Remember the photographs of Errol and actress Romy Schneider, where we tried to find out when and where they were taken? I realised then that apparently, not much is known about Errol's visits to Germany, so I decided to do some research and here's what I came up with. Hope that this is not old news. The article is based on the German “FilmJournal” from May 2nd, 1960. I did not want to translate Errol's quotations literally (this would have been a back-translation because everything had already been translated into German) and I apologise for any mistakes.
Errol Flynn arrives for the Berlinale film festival in Germany on June 20th, 1957 at Tempelhof Airport. A band is playing for his 48th birthday, and he himself conducts it for a moment before borrowing a camera from a photographer to shoot some photos himself.
About 500 fans are there to cheer and to escort him and Patrice to the Hotel Kempinski.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />
This is where Errol’s mood changes abruptly. Seeing his rooms 310 and 311, he starts shouting that not even at school did he have to stay in such a small room – that’s outrageous! He phones the airport to get back to Paris the same evening. When Dr. Bauer, the Berlinale manager, tries to calm him and to tell him that he hardly has a chance to get any tickets, he answers that he will rent an airplane. If he cannot get one here, he will order one from Paris! And if this is not possible either, he will rent a car and drive through the “zone”, i.e. the GDR.
For Dr. Bauer, these are the most critical minutes in the seven years he has been the manager of the famous film festival. He tries to get other rooms for his star – to no avail, for the head receptionist declares that he is not interested in the fact that Mr. Flynn is a guest of the federal government. The hotel’s permanent guests are more important; and besides, all apartments are occupied.
Now Dr. Bauer tries the Hotel Gehrhus, which is known for its obligingness towards artists. Mr. Gehrhus decides at once: since the Grand Apartments (with three large rooms, two balconies, a bathroom with a telephone) are already occupied by an industrialist, Mr. Gehrhus moves out of his own flat and offers it to the industrialist. So finally, Errol can reside in a more befitting place…
24 hours later, all his anger is forgotten.
He says that he likes it very much in Berlin and that he is about to convince his secretary to let him stay five instead of the scheduled three days. He can be seen dancing with Patrice at the Waldbuehne or flirting with Izumi Yukimura…
— Inga
Anonymous
October 25, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Thank you, Aresia. This is valuable information for my Chronology.
Robert
Btw, the smiles on the Flynn daughters' faces should not be over anylized; it's not uncommon for kids to react strangely in highly emotional and unfamiliar situations. In this case, it's probably nothing more than a defense mechanism on their part.
Anonymous
October 25, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Hi Inga,
amazing where you always find these photos!
Volker
Anonymous
October 25, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Wow, this is all so interesting! Thanks for sharing this info and these photos with us here.
Anonymous
October 25, 2010 at 9:37 pm
He sounded like quite a handful. What do you all think of this? He seemed to have a lot of bluster. Do you think he would have followed through on any of his threats? I doubt if he had any money. Do you think this was all for show; maybe to impress Patrice? Kevin
Anonymous
October 26, 2010 at 4:16 am
You are right. Rory's expression was much like the children of Natasha Richardson at her funeral.
Anonymous
October 26, 2010 at 4:27 am
Well if he was bluffing I guess he would have had to beg, borrow or steal to pay. His star was falling but he pulled it off and had people running around to appease him. He still had charm and attraction. Wonder how often he “acted” this way??? Was Patrice appalled or used to it? I'm smiling at the enormity of his threats!
Anonymous
October 26, 2010 at 4:30 am
Thank you so much for posting this! Great information and pictures!
Anonymous
October 26, 2010 at 6:29 am
I think he would have succeeded somehow. In the end, he DID succeed because he got what he wanted! And I'm quite certain there would have been someone who might have lent him an airplane or a car… This would have been an adventure according to Errol's taste: driving through the Communist “zone” – ha! In any case, it shows that he was still enormously popular in Germany at the time.
Anonymous
October 26, 2010 at 6:31 am
By the way, the man on the Ku'damm picture (first in the row, next to Pat) is Wolfgang Lukschy, a German actor and one of Errol's “German voices”.
Anonymous
October 26, 2010 at 6:32 am
Tja, Volker, ich sag nur: ebay
Anonymous
October 27, 2010 at 12:22 am
I have seen a few other pictures from this event but not one of these! Nor have I ever heard the story of Flynn's temper showing itself. I suppose if you are used to being treated like a star you are insulted by what you suppose is a lower standard and it might also be that if Errol and Pat were live-a-boards (on the Zaca) he might have promised his wife huge rooms and luxury in a hotel for the stay and when he got there and saw the smallish accommodations, he was embarrassed. In any case, he would hardly have been the first Hollywood celebrity to demand the best. It might have been somewhat expected!
Anonymous
October 28, 2010 at 4:54 am
Fabulous find of photos and info, thanks for posting these!