— Tim
Flynn and the fiercest forehand
06
Apr
Dear fellow Flynn fans,
Francisco Olegario Segura called “Pancho” by friends and pros, had what many labeled the best forehand ever in the history of tennis.
Former World No. 1 Player Ellsworth Vines remembered it all too well: “(His) Two-handed forehand is most outstanding stroke in game’s history; unbeatable unless opponent could avoid it.”
Pancho, the eldest of 7-10 children (reports vary) was born in Ecuador on a raft on the way to the hospital on June 20th 1921.
Not only did he share Errol`s birthday, but also crossed rackets with him in later years in Spain.
“I used to play at midnight in Madrid for 1000 dollars. Errol Flynn would send a chauffeur to pick me up.”
After an exceptional career on the lawns all around the world, considering he had suffered from rickets and malaria from an early age, he settled in the US and taught many flynntimos his most deadly shot at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club.
Ava Gardner, Kirk Douglas and Shelley Winters, just to name a few, honed their tennis court skills with this great character known for his humor, relentnessness and longevity.
He retired at 49 at the US open and died at 96 with fond memories of mentoring Jimmy Connors and to a lesser extent the son of Dean Martin to felt ball stardom.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
50 Years Ago Today – April 6, 1970 – Sean is Taken
06
Apr
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“On April 6, 1970, the war photographer Sean Flynn — the brave, charismatic son of Errol Flynn — rode his motorcycle into a roadblock, was captured by the Viet Cong and vanished forever into the jungle.” – Quoting the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s June 9, 2002, review of Jeffrey Meyers’ Inherited Risk:
See U.S. Defense of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Profile for Sean: dpaa.secure.force.com…
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Here are Five Videos, One for Each Decade since April 6, 1970. God bless, Sean.
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— Tim
Errol NOT Killed in Spain — But Wounds to Reputation Near Fatal!
05
Apr
Only “slightly wounded” by falling plaster. However, his heroic reputation suffers severe, long-lasting, near-fatal wounds due to fraudulently-false, self-serving reports of Errol’s death by publicity-seeking, back-stabbing, fascist-colloaborating-pawn and psycho-quack-physician, Hermann Erben. As a publicity Erben was the first to report that Errol was killed, which he knew not to be true.
Los Angeles Evening Herald Express – April 5, 1937
LILI DAMITA MAY FLY TO WOUNDED ERROL FLYNN
All Lili Damita is sure of today is that she must get post-haste to the side
of her wounded husband, Errol Flynn — by airplane if possible.
After a night of frantic worry over the fate of the handsome actor-adventurer
as the result of an alarmist telephone call from a London friend saying Flynn
had been killed near Madrid, Miss Damita planned to ask the foreign office for
a special permit to fly to Spain.
The actress poured out her thanks in a torrent of emotional words when she was
informed that latest information said that Flynn had been only slightly wounded
and had left Madrid for Valencia.
(Madrid advisers said Flynn was grazed on the head by a machine gun bullet
when he was visiting the University City front.)
In the meantime Miss Damita made frantic efforts to get in touch with Flynn,
planning to defer her departure until she gets direct word from her husband.
Her only worry as she prepared from Leeds Castle in Kent to the foreign office
here was whether the reported injury to Flynn’s handsome Irish face will mar his
film career.
“Lili Frantically Worried About Errol’s Handsome Irish Face”
— Tim
Errol Flynn is Killed in Spain*
05
Apr
By Machine Gun Bullets on the Guadalajara Front
New York Daily News: April 5, 1937
* Rumors of his death may have been exaggerated. Initial report of Errol’s death was disseminated by “eye-witness” Hermann Erben.
— Tim
Errol’s Spanish War Diary — It’s What’s Up Front That Counts
05
Apr
After visiting the International Brigades’ military headquarters in Albacete, Errol and Erben were driven to Madrid, arriving on April 2 at the Hotel Gran Via, across from the famous Edificio Telefonica, then the tallest building in Europe. Every morning at precisely 9:45 am, the Telefonica was bombarded by the Rebels.
From Madrid, on April 3, they visited the Guadalajara Front:
Then to the University City Front:
— Tim
Errol’s Spanish War Diary: The International Brigades
04
Apr
After traveling by train from Paris to Barcelona, Errol was driven to Albacete via Valencia. Albacete was headquarters for the International Brigades, which fought for the government of Spain, the “Republicans”, against Francisco Franco’s Nationalist Fascist, the “Rebels”.
