Dear Flynnstones,
this poster’s title works as an insult as well as a compliment. Just add: “You auld…“
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Archive for the ‘Main Page’ Category
Strange Story!
15
Nov
Obituary for actress Jennifer Hartig
By Baylis Greene
November 10, 2022
Jennifer Hartig arrived on these shores from her native England to act, having landed a role in a Broadway production of “Jane Eyre.” Going by the stage name Jan Brooks, she found herself opposite none other than Errol Flynn.
That was 1958, and the title of Flynn’s autobiography the following year, “My Wicked, Wicked Ways,” helps explain how the pairing went: He was drunk, he was unprepared, he was boorish, and his breath was bad.
Ms. Hartig was an actress until about 1968, a good portion of her work involving sketch comedy, and that’s how she met the man she would go on to marry in 1965, Herb Hartig, a songwriter and actor. The two formed a comedy team for a time. He died in 1991.
Later in life, around 2003, Ms. Hartig moved to Noyac. She died on Aug. 16 at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton. She was 85.
Jennifer Mary Hartig was born Faye Snape on Nov. 6, 1936, in Leeds, England, to William Edwin Brookfield and the former Hilda Malcolm. Her parents were actors, and had “changed their surname to one that was more attractive” for their careers, her family wrote. And then they decided they didn’t like the name Faye, either.
At boarding school in England she was Jennifer Brookfield, and then, for simplicity’s sake on the stage, Jan Brooks.
She and Mr. Hartig had two daughters, the family living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for about 25 years starting in 1967. She also lived in Brooklyn Heights for a decade or so before moving to Noyac.
There she went to work as a proofreader for the Permanent Press, and in Bridgehampton she joined the circulation desk staff at the Hampton Library, where with a colleague she led a popular film discussion group for a number of years.
That colleague, Jill Burdge, called her “a true Renaissance woman. . . . I shall never forget how moved I was when Jenny, with a fervor only she could muster, recited by heart the St. Crispin’s Day speech from Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V,’ about her beloved England and its ‘happy few . . . band of brothers.’ ”
Ms. Hartig found a further creative outlet writing book reviews for The Star, starting in 2008 with a Budd Schulberg story collection and notably including Hal Holbrook’s memoir. She was a regular contributor through 2013.
“My mom was an extraordinary woman, with so much verve, intelligence, beauty, and humor,” Zandy Hartig, who lives in Los Angeles, said. “To know her was to be full of admiration for her elegance and curiosity.”
Her other daughter, Margaret Hovdey of Austin, Tex., also survives, as do two grandsons. She was predeceased by two brothers, Peter Brookfield and Brian Brookfield.
A funeral service was held on Saturday at the Shelter Island Funeral Home, with dispersal of ashes on the water. Memorial contributions have been suggested to the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, 64 County Road 39, Southampton 11968.
— Ralph Schiller
In a Sherwood State of Mind
15
Nov
Dear Flynnstones,
rinse and shine. Here you see an early bird Errol having his Robin Hood make up applied. Maid Marian in mind and awaiting another arrow splitting, dear Baz purring and Curtiz cursing forestal day in office.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
In the Trenches
14
Nov
Dear Flynnstones,
this blogbook entry comes in reference to both the Columbo and the travel kit post from not long ago. Travelin’ like Flynn saw our Hollywood hero mostly dressed in a trenchcoat wearing a hat at a rakish angle. Errol practically went from cloak and dagger to coat and swagger.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Just Imagine if Errol Flynn Lived Longer?
31
Oct
If Errol Flynn had lived longer the great roles he could of played in tv shows .I could easily see him as The Cavalier or Two-face in Batman 66,or a protagonist in Columbo. Who wouldn’t love to see Errol going up against Batman and Old Chum, or opposite Peter Falk?
— Smordon Cluce
Play Me Again Sam
23
Oct
Dear Flynnstones,
in the vast universe of cinematic what-ifs and whatnots this picture of our man Flynn stands out.
You see him conversing with Austro-Hungarian hotshot producer Sam Spiegel, also known as S.P. Eagle around Hollywood, with Pat Wymore looking on.
Spiegel‘s work of course included “African Queen“, “On the Waterfront“ and “Bridge on the River Kwai“.
These films were made while Errol was still around and all of them were critically acclaimed.
Each of em either founded, cemented or resurrected the careers of the respective lead actors.
It’s such a pity the two players didn‘t get together for a “spiel“.
The most Flynn-like role Sam S. ever produced went to Peter O’Toole, when “Lawrence of Arabia“ saw the light of the desert day in 1962.
It almost got the alternate title of „Charge of the Camel Brigade“.
Nah,
— shangheinz
Welcome to The Lamarr
21
Oct
Dear Flynnstones,
Anthony Loder, the son of Hedy Lamarr, revealed during his recent stay in Vienna that in 2024 the new KaDeWe-department store will open here and bear Hedy‘s Hollywood stage name.
It will also host a café highlighting her career and a rooftop garden in her honor. The whole estate will be prominently on display on all levels of the building.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
The Hill Flynn Climbed
20
Oct
Dear Flynnstones,
there are recurring themes in staging Errol like for example him addressing his merry men from higher ground be it hill, ship bridge or else.
Any other ongoing things that come to mind?
What’s your favorite “Ah, here we go again“- moment in a Flynn film??
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
