Photo courtesy of the Lincoln Hurst Collection
Errol in Reno, Nevada, for the Premier of Virginia City. Penny Porter is mentioned on page 100 of Tom McNulty's excellent bio of Flynn “Errol Flynn: The Life and Career.” Disillusionment after seeing him drunk in public is clearly written on her face…
— David DeWitt
Hey guys:
It was brought to my attention by Karl that few know that one of Flynn's nicknames was the Colonel. More people used the Baron of Mulholland — which though no one is sure I think came from Jack Warner originally when he said something like Flynn was living like a goddamn baron up on a mountaintop!
Colonel was an early nickname. Alan Hale was Sarge and Big Boy Guinn Williams was Corporal. It may have originated on “Charge”. I can't recall offhand if Hale or Big Boy was in “Charge” but it they were, that might have started the trend.
It also may have started with Niven back in the Dawn Patrol era — or on Died WTBO. I never asked and never remember anyone mentioning it.
I called him Colonel somewhat jokingly (derisively in a good-natured way) and he once called David Niven the Major — but Niven and he were together by 1949-50, so though I met David and was at his Pacific Palisades house (The Pink Palace) I never saw them together. But Flynn genuinely liked him. And Ty Power too — when the three of them chummed around together.
Anyway, that's the story behind the Colonel.
Cheers
— ivan6gold
Photo Courtesy Lincoln Hurst Collection
What's he doing with the ketchup? Making a Bloody Mary, I'll bet!
Photo Courtesy Lincoln Hurst Collection
Pay no attention to these people!
— David DeWitt
At the urging of his eminence, Captain David, I repost this “comment” as an “article”. And on any ship, one must always obey them- both the captain and his articles!
Steve (and Tom)-
I received my volume 1 yesterday and was going to drop a line to you today, but I see that The Magnificent McNulty, has already struck, and hit CENTER target- what a marksman!
And while I'm at it- so are you Steve!
As I am “giving” this to myself, through another- I couldn't help it. I took a peek, and then had to read the WHOLE chapter on Flynn. I then jumped back to the front and read the Saxon intro- and all I can say is McNulty tells no tales because it's simply a fact … that not only are you a WONDERFUL describer, joining the other eyewitnesses of the past (Wiles, Walsh, Quinn, Cody, Nora, and Rory- just to name a few) but offering your own unique glimpse into what it was like, to be in the company of this man. And from all that I can tell, so far- it will be among the VERY BEST!
As volume one deals with the early part of acquaintance, the promise of the second is of a closer view, and your skill in “atmospheric” writing, brings the reader there right beside you!
I can't wait for “our” next visit.
Best regards, and … thank you for WRITING THIS BOOK!
Karl
— Karl
Hi everyone:
I just left an answer to Shamrock regarding Tyrone Power. I hope it's received. It makes me so angry when I read stuff (his article referred to the suggestion that Ty Power was gay or bisexual) that is untrue about famous people after they're dead.
It's so easy to speak ill of the dead. They're defenseless and not only that but it makes the person talking about them seem as if they were privy to special secrets none of us ordinary folks are. It elevates them at the dead person's expense.
Having lunched with Power several times at Fox while I was under contract there, had dinner with him while he lived with Linda at Bel Air, and just talked to him on various movie sets — I can assure you that no finer or nicer guy existed. And this is not just my opinion, it's the opinions of everyone who ever knew him. Including his ex-wives.
I was close to Lana Turner in the mid fifties and she, as most film buffs know, was madly in love with him for a while. They dated and saw each other in Mexico, even as he was supposedly dating Judy Garland. And I mentioned Power to Lana (actually we all called her by her real name, Judy) and even though at the time she'd been bitter about getting dumped by Power, she still never spoke ill of him. “Gracious” was one of the key words that come to mind when discussing Ty.
So let's all try to stop these rumors about past stars from circulating. Maybe we can then remember these people, who still give us so much pleasure when watching them on the screen, as they really were – Hollywood version of royalty!
Best, Steve
— ivan6gold
I wanted to offer our thanks to all those who are regular readers and those who have recently joined us! Your readership is appreciated!
David~
Admin/The Errol Flynn Blog
— David DeWitt
To Robert Florczak:
Bob, I got a kick out of the phone numbers in the late 50s you displayed. By coincidence I still have four numbers that I obviously called constantly. Googie's, Sherry's, Frascati's (Villa Frascati, actually) and Schwab's (for Sidney Skolsky).
All correspond to the ones in your blog. Talk about 52 years disappearing in a flash!
Keep up the good work, pal
Steve
— ivan6gold
From Tom McNulty
Steve Hayes serves up a deluxe memoir in two volumes with “Googies: Coffeeshop to the Stars” (Bear Manor Media, $24.95). Arriving in Hollywood in 1949 with dreams of becoming a movie star, young Ivan Hayes embarked upon an odyssey of self discovery and adventure that no screenwriter could have dreamed up.
This remarkable memoir is loaded with anecdotes, none of which I’ll repeat here because I hope you’ll support this author and purchase both volumes. Suffice it to say, in these pages you’ll encounter Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Alan Ladd, Lana Turner, Ernest Hemingway and even Aldous Huxley among many others.
For a decade Steve supported himself as an actor, manager of the Googies coffeeshop adjacent to Schwab’s Pharmacy, and by taking jobs as they were offered. Along the way he met and often befriended many of Hollywood’s popular stars. His insight into these personalities goes against the grain of what you’ll normally encounter in books where the allure relates directly to the geek fan base salivating for more celebrity gossip. What Steve Hayes has accomplished is the creation of a memoir lacking in egotism and animosity. What I appreciate is this man’s honesty when talking about his successes and failures, and his unabashed look back at an era he knew was ending even as he experienced it. There is an underlying tone of sadness, but without being maudlin. I was particularly taken by his sensitivity when talking about his marriages, girlfriends and friendship with the stars he encountered. For example, his view on Clark Gable is right on, and ultimately heartbreaking. Ditto with Flynn, Ladd and others.
He devotes ample space to Errol Flynn, a man that Hayes admits remains his idol, but he avoids the idolatry as well as the gossip. No truer portrait of Flynn has hitherto been published. Here is Flynn the writer, the caring father, the raging alcoholic, the talented actor, the man’s man who took care of his friends while sometimes also letting them down. First hand accurate accounts have always been scarce and that’s what makes “Googies: Coffeeshop to the Stars” such a valuable resource for fans and scholars alike. Steve Hayes wrote it down the way it happened and the result is a smorgasbord of insight, layered with a generous portion of compassion. That’s a rare and delectable combination.
Steve Hayes has a big heart that complements his talent – he’s a successful novelist and screenwriter – and forgive the cliché, but I couldn’t put his book down. He was there at the tail end of a Golden Era, sparkling with talent, sex appeal, hard work, humorous escapades, tragic loss and epic voyages, but it’s no mistake that section three of volume two is titled “The Decline of Camelot.”
The book is prefaced by a short but fascinating piece titled “I Remember Googies” by John Saxon. “Googies: Coffeeshop to the Stars” offers an authentic look back at a bygone era and we can be thankful the author is such a splendid raconteur. Kudos to Steve Hayes for taking the time to pen such a heartfelt and fascinating memoir.
— Thomas McNulty
— David DeWitt
