Dear fellow Flynn fans,
what makes our Hollywood hero such a prolific topic are not only the things he did or didn`t do, but also the films he didn`t get to do. Unfortunately.
We already had this discussion twice:
Here are the remainders of unfinished Flynn business:
A play from W. Somerset Maugham called “Caesar`s wife” as a follow up film to “Lilacs in spring” with Ann Neagle for English producer H. Wilcox.
“Escape from Elba” a histopic about Napoleon with Errol in the role of an Irish general. Connived was this project probably in Cannes, both the landing point of the French Emperor and international glamour spot for Flynn and the Fred Pack.
“The White witch of Rose Hall”, a real life ghost story set in Jamaica announced with Vivian Leigh (!).
According to German Magazine “Gondel”, Errol planned on starring in a film about Fidel Castro and had already talked to studios as late as May of 1959.
Third time lucky, I hope we can clear up the urban legend once and for all, if Errol really was to do a sequel to “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
What I think about most now is what Errol missed out on because of his addictions in the 1950’s. The studio system was changing and I compare him to Cary Grant or James Stewart. They really thrived in the 50’s like John Wayne did. He would have blown them all away but when you can’t work with a guy when he is under the influence and he looks like he partied the night before, every day, that person gets passed over. He had demons right from the start and add to that his malaria and other things that took their toll ate at him. What does someone do to kill that kind of pain? We know what he did. I would like to have seen the Robin Hood sequel or a proper Dodge City sequel. The Vivian Leigh project is really cool sounding. I still say he should have played Ashley Wilkes in GWWW. Not much to say about any of the others.
I agree with you. When we blogged about this before I mentioned how I could see Errol in the spy shows of the 60’s. I felt that way after watching The Big Boodle.
Istanbul was a first stab at the spy movie genre, Maid Maria. And to some extent Errol must have inspired Ian Fleming in creating that womanizing secret agent.
Sad but true, Twains. Errol was not the most self concious actor. But he could put on a show, even under the influence. The more he let himself and productions down, the less Jack Warner was willing to back Flynn’s films with big budgets. San Antonio for example was sceduled with Raoul Walsh for director and co-starring Marlene Dietrich, which would have cost extra. Alexis Smith did not, so she got the role. I agree totally with you, had Errol stayed around, he could have thrived in the 60s like his friends Stewart Granger and David Niven.
Vivien Leigh as Annie Palmer, with Errol in The White Witch of Rose Hall!
Wow, that could have been a classic!!
Here’s Johnny Cash singing about Annie. He lived next door to Rose Hall.
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And here’s Linda Blair’s take on Annie:
I think Vivien could have been perfect for this role.
What a story, what a leading lady, what a missed opportunity. Could have been a classic like “Cat on a tin roof” or “Baby Jane”.
What year would this have been with Vivian?
1955+
Hi Heinz and Tim;
I have this information about “The White Witch of Rose Hall”, it supposed to star Anna Neagle and Errol and to be made in England.
As it was reported:
King’s Rhapsody was the first movie of what was meant to be a six-film deal over three years worth £2,500,000. The intention was that Flynn and Neagle would form a team along the lines of Neagle’s pairing with Michael Wilding, starting with The White Witch of Rose Hall in Jamaica. However, King’s Rhapsody was the last of the two movies they made together.
Also this one:trove.nla.gov…
If only that deal had gone through. Errol sided with Wilcox to be able to complete “The story of Wilhelm Tell” in the first place.
Errol Flynn actually commissioned famed Hollywood screenwriter James Edward Grant to write a screenplay based on the Rosehall legend. He finished it and It was called ‘The White Witch Of Jamaica’. Where is that script today? Vivian Leigh in 1955 was as beautiful as ever when she co-starred in the film ‘The Deep Blue Sea’, and she would have been perfect in the title role of Rosehall. You can still find copies of the original novel which is a a fantastic adventure film with supernatural overtones. Ralph Schiller
Ralph, you are right. Errol and Lady Vivvie would have been a dream tag team. Much like him and Sohia Loren in Will Tell, had he approved of Jack Cardiff’s casting suggestion. Sophia would go on to become a major star and play amongst others alongside Charlton Heston in the fabulous Flynn flic “El Cid”. Italian actor Massimo Serrato, the antagonist of “The story of Wilhelm Tell” is in that one too.
Escape from Elba could have been yet another feather in Errol’s cap. Finding a big enough star to play a man of Bonaparte’s diminutive stature in this not so tall tale, however, might have made casting Napolean complex. It would have also taken dogged-determination to cast the Newf, of course.
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