The Errol Flynn Blog

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

in reference to Gentman`s “Big Hallo from Texas” and as a roundup to www.theerrolflynnblog.com… here is a petite portrait of “Big Boy” Guinn Williams.

The 6 foot 2 Texan was an avid and able polo player on “Team Hollywood” together with Walter Wanger and Carl Crawford. With his athletic frame he tried to break into the Big Leagues, but had to settle for semi pro Baseball. His father, a rancher turned congressman, wanted him to go to West Point or at least become a lawyer.

But his love for acting prevailed. He is known for his hunky `n` hearty appearances in B- Westerns (for example as Lullaby Joslin in “Powdersmoke Range”) as well as serving as Flynn wingman to sidekick Alan Hale Sr. in the A+ Western “Dodge City”.

A little known fact is that initially he was cast by Michael Curtiz for his film “Noah`s Ark”. (Thanks for the info Ilona!) in 1928.

He became a regular on the Flynntourage and one night challenged Orson Welles, who widely was viewed as conceited diva back then, to a 12 round square-barehand dance.

But Williams instead of going head to head with the Wunderkind, went toe to toe with another Flynntima- Lupe Velez.

After her torrid marriage with Tarzan Johnny Weissmüller had come to an end, the Mexican Spitfire announced her engagement to Mesquiteer Williams in November of 1940. Here`s the nitty gritty:

“Lupe was a foot and a half shorter and 150 Pounds lighter than “Big Boy”, but that didn`t stop her from physically assaulting him. Despite his reputation as a mauler, if his feelings were hurt, “Big Boy” would cry like a baby. With Lupe he would fight hard and cry harder.”

In comes Flynn into play:

“Errol Flynn once commentated  that they were the oddest couple he had ever seen. Ironically, it was at Flynn`s house where their rocky relationship ended. In a fit of rage, Lupe picked up a large framed photograph of “Big Boy” and smashed him over the head with it, repeatedly, until she broke the frame. She then took out the photo, and tore it into pieces.”

Guinn Williams would go on if not unharmed but rather relieved to raise cattle and polo ponies at his huge ranch and star with John Wayne in “The Comancheros”.

Lupe would not see her 37th birthday.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

this week marks thirty years since the passing of Flynntimo Orson Welles.

The Whizkid started out as child prodigy, being fed a daily diet of Shakespeare sonnets and piano lessons by his mother, a concert pianist, at the tender age of five.

At age 15 he had lost both his parents and his inner world gravitated around stage and radio performances.

In 1938 one day prior to Halloween his “War of the Worlds” broadcast about aliens invading Earth sent North America into a frenzy.

The Traumfabrik welcomed him with open arms and cheque books, and he instantly delivered the goods with one of most innovative and acclaimed films of all times- Citizen Kane. He produced, directed and starred in the mockery of the omnipotency of media mogul William Randolph Hearst.

He stated to have “started at the top and worked his way downwards”.

It cost him dearly, since from then on Hollywood studios became hesitant to his free floating ideas and more than once exacted a self censorship that was incompatible with Welles`artistic aspirations. Another masterpiece “The magnificent Ambersons” was cut (rather castrated) by one third in lenght.

Despite his stocky stature he was a ladies`man dating Dolores Del Rio and later marrying Rita Hayworth.

Before being palsy with Errol, Orson Welles had a run- in at a restaurant with Guinn “Big Boy” Williams from the Flynntourage. But only his tie not his ego suffered  in the process. Calling out the Texan earned him the respect of our Hollywood hero.

He rented Errol`s yacht, “the Zaca”, for his psychanalytical thriller noir “the Lady from Shanghai”. He also had his leading lady Rita Welles cut her hair short and dye it blond. They divorced shortly after the conclusion of the film.

Many themes revolve around the dark side of the human soul. His first film project “Heart of Darkness” was rejected , he made up with “Touch of Evil”and “Mr. Arkadin”.

Another eternal movie gem is “The third Man”, set in the sewers of post war Vienna starring the big man and his favourite companion Joseph Cotton.

Orson Welles will be remembered for his Shakespearean appearances as Othello, Macbeth and Falstaff. A modern day version of “Julius Cesar” was planned, but did not materialize, his take on “The merchant of Venice” is said to be lost.

Errol announced Orson as King Farouk in his first independant production in Europe. When Egypt ousted the last Pharaoh in 1953, his story was history and was substituted with “The Story of William Tell”. Welles was still considered for the role of bad guy Landvogt Gessler.

