Flynn: A Touch of Color in a Prosaic World

Posted by moirafinnie on June 24, 2009

“Maybe all that I am in this world and all that I have been and done comes down to nothing more than being a touch of color in a prosaic world. Even that is something.” ~ Errol Flynn, writing in My Wicked, Wicked Ways

Well, no. It can’t be possible. Errol Flynn at 100 is unimaginable. Yet, as of Saturday, June 20th, the great swashbuckler of the sound era passed the one hundredth anniversary of his birth in 1909 in Tasmania. It may seem impossible that such a milestone has been reached without a bigger celebration in Flynn‘s adopted homeland of America. However, ask yourself: For true classic movie fans, haven’t we continued to celebrate and rediscover Errol Flynn and his evergreen films over and over in the years since he left this world?

In his fifty years on earth, Flynn the wandering movie star who sailed the seven seas on screen and off, visited civil wars and cannibals, became a thief of hearts and diamonds, fathered four children in three marriages, seemed determined to set out in a fatalistic nose dive toward oblivion for much of his adult life. He lived as much as a dozen other men, even if half of his lively exaggerations in his memoirs are true. He left those of us who only knew him in movies breathless with the exuberance and zest he showed in his many dashing roles, such as Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and The Sea Hawk (1940). In a few, such as The Dawn Patrol (1938), Edge of Darkness (1943), and the little known Uncertain Glory (1944), he impressed with his too often hidden, introspective side, (something that sings out from some of his writing and accounts of the rather quiet father recalled by his children, two of whom, Rory and Deidre Flynn are still living). Errol Flynn in The Roots of Heaven He brought a poignant, tattered gallantry and even some dignity to flawed films such as The Sun Also Rises (1957), The Roots of Heaven (1957) and Too Much, Too Soon (1958), after he’d become a shadow of his former athletic self. The rollicking boy was gone for good, but something a bit darker and occasionally deeper was left in his place. Despite the abuse that showed on his face, there seemed to be an actor looking for some self-respect too. That hardworking, caring artist can occasionally be glimpsed inside the falling movie star and world-class roisterer. This is especially clear when he had a chance to play his friend, mentor and boon companion in the dissipation sweepstakes, John Barrymore, in Too Much, Too Soon, based on the tragic Diana Barrymore’s scandalous memoir. When he came closest to creating a memorable Hemingway character etched in alcohol on screen, playing Mike Campbell quite brilliantly in an misbegotten version of The Sun Also Rises, he was said to have been a serious candidate for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Despite good critical notices and praise from his peers in private, no prestigious public award was ever to come his way.
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Errol Flynn was often better than he would admit to himself, especially in his earlier movies. Feeling miscast in many films, (particularly Westerns, in which his accent and posh manner is continuously being explained away as Irish or Australian). The miscasting and typecasting made him feel trapped, but he believed that he could not get out of his contract, claiming that “this was impossible to point out to producers when the pictures were so highly successful. It was most frustrating, it stopped my trying to act…I walked through my roles…My heart wasn’t in it, only my limbs.” Often at odds with his most effective director, Michael Curtiz, who guided him through such blockbusters as Robin Hood and eleven other films, (a relationship that may have been complicated by the fact that Flynn‘s first wife, actress Lili Damita, was also an ex-wife of the director), Flynn sought to forge a stronger creative alliance with a more compatible Raoul Walsh, with whom he made They Died With Their Boots On (1941) and Gentleman Jim (1942), and seven other movies.

Despite his own disparagement of his roles, he is also one of the reasons why classic movies still speak to people to this day. Some of us can trace our love for movies directly to him and his movies.

“Living I have done, enormously, like a gourmand eating the world, and I don’t suppose it is egotism, but only fact, to suggest that few others alive in the present century have taken into their maw more of the world than I. On the sea, beneath it, in the air, and in all the parts of most of the lands, I have gone a-hunting n quest neither of fame nor of fortune, but the vindication of the act of living.” ~ Flynn, laying it on a bit thick in My Wicked, Wicked Ways "Life's Gourmand" aka Errol Flynn in his prime, living it up and kidding the rest of us, just a bit.

Making just over 60 films and television appearances, the thought of of him brings alive memories of Flynn as the personification of the recklessness of youth, boyish mischief, the spirit of adventure and the simple, unalloyed joy in breathing. Thank goodness it was captured on film for a time, even though it couldn’t possibly last within one gifted person for very long on earth. Acting may have been his best known professional activity, but a sailor, a man with a serious interest in marine biology (his father was a very well known professor), he also had revolutionary sympathies and ambitions as a journalist, plantation owner and hotelier, as well as a film producer. He found, unfortunately, that he was only well paid for the acting.

