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Errol Flynn at the Palace

24 Jan

January 24, 1957

Bosley Crowther
New York Times

THERE is something excessively familiar about Universal’s “Istanbul,” which came yesterday to the Palace, and it isn’t just Errol Flynn. Mr. Flynn, looking heavily enameled about the eyes and the jaws, is a clearly familiar figure out of the not too distant past, but the script of this color picture goes away back into the years.It is, to put it briefly, one of those pictures about some missing “jools”—the same being $200,000 in diamonds that Mr. Flynn, a transient in Turkey, has stashed away. They have fallen into his hands by purest accident; but, once he has them, he sees no reason why he should turn them over to some crooks who want them or to the customs men. Neither does he see any reason why he should part with Cornell Borchers, a very tasty bit of Germanic femininity, with whom he is madly in love, when she loses her memory in a fire and marries another man. The lady is almost as important as the “jools” to him. However, he does give up the baubles (when it looks as if he is going to be caught with them, anyhow) and is prepared to give up Miss Borchers. Then her husband, Torin Thatcher, sees that there’s no point in trying to foil love, and he commits the lady reluctantly but manfully to Mr. Flynn.There is nothing to distinguish this production. The color is good and the CinemaScope inserts of the city by the Golden Horn are nice.

The Cast: ISTANBUL, screen play by Seton Miller, Barbara Gray and Richard Alan Simmons; based on a story by Mr. Miller; directed by Joseph Pevney and produced by Albert J. Cohen for Universal-International. At the Palace.Jim Brennan . . . . . Errol Flynn; Stephanie Bauer . . . . . Cornell Borchers: Karen Fielding; Inspector Nural . . . . . John Bentley; Douglas Fielding . . . . . Torin Thatcher; Charlie Boyle . . . . . Leif Erickson; Marge Boyle . . . . . Peggy Knudsen; Mr. Darius . . . . . Martin Benson; Danny Rice . . . . . Nat (King) Cole; Paul Renkov . . . . . Werner Klernperer

A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 24, 1957 of the National edition with the headline: The Screen: ‘Istanbul’; Errol Flynn Appears in Palace film.
…

With his friend, the Great Nat King Cole,performing this stunningly beautiful version of ‘When I Fall in Love’:


…

And with his gorgeous co-star. Cornell Borchers:

youtu.be/ecvqLcPZepA…

— Tim

 
3 Comments

Posted in Film Reviews, Gentleman Tim, Main Page, Movie Trailers, Newspaper & Headlines

 

January 23, 1942 — Who was She?

23 Jan

She was famous, and so was her husband.

On the evening of January 23, 1942, she had dinner with friends and watched “They Died with Their Boots On” and found it very thrilling. They also watched news reels.

Who was she?

— Tim

 
15 Comments

Posted in Behind the Scenes, Main Page, QUIZ PAGE

 

All Hail Alan Hale

22 Jan

On the 71st Anniversary of His Passing
January 22, 1950
…

Alan Hale was one of Hollywood’s greatest character actors. Mostly remembered for his performances with Errol Flynn, he also played in films supporting Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery, Douglas Fairbanks, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, and Ronald Reagan.

He appeared with Errol in all the following:

The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Sisters (1938)
Dodge City (1939)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Virginia City (1940)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Santa Fe Trail (1940)
Footsteps in the Dark (1941)
Desperate Journey (1942)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Adventures of Don Juan (1948)

..And in Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), but not together.

From one of the many top shelf posts of TCM TomJH of the TCM Message Board – excerpted discussions regarding Alan Hale’s work and personal relationship with Errol Flynn, and a segment regarding EFB Author Steve Hayes.

“Alan Hale, Character Actor Support Par Excellence”

December 17, 2017 in General Discussions

“Flynn and Hale have such a great camaraderie in their films together and you can tell that they really were friends in real life.

Hale brought so much to the Flynn films beyond just his performance. You always had the feeling of observing two friends having fun together.”

