— David DeWitt
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Hedda you Hearst?
31
Jul
Dear Flynnstones,
back in the day Tinseltown gossip was never heard through the grapevine. It was put in dark ink by the top two society columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. They played a decades long heads-up game for the scoops, scandals and skirmishes of the Hollywood elite. With their clout they could make or break a career. Fortunately for Flynn, both liked his boyish charm and his mannish mischief. H. Hopper, besides her poisonous pen best known for her flamboyant headdresses, remembers him fondly in her autobiography “The truth and nothing but.”
At San Simon, Hearst`s $40.000.000 Shangri-La in San Luis Obisco County Louella mingeled with a stream of visiting celebrities, stars and producers that poured every weekend into the fabulous, twin-towered castle or the surrounding marble “bungalows” at the summons of W.R (Hearst) and Marion (Davies). So did I. At the fifty-four foot table in the Renaissance dining hall, you`d see Garbo, John Gilbert, Errol Flynn, Norma Shearer, Nick Schenk, Beatrice Lilly, Cissy Patterson, Frank Knox, Bernard Baruch. Name the biggest and they`d be there, including on one occasion, Mr. and Mrs. Cal Coolidge and Bernard Shaw. San Simeon, two hundred miles from Culver City, was too far for daily travels to Metro, (so) Hearst built a new castle for his princess on the gold coast of Santa Monica. This new ninety-nine room Georgian mansion, with two swimming pools, three drawing rooms and a private movie theatre was called the “Beach House”.
Errol was a shoo-in there. Orson Welles was not. His monumental mockumentary movie CITIZEN KANE exposing the real relationship between married man William Randolph Hearst and his protegé Marion Davies put him on the black list of the newspaper tycoon. They would never become Rosebuddies again.
Errol used to live directly across the street from me during his marriage to Lili Damita. All I had to do to pick up an item or two for the column, was sit by the bedroom and listen to them shrieking at each other. I got the lowdown on their separation by just lying in bed and listening. It was a screaming, juicy bout. I was all set to put it on the wire the next morning, when Errol came over in dressing gown and slippers at 7 a.m, got me out of bed and begged me not to print it, saying they hadn´t even talked about a property settlement. Like a fool, I promised to keep silent until he gave me a cue. But he couldn`t keep his own secret and told Louella, who scooped me with my own story. I could have throttled him…
Hedda`s tactful taciturnity (completely out of character) secured her a spot on the flynntourage together with NY collegue Mark Hellinger, who later became a producer for Warner Bros. Once a reporter always a reporter, he often called Hopper from a private booth and drove Jack Warner mad wondering where all the inside information about the lot came from.
He (Flynn) worshiped John Barymore and deliberately started the rumor that he was John`s illegitimate offspring. They came to parting ways however, when he invited “Father” up to Mulholland drive. John, who was incontinent toward the end, forgot himself as he sat on the beautiful settee in the lavishly furnished living room that was Errol`s pride. That was the last time John was invited.
Playing mother alongside Father, Hopper gave our Hollywood hero some good advice. One he really should have taken. H.H. implored him not to spend all his money on parties, but to buy a girl a box of candy in the process or send her some flowers once in a while. She said a single rose each time, could have spared him five lawsuits.
“For one revel at his Mulholland Drive home, Errol Flynn imported a transvestite fairy dressed so skillfully as a girl that nobody guessed the secret. Errol had his swimming pool lit from below and brought on a team of divers to brighten the evening. When his guests went on chattering, taking not a blind bit of notice of the performance, he (himself) dived headlong into the water in protest…
One day he was sun-bathing mother-naked on a sailboat in the Mediterranean, when a sight seeing craft loaded with American schoolteachers came by. He chose the moment to stand up and stretch. One gasping teacher fell overboard, covered in blushes, and he promptly plunged in to retrieve her.
As relentless as the Walt Disney friend Hedda Hopper waged war on unamerican activities in Hollywood during the McCarthy era, she always held a soft spot for Errol Flynn, despite his bouts with alcohol and else.
The last time I saw Errol was in Paris, when he was making ROOTS OF HEAVEN. He wanted his teen-age popsie to stay in the room, while I intervied him. She wouldn`t go, so I did, interview or no interview.
Once more she kept mum and not too long Flynn was gone.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Goldilegs
20
Jul
Dear Flynnstones,
the pic above is not a still from GOLDFINGER, but an image of dancer-actress Julie Newmar getting ready from the movie SERPENT OF THE NILE.