Errol Flynn‘s Tasmanian birthplace of Hobart in Australia had the good sense to honor their most famous former resident in the days leading up to what would have been his hundredth birthday. Flynn, at the helm of his ship, with one of his dog companions Whether he liked it or not, the community that he left at age 18–where he was already well known as a sketchy character from a well known family, celebrated his life and career with a ten day festival.

The Errol Flynn Centenary celebration came after many years when the community (and Flynn) seemed to express mixed feelings about their native son. Though the man looked back on himself as “a devil in boy’s clothing” in the period when he lived there, the events during the festival featured memorabilia being presented at a local museum by Rory Flynn, the unveiling of a plaque at the State Theater where Errol watched silent films as a boy, and a galaxy of his movies on display in the local movie house.

Most of these were corkers like those mentioned earlier in this piece, reflecting a love of colorful “Olde Englande” and a lingering anglophilia for the Empire in status-mad Hollywood between the wars, such as The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936). One film, the leaden Adventures of Don Juan (1948) was also included, which a bloated and sad Flynn made very near the end of his brightest days at Warner, filled with his fading enthusiasm for the swashbuckling genre on display, along with the unfortunate double-entendres that began to show up in his scripts following the well-known statutory rape trial he endured in 1943, (for the record, he was acquitted). From this time, his public image seems to have pained him more than a little, though an underlying nihilism and devil-may-care air masked this much of the time, publicly. Negative publicity was compounded with his inability to serve in the military thanks to serious health issues at odds with the heroic mold he was cast in at Warners. His disenchantment with acting, and a possible, strong and unenviable case of satyriasis seems to have plagued him, attracting more temptation thanks to his movie fame, despite period flings with monogamy.

Btw, some biographies imply that the publicity department at Warner Brothers was responsible for claiming Irish birth for Flynn. Other sources indicate that, for all his iconoclastic personal history, as an ambitious young actor trying to make a rapid transition from a colonial subject to an actor in British repertory and then to a place in the Hollywood sun, Hibernian roots may have sounded much more appealing to his primary American audience. That audience, whose sense of geography was considered too rudimentary to grasp the concept of an Australian actor, soon took to him after the fortuitous casting–it should be noted–by Flynn‘s studio nemesis and boss, Jack Warner (or so he claimed in his autobiography). Even Centenary Festival Guest of Honor, the actor’s daughter, Rory Flynn, the author of The Baron of Mulholland, (who can be heard speaking at length about her photo memoir and her impressions of her father here), said that her Dad never mentioned Hobart or Tasmania to her. One of the drives behind her attendance is a chance to connect with her family roots. Speaking of her journey there, Ms. Flynn characterized it as a “pilgrimage” and “reconciliation [that] has been a long time coming.” Though she said that her dad never returned to his birthplace, she expressed the belief that “He didn’t get a chance to, but I think he would have come back if he had lived long enough.” Some of the attendees repeat stories they grew up hearing about his misadventures, but one of the people who “came out of the woodwork” to discuss the Errol Flynn she knew was ninety-nine-year-old Ila Andrews. Describing him as a fine tennis player, and “no worse than the boys nowadays”, Ms. Andrews remembered fondly that “he was a naughty boy here and there.”

Somewhere, I hope that Errol Flynn might be chuckling a bit. Two other events also took place during the festival week , both of which I suspect might have appealed to the actor, who was also a great animal lover. A Tasmanian Devil in trouble named "Little Errol" after you-know-who One was the naming of a small creature who is one of an endangered species, an actual Tasmanian Devil at Bonorong Wildlife Park on the island of Tasmania after Rory Flynn‘s father in the hopes that “Little Errol”, the Tasmanian Devil prone to a form of cancer, might spur donations to the campaign to help the animals survive. You can also read more about the environmental and physical problems faced by the creature here.

The other incident that occurred at the same festival was one that I would like to think that Flynn might find a bit funny. One of the modest honors accorded to one of Australia’s most famous native sons is still controversial, even one hundred hectic years after his birth. Despite the presence of Ms. Flynn and her son and Errol’s grandson, 19-year old Sean, and the enthusiasm of the Hobart City Council for the celebration, the state government is not nearly as enchanted with remembering their famous former resident.