Gentleman Jim


…

“Gentleman Jim (1942). A father once again, this time to Flynn’s boxing dandy Jim Corbett in another Walsh-directed turn-of-the-century affair. Hale has a riot in this film, constantly laughing, throwing phantom punches in the crowd at one of his son’s fights, dancing an Irish jig with the family and getting drunk at a celebration party following Corbett’s triumph in the ring over the legendary John L. Sullivan. At one point Hale is seen staggering home, staring at his outstretched hand, having just shaken the hand of the great Sullivan. When asked by his son what he’s going to do with that hand now, Hale emphatically proclaims, “I’m not even going to wash it!

I couldn’t find a photo of this moment on Google Images, but one of my favorite parts of Gentleman Jim is the end at the wild celebration party. A chair is thrown through the glass doors, then Hale opens the door. His hair is all mussed and with his eyes and mouth opened wide, and he yells “GIVE ‘EM ROOM! GIVE ‘EM ROOM!”
…

The Sea Hawk


…

“I also like Alan Hale with Flynn in The Sea Hawk. At one point, both men (along with the rest of the crew on their ship) are captured and forced into being galley slaves. Flynn and Hale orchestrate a plan to steal a knife from the guard and overtake him, take over the ship and free their crew.

One of Hale’s trademarks was his great “jaw drop” double-take. Watching him and Flynn on screen together was pure joy. That’s one thing that is missing from today’s films – chemistry. We have great actors, but it doesn’t appear that anybody is really having any fun up on the screen any more.”
…

The Adventures of Don Juan

“There are some scenes between them that I always love to watch in their final film together, Adventures of Don Juan. Hale plays Don Juan’s servant, Leporello, always trying to assist the Don and extricate him from sticky situations, many of them of a humourous nature. But even though his character is a servant Hale plays the role like a friend.

When Flynn is interrupted in his attempted seduction of a woman by her irate husband he leaps from a balcony to the ground below, where Hale awaits dozing. They look a each other (oh, they have been in this same situation so many times before) and there is a simple two word exchange between them.

“Husband,” Flynn’s Don Juan says, a little out of breath.

“Horses,” Hale replies pointing in their direction where they both begin to run.

“One of my favourite little moments between them occurs towards the end. They are sitting at a table, hiding out in a cantina from the military which is hunting for Don Juan with prison, or worse, awaiting him if captured.

Flynn says he must leave Spain but he doesn’t want Hale to accompany him to a life of uncertainty.

“Do you think I would let you go roaming about the universe without me?” Hale says, “I’m going with you!”

“And if I order you to stay?” Flynn says.

“Then I shall disobey you!” Hale emphatically replies.

There’s a lovely closeup of Flynn’s face, a look of warmth in his eyes, as he reaches across the table and briefly places his hand with affection on top of Hale’s. Hale smiles. Done! They will stay together through thick and thin.

What always helps to make this little moment work so well is that it seems a reflection of the friendship that it existed between the two actors.”
…

A reference to EFB Author Steve Hayes was made as follows in this TCM Message Board Post:

“Steve Hayes is a writer, part time adventurer, who wrote two books about his Hollywood experiences called Googies Coffeeshop to the Stars. For a month he lived in a room in Errol Flynn’s Mulholland home, and got to know the actor quite well, continuing to see him off and on afterward for a while. Among other things, he mentioned that Flynn went into a period of depression due to Alan Hale’s death.”

— Tim

 
5 Comments

Posted in Behind the Scenes, Co-Stars, Films, Flynn and..., Gentleman Tim, Main Page

 

Not Guilty

21 Jan

GREAT AMERICAN TRIALS

The Trial of Errol Flynn
January 11-February 6, 1943

Defendant: Errol Flynn

Crime Charged: Statutory Rape

Chief Defense Lawyers: Jerry Geisler and Robert Neeb

Chief Prosecutors: Thomas W. Cochran and John Hopkins

Judge: Leslie E. Still

Place: Los Angeles, California

Verdict: NOT GUILTY

Significance:

Despite the outcome, the Errol Flynn trial focused national attention on Hollywood’s sexual mores, which both titillated and shocked many Americans. The trial also put the phrase “In like Flynn” into the American language.

