I took these photographs at the "Road to Perdition" press junket in Chicago, June 27, 2002. These are two photos from a roll of unpublished photographs I took of him that day. It was the only time I met him. He was funny, charming, intelligent, cantankerous and the classiest guy in the room. He made it clear who was in charge and it most decidedly wasn't the 100 plus members of the press corps that day. He was among our greatest entertainers and humanitarians. In fact, he remains the only actor I've met who deserved my admiration for his humanitarian efforts. All others pale in comparison. I am deeply saddened by his passing but I rejoice in his magnificent life. --Thomas McNulty
HI STEVE. I'M JUST FINISHING GOOGIES, VOLUME ONE. WHAT A JOURNEY! RECALLING PEOPLE (SOME I'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT, LIKE, SIDNEY SKOLSKY, AND A COUPLE OTHERS), PLACES AND THINGS, THAT WERE SO FAR BACK IN MY MEMORY.
TO READ THIS WONDERFUL BOOK,TO RELIVE THAT VERY SPECIAL ERA OVER AGAIN, IS JUST MAGIC. LIKE TRAVELING BACK IN TIME. WHAT A GREAT BOOK. YOU RECAPTURED IT ALL! ALL THAT MADE THOSE YEARS SOME OF THE BEST EVER. I'LL START VOLUME # 2, IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. THANKS FOR THE TRIP.
New Documentary is Centerpiece of Warner Home Video's Year-Long Celebration of Studio's 85th Anniversary -
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story; You Ain t Heard Nothin Yet (1923-35); Good War, Uneasy Peace (1935-50) Tonight at 09:00 pm PBS (ch 29) All Upcoming Airings Clint Eastwood narrates the history of Warner Bros., which opens with You Ain t Heard Nothin Yet (1923-35), about the movie studio s first years, when its top star was a dog named Rin Tin Tin...
"As you can see, Part One is on PBS tonight! I just hope Schickel told Eastwood how to pronounce Errol name - in an earlier 2-part special ("Here's Looking At You, Warner Brothers") that aired on TCM about ten years ago, Eastwood repeatedly pronounced "Errol" as if it were spelt Earl... "
"This is the movie I exec-produced with my wife under the banner of my production company, SixGold Productions," - Steve Hayes
Michael Worth's GOD'S EARS wins Domani Vision & Jack Nance Awards at VISIONFEST 08 New York City, (September 22, 2008) - VISIONFEST 08: The Other Festival, ended its five-day run last night, at the Tribeca Grand Hotel Screening Room, with its "closing night" Official Selection, God's Ears, directed by Michael Worth, and its 2008 Awards Ceremony, which saw the aforementioned film walk off with two of the film festival's most coveted awards: the Domani Vision Award for Emerging Talent, and the Jack Nance "Breakthrough Performance" Award. Both awards were presented to Michael Worth; the first honoring him as a filmmaker, and the second, recognizing his powerful acting turn. Worth first took to the podium with his mother, who stated that while she's not a writer, an actor, or a director, she affectionately added: "But I'm a real good producer," obviously referring to her son as he raised his award in the air. Michael Worth then added: "This is the first time I've ever won anything like this. I'm just really honored."
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...
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
Incredible lifetime works of Art from a true Master... visit our page for Robert at The Errol Flynn Blog at coffeewithdavid.com... or his own site at Robert Florczak.com.
Actually, Flynn had few equals, if any, among the Hollywood crowd. Bill Tilden, the Federer of his day, made it clear that if Errol had wanted to, put his mind to playing tennis seriously he would have been world class.
He tried to teach me but, as I mention in my books, I had an older brother I disliked intensely who played at Wimbledon Lawn and Tennis Club -- as a member -- and any thought that reminded me of him was a turn-off. I did however go on to be a world class amateur archer who shot on US teams and in National tournaments. I was married then to a woman named Constance whom was actually better than I was and end up at one time breaking a lot of California records and ranking 4th in the world. Together, with her high scores, we won the National Husband and Wife trophy (1963) held at UCLA.
I loved archery and went hunting and plinking (shooting at tin cans, etc) with Rory Calhoun and Guy Madison frequently, and did exhibitions with the famed Howard Hill -- Errol's buddy.
I'm a long-time writer who has just finished my two volume memoirs "Googie's, Coffee Shop to the Stars, and in it have discussed my friendship with Errol.