Errol Flynn with one of his many beloved dogs on the set of Never Let Me Go (1945) In 2003, according to news reports in the Australian media, the council named a dog park Errol Flynn Reserve. The state, however, has declined to follow through, in part because some residents still cannot overlook Tasmania’s famous son’s flaws. Some residents opposed even this small, but appropriate honor for Flynn, a lifelong dog fancier, (seen above in Hollywood with a loyal pal. Flynn’s attachment to his canines was such that a decade and a half after the event, the actor was reported close to tears recalling his pet Arno, who was drowned when he was swept off the deck of his master’s boat, the Sirocco into the Pacific). According to Bob Casey, an Australian author of Errol Flynn and the Sword of Fate, a book about Flynn‘s ties to Australia, explained that the board was set against Flynn because a “large percentage of the residents told the board that Errol Flynn should not be given any recognition because he was a womanising drug user, along with the rest of it, who was a disreputable person.” One hopes that the world wide attention paid to the positive heritage Flynn left the world might eventually outweigh any lingering prejudice against “the naughty, naughty boy”, now half a century gone from the scene.

In Errol Flynn‘s well-written, if occasionally far-fetched books, the boyish fictionalized adventure Beam Ends, his 1937 picaresque novel chronicling a fictionalized account of his early adventures in the South Seas, and My Wicked, Wicked Ways, a memoir he wrote mostly for money just before his end in 1959, I was impressed with his surprisingly vivid prose. Both books are filled with the exuberant voice of a man who kept his constant, wearying quest for experience of all types alive as long as he could, though self-disgust and world-weariness come through near the end of the latter book. In that, he describes one particular encounter, not with a nubile young woman, but with a fan confined to a wheelchair. Stopping him as he left a theater, Flynn was deeply embarrased that she wanted to tell him how much happiness he had given her. “I walked off thinking, Maybe I haven’t been such a loss after all. Anybody who can bring a few moments of happiness to another human life certainly can’t be wasting his time in an otherwise fear-ridden and very often drab world. Maybe it hasn’t all been so futile. Maybe it wasn’t all a waste.”

The lithe, jaunty figure who can be seen in an uncharacteristic moment singing and dancing in the wartime musical, Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) is inconceivable as one who might ever be bowed with age. And, of course, thanks to the fact that the man had almost every gift but self-restraint and longevity, he wore himself out by fifty, a very old fifty. When his inevitable early death came at a time when he was still trying “to find himself”. Thank goodness for us that the movies captured something. Here is a moment, with Flynn answering some of those unspoken questions we all might ask as he sings the refrain “I can see the question in your eyes, I can see the twitching of your ears. Now it’s not to be repeated, but gentlemen be seated, and I’ll tell you where I’ve been for all these years…I was out on the blue Pacific…”

Sources:

Flynn, Errol, Beam Ends, Buccaneer Books, 1976.
Flynn, Errol, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, Cooper Square Press, 2002.
Flynn, Rory, The Baron of Mulholland, A Daughter Remembers Errol Flynn, Xlibris, 2006.
Meyers, Jeffrey, Inherited Risk : Errol and Sean Flynn in Hollywood and Vietnam, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
The Independent Weekly, Exit, Stage Left, for Errol Flynn, June 19, 2009.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Flynn

Errol Flynn relaxing and resting on his laurels at last

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32 Responses Flynn: A Touch of Color in a Prosaic World

Posted By Jacqueline T Lynch : June 25, 2009 8:10 am

Terrific. Nice to hear of the commemorations of his 100th birth anniversary. Interesting parallel in both the personalities and ultimate dissipation contest between Barrymore and Flynn. I agree that Flynn’s appearances in Westerns was awkward, and that he is quite impressive in later dramas. Been meaning to get to “Cry Wolf” for a while, maybe this is the push I needed.

Posted By David : June 25, 2009 8:36 am

A great article! You hit the nail on the head in regards to a sensitive person under the devil-may-care persona. I think he had the talent to be a writer if he hadn’t gone into movies. We’ve all heard the stories about his life, but his movies are what have lasted, and still hold up very well, especially Robin Hood. He was also excellent in That Forsyte Woman opposite Greer Garson for MGM.

Posted By Patricia : June 25, 2009 9:37 am

To play those larger-than-life swashbucking heroes with such verve and commitment is, I think, as great an accomplishment as all the Hamlets put together – and a darn sight more fun to watch! Three cheers and a Happy Centenary to Errol Flynn.

Thanks for another thoughtful and interesting article.

Posted By medusamorlock : June 25, 2009 10:52 am

You know I *love* Errol Flynn so much! One of the first classic moviegoing in the theatre events that I ever attended was in 1972 or 1973 when there were many revival houses in L.A. — it was a 12 week Flynn Festival, where I got to see all his greatest titles on the (semi)big screen. What a thrill, and boy, did I fall completely in love with him!

