Ago This Week
From My Wicked, Wicked Ways:
“It was the beginning of 1935. I bought a little car. Often I went for a spin with a big fellow named Bud Ernst.
He was six foot five, weighed about two hundred and fifty pounds. He was a flier, a fun guy.”
…
“He was my first and long-time friend in Hollywood. … We certainly had memorable times together in my early days behind the fog, smog, and grog curtain of Hollywood. How many words would you like on the shock a man gets when his dear friend, a roistering, Falstaffian ruffian, suddenly goes out, buys himself a 16-gauge double-barrel shotgun, some cartridges, and blows the top of his head off.”
Report in the New York Times, April 11, 1950
On June 20, 1935 – a date that will live in Flynnfamy – Bud flew Errol and Lili to Yuma to tie the knot. Five days following, he flew himself and Lyda Roberti to do the same.
One of Errol and Ernst’s “memorable times together in the early days”:Adventure at Asuncion Bay
Bud’s father, Hugh C. Ernst, was the brilliant business manager for the phenomenally successful bandleader Paul Whiteman, who had a major role in the 1924 first performance (by George Gershwin and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra at Aeolian Hall in New York) and subsequent popularizing of what many believe to be America’s most important musical composition, Rhapsody in Blue. After managing Paul Whiteman, he became a major executive with NBC. Through his father, Bud grew up “knowing everybody” in the world of music and radio.
Bud was director of the pioneering and hugely popular radio show “Queen for a Day”. Here’s one of the the show’s broadcasts, from February 1950, less than two months before Bud’s death:
— Tim
Raphael Millet’s New Article Five Ashore at Singapore Film, Sean Flynn!
13
Apr
A very detailed piece, great reading!
Thanks so much Raphael!
Raphaël Millet is a film director, producer and critic with a passion for early cinema. He has published two books, “Le Cinéma de Singapour” (2004) and “Singapore Cinema” (2006), as well as directed documentaries such as “Gaston Méliès and His Wandering Star Film Company” (2015), screened as part of the 2015 Singapore International Film Festival, and “Chaplin in Bali” (2017), which opened the Bali International Film Festival in 2017.
— David DeWitt
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
Mail Bag! David Rocco & Sean Flynn Memorial Stone at Westchester, New York!
22
Mar
David Rocco writes to us and tells of an amazing discovery he made at a Westchester, New York park while visiting the Trail of Honor there. He wrote 3 times to tell the story.
David Rocco:
Hi D,
The reason why I reached out to you was that I came across a small memorial stone / monument honoring Sean Flynn at a Westchester County, NY park.
The stone has a small bronze plaque with a brief description regarding Sean Flynn. The monument was located at the entrance area of the magnificent “Trail of Honor” which is located at Westchester County, NY’s Lasdon Park. Lasdon Park is located in Katonah, NY. The Trail of Honor is a winding hilly circular pathway that is adorned with a number of bronze busts atop four foot high stone bases representing an American servicemen and women who served in all our wars and conflicts going back to the Revolutionary War.
Just so you know, I too am a freelance photographer. Maybe this is why I was compelled to follow up on Sean’s background and reason for this monument.
I have seen this small monument before and was a bit surprised to see this here since I assumed that the Flynn’s live somewhere in CA. I went to the park again yesterday to take updated photos of the busts for an upcoming story that I am working on regarding Memorial Day. I consider the Trail of Honor a hidden gem that many people are not aware that it existed.
Last night after downloading the images from my memory card, I decided to look up Sean’s background. My God, as a straight man I have no problem stating that Sean was a great looking man. Why should that surprise considering who his father was and how pretty his mother was.
Attached are photos of Sean’s monument and the Trail of Honor busts. I also included a few extra images of larger than life statues of a wounded GI being carried by another one with a nurse running to their direction. Awesome statute.
My simple question to you is, do you have any idea what is Sean’s connection to this area and who would do this wonderful gesture? I am working on my end to get these answers, but with the coronavirus situation, it hasn’t been easy to reach people in the know.
My best,
D,
I will do my best to try and get the background behind the monument. I found out yesterday that it wasn’t just the monument but the planting of the tree as well to honor Sean’s memory.
I also found out earlier today that the tree has contracted a disease and will be replaced with the same species, a Turkish filbert, Corylus corluna, sometime this year. The person who I spoke with today has reached out to the county and the Friends of the Lasdon Park organization to see if anyone can come up with info regarding Sean Flynn’s monument. Sean Flynn’s monument is part of the “Tree of Honor Trail” which also has monuments honoring MLK and JFK as well as others.
Next time I go back to Lasdon Park, I will check out the tree trail.
I started a timeline based on some of the research that I conducted so far to try and ascertain when the tree and monument were placed at Lasdon Park.
For starters, Lasdon Park was originally a farm before being turned into a country retreat for the rich and famous from NYC. In 1936, William Lasdon bought the house and property for his family as a summer retreat. Mr. Ladson made his money in the pharmaceutical manufacturing area. In 1976, William Lasdon set aside 22 acres of land and created the Mildred D. Ladson Bird and Nature Sanctuary.