This was not to be. But also Orson had his share of unfinished film business. For decades Welles filmed bits and pieces here and there of Cervantes` “Don Quixote de la Mancha”. He claimed that he accepted many film roles only to raise money for the completion of this monumental task.

Coming to think of it, a pairing of Errol Flynn as knight of rueful contenance and Orson Welles donning the pants of Sancho Pansa could have been a movie moment for the ages.

The two together would appear finally in John Huston`s “The roots of heaven”. By the way, Orson Welles and John Huston were very much alike and got along great.

Their film “The other side of the Wind” about an aging film director with Welles behind the lense and Huston in front is about to be finished and will premiere in the near future.

Just in time, since the flamboyant filmmaker, magic actor and overall vaudevillian visionary would also have turned 100 this year.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

if you ever wanted to see what the face behind the faces looked like, here is an informative article about Fletcher Christian:

www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/fletcher-christian-the-face-behind-the-name-1.281823…

Fletch more than once was had over a barrel- much like Errol:

en.wikipedia.org…

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb0BCqgMPmo[/embedyt]

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

after last week’s guessing game about what could have been, had Flynn been in- Case of the curious blog 3- here is another of Errol`s projected flics that actually made it to the big screen. Thank you, blog member Ralph Schiller for hinting at this little known fact.

It is the story of Irish freedom fighter Michael Collins starring Irish Pride Liam Neeson.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

if Lili Damita had ever been Mrs. Curtiz, was a recurring topic here.

Call me blogheaded, but I wanted to gather some additional preferedly conclusive information. Here is what I came up with.

1. Within the Vienna National Library a standard film encyclopedia (approximately eight bibles thick) can be found called “The great lexicon of film personalities” released in Berlin by Kai Wiesinger drawing from sources dating back to the 1930s. In the Curtiz column it states that he was married to actress Lucy Dorraine, while Damita`s next of kin was Errol Flynn.

2. The Budapest Film Academy had nothing but the internet entries in their archives.

3. An Italian biography called “Un ungarese a Hollywood” lists 1925 as a busy year, but with Damita as the Hu(ngaria)n’s leading lady strictly on a professional level.

4. Another lexicon: HALLIWELL`S Who- is- who- in movies lists Tiger Lil`s lovers such as Maurice Chevalier and  King Alfonso III of Spain, but no other groom than Errol. Curtiz` second wife Bess Meredyth is mentioned.

5. Furthermore I reached Mrs. Ilona Ryder, a teacher living in Canada, who is the grandchild of Michael Curtiz and daughter of his son Michael II. She had no personal knowledge of a legal liaison between the two Flynntimates. Let it be noted, that her father was born in the same year as the marriage was said to have taken place.

I admit to have always been sceptical of the Curmita claim, thinking Errol for sure would have mentioned such a relationship in his memoires. He was never beneath a quick quip especially concerning his first ex- wife and the director he loved to hate. Something like “What God has joined together, let no Tasmanian separate” comes to my mind.

Now where did this rumor start in the first place? Look no furtherrol than page 72 of the pocket book edition of Charles Hoaxhams “EF. The Untold Story”

…the actress Lili Damita, who married Errol and Errol`s best known director, Michael Curtiz.

Interestingly on page 96 he writes about our Hollywood hero and Mrs. Dynamita:

Yet they were in many ways incompatible. This was Lily`s first marriage and she wanted possession.

If need be to achieve 100% certainty and infinte clearity, two more sources should be consulted:

• Bermingham, Cedric Osmond (1931). Stars of the screen 1931: A volume of biographies of contemporary actors and actresses engaged in photoplay throughout the world. London: Herbert Joseph. 
• “Lily Damita”. Stars of the Photoplay. Chicago: Photoplay magazine. 1930.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

here is a peek-a-boomshell of our Hollywood hero mingling with the Hurrycane in mink, Diana Dors, at a garden party in England of 1952. The very self concious and sophisticated DD, a perfect mix between Marilyn and Mansfield, knighted herself “the first British sex symbol since Lady Godiva”. Concerning his look, Errol agreed totally.

See: www.britishpathe.com…

And here is a musical tribute to this Brit Empress: www.youtube.com…

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

what makes our Hollywood hero such a prolific topic are not only the things he did or didn`t do, but also the films he didn`t get to do. Unfortunately.

We already had this discussion twice:

Case of the curious blog

Case of the curious blog II

Here are the remainders of unfinished Flynn business:

A play from W. Somerset Maugham called “Caesar`s wife” as a follow up film to “Lilacs in spring” with Ann Neagle for English producer H. Wilcox.

