On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, 1959, it was reported around the globe that Errol Flynn had been wounded in Cuba while covering the combat of Fidel Castro’s rebel forces. This was spectacular and very surprising news: Robin Flynn of Hollywood was swashbuckling around in the Sierra Madre Forest with the future Hood of Havana and his Not-So-Merry Rebel Men (and Rebel Girls.) A blockbuster story custom-made for (and by) the one-and-only Errol Flynn.
— Tim
“Not too tight, and not too loose.”
In The Courage to Love, renowned psychologist and hypnotherapist Stephen Gilligan recounts Errol’s response to a question regarding how best to hold a sword when fencing. Dr. Gilligan observed that Errol’s answer can be adapted as a guiding philosophy to many facets of life. He coined it “The Errol Flynn Principle”.
Errol said that when holding a sword, one should imagine holding a bird. If you hold the bird too tightly, you will crush it and lose it forever. However, if you hold it too loosely, it will fly away. “Not too loose and not too tight” was Flynn’s advice. And sage advice it was. After all, who knew both swords and birds better than Errol?
— Tim
“The Light Brigade Rides Again”
“The Making of the Charge of the Light Brigade”
— Tim
New Year’s Day, 1938
Louella O. Parsons
Los Angeles Examiner
Happy New Year!
Very little whoopie in Hollywood this year to herald in the New Year. Many of the stars went to the desert for a quiet New Year’s Eve and those who didn’t went to bed early to attend the races at Santa Anita or the football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Our sport-loving stars had a difficult time choosing between the game and the races, but a poll taken disclosed that the races won by a large majority.
Socially the most important events were a dinner given by Grace Moore and Gladys Swarthout, a small gathering of Marion Davies’ close friends at her beach house to celebrate her birthday, and a celebration at the Charlie Chaplin mansion.
The Bing Crosbys partied with a few congenial friends, including Andy Devine. But Bing had big business at Santa Anita, so he didn’t stay up late.
Marlene Dietrich, Myrna Loy and Arthur Hornblow Jr., Bette Davis and Harmon Nelson, George Brent, the Robert Youngs, Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond saw the New Year in at Palm Springs, while the Charles Boyers, the Errol Flynns, and Brian Aherne chose the restful La Quinta for their holiday.
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— Tim
December 28, 1937
Hollywood Citizen News
Sidney Skolsky Presents
Watching Them Make Pictures
Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, and a crowd of extras are getting ready to play a scene for the picture, Robin Hood.
The setting is Nottingham Castle in England, and a feast is about to take place. Errol Flynn is Robin Hood, and Claude Rains is Prince John. The extras, dressed as knights, stand out in their shining armor. Director Mike Curtiz seems out of place, wearing trousers and a sweater.
Dirctor Curtiz gives the signal that he is ready. The cameras are turning. Robin Hood Flynn, lugging a deer, walks toward the banquet table. Here Prince John, with meats and wines before him, is entertaining. Robin Hood Flynn offers him the deer for the feast.
It is then that Prince John interrupts the scene and becomes Claude Rains.
He says to Curtiz, “Mike, I forgot to tell you something. I’ve been doing some research on the part. And according to history, Prince John was a vegetarian, and he never drank wine.”
Miss de Havilland and Mr. Rathbone, standing at the banquet table, are amazed, but say that history is history.
But this doesn’t stop director Curtiz. He says: “We need this big scene for the picture. In the movies we don’t make historical pictures, we make history.”
— Tim
A friend of mine who lives in Spain has a pristine copy of Josef Fegerl’s book Dr. Hermann F. Erben: A Friendship of Two Adventurers 1933-1940 for sale … if interested please leave comments!
— David DeWitt
December 20, 1941
The Hollywood Parade
Bill Wickersham
Los Angeles Examiner
Celebrating their engagement, Mickey Rooney and Ava Gardner were a beatific duo at “Sugie” Sugarman’s Beverly Tropics with Dick Paxton as their guests. And among those who pulledup alongside to rejoice with them were Betty Jaynes, the Douglas McPhails, Gwyne and Bud Ernst, and Errol Flynn.
A great place to get Errol Flynned.
— Tim
Jack Marino has created a special category for his Homage to Mulholland … he has created his version of Errol Flynn’s famous living room in his own home and everybody who has seen it is amazed and feels like they are walking into the old boy’s living room at Mulholland Farm. He had the bookcase custom made to be a duplicate of Flynn’s. It is a wonderful homage to our man Flynn, and he has taken some time to get it the way he wants it – with some more details to be added, he says …
Thanks, Jack!
— David DeWitt