In 1942, Errol Flynn was at the height of his swashbuckling Hollywood career. In 10 years, the handsome native of Australia had made 26 movies—among them such overnight classics as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and The Sea Hawk. Flynn lived a boisterous, daring life that was also devil-may-care. He worked hard, drank hard, loved hard. Women everywhere had fallen for his splendid physique, his cleft chin, and his enticing dimples, and women everywhere were available to him.

At a party in September 1942, Flynn met 17-year-old Betty Hansen, who arrived with a studio messenger and who dreamed of moviedom fame and fortune. By dinnertime, Hansen had thrown up from too much drinking.

The next day, Hansen told her sister that Flynn had taken her upstairs to clean up, then seduced her in a bedroom. A complaint was filed with District Attorney Thomas W. Cochran, who recalled a similar complaint by one Peggy Satterlee after a voyage aboard Flynn’s yacht. That charge had been dropped.

Flynn’s stand-in stuntman, Buster Wiles, later said Satterlee’s father had earlier approached Flynn with a demand for money, or, said Wiles, “he would lie to the police that his underage daughter had sexual relations with Flynn.”

Flynn was arrested in October. He hired Hollywood’s ace lawyer, Jerry Geisler.

Fans and sensation seekers thronged Flynn’s neighborhood, spying through binoculars, prowling over his 11-acre property, mobbing the courthouse at his preliminary hearing, pulling at his buttons and shoes.

Selecting the jury on January 11, 1943, Geisler purposely took nine women, gambling that the females’ attraction to the movie star would outweigh concern over the seduction of innocence.

Prosecutor Cochran opened with the Betty Hansen charge. Geisler’s cross-examination proved that her testimony was confused and that she was currently awaiting action on a possible felony charge with her boyfriend, the studio messenger.

“J.B.” and “S.Q.Q.”

Now Cochran had Peggy Satterlee describe her voyage to Catalina. She said Flynn called her “J.B.” (short for “jail bait”) and “S.Q.Q.” (short for “San Quentin quail”)—evidence that he knew she was a juvenile. Nevertheless, she testified, he came to her cabin and “got into bed with me and completed an act of sexual intercourse”—an act against which, she admitted, she did not struggle. The next night, she said, he took her to his cabin to look at the moon through the porthole and there repeated the offense. This time, she said, she fought.

In cross-examination, Satterlee admitted to lying frequently about her age, then revealed that she had had extramarital relations with another man before the Flynn episode, and had undergone an abortion.

Taking the stand, Flynn denied the “jail bait” and “San Quentin quail” allegations, as well as entering Satterlee’s cabin or taking her to his cabin or taking Betty Hansen upstairs after she threw up at the party or having sexual intercourse with either girl. As he finished, women were crying hysterically. Men were yelling obscenities. The bailiff had to quell a near riot.

The prosecution introduced an astronomer to back up Peggy Satterlee’s description of the moon through the porthole. Geisler made him admit that, judging by the boat’s course, the moon could not have been seen from Flynn’s cabin.

The jury argued until the next day and found Errol Flynn not guilty. Said foreman Ruby Anderson afterward:

We felt there had been other men in the girls’ lives. Frankly, the cards were on the table and we couldn’t believe the girls’ stories.

Errol Flynn’s career continued, totaling some 60 films before he died in 1959.

—Bernard Ryan, Jr.

Suggestions for Further Reading:

Conrad, Earl. Errol Flynn: A Memoir. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1978.

Flynn, Errol. My Wicked, Wicked Ways. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1959.

Thomas, Tony. Errol Flynn: The Spy Who Never Was. New York: Citadel Press, 1990.

Wiles, Buster with William Donati. My Days with Errol Flynn. Santa Monica, Calif.: Roundtable Publishing, 1988.

— Tim

 
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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Gentleman Tim, Main Page, Newspaper & Headlines

 

Errol Flynn comes to the rescue!