“Escape from Elba” a histopic about Napoleon with Errol in the role of an Irish general. Connived was this project probably in Cannes, both the landing point of the French Emperor and international glamour spot for Flynn and the Fred Pack.

“The White witch of Rose Hall”, a real life ghost story set in Jamaica announced with Vivian Leigh (!).

According to German Magazine “Gondel”, Errol planned on starring in a film about Fidel Castro and had already talked to studios as late as May of 1959.

Third time lucky, I hope we can clear up the urban legend once and for all, if Errol really was to do a sequel to “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

Cap Depp has been showing signs of fondness for our Hollywood hero at the film festival of Venice. Not only was he wearing Errol of ol` style shoes on the red carpet while promoting his newest film “Black Mass”, but his antics at the press conference reminded of Flynn as well. When bored at public gatherings Errol would resort to his flask and immerse himself in a high proof cup of tea. See: www.theerrolflynnblog.com…

Johnny upped the ante and drank straight from a bottle claiming it to be a non alcoholic beverage. The role of real life Irish gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, who collaborated with the FBI against the Italian Mob, while building a criminal empire of his own, could net him an Oscar nomination. He probably drank to that.

Here is what he had to say about the controversial character he playes: “You have to approach him as a human. No one wakes up in the morning and says, as they are brushing their teeth, I am going to do something evil today…I found the evil in myself a long time ago, I accepted it- we are old friends…when ordered by authorities to remove my dogs from Australian soil, I killed them and ate them, for these were the direct orders of a sweaty, big gutted man (reference to the minister of agriculture, who said that Depp`s two Yorkshire Terriers should “bugger” back to the United States).

When asked about the inspirations for his transformations on screen he mentioned John Barrymore, Marlon Brando and Lon Chaney Sr. as rolemodels. Errol Flynn looms large in Johnny`s private life again, since his new wife, Amber Heard, is 23 years younger than the 52 year old actor.

For he`s a Jolly Roger good fellow, Captain Sparrow will set sails for a fifth installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean”- franchise scheduled for 2017. Don`t expect non alcoholic beverages at that one. Enjoy,

— shangheinz

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaXtCIEy2wc[/embedyt]

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

here is a nice little vid showing a trip into La-La Hollywoodland.

One can see how Errol was living off his looks and wit and loving every minute of it.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear fellow Flynn fans,

The last of Robin Hood finally reached the shores of the old continent and I had a chance to watch this biopic-indy flic on DVD. The casting of course is top notch and the real scoop here. Academy Award winner Kevin Kline has been linked to Errol ever since he starred on Broadway as Pirate King in “The pirates of Penzance”. Despite striking physical similarities, Kline dismissed any eventual parallel with a quick sidestep: “I consider myself rather an actor than a movie star.” Actually that is a very accurate account of Flynn`s dilemma with Warner Bros. Errol was considered rather a movie star than an actor and put in mediocre films many times with the notion, they would make money nonetheless.

Kline`s impersonation of the private Errol is what really brings Flynn to life. I guess method acting was not an option, since it would have hurt Kevin`s de-liver-y. He may be weary to walk in Flynn`s footsteps, but has been donning the pants of famous personalities like Douglas Fairbanks in “Chaplin” and Cole Porter in “De-lovely” before. He has done a ton of movie classics like “Sophie`s Choice”, “The Ice Storm” and “Cry Freedom” and is a rare hybrid actor that feels comfortable both in drama and comedy. The script of TLORH though rarely calls for an indebt characterization, so Kline narrows his acting down to hamming up the Hollywood hero. The dialogue seems like a best of Errol`s quick quips. Despite his disputable actions, Flynn is coming across very favourably.

Since this isn`t your average boy meets girl story, but the story of an aging matinee idol and his last conquest of an underage singer-dancer under the favorable eye of her manager- mother, the studio obviously decided to go easy on everybody. Especially Susan Sarandon, who as always does a fine acting job, has not to answer for the catering of her daughter to a funny old filmstar. Dakota Fanning is credible in her role of timid teenager turned into intoxicating inamorata. The film as a whole has a Sixties feel to it, which I found out of place (and time!). Clearly chosen for its scandalous topic, it doesn`t dare to bare all surrounding sordid details. Errol`s doing drugs comes across like another of his eccentrics for example.

All in all this light comedy comes and goes like a breeze leaving little impression, not even a bitter after taste. Still it is fine for a movie night in like Flynn.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz