— Topper
Dear Flynnstones,
when Errol renounced the role of Oberon, in Hollywood`s 1935 screen adaptation of “A Midsummer Night`s Dream”, not wanting to be known as “the king of the fairies”, he impacted many careers. Including his own. Instead of being Hamlet-bound, he, as we know, became the perennial pirate. Only a year later the movie world would see an aging Leslie Howard as a very mature Romeo alongside Norma Shearer`s Juliet. Not to be it was for our Hollywood hero.
Austrian theatre impressario Max Reinhardt came to California with high hopes to find a new audience for his craft. He had been successfully staging plays from Vienna to Berlin at various venues. Up to this day his “Jedermann” (Everyman), the parable of a rich man reflecting his antics on the eve of his existence, is a fixture in Sound-of-Music Salzburg`s summer calender of its so called Festspiele festival.
Despite and because his jewish ancestry Reinhardt, propaganda minister Goebbels, the goat of Babelsberg (where the Third Reich`s movie industry was located) pestered him to become an honoray aryan. Such was his value to Nazi Germany. But he decided to take his act elsewhere. Therefore later on his works were banned and his castle, Schloss Landskron, was dispossessed. With a three film contract by Warner Bros., he boarded an ocean liner and came to the USA with actress Helen Thimig, soon to become his second wife. Courtesy of Theatermuseum Vienna: Jack Warner`s wishing well card for a safe passage. Pre-war the Reinhardts travelled back and forth.
To his credit he brought Erich Wolfgang Korngold with him. First for a few weeks to arrange the “Midsummer”-musical score by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Weeks turned into months, years even and eventually earned Korngold two Academy Awards. Welcome to Sherhollywood, my lord!
Max Reinhardt had staged the Shakespearean fever dream farce already in 1905, 1921, 1925, 1927 and 1930. In 1934 the Hollywood Bowl was chosen as site for the theatrical staging as a prelude to the film, filling its seats with 100.000 spectators watching some 400 artists performing on eight nights. 30.000 electric lights mimicking fireflies needed an seperate generator to produce the amount of the additional energy needed. The LA symphony orchester swelled up to the size of a big band. Call it raising to the occasion.
Two known flynnmates of the theatre ensemble of this event would go on to appear in the movie version. 18 year old Olivia DeHavilland who had been discovered by Professor Reinhardt while actually playing Hermia at Mills College. Mickey Rooney was engaged for the mischievous role of Robin Goodfellow for stage AND film at age 14. Puckish in life as on camera he broke a leg in a skiing accident, when filming already was on the way. Jack Warner was furious, he said he couldn`t decide whether to mend the injured leg or break the other one.
Initially M. Reinhardt fantasized an all star cast of the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Cary Cooper, John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, W.C. Fields and Wallace Beery. He had to settle for James Cagney, Joe E. Brown (unforgettable for his famous last words “Nobody is perfect!” in Billy Wilder`s “Some like it hot”, arguably the best finishing line ever, not counting Stanley Kubrick`s “Eyes Wide Shut”), Ian Hunter, Dick Powell, Ross Alexander and Jane Muir.
Lady Livvie`s stellar performance eventually cost Muir the female lead in “Captain Blood”. DeHavilland in turn profited from Gloria Stuart`s “falling ill” (she was pregnant at the time). Stuart originally cast as Hermia made good many decades later in the role of Rose in James Cameron`s “Titanic”. She also starred in “My Favorite Year”, where Peter O`Toole followed in Flynn`s tights. Speaking of ousting Errol- Victor Joy was praised highly for his poise and posture as the King of Fairies. EF`s Green Light co-star Anita Louise is very beautiful to look at as Oberon`s wife Titania.
The play itself is one of the most liked and most used in theatre history. Shakespeare went far out, over the top and all in. Five plots are intertwined in five acts. The quadruple couple quagmire comes to a happy end, until then it is all fun and games in a twilight setting between dreaming and waking. Never mind there are undertones of a Tijuana donkey show, when Titania falls in love with Bottom, who was magically transformed overnight into a jackass.
Here you see a cast-against-his-character-Cagney, who at that time was in the front runner for the lead in “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. Not the first man who made a complete ass of himself to achieve the affection of a fair female.
The film premiered simultanously in London, New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 9th 1935 and was attended by the you know whos of Hollywood. The anouncements of the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Mae West etc. took longer as the movie`s original running time of 132 minutes. It was trimmed to 117 minutes for general release. Catch a glimpse of the Flamitas, one of Tiger Lil and Errol`s earliest entries into the echelons of movie stardom in this featurette:
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
variety.com…
They cannot challenge the Real Robin Hood Story so the have to do it in a different time frame of his life it will fail. How many times can they try this. We know better. Genene and Steve.