Then I had to go out and read all the books about him, and all the ones he wrote — what a talented, under-appreciated, and delightful character he was. He did it all so effortlessly it looked as though it wasn’t difficult or didn’t requite skill, which of course it did. We also had a minor UHF TV station who used to run the WB classics a lot and that’s where I saw him in his lesser-celebrated (but nonetheless charming) titles.

I am certainly one of those whose love of classic movies is in great part directly attributable to him. I just love his wry sardonic smile…

What a wonderful post, Moira! Thanks for giving a nod to our favorite Tasmanian Devil!

Posted By FilmFather : June 25, 2009 1:08 pm

Great article, thanks for this. Can we all agree that TCM needs to play more of Flynn’s movies?

I always get a kick when I go out to eat at our local Sullivan’s Steakhouse — there are several pictures on the wall of Gentleman Jim Corbett, one of Flynn’s underrated roles. His story in his autobiography of how he got a boxer/actor to hit him harder in that movie is hilarious!

Speaking of his autobio…I don’t care how much of it may have been exaggerated or ghostwritten. My Wicked, Wicked Ways is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read.

Posted By Jenni : June 25, 2009 2:40 pm

Great post and what a delightful clip you found of Mr. Flynn singing and dancing. I tivoed Dawn Patrol and your post has made my decision to view it today. I, of course, remember him most fondly as Robin Hood. I remember a while back the movie was aired on a Turner cable channel(not TCM) and then the newer version (with Kevin Costner)was aired. The viewers were polled as to their favorite version. Of course, Errol Flynn’s version won hands down.
My last Flynn musing was based on my daughter, who is now 15. When she was 5, we were watching Robin Hood with my husband’s parents and it was the climatic sword fight between Robin and Basil Rathbone. Robin took a bad fall off of a flight of stone steps, landing on his back. Our daughter said,”That’s gotta hurt!” Her comments delighted all of us adults, because we knew it was probably a stunt man, or hidden padding was there to cushion Flynn’s fall, but her comment delighted us as it was so great to see a classic movie appeal so fully to a younger member of another generation.

Posted By suzidoll : June 25, 2009 5:20 pm

Great minds must think alike. I was tempted to write about Flynn for Monday, because the theater in my neighborhood is playing Errol Flynn flicks every weekend this month. They are closing with SEA HAWK on Sunday. Two weeks ago, I saw CAPTAIN BLOOD for the first time on the big screen, and I loved it. So, did everyone else. There was a rousing round of applause at the end by an audience of all ages and types.

But, I decided I didn’t have time to do Flynn properly at this time, so I have another topic instead. I am glad someone went ahead and gave the handsome rogue his due.

Maybe I will be “In with Flynn” later.

Posted By myidolspencer : June 28, 2009 8:01 pm

Saw this 1 & could not resist throwing in some more fun Flynn fax. Upon my #3rd visit to Hollywood-(2005) finally got to take the famed Mulholland Dr. tour & went by his legendary former house-(actually area, due to it being torn down in 1988. Among it’s owners>Rick Nelson, *R. Dreyfuss) He had it built in 1942 & was located exactly at Torreyson, PL. on Mulholland.) Another unfortunate thing for Flynn-(though he had a fun life!) upon his early demise at only 50 in 1959-(the coronor is quoted as saying “It was the body of an old & sick man” Unquote) he was so broke he couldn’t even $afford$ a headstone! Years later his fan-club had 1 installed though. It’s still very modest, especially compared with the large “Garden Grave’ along the very same wall of *”The Great: Spencer Tracy” (Very top Glendale’s “Forest Lawn”) & I MEAN VEEERY-TOP!!! Not obviously a great actor, though he was “robbed” of a supporting *OSCAR nomination for 1957′s “Sun Also Rises” (TRIVIA: Next time WB’s hit “This Is the Army” (l943) is on, or rented, look in the stage background & you’ll easily see the ship from “The Sea Hawk”) Thank You

Posted By Al Lowe : June 29, 2009 4:54 pm

It is amazing to me that the great Jimmy Cagney was under serious consideration at Warners to play Robin Hood. The amazing part, of course, is that they had under contract the man who was born to play Robin Hood – Errol.
I can only think that those discussions took place before Errol became a star. Robin Hood might have been an offbeat part for Jimmy – if Errol had never existed. However, people might have wondered why this Robin Hood was born in urban New York.

Posted By Patrick : June 30, 2009 11:41 pm

We primarily remember, and honor, Errol Flynn for his swashbuckling roles. There have been many other actors who have done this. However, the gold standard by which they are all measured is Errol Flynn.

