From our dear friend Karl Holmberg:
This subject has been mentioned before on the blog, but I just received an email from the source (U of Ulster) as a general announcement of their doings and have “teased out” what would especially be of interest. Further, I provide an edited view of those specifics.
What is the REALLY BIG DEAL here, aside from the fact that the series exists now in its ENTIRETY, is that the QUALITY level for all concerned is that of 35mm!
I attach a NYT announcement (6/3/57) of the series premier in the states.
I also attach what appears to be a photo of Flynn being filmed introducing a “Theatre” episode, and to his left one of the players: Christopher Lee? They DID appear together in an episode called Fortunes of War.
And a curious incident related to the filming of that episode was reported by Lee in speaking of work related injuries in his autobio (excerpt from IMDB):
“(Lee) almost having the little finger of his right hand severed by an inebriated Errol Flynn during a sword fight in The Dark Avenger. Lee played numerous roles in four episodes of The Errol Flynn Theatre and the two had a rematch in the episode Fortunes of War. Lee accidentally took Flynn’s wig off with his rapier and had to convince Flynn that he hadn’t done it on purpose.
And here now, the COMPLETE list of found programs:
Archive treasures: lost television programmes found
The Errol Flynn Theatre (1956-8)
Early anthology series presented by Hollywood legend Errol Flynn. Flynn also acted in some installments. It was shot on 35mm film but, despite its legendary star, some episodes were lost while the remainder only survived as inferior and edited 16mm copies. The prints found at UTV are all 35mm. The transmission dates below refer to their initial UK broadcast.
Tx Date Title
16/09/56 Wife for The Czar
22/09/56 The Girl In The Blue Jeans
29/09/56 The Model
06/10/56 The Duel
13/10/56 The Mirror
20/10/56 The Red Geranium
03/11/56 Farewell Performance [Previously lost]
10/11/56 The Fortunes of War
17/11/56 Mademoiselle Fifi
18/11/56 The Transfer
24/11/56 The Ordeal of Carol Kennedy
01/12/56 The Sealed Room
06/12/56 The Kinsman [Previously lost]
16/02/57 Love Token
23/02/57 My Infallible Uncle
02/03/57 Strange Auction
09/03/57 The Rustle of Silk [Previously lost]
23/03/57 Take The High Road
06/04/57 The Cellini Cup [Previously lost]
13/04/57 Rescued
20/04/57 First Come, First Loved [Previously lost]
04/05/57 Declassé [Previously lost]
11/05/57 Out of The Blue [Previously lost]
01/02/58 The 1000th Night of Don Juan
Karl, we tip our hat to you!
— David DeWitt
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