Mr. Lasdon passed away in 1984. In 1986, Mrs. Lasdon and her daughter Nanette Laitman, sold the property to Westchester County Parks for the purpose of keeping this property out of the hands of developers. In March of 1997, Mrs. Lasdon passed away. Later that year in October 1997, a group of Boy Scouts from White Plains, NY, created the Trail of Honor for their Eagle project. My first visit to Lasdon Park was in the spring of 2000. That’s the first time I came across Sean’s plaque.
Based on this timeline, the monument and tree were placed at Lasdon Park sometime between 1986 when Westchester County Parks took ownership to the property and the spring of 2000 when I first came across Sean Flynn’s monument. Once I hear back from the park personal who offered to help, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
My best,
Hi D,
As you can see from the photos that I attached, the monument and tree are located at the beginning of the Trail of Honor. However, the park info sign creates a distraction for people passing Sean’s monument. The other problem that I noticed was the fact that the monument inscription faces away from the pathway which prevents visitors from seeing it. When visitors enter the trail of honor pathway, they are most likely captivated by the six flags attached to their respected poles and miss Sean’s monument altogether. Each flag represents our six branches of the armed services. From my perspective, whoever went to the trouble to honor Sean’s service and memory never truly got their money’s worth for their generous and thoughtful act.
I went back over to Lasdon Park the other day to take photos for you and Rory to see how beautiful Lasdon Park is. Despite being the tail end of winter, this place is still very special. Westchester County Parks has numerous beautiful parks throughout the county, but from my understanding, Lasdon Park is their crown jewel.
I took photos of the Lasdon Park starting from the main gate entrance and important locations throughout the park. The starting point for the Trail of Honor and Sean monument and tree, the conservancy greenhouse, the main house and guest house which is now being used as a gift shop.
I said to myself while I was there, that since they are going to uproot this sickly tree sometime in the near future and replace it with another one, maybe this is an opportunity to move Sean’s monument closer to the pathway, but this time, position it so that it faces the pathway. For whatever reason the monument was placed in this location a number of years ago sometime before the Trail of Honor was created and developed. Was it by coincidence or a planned event knowing that someday soon, a Trail of Honor would eventually be placed there?
Yesterday I went back again to Lasdon Park to introduce myself to the new Park Manager.
Lovely young lady who just started this position three months ago. She was recruited by Westchester Parks from the amazing Bronx Botanical Gardens. During our conversation, I asked her that since they would need a back hoe to replace the injured tree, that meant Sean’s monument would have to be moved out of the way so they could perform the tree transfer. She agreed with my assessment. I then asked her, since this is the plan of action, perhaps this an opportunity to move Sean’s monument closer to the pathway so that it would be in a more conspicuous location, allowing passersby to take notice and appreciate the significance of this monument. She said absolutely!
Once I know when this operation takes place, I will let you know.
When this transfer is completed and the corona virus situation settles down, maybe we could organize a monument dedication ceremony and bring the rightful attention to Sean’s contribution to the war effort? If you are uncomfortable with any of this, please let me know. The last thing I want to do is upset Rory.
I would like to share with you a bit of my background.
I have a passion and a proven track record for doing the right thing and correcting oversights or injustices when it comes to our Veterans and historic preservation locations. As for the Veterans, I believe since they did so much for us, this is the least that we can do for them.
I was the person who was behind the War of 1812 Trail of Honor bust at Lasdon Park, a key member of a group of people who revitalized a former historic railroad bridge into a multi use walkway for public use, rebuilding a historic fire tower on Mt. Beacon which is 55 miles north of NYC and discovering the important fact that two Navy planes crashed on Mt. Beacon, a mountain range adjacent to the Hudson River, just thirty miles north from my house.
The first crash occurred in 1935 where two reservists lost their lives and the second one took place on November 11, 1945. In this crash, six men lost their lives including Navy legend Dixie Kiefer. We call these men, the Mt. Beacon Eight. They were forgotten by some and unknown to most. I and a group of friends took it upon ourselves that this wouldn’t be the case. With the help of several sources, we purchased two historic markers and placed them at each crash site on Mt. Beacon. (1100” & 1500’up) We then purchased a granite plaque to honor all eight men which was placed at the local municipalities Veterans Park.
Now everyone , including several family members that have contacted me can make either of these hikes, so here is a place where all eight men are honored together and their family members can pay their respects. One lady who contacted me a couple years ago, was the daughter of one of the six from the 1945 tragedy. She was just 13 months old when her father was killed. Obviously at that age, she never knew her father. She is coming up from Virginia for a ceremony that is scheduled this November for the 75th anniversary of the crash that took her father’s life. She is deeply touched and forever grateful for our efforts.
Aside from the photos of Lasdon Park, I attached some photos of the Mt. Beacon Eight story and an excellent NY Times article that gives some background regarding our efforts to honor these eight men.
My best,
Lost in the Woods – NY Times Article -Word Doc
Thanks, David … very much appreciated and we look forward to your updates!
David Rocco is a freelance Photographer and co-author of the book The Indestructible Man: The True Story of World War II Hero “Captain Dixie” available on Amazon.
— David DeWitt