Posted By moirafinnie : July 2, 2009 7:58 pm

These are perceptive remarks from each of you and indicate to me that, even though Errol Flynn seems to have seen his fame as a two-edged sword, he had little idea how much he gave to people–even those of us who “met him” only at a safe distance through his films. I just wish the man could have lived a few years longer. Perhaps then he might have found the kind of satisfying character work he craved and deserved. He also might have had a chance to bask in the world’s re-discovery of the Golden Age of movies by the general public in the 1960s.

I especially enjoyed Patricia‘s turn of phrase about Flynn’s “playing roles [with] such verve and commitment…is..as great an accomplishment as all the Hamlets put together”. Too true, but just not serious enough, I suppose.

Several of you astutely mentioned Flynn’s later roles too.David‘s mention of That Forsyte Woman (1949) reminded me of the atypical but quite moving role that he played in that Galsworthy story, creating a beautifully done portrait of a painfully inhibited man overwhelmed, isolated, and undone by love.

I think Jenni‘s description of her 5 year old daughter’s complete absorption in The Adventures of Robin Hood reflects many of our own encounters with the actor. The only thing better than discovering Flynn for the first time, is coming across his work in the presence of a child—an experience that gives such glib words as “movie magic” real meaning. Jen—I hope that you’ll share your impressions of The Dawn Patrol (1938) with us. It has one of my very favorite Flynn performances.

Suzi & Medusa,
I really hope that you might write about an aspect of Errol Flynn’s career here soon too, but could you please stop rubbing it in ’cause you have both had a chance to see his movies on the big screen!! You are so darn lucky. (I actually get a big kick out of hearing about your cosmopolitan adventures in movie going)

Spencer, I have recently read that Errol Flynn’s children paid for his memorial stone some years after his death.

FilmFather, I don’t care if he was exaggerating in “My Wicked, Wicked Ways” either. It’s a well written story and may have showed more of his true self than he knew. Btw, when you ask
“Can we all agree that TCM needs to play more of Flynn’s movies?”

My answer is sure–as long as we acknowledge that any month of the year, TCM is Errol Flynn Central! Heck, at least one of his movies do and should play at least once a month. Just yesterday I got to see him in one of his first movies in the US as a lively corpse in the Perry Mason programmer, The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)!

Here are some upcoming features on TCM with Errol Flynn. (All times are EDT and the schedules are subject to change)

Dodge City (1939)
Jul 09, 10:30PM

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Jul 22, 01:00AM
Sep 23, 08:00PM

It’s Showtime (1976)
A documentary about animal actors
Jul 25, 07:00AM

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Jul 31, 07:00AM

Virginia City (1940)
Aug 20, 04:00PM

The Sea Hawk (1940)
Sep 23, 10:00PM

The Prince And The Pauper (1937)
Sep 23, 12:15AM

That Forsyte Woman (1949)
Sep 29, 03:15PM

The DVD of one of Flynn’s rarely seen films, Rocky Mountain (1950) gave me a chance to discover a surprisingly good production in what was his last Western. The blog entry that came out of that visual experience appeared here

Thanks for taking the time to share your own affection for this actor’s work. I apologize for taking so long to respond here.

Posted By Abby : July 5, 2009 2:49 pm

What a shame that TCM did not have a day to celebrate the Errol Flynn centenary. On that day we went to the Music Box theatre in Chicago that dedicated the four weekends in June to Flynn’s films. On the 20th we, and hundreds of other fans, enjoyed THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD on the big screen. The mult-generation audience burst into applause at its close. It is the perfect movie.

Posted By Kathleen : July 20, 2009 3:51 am

Hello. I really enjoyed your article. I have been a Flynn fan since I was 8 having watched him on a very small TV screen. Now I have his movies on DVD and VHS and watch them over and over. My favorite is Sea Hawk. I can’t seem to get enough. I have been reading as many books as I can find. I had started to read My Wicked, Wicked Way in my 30′s and couldn’t seem to finish it. Now 30 years later I have finished it and have gone on to Nora’s book and Florence Aadland’s The Big Love. I also have Beam’s End and Showdown to read. I also have been buying Erich Korngold’s music–it is another way to enjoy Errol. I wish he were here to see and hear his fans. I don’t understand his self-destruction when he was so multi-talented. Shame on Hollywood for not properly honoring him.

Posted By Patrick : July 22, 2009 7:07 pm

I was inspired by Kathleen’s post on July 20th to add two more items to this log.

First, my favorite Flynn film was also The Sea Hawk. I’ve often wondered why that film over The Adventures of Robin Hood, arguably his best swashbuckler. I think in came down to Korngold’s exquisite scoring. The Sea Hawk may not be particularly remembered for its score but, in my humble opinion, it’s one of the best. The love themes in both of these films are some of Korngold’s best compositions and I’m so glad that many of his works were re-recorded in the 1980′s in the high quality they deserve.

Second, there are a number of lousy books on the life of Errol Flynn. However, an exceptionally GOOD one is: My Days With Errol Flynn by Buster Wiles. It’s really Wiles’ biography but he was one of Flynn’s best friends and roommates on Mulholland Drive for years. Buster was the one who went to Vancouver to fetch Errol’s body back to California. I think anyone who admires Errol Flynn should read this very enjoyable account of his life.

Cheers,
Patrick

Posted By Tina : August 30, 2009 7:06 pm

I was extremely disappointed that the month of June and July went by and no Centennial celebration for Errol Flynn was scheduled by TCM. I really would like to know how an oversight like this can happen?
After all Errol Flynn was a Super World Star and still is. There never was one like him and there never will be one like him ever again. There are many great stars today, but he had that special extra something which is not something you learn – you either have it or not and he had it in triplicate format. He still has millions of fans all over the world and many young people amongst them, which is a tremendous feat on its own – being dead for 50 years and still capturing the interest of a new generation of fans.
His movies will never be outdated they are in demand and fresh as they were made today. I know people who never seen a movie by him are enjoying them so much they become new fans. We just watched “The Adventure of Don Juan” and “The Sea Hawk” with some friends, which had never seen him before (young people), they had such a good time and enjoyed the performance tremendously. Now they are looking out for his movies – nothing like new fans.

TCM has still a chance to redeem themselves on the anniversary of his 50th year of death on October 14th and will celebrate his life in movies. I sincerely hope that October will be
ERROL FLYNN MONTH, we would appreciate this gesture to honor this great Star, which always brings so much pleasure by watching his movies.

Posted By frank : September 17, 2009 6:02 pm

Doesn’t it bother anyone that Flynn was a supporter of the Nazi’s and aided Nazi spies in America? He took pictures of Pearl harbour for the Germans. He was a traitor to this country.

Posted By ABBY : September 18, 2009 10:04 am

These ludicrous lies have long been discounted and abandoned. I imagine you are also a “birther.”

Posted By Patrick : September 18, 2009 12:45 pm

Hi Frank,
And the earth is flat too, isn’t it?
Cheers,
Patrick

Posted By Larry Shank : January 1, 2010 2:15 pm

The year of Errol Flynns 100th birthday is over.
A Washington Post article referred to it as the Flynntennial.

I expected TCM to mount a full fledged retrospective on Flynn like they did with Bogart.

This man deserves to have all of his films seen.
He was WBs greatest star in the 30s and 40s.
I suspect that the lack of attention is due to the lies spread about him by Charles Highams.

His reputation was smeared by baseless and unsubstantiated accusations that he was Nazi and has never recovered(for those who think otherwise read “Errol Flynn-the Spy Who Never Was”).

He was a very good actor and was equally adept at dramatic and comedic roles who appeared in some of WB great films.Hey TCM how about a little respect

Posted By moirafinnie : January 3, 2010 7:34 pm

Larry, I’m with you, friend, on wanting more of an Errol Flynn tribute.

Still, a week rarely goes by on TCM without one or two Errol Flynn movies popping up. In just the last week I saw the rarely broadcast Never Say Goodbye (1946) for the first time on TCM as well as Footsteps in the Fog (1941), a fair comedy. In Never Say Goodbye Flynn was very charming as a womanizing divorced father, (not a stretch for him, perhaps), but his interaction with his pint size co-star, Patti Brady, was quite believable and delightful. It made me think that his actual children’s accounts of their tender memories of him may have been accurate. The comedy in this film made me think he really should have had a chance to play in a comedy more often at Warner’s.

I also enjoyed his musical hall turn in Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) broadcast on TCM recently. In this episodic musical movie, Flynn was very funny singing “That’s What You Jolly Well Get” in a rousing fashion, (a boastful song was probably chosen to make a self-conscious stab at deflecting all the criticism over his failure to serve in the military, which was impossible due to his health). I do wish he’d had more opportunity to play the jolly fool in a few more musicals. Who knows–he might have been happier too.

Perhaps there will be more of a Flynn theme this June around his birthday, though I’m sure more of his films will appear again regularly on TCM as they become available.

Have you ever seen one of his late career movies called Lilacs in the Spring (1954) with Anna Neagle? I’ve always wondered about that one. It sounds pretty intriguing though the critical comments I’ve come across about it are decidedly mixed.

Thanks for taking the time to post here. Your views are most welcome.

