FEBRUARY 6, 1943
“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.”
The way it was in Wicked. Wicked Ways:
books.google.com…
— Tim
The below is an appendix to this post…
February 5, 1936
Harrison Carroll
LA Evening Herald Express
Errol Flynn is home from the hospital, eleven days after his appendicitis operation.
…
— Tim
Dear fellow Flynn fans,
this week two time Academy Award winner (Best Actor in 1971 for French Connection & Best Supporting Actor in 1992 for Unforgiven) and fine Flynnmate Gene Hackman celebrates his 90th birthday.
Eugene Allen Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California on January 30 of 1930 and attributes his choice of becoming an actor to our Hollywood hero:
“It was an Errol Flynn picture that did it,” Hackman said. He doesn’t remember the title of the Flynn film, which likely would have been 1938’s “The Dawn Patrol” (Gene has a poster of this film in the pool billiard room of his house) or 1939’s “Dodge City,” or maybe even “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938).
“Anyway, I’m watching this Errol Flynn picture, and all of a sudden I’m Errol Flynn. Then the movie’s over, I’m leaving the auditorium – still being Errol Flynn – and I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror in the theater lobby.
“And I stop cold. I’m looking at myself in the mirror, and I’m this little kid – I’m no more Errol Flynn than the man in the moon – and then I ignore the mirror image, and I’m still Errol Flynn – at least, that’s how I feel – and that’s where and when it dawned on me: If the movies can engender this powerful illusion of realism, then regardless of what I look like, I can be anybody I want to be. I became fascinated with acting, got a job working in a theater when I was old enough, about age 14, and never really wanted any other career.”
Soon thereafter though he joined the Marines at underage 16. His parents had divorced when he was quite young. It was up to his maternal grandmother Beatrice to raise him in Danville, Illinois. He worked as a field radio operator with the Army in China and promoted himself to bouncer and barkeeper when he left the Corps after 4 years. “Dysfunctional families have sired a number of pretty good actors”
In his first small movie part he played opposite Warren Beatty in the film “Lilith” and seized the camera moment. Says Beatty: “…Gene was such a natural, honest, brilliant actor that made me good in our scene together. I remember thinking- I`m not going to do any other movies without him.” True to his word he hired Hack for “Bonnie and Clyde” resulting in the man`s first Oscar nomination.
Things had been diametrically different when he joined the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse for a summer of games and plays very similar to Errol while in Northampton. He debuted in “The Curious Miss Caraway” and won the intern “least likely to succeed”- award then and there. Co-winner was his life long friend Dustin Hoffman, who decades later commented on those carefull days: “Man, stardom just isn`t as much fun as scuffling for jobs.” Both hapless hams would be sharing apartments in New York of the Sixties with equally untalented collegue Robert Duvall.
Gene Hackman refers to himself as a non- sentimental guy and is not sure where in his Santa Fe home he kept his two golden boys. He has few regrets and none whatsoever that he didn`t do “Silence of the Lambs”, neither as director or as an actor. Officially retired from the film business in 2008 he since is writing books (“Pursuit” in 2013) – another thing he has in common with Flynn. That and a archetypal attitude as far as heroic antics on and off screen are concerned: “The difference between a hero and a coward is one step sideways.”
Party on Popeye,
— shangheinz
February 2, 1938
Harrison Carroll
LA Evening Herald Express
A trip such as any small boy might dream of looms for the Mauch Twins if parental and studio consent can be obtained. They have been invited by Errol Flynn to go on a six weeks’ cruise of the Caribbean. It would be the boys first vacation away from their mother and there would be no women on the boat. Mrs. Mauch is torn by misgivings, but may yield.
…
Here are the Prince and the Pauper with their mother, Mrs. Mauch, Sir Miles Hendon, and William Keighly:
Here, a bit later, are Billy and Bobby (or is it Bobby and Billy) with a big wheel at Warners:
— Tim
recently on The Stu Show, talking about their (Gary and Ralph’s) book recently highlighted here, and Mike’s documentary on the subject and… of their collective passion for it all!
The appearance has been preserved and is available via audio or video download for a nominal fee.
The palpable ENTHUSIASM of all assembled will positively bowl you over… 4 (host included) not so youthful kids rediscovering those roots!
Here’s an announcement for the program.
