— Tim
Archive for the ‘Gentleman Tim’ Category
Sean
Errol Takes a Dive
The Ides of Flynn
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
A Curious Pair
At the Wilder Theater on Wilshire, in Westwood
The Adventures of Robin Hood swoops into the Billy Wilder Theater to restore a measure of innocence to the jaded moviegoer. Splendidly operatic in style and resplendent in its Technicolor trappings, the film endeared Errol Flynn to a Depression-era audience and secured his place in the Hollywood pantheon. Director Michael Curtiz replaced William Keighley when Warner Bros. decided that the action needed more oomph, and the film certainly doesn’t lack for excitement, particularly during the climactic swordfight with Basil Rathbone. UCLA Film & Television Archive is pairing it with Flynn’s American debut, The Case of the Curious Bride, as part of its tribute to Curtiz. Alan K. Rode will sign copies of his new Curtiz biography in the lobby prior to the screening.
UCLA’s Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Fri., March 9, 7:30 p.m.; $10. (310) 206-8013, cinema.ucla.edu….
— Tim
The Shape of Errol
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
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.
images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com…
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
Spring Training has Sprung
With March now here, Baseball’s Spring is here. Errol was far more well known for his wicket, wicket ways than for baseball, of course, but, living in the States in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, he most certainly was familiar with the American game and religion of Baseball, which was significantly based on the game of cricket he knew and played so well. Here he is playing the two at once, the only batsman I know of having posed and performed in such an extraordinarily (wicket) way (with Mayo on the side): www.gettyimages.com…
And here is another baseball rarity!
— Tim
On Exhibit Now @ the LACMA
“It’s a stunning piece.” … [the poster for] the 1938 Errol Flynn classic “The Dawn Patrol.” The design, he said, makes you feel as though you’re in a cockpit of a plane during a World War I dogfight.
— Tim