Posted By Kathleen : January 4, 2010 12:53 am

I’m still plugging along with my reading on Errol. I also ordered a DVD of his TV “movie” Without Incident and I found him to be very good in his character. I ordered the Big Surprise segment where he appeared as a contestant. That was very interesting to watch. I rented Thank Your Lucky Stars and his part was something to see–I truly think he was in his prime when he did this. I also was amazed with Alexis Smith–she was quite sultry in her dance routine. I’ve watched Never Say Goodby and I thought he was very believable as a “dad” and he had that same fatherly characteristic in Kim with Dean Stockwell. Have you watched Kings Rhapsody? It’s not a bad story and he does well. I’ve purchased some of his Errol Flynn Theater segments as well. I don’t remember watching these on TV though. I wish, too, that there had been a celebration on June 20, 2009!! I visited his grave two months ago and drove up Mulholland Drive where his residence used to be.

Posted By Larry Shank : January 6, 2010 2:45 pm

One of the reasons for TCM to have a retrospective is for people to see what a wide range Errol had.He is best known for his swashbuckling roles,and God knows no one has ever been his equal,but to see him in comedies and dramas is a revelation.
What a joy to see Cry Wolf,Never Say Goodbye,Edge of Darkness,Fours a Crowd,Roots of Heaven etc.
Not always great films but they show his range.It would be great to be able

Posted By moirafinnie : January 6, 2010 8:01 pm

Larry and anyone else who is interested, you may not wish to see the following rarely seen Flynn features upcoming on TCM:

The Sisters (1938-Anatole Litvak)
One of Errol Flynn’s better, early non-swashbuckling roles opposite Bette Davis in a film that emphasizes his sensitive side with a touch of Jack London wastrel thrown in.
Thursday, January 7th on TCM at 10am EST.

Another Dawn (1937-William Dieterle)
Errol Flynn, Kay Francis and Ian Hunter
Francis and Flynn make a memorable illicit couple, with Kay Francis pointing out that “We can’t be blamed for what we want, only for what we do.”
Wednesday, Jan 13, at 8:15am EST

Posted By Larry Shank : January 8, 2010 7:57 am

Thanks.I have seen the Sisters and like it alot but Another Dawn is one of the few that I haven’t seen.

Posted By Joel Khyrow : March 25, 2010 1:25 pm

This is my first visit to this marvelous website, and I find myself emotionally overwhelmed by the appreciation from so many young people of a too-often under-rated talent. Errol Flynn, wether you knew him as Errol, Princey, The Baron, or just Flynn, admittedly could be irresponsible and even reckless, he was never b o r i n g! The same vivacity, irreverence and practical joking nature shines through in his on-screen performances, gifting his films with both a roguish charm and an engaging and even contagious energy that no other actor of his time could equal. Only Doug Fairbanks before him has ever captured so many hearts and imaginations worldwide. Bravo Flynn!

Posted By Chris : June 20, 2010 1:49 pm

Today is Errol Flynn’s 101st birthday, so I decided to watch some of his films: “The Sea Hawk”,”Captain Blood”,etc., I wanted to watch “The Sea Hawk” and “Captain Blood”, because I have often been hearing about “which one is better” comparisons between the two. I have always been down on my views of “The Sea Hawk” because there is no color (not that black and white is bad, but try to imagine… say, “The Quiet Man” without technicolor) and no Olivia de Havilland/better leading lady. Of course, technicolor would have driven up the already expensive costs of the making of the film, but it would have looked beautiful with color. But, Brenda Marshall wasn’t the greatest choice…
Captain Blood is a great swashbuckling film (possibly one of the best). The cast is wonderful, and there is plenty of action. Flynn also is a bit more electric in this role, instead of “The Sea Hawk” where he seemed to pale in comparison.
Watching these two films side by side is a real treat. Happy birthday, Errol!

Posted By Patrick : June 20, 2010 3:10 pm

Happy Birthday Errol!
You are STILL the greatest swashbuckler of them all!

Posted By Larry Shank : June 21, 2010 12:37 pm

Once again the Baron’s birthday has come and gone.Once again TCM
has ignored it.A lot of lesser actors get the full treatment on their birthdays,but not Errol.TCM owns all of his films so how hard would it be to run them?

Posted By moirafinnie : June 21, 2010 1:57 pm

Thanks for dropping by to remember one of our mutual faves yesterday, Chris, Patrick and Larry!

Actually, Larry, TCM has not owned their films for some time now. They have to rent them from outside sources. This issue is discussed here in detail elsewhere on the TCM site if you would like to know more. This reality has not prevented the network from putting together a great lineup of 24 hours of Errol Flynn during the Summer Under the Stars.