— Karl
The book entitled “Death Valley Superstars” by author Duke Haney has an excellent chapter on the life and death of Sean Flynn. It is also one of the saddest to read in a great book filled with many sad chapters. Has anyone else here read it? Ralph Schiller
— Ralph Schiller
January 29, 1938
Jimmy Starr
LA Evening Herald Express
STARS FLEE BRIGHT LIGHTS FOR LONELY REST SPOTS
Hollywood is fast becoming fed up with the glitter and the glamour, the hustle and the bustle of the more prominent “between pictures” holiday spots. The trend is definitely toward smaller, more isolated hideaways. Like other people, the stars occasionally tire of the brights lights, the night clubs, the theaters, the traffic, crowded sidewalks, hotels with super-service and the necessity of properly creased trousers and correct coiffures.
Errol Flynn has found the perfect method of “losing himself” between films, on weekends or other days of leisure. The popular Warner star ducks down to Santa Monica, boards his yacht and sails away.
— Tim
January 27, 1938
Harrison Carroll
LA Evening Herald Express
Purchase of a 75′ ketch in Boston makes Errol Flynn the No. 1 boat owner in Hollywood.
The Warner star, who planed in yesterday from a shopping tour of eastern shipyards, reveals that he now has a collection of seven boats with still another under construction.
The prize exhibit is the ketch Avenir*, which Flynn just purchased in Boston and which he will later sail through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast.
Besides the Avenir, Flynn still owns a 50-foot yacht, a yawl named the Cheerio, a 25-foot speedboat, an outboard fishing smack and two 20-foot yacht tenders.
Then, in a western shipyard, he is having a lifeboat made over into another tender for his latest acquisition.
When and if he gets a vacation, the star plans a long voyage to the South Seas.
…
* Errol subsequently named the yacht “Sirocco” after the yacht he owned and captained in Australia and New Guinea before he achieved world fame.
— Tim
Farewell to John LaGrassa – world class sailor, fan of Flynn, and friend of Errol Flynn Blog fans – John LaGrassa who, from his home in Manly, Sydney, made the following posts possible on the Errol Flynn Blog. Manly is the spectacular area of Sydney where young Errol lived off and on with his grandmother, Edith Young.
All photos above taken by Donna during a trip with her husband to Manley a couple of years ago. Her husband is a lifelong close friend of the LaGrassa Family.
Per news reports, John was killed earlier this month by a powerboat while snorkeling off Guana Island in the British Virgin Islands.
Among many other very distinguished accomplishments, he was Vice-Commodore of the Manhattan Yacht Club and Captain of the majestic 157-ft Arabella, built for Kelly McGinnis (named after Arabella from Captain Blood perhaps?)
Captain LaGrassa can be seen in the following video, especially beginning at 4:27.
www.christuckerphotography.com…
Fair Winds and Following Seas, John!
— Tim
Adapted from American Cinematographer, August 1948
For the boating scenes in tropical Mexico, Columbia Studios chartered Errol Flynn’s luxurious yacht, The Zaca, and Flynn himself served aboard as skipper. Scenes were filmed above and below decks, at anchorages in Acapulco Harbor, at Fort San Diego in Acapulco Bay,
In order to shoot the location sequences for Lady From Shanghai, a company of 50 Hollywood actors and technicians flew to Acapulco, along with 60 Mexican extra players and technicians from Mexico City. More than 15 tons of equipment were shipped from Hollywood, one order of six tons comprising the largest single air express shipment ever undertaken by a movie location company.
Shooting aboard the yacht was, from the space standpoint very difficult, and these scenes, as they appear in the picture, are necessarily cramped in composition — but this actually works in favor of the overall effect because it produces an authentic atmosphere of crowded life aboard a small yacht. During filming aboard The Zaca, a long line of native dugout canoes anchored astern formed a bridge from the barge holding the generator so that electrical cables could be stretched for the camera and sound equipment.
In filming sequences at sea, the camera crew discovered that they could not depend upon their usual light meter readings. Reflections from the surface of the water kicked up more intensity than the meter recorded, causing over-exposure of the scene. This effect was noted in the screening of the first rushes, and a series of experimental tests was made to arrive at some sort of rule-of-thumb that could be used to compensate for the additional amount of light
(Left) On location in Mexico, Welles briefs his crew prior to filming a sequence. At his side is Charles Lawton, ASC, whose outstanding photography adds greatly to the impact of the film. (Center) Errol Flynn’s yacht The Zaca is anchored in Acapulco Harbor. Astern are a line of barges over which electrical cable was stretched between the yacht and the generator boat. (Right) For a scene shot in the jungle streams of Mexico, the camera is mounted on a dugout canoe alongside the boat in which the principle players ride.
— Tim