It stars amongst others Flynntimo William Lundigan and Rhonda Fleming. The Queen of Technicolor encountered Errol some year before on September 30, 1951 when she sang at NBC´s Colgate Comedy Hour, where our Hollywood hero made an appearance. Apparently they all met again at the set of Hollywood at Nile. The bare-chested man with mustache and crew cut (KIM!?) looking on in the shadow is supposed to be Flynn. Is or isn`t he? What in your opinion is the margin for error (Errorrol « The Errol Flynn Blog) here? Do we maybe have a new case of an unannounced, unallowed and undetected cameo by Flynn like in the The Lady from Shanghai (The Lord from Shanghai- Errol after all? « The Errol Flynn Blog)??
Anyways, Julie, who later became famous as Cat Woman in the colorful Batman TV series, is full of praise for Errol Flynn`s dancing skills. “(It`s) Something he`s never been given credit for. This person is not a dancer. But he was a natural…I have never seen such a natural dancer, singer. He is only known as an actor, his timing was out of this world, his instincts were better than dancer-dancers.”
THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS for sure showed that there was gold in them legs of the known legs` man.
Too wrong No, thanks for everyflynn, Julie Newmar.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Robin Hood in Munich
17
Jul
Okay, so the title may be a bit misleading but I did want to share this.
There is an annual festival of classic music at Odeonsplatz here in Munich which usually features, well, classic music. This year, however, it showcased classic movie scores and „The Adventures of Robin Hood“ was among them – much to my surprise as you rarely hear this kind of movie score when they advertise classic movie scores. It‘s usually more in the lines of Star Wars or Harry Potter (which, to us, probably doesn‘t even qualify as „classic“).
Anyway, I wanted to share the video in case you want to enjoy this great live performance in a beautiful setting. „Robin Hood“ starts around 36:00 but of course the whole concert is worth watching.
— Claudia
Tell-escope
13
Jul
,
Dear Flynnstones,
Signor Leo Garin is the James Webb telescope for all Flynn fans interested in the unfinished film about William Tell. His laser sharp reminiscences go back way back to 1953, when Errol first came to dinner to his parents` hotel “L`Auberge de la Maison” situated in Entreve, a little outside of Courmayeur. Our man Flynn sported long and weavy hair at the time and exuded an aura of eager anticipation. Leo dedicates a small chapter of his family biography book “Construire le passé” (Re-constructing the past) to the unflynnished business surrounding the filming of Tell in Valle d`Aosta. He even gives away the whereabouts of the seized costumes and weaponery. As far as the new found reels and movie camera are concerned (Flynn`s footsteps- in the Will Tell town of Courmayeur « The Errol Flynn Blog), we are aware that there is an appleshot`s chance that some material will surface on them. But like another successful sport once put it: “You are missing 100% of the shots you don`t take…”
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
The Garden of Erben
11
Jul
Dear Flynnstones,
here are the old stomping grounds of Errol`s best bamboozler and favorite friend from Vienna, Hermann Erben. Many letters to and from Flynn bore the adress of the Arenberg Hof at Danneberg Platz 19. The Doc`s top floor apartment was also his medical practice whenever he was back from his worldover trips. It supposedly lacked running water, but had a room with a view. Situated next to Arenberg Park, an oasis within the city, you look straight at one of the monolithic concrete cubes, which were built as bomb shelters in WWII. No use trying to remove it, since blowing it up would leave the surrounding infrastructure in ruins. This towering behemoth serves as perpetual reminder that there still is trouble in paradise.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
“Hello God” is still Errol Flynn’s Ghost Film!
11
Jun
Allegedly a copy of “Hello God”, Errol Flynn’s missing and unseen film from 1951 was found among evidence files and archived records of a New York courtroom. The reels of film in cans were in bad condition. Rumor said that this deteriorating film was shipped to the George Eastman House Film Archives and Preservation Center.