On August 7th, the films listed below will be aired (all times shown are Eastern Time). I am particularly interested in seeing the excellent documentary about Flynn that is being re-broadcast as well as the rarely seen dramas, Uncertain Glory (1944) and Green Light (1937). The latter features a sincere dramatic performance from a young Flynn as a troubled surgeon and medical researcher. The story is based on a Lloyd Douglas novel, (he’s the guy who wrote “Magnificent Obsession” and “White Banners,” both of which have flirted with Oscar when made into movies).

Also, on August 3, 2010, the boxed set entitled TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures (Desperate Journey / Edge of Darkness 1943 / Northern Pursuit / Uncertain Glory / Objective Burma) (1943) is also being released and can be pre-ordered now.

If you can’t wait long for more Flynntastic glimpses, I do understand, and you can see even more of the numerous Errol Flynn movies scheduled on TCM in the near future here. Btw, some true rarities are coming up in the next two months. One is on the 29th of June, when the rarely screened Thank Your Lucky Stars(1943) is scheduled, featuring, among other things, the delightful music hall turn by Flynn that is embedded in this blog entry.

Enjoy and Long Live Errol!

Summer Under the Stars: Errol Flynn Day

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

6:00 AM
Virginia City (1940)
A rebel spy poses as a wild West dance hall girl. Cast: Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Humphrey Bogart. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-121 mins, TV-G, CC

8:15 AM
San Antonio (1945)
A reformed rustler tracks down a band of cattle thieves and tries to reform a crooked dance-hall girl. Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, S.Z. Sakall. Dir: David Butler. C-109 mins, TV-PG, CC

10:15 AM
Uncertain Glory (1944)
A French playboy gets serious when his country is threatened during World War II. Cast: Errol Flynn, Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson. Dir: Raoul Walsh. BW-102 mins, TV-PG, CC

12:00 PM
Objective, Burma! (1945)
An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost. Cast: Errol Flynn, George Tobias, Henry Hull. Dir: Raoul Walsh. BW-142 mins, TV-PG, CC

2:30 PM
The Prince And The Pauper (1937)
Rousing adaptation of the Mark Twain tale of a 16th-century prince who trades places with a lookalike peasant. Cast: Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Billy and Bobby Mauch. Dir: William Keighley. BW-118 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS

4:45 PM
The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)
Documentary that chronicles the life and career of swashbuckler Errol Flynn. BW-87 mins, TV-14, CC

6:15 PM
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The bandit king of Sherwood Forest leads his Merry Men in a battle against the corrupt Prince John. Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone. Dir: William Keighley, Michael Curtiz. C-102 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS

8:00 PM
The Sea Hawk (1940)
A British buccaneer holds the Spanish fleet at bay with the covert approval of Elizabeth I. Cast: Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Flora Robson. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-128 mins, TV-G, CC

10:15 PM
Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
The legendary lover saves his queen from treason. Cast: Errol Flynn, Viveca Lindfors, Alan Hale. Dir: Vincent Sherman. C-111 mins, TV-PG, CC

12:15 AM
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Fanciful biography of 19th-century boxing champion Jim Corbett. Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Ward Bond. Dir: Raoul Walsh. BW-104 mins, TV-PG, CC

2:15 AM
Edge Of Darkness (1943)
Resistance fighters battle the Nazis in occupied Norway. Cast: Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston. Dir: Lewis Milestone. BW-119 mins, TV-PG, CC

4:30 AM
Green Light (1937)
An idealistic doctor sacrifices his career to protect an elderly surgeon. Cast: Errol Flynn, Anita Louise, Cedric Hardwicke. Dir: Frank Borzage. BW-85 mins, TV-G, CC

Posted By larry Shank : June 22, 2010 8:49 am

Thanks for the update.I had always been under the impression that Turner owned the Warner/MGM libraries.I am eternally grateful that TCM exists.Now I no longer have to rail at them for percieved wrongs in their programming.
Thanks to for the heads up on the Aug 7 programming.I look forward to spending the day with the Baron.
The box set sounds great,I think Edge of Darkness is one of Errols better films and I look forward to owning it

Posted By Fred : August 7, 2010 8:43 pm

Some live more in a year than most do in a lifetime. I would much prefer a full life of any duration that a long and empty one. Hat’s off to Flynn.

Posted By Kathleen : November 6, 2010 11:55 pm

Just want to say that I read Buster Wiles’s book and loved it. He really told it like it was and he did the telling. I believe what he said about his friend, Errol Flynn. Those two were together for a good amount of time and if there was anything bad to say I’m sure it would have been said. I noted a new word on this blog “Flynntastic”–what a great expression to describe Errol Flynn or anyone or anything that is fantastic.

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