I got my copy of the latest edition of Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide in the mail today and was pleased to find that Errol Flynn in Gentleman Jim made the critic’s list of just 26 “memorable performances” (one for every letter of the alphabet). Maltin writes, “Errol Flynn is an indelible Robin Hood, but there is something special about his evocation of prizefighter James J. Corbett in Gentleman Jim that stands out in my mind.” Many of my faves are on this list as well — for instance, Marion Davies in The Patsy, Una Merkel in 42nd Street, Jean Gabin in Touchez pas au grisbi, and Lon Chaney in The Unknown, so Our Man Flynn is in very good company in my book.
The Classic Movie Guide covers the silent era through 1965 and is crammed with info on more than 10,000 movies, plus it has a decent index of stars’ filmographies. So far I’ve found it more convenient than trying to get IMDB to work on my phone. It goes on sale September 29.
— Paula