I sent a formal e-mail request to the George Eastman House stating that I wished to see the “Hello God” footage for a book project. Five days later I received this polite e-mail from an archivist at the George Eastman House:Thank you for your email and for your interest in our collections. We do have Hello God in our collections, however we do not have a complete version of the film. We only have the first reel of a work print and a reel or so of outtakes and trims. Preservation work did start on these two items, but has been put on hold and I do not know if and when we may resume preservation. It was expressed to me that a more complete version of the film may exist elsewhere; if that is the case then the keeper of those elements would be better suited to pursue more complete preservation. At this time we do not have any access elements for either the outtakes or work print, so we are unable to provide access at this time.If I may be able to answer any other questions about our collections or research access, please do not hesitate to ask.My response to the Eastman House archivist was:Thank-you so very much for getting back to me on my inquiry. I regret to say that no other copy or fragments of this film exist anywhere else in the world. A film storage company in Los Angeles had a complete print and negative of the film but no one had paid the processing and storage fees. This company did reach out to the film’s director/producer William Marshal who was in financial straits in the mid-1960’s. Then out of desperation, they even tried Marshal’s estranged wife, film star Ginger Rogers, who wanted nothing to do with the film and her soon to be ex-husband. I contacted the company and was informed that since the bill was never paid, the film print, and negatives were destroyed, and discarded.This is the end of the story. Only a few minutes of “Hello God” have survived with a few other out-takes and film scraps. The Eastman House is debating whether or not it is even worth the expense to save these fragments. Errol Flynn screened “Hello God” and was appalled at the poor quality of the film. He decided for the sake of his Hollywood career that he must destroy “Hello God” so no one will ever see it. He got his wish. Pity he didn’t torch “Cuban Rebel Girls”.
— Ralph Schiller
SEAN FLYNN & “THE TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT”
02
Jun
Late in 1963 Sean went on location to film his fifth starring role. A French-Italian co-production set in colonial India, the film was actually filmed in what was then Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka,) In Italy the film would be released in 1964 under the title, “Sandok, Il Maciste della Jungla” (“Sandok , the Maciste of the Jungle”). In France, it would be released in 1964 under the title, “Le Temple de L’Elephant Blanc” (“Temple of the White Elephant”). It was to be directed by Umberto Lenzi, who would gain a reputation as a cult director after he helmed such films as “Seven Blood-Stained Orchids” and “Cannibal Ferox”. Sean’s co-stars would be: Alessandra Panaro, who was his leading lady in his first starring role in “The Son of Captain Blood”; although his leading lady in this film was to be Marie Versini, who was best known for her portrayal of “Nscho-tschi” in the popular (in Europe) West German “Winnetou” westerns and Mimmo Palmara, who was famous for his strongman roles in several Italian sword and sandal films, where he was usually the villain opposite Steve Reeves. (But here he would be a good guy on Sean’s side.) Also in the cast is Giacomo Rossi-Stuart (also known as “Jack Stuart”). Rossi-Stuart is also known for his roles in such films as: “Caltiki, the Immortal Monster”(1959), “Sodom and Gomorrah”(1962) and opposite Vincent Price in “The Last Man on Earth”(1964).
The plot of the film deals with the kidnapping of the British viceroy’s daughter (played by Panaro) and her fiancee, a British officer (played by Rossi-Stuart) by a fanatical murderous sect who worship “a white elephant.” Sean’s job is to rescue the two. He is aided in his mission by Palmara, who is also Versini’s protector who is a princess out to rescue her brother who is also held captive by the White Elephant sect. [While the film would probably be a good double feature with Errol’s film, “Charge of the Light Brigade”,
it has more in common with the 1939 film “Gunga Din”, i.e. the murderous cult.]
The film was released in the UK in 1966 under the title, “Temple of the White Elephant” where it mostly received bad reviews. The film made it to the US sometime in either 1966 or 1968. Released to US television syndication by American International Television, the television arm of American International Pictures. In the English language prints Sean dubs his own dialogue.
While not a great film and as per my review in my article, “The Forgotten Films of Sean Flynn, Son of Errol Flynn”, Sean looks good in uniform. The film does have plenty of action and does make for a good matinee type movie. It has a great score and is in glorious technicolor. It also makes great use of its lush location. The French language version can be found on YouTube, so you can judge for yourself for those who are interested. As for Sean, after completing this film, he went into what some have called his “Great White Hunter” phase, when he traveled to Pakistan, where he killed a tiger which had taken the lives of three woodsmen and received a certificate of extreme gratitude from the Pakistani government. He then went on to Africa where he tried his hand as a safari guide and big-game hunter. He also spent time as a game warden in Kenya. In need of money he completed three more films before becoming a photojournalist and war correspondent in Vietnam and lost his life in Cambodia in 1970. –A. R.
— ILIKEFLYNN