The International Brigades came from over 50 countries across the world to help the beleaguered Spanish republic, many of them with bitter experiences of fighting against fascism and with personal scores to settle. Over 35 000 men and women left their homes to volunteer for the Republican forces, the majority of whom served in the International Brigades and international medical services.
All the peoples of the world are in the International Brigades side by side with the Spanish people. The largest single contingents came from France, Germany, Poland and Italy, though many also came from other European countries, including Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Other volunteers endured long journeys from as far away as the USA (including a number of African-Americans), Canada, Mexico, Cuba, South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Jewish volunteers comprised a significant minority.
The International Brigades were recruited and organised by the Communist International (the Comintern), which was quick to respond to the influx of foreign volunteers for the Republic. For Stalin, who was concerned at the extent of German and Italian help for the rebels and its potential severely to weaken France, the International Brigades offered an opportunity to support the Spanish Republican Army without intervening directly, and thus reducing the risk of further alienating Britain and France who had established an international non-intervention agreement to limit foreign involvement in the war.
The recruitment of the International Brigades was coordinated by the Communist Party in Paris. The usual route for volunteers was to be smuggled in groups over the Pyrenees. From the border they would be taken the International Brigade headquarters at Albacete, where volunteers would be processed and divided up by nationality, into the different battalions comprising the Spanish Republican Army’s International Brigades.
— Tim
The Warner Bros. Dodge City World Premier Special ==== “A Hollywood Parade on Wheels”
01
Apr
STARS GET WELCOMED FOR FILM PREVIEW
Evening Herald Express
By Jimmy Starr
Dodge City, Kan. April 1 (1939)
For years they have been saying that Hollywood is colossal, but it took the Warner Brothers’ 14-car special train which arrived in Dodge City this morning to prove that moviedom was never colossal until today.
With no strings on a bank account, the party, which includes 35 stellar names, 72 newspapermen and magazine correspondents and cameramen and dozens of studio technicians departed Thursday night from Santa Fe station in Los Angeles and arrived in Dodge City this morning.
A typical Hollywood gathering of several thousand persons were at the station to greet the stars. Radios and loud speakers blared gala tunes. Dozens of luminaries were ushered through wildly gesticulating crowds.
The baggage car of the special train was transformed into a replica of the famous “Gay Lady Saloon” of Dodge City’s wildest and wooliest days, and it was visited by thousands of Dodge City fans.
OLD WEST ATMOSPHERE
The Warner studio had given it an Old West atmosphere with sawdust on the floor, typical signs warning customers against crooked faro dealers and advice to check shooting irons with the bartender. All it needed to complete the picture was a dirty old villain to shoot it up and a tree to hang him on.
Then there was a palace car, but it was not for for the human stars of Hollywood. Instead it housed 16 equine stars to be used in an especially staged rodeo in Dodge City this afternoon as a warm-up for the triple preview of the 2-million dollar Technicolor picture Dodge City tonight. In order to accommodate the terrific influx of visitors from four states it was necessary to engage three theaters, which will run all night, to show the production to the tremendously swollen population.
150,000 THERE
Dodge City, which has a normal population of 13,000 persons, is today entertaining a swarming multitude of 150,000 yelling, restless, staring, snoopy, autograph-hunting, curious, hungry, thirsty, dusty, foot-weary and movie-mad spectators. As a tribute to Jack Warner and the picture, Dodge City citizens took it upon themselves to emulate the founders of their rough and ready village by growing enough bushy beards that not only would frighten Boris Karloff, but also would supply a thousand baseball teams for the House of David. It was indeed a sight to turn a mattress factory green with envy.
ODDITIES BETWEEN WHISTLESTOPS
Olivia de Havilland, heroine of the picture, was the heartbroken ingenue of the train when she was rudely and without warning snatched from the special at Pasadena.
It seems that Mr. Selznick, who stalled for two years before making Gone with the Wind, is now in a big hurry. It also happens that Miss de Havilland is playing Melanie in Mr. Selznick’s picture and there was rumor that her presence would be needed. Olivia jumped up and down, stamped her feet, yelled and carried on. But she isn’t on the train anymore. Poor Melanie.
SCHOOLS LET OUT
Unusual fascination for such a stellar caravan caused city officials of three cities to declare a school holiday so that Young America could see and hear some of its celluloid heroes and heroines. Fifteen-minute stops were made in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Gallup, N.M.; and Albuquerque, N.M. Indians, Mexicans, hermits, prospectors and ranchers with their families came afoot, on horseback, in rickety buggies and chugging jalopies to join the townsfolk in their amazing display of admiration for Hollywood’s parade on wheels.
— Tim