16 Jan

In late 1956 Errol Flynn went to pre-Castro’s Havana, Cuba to film “The Big Boodle” (1957) with Universal studios’ starlet Gia Scala, on loan to United Artists. In the absolutely fascinating but often heart-breaking book “Gia Scala: The First Gia” written by her loving sister Tina Scala, an incident occurred near the end of filming. Gia was a guest on Flynn’s two-mast schooner “The Zaca”, and enjoyed every minute of it. Flynn learned from Gia and Tina that their mother was dying from terminal Cancer. All her life their mother had dreamed of sailing to Hawaii.  When Flynn heard this he said “Say no more.” Errol Flynn then sent Gia and Tina to sail on the Zaca with a full crew to take her mother to Hawaii! Flynn insisted on picking up the entire cost of this journey which was a dream come true for their mother who loved the entire voyage. She later died at peace. Gia Scala and Tina were eternally grateful to Errol Flynn. Tina also writes that it was common knowledge that gorgeous movie stars who took private cruises on the Zaca were seduced by Errol Flynn! Tina said “I never asked Gia, and besides she would never tell me anyway!”

— Ralph Schiller

 
2 Comments

Posted in Main Page

 

Star-Studded Traffic Trial

13 Jan

January 13, 1939

Star-Studded Traffic Trial in Beverly Hills

LA Evening Herald Examiner

It will look like a roll call of Hollywood male stars in PoliceJudge Charles J. Griffin’s Beverly Hills court late today.

The occasion will be the hit-run driving trial of John W. Myers, former owner of the La Conga, Hollywood night spot.

Among those who have been subpoened as witnesses in behalf of Meyers are Errol Flynn, Bruce Cabot and Walter Pidgeon, all of whom either saw the accident or talked to Myers immediately after it occurred, according to attorney Richard Cantillon, representing Meyers.

Meyers is charged with having fled the scene of an accident involving his automobile and another car driven by George v. Tribe.

Tribe’s wife, Darlene, and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Elizabeth Thorpe, all were seriously injured in the accident, it is charged.

— Tim

 
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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Co-Stars, Flynn and..., Gentleman Tim, Main Page, Newspaper & Headlines

 

Out of their fathers’ shadows: In Vietnam with Flynn and Steinbeck

12 Jan

Former Vietnam War journalist Carl Robinson, a close friend of Sean Flynn, writes his recollections of time spent with both Sean and John Steinbeck’s son, also a journalist, in Vietnam.
‘The Bite of the Lotus: an intimate memoir of the Vietnam War’ by Carl Robinson. Published by Wilkinson Publishing. An American, Carl Robinson settled in Australia in 1978 with his Vietnamese wife Kim-Dung. An extract was published in The Australian Financial Review … makes for a great read … linked here:
www.afr.com…

And an interview with Carl about the book from the ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Commission) with the inimitable Philip Adams: www.abc.net…

— Philip

 
2 Comments

Posted in Main Page

 

Happy Birthday, Deirdre! January 10

10 Jan

— Tim

 
3 Comments

Posted in Deirdre Flynn, Gentleman Tim, Main Page, Newspaper & Headlines, Special Events

 

A Restless Soul – Errol in Early ’39

07 Jan

January 7, 1939

Jimmy Starr
LA Evening Herald Examiner

How Stars Relax

Errol Flynn is a restless soul who doesn’t know the meaning of relaxation, even on his holidays. He’s up early and off for a day of strenuous physical activity.
…

A Real Day with Errol Flynn, Screenland, April 1939

— Tim

 
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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Gentleman Tim, Main Page, Newspaper & Headlines

 

On the Ninth Day of Christmas 🎁x9

03 Jan

Errol was in LIFE and on the radio………
Helping Cecil De Mille and Joan Blondell to beautify America, one face at a time………

Above is a copy of the full page ad in Life Magazine, January 2, 1939, framed by “The Past on a Plate”. There was a story about Dawn Patrol in tge same edition.
…

youtu.be/q5-im_aIAxU…

…

— Tim

 
3 Comments

Posted in Films, Gentleman Tim, Main Page, Newspaper & Headlines, Old Time Radio Shows

 
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