— tassie devil
Brian Twist is one of the old hands in all things Errol Flynn! He writes today that he has launched a (terrific looking) new website of classic film posters and movie art and I want to share it with everybody!
He also has a new Facebook page: MOVIE SCENE …
Check out MOVIE SCENE on Facebook, too.
Thanks, Bri!
— David DeWitt
Today is my dear friend Steve Hayes 93, Birthday. Happy Birthday old boy!! Steve, was born Ivan Hurbert Hayes he was born on January 31, 1931, in Streatham, England, UK.
He came out of England to be an actor and he got a contract deal on 20th Century Fox. He had a speaking role in Botany Bay with Alan Ladd and James Mason.
The day he arrived he met a girl named Gloria and she took him up to Errol Flynn’s home in 1949. Both Flynn and Steve were British nationals and Steve had no place to stay. Errol invited him to stay with him at Mulholland Farm. In the two months that he lived with Errol, he stayed in the bedroom that Jack Barrymore stayed in. The room was painted a mustard yellow and it had the famous balcony that overlooked the driveway. Steve, told me he would sit with Errol in his den, and formal living room, they would go for a swim in Flynn’s pool and overlook the entire San Fernando Valley. He would spent time with Errol in the sauna and all Errol would talk about was his films, filmmaking, the dynamics of Hollywood, all the women he met and knew and the most important was his knowledge of ships and of the sea.
CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING 19 YEARS OLD AND HANGING OUT WITH ERROL FLYNN UP AT HIS HOME! TALK ABOUT FREAK LUCK
He eventually got into writing and producered many films such as, Time After Time (1979), Capitol (1982), and Conan the Adventurer (1997).who was an actor, and writer-producer and he still writes westerns. You can see his credits on IMDB
He is the Louie Lamour of England. In the 1950s he met Louis Lamore here in Hollywood and he taught Steve how to write Westerns.
Steve came out to Hollywood in 1949 he lived with Errol Flynn, and Errol introduced him to everyone at his level in the movie business. He even dated Ava Gardner and was close to Marilyn Monroe and Rita Haywood
Steve has written a two-volume book about his time living in Hollywood, called GOOGIES: COFFEESHOP OF THE STARS they are both a great read and he met a lot of these insane Hollywood legends.
He has been on my Radio show three times and everyone loves his stories. The photo of him was taken when he was in his 80s and the black and white photo was his headshot when he was acting in Hollywood. Steve is a raconteur of old Hollywood, he knew and ran with James Dean and Steve McQueen before they were actors.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE! IT WAS GREAT TALKING TO YOU TODAY!
— Jack Marino
Gentleman Jim (1942) coming from Warner Archive to Blu-ray December 12th!
NEW 2023 1080p HD Master from 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative.
GENTLEMAN JIM (1942)
Run Time: 104 Minutes
Subtitles: ENGLISH SDH
Audio Specs: DTS HD-MA 2.0
Aspect Ratio 16×9 1.37:1 with Side Mattes
Product color: B&W
Disc Configuration-BD 50
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, Ward Bond
Special Features: Classic Warner Bros. Cartoons: “THE DOVER BOYS AT PIMENTO UNIVERSITY” (HD), “FONEY FABLES” (HD), “HOBBY HORSE-LAFFS” (HD), Audio-only Lady Esther Screen Guild Playhouse (2/14/1944) Radio Broadcast with Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith; Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Looking lithe and lean, and more handsome than should be allowed by law, Errol Flynn was never better suited to a role than the legendary boxer James J. “Gentleman Jim“ Corbett. Indeed, this rousing screen biography captures the essence of two colorful personalities – Flynn and Corbett – at the height of their careers. Set primarily against the backdrop of the 1880’s San Francisco, the film follows Corbett’s rise from bank clerk to world champion. With his lightning quick punches and dance-like footwork, the glib, cocky Irishman revolutionized the heretofore illegal prizefighting game, elevating it from the bare knuckle brawling to the sport of skill it is today. An excellent supporting cast of Warner Bros. favorites features the lovely Alexis Smith, the always hearty Alan Hale, and the irresistible bluster of Ward Bond, whose unforgettable portrayal of the great John L Sullivan will touch your heart. For Flynn at his best and an arousing, sometimes wistful look back at professional boxing early days, Gentleman Jim ranks as one of the finest of many biographical classics to come out of the golden age at Warner Bros.
INTERESTING TO NOTE: Gentleman Jim along with the rest of the titles from Vol. 2. WB DVDs from the 2006 to 2008 era are notorious for rotting (visual quality-wise), SO… this is welcome news for fans.
— Karl