I knew him well and was a guest at his house for almost a month early in 1950. I never actually intedned to write an autobiography but then I got angrier and angrier at the heinous bios that came out describing Flynn as a spy and bisexual, etc.
Having spent many a night sitting around yakking in the living room in our bathrobes, with only Marge Eddington on the premises (in her room) I can assure you that if Errol had had bisexual tendencies he would have hit on me. As the photos in my memoirs show I was attractive and certainly young enough to entice anyone to me. Never ever once did he suggest, hint or make any moves toward me.
I also helped him home from nightspots many an evening when he was bombed and again he had the excuse of alcohol to get touchy-feely and never did. And his wives would have attested to his virility.
As for his being a spy, that is so ludicrous it's hardly worth denying. Errol was certainly generally thinking of Errol, that was his nature, but he had a high regard for the US and thought the world of Roosevelt. I know, he told me so.
Anyway, I'm here and willing to answer any reasonable questions about The Colonel, so feel fre to ask. With Buster and Nora gone, and his daughters "distant" to say the least, there ain't too many of us left who actually knew him. I think his friend and a pal of mine, Patric Knowles is gone too.
That's it for now. I hope you enjoy my memoirs as much as I enjoyed writing them.
We are proud to announce the latest author on the Errol Flynn Blog, Steve Hayes! Steve is the author of Googies: Coffee Shop to the Stars... and a personal friend of Errol Flynn!
Hello, all A little something different: I've attached four selections from the 1956 L.A. phone directory that show the listings of several people and places connected with Flynn. Have fun searching through them! Cheers Robert
You will see this in the bar of the Hotel Nacional Havana:
January 2008
A closer look!
And if you wander further...
Photos courtesy of David our Canadian Reader who visited Havana and was pleasantly surprised to find these items in the Hotel bar...
David writes:
Some of what I wrote about my trip to cuba and the visit to Hemingway's mansion...
Hemingway's mansion 15 Km south of Havana has beeen recently restored and its beautiful. Errol Flynn, and Ava Gardner were among the many visitors to Hemingways' home in the country which has been a museum since shortly after he died when everythng was left as it was when he walked out the door. We were told that he had wanted it to become a library and that it was Fidel's idea to make it into a Museum. Hem's widow, Mary Walsh, consented.
Visitors to the museum - amazing to see even if you have outgrown him or don't like him - are not allowed inside but the doors and windows are open except when it rains. Female attendents keep watch one or two to a room. If you stick even your chin over the sill or brocade barrier, you will be politley scolded. 'Chin' one said to me. They don't speak much English but know body parts!
The one-story colonial house sits on a small hill. There is a pool and they now have Hem's restored sports fishing boat, Pillar. Hemingway had left it to his captain when he died and who only died himself a few years ago.
One story has it that Ava Gardner went down to the pool and swam naked. Hemingway, up in the tower he built, spied her through his telescope. Hemingways wife, Mary Walsh, did not think much of that spectacle, poor woman, and when she got wind of it, went down and gathered up Ava's Robe, forcing her to walk back to the house naked.
Looking in through the guest room window you can see two twin beds, a phonograph, a tall book case. I tried to imange some of his guests, Gary Cooper, for example, sleeping in what for them would have been humble digs. (Most probably did not stay but chauffered back to the Hotel Nacional? The bar at the Hotel nacional, is like a hall of fame with photos and posters by decade of the illustrious visitors.
There is not much that is glamorous in the streets of Havana so this place is a nice retreat. The Hotel is on the architectural tour we took. It was popular with movie stars Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Johny Wiesmueller, and Buster Keaton to name a few. Seaside there is a lawn with an ocean view and breeze and comfortable dark wicker chairs.
I had some time to write in my diary on the bus trip from Havana to Trinidad, on the opposite side of the Island. I tried my hand at writing linked Haiku which you will recall is a three-line poem where the first and third lines have 5 syllables and the middle 7.
I added to the nude bathing story other details I had heard. For example, when guests arrived Hem rang a bell and fired a small cannon which sits just inside the front door now. I rang the bell but did not include it in the Haiku.
I also imagined that Errol visited Hemingway on his last visit to the Island in 1959 shortly after the revolutution and when Errol, and probably Hemingway too, would have been suffering from Scirrocis of the liver. Hemingway may also have been sufferreing from paranoia by then as well.
Paul Newman, in Memoriam
2 Attachments
A closer look!
