The Errol Flynn Blog

Saddened by the passing recently of Olivia de Havilland, though thought I’d share an excerpt from her obituary in Variety which reveals the real gravity of her bond with Errol, which was clearly no trivial matter, feelings she no doubt took to her grave …

‘Warners screen-tested her with a promising young actor, Errol Flynn, and co-starred them in the 1935 “Captain Blood,” the first of a series of swashbucklers for the two. The most popular of these was the first Technicolor version of “The Adventures of Robin Hood” in 1938, but there were also “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (1936), “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” (1939) and “They Died With Their Boots On” (1941).

The chemistry between the two spawned years of rumors on the pair’s relationship, culminating in Flynn’s declaration of his love for de Havilland in his autobiography. De Havilland admitted to her attraction to Flynn in an interview to the Independent in 2009 but said she never allowed the pursuit to go further than the screen because of Flynn’s marriage with actress Lili Damita.

“What I felt for Errol Flynn was not a trivial matter at all. I felt terribly attracted to him. And do you know, I still feel it,” de Havilland said.’

Her full obituary can be read here:
variety.com…

— Philip

“Actor Ian Holm died June 19 at the age of 88, according to a statement from his agent. Holm had a long and varied acting career that saw him cast as a slew of characters, including Bilbo Baggins in the “Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy, Ash in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” and athletics coach Sam Mussabini in the 1981 movie “Chariots of Fire,” a performance for which he was nominated for an Oscar.”

And why would this veteran actor get a mention in this forum?

Your may recall the excellent documentary “The Adventures of Errol Flynn”?

Here’s part of a review in Variety:

“Imbued with the same swashbuckling spirit as its subject matter, this Turner Classic Movies documentary qualifies as must-see TV for anyone warned on the cinematic exploits of Errol Flynn, whose life on and off makes for a great deal of fun. Flynn crammed plenty of living into the quarter century between becoming an enormous star and dying at the age of 50, and this documentary is the perfect companion piece to a retrospective of his films- the kind of package that has made TCM a welcome have for movie buffs.”

Holm lent his marvelous speaking voice to this effort as he was, in fact… THE NARRATOR!

And it was an IMMEASURABLE contribution to the overall experience in its viewing MUCH LIKE a Korngold or Steiner score was to a Flynn film.

Rest well, Ian- with our thanks… AND, for this lesser known laurel that is acknowledged once again here today.

— Karl