A new article (1/8/17) describing the history and current attractions of Errol’s old stomping grounds.
Port Antonio
Frenchman’s Cove
Blue Lagoon
Reach Falls
Boston Beach
Navy Island
Rio Grande
Blue Mountains from Port Antonio
Landscape of the Town and Mountains in Port Antonio.
— Tim
Errol’s first visit:
“Flynn docked his boat into Kingston before hopping on the back of a motorcycle and reaching Port Antonio. He fell in love with the place, famously declaring it “more beautiful than any woman I have ever known.”
www.theguardian.com…
Flynn also frequented the bar at Jamaica Inn, Ocho Rios (where I sometimes spend January), in the years before he died. Very close by is Ian Fleming’s house, Goldeneye. Is there any evidence that Flynn and Fleming met? Fleming was a friend of my father and stayed with him often at our house in Wiltshire, but never mentioned Flynn. I wonder if they would have got along? Or would a genuinely serious man like Fleming have found Errol a little silly, as Scott Fitzgerald did? Did the Flynn of the late 50s still play pranks, or was he more sober? Temperamentally, I mean. Obviously.
My late friend Dennis Mullen spent time in Port Antonio and told me Fleming was a guest of Errol’s Titchfied Hotel along with a young Sean Cannery.
The iconic Dr No scene of Ursula Andress in the white bikini was not filmed any where near Port Antonio! It was filmed on Ian Fleming’s private beach at Goldeneye, Ocho Rios.
Thank you for that, Petsy. Much appreciated.
And thank you, David, for that great info from Dennis! I believe Chris Blackwell has verified Errol meeting Fleming, too. I believe some of the Bond character and novels are occasionally influenced by Errol, also. Perhaps Ian was reluctant to openly credit or praise Flynn out of jealousy. After all, Errol was a much more renowned figure, and even Fleming’s wife, Blanche, may have had a thing for Errol. Wouldn’t be surprising at all if Fleming withheld praise. He was not known as such a gracious person anyhow. You might want to check with Chris, Petsy.
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Thanks for that. I will check with Chris.The only thing that puzzles me are the dates. Filming on Dr No didn’t start till after Errol died. So while Ian may well have met Flynn, I doubt Connery did. Re Scott Fitzgerald, he was a sublime writer, unlike the awful Hemingway who was horrid about Errol, but very tiresome. I would much rather have spent time talking to Flynn, who had far better manners! Petronella
You and Flynn could have had a lot of fun together, PW. With your outstanding looks, intellect and personality, you two would have definitely generated some big and noteworthy sparks!
Not sure if the future James Bond ever met Errol, but he did make his film debut with Errol and Anna circa ’54:
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Here you go, Petsy. You may want to check with Chris for further details. Blanche believed Errol was the most handsome man she had ever seen and may well have had had an affair with him. This may explain why Ian never said anything to your father. I wouldn’t be surprised if Zelda Fitzgerald preferred silly old Errol, too. Sheila Graham, too.
www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/article1141731.ece…
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Here they both are in Jamaica, Petsy. Silly question, but who would you prefer?
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I will check with Chris: thanks for that. But I doubt Connery could have met Flynn as he did not go to Jamaica until Dr No started filming, by which time Errol was dead. Re Scott Fitzgerald, agree he became very tiresome (though not as bad as Hemingway, who was vicious about Flynn). I would much rather have talked to Errol, who had better manners than both. Petronella
As to which man I would prefer, Fleming or Flynn, I think the fact I am posting on this blog answers your question! P
Regarding CB, PW, Errol made a huge impression on him, and was likely his inspiration to first get involved in his lifelong passion for waterskiing and other watersports. From the NYT:
Chris Blackwell, the big daddy cool of the Island Outpost group — a consortium of glitzster hotels including the Caves, Jakes, Strawberry Hill, Geejam and Ian Fleming’s beach retreat, GoldenEye — remembers the country’s postwar better self, when high tide used to bring Hollywood and royals of every flag. “The first person I ever saw water-ski was Errol Flynn,” says Blackwell, who grew up in Jamaica. Flynn was dressed for cocktails. He had a cigarette holder in his fist “and a dachshund under his arm. I was 12 or 13, and it was the most glamorous thing I’d ever seen.”
www.theerrolflynnblog.com…
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One of the unusual things about Errol is that he never dressed like a ‘movie star.’ He had an understated elegance, with a twist that was entirely his own. He could compete with the most stylish men of the ‘bon ton’, such as Gianni Agnelli and David Somerset, now the Duke of Beaufort, who, in his youth, resembled Flynn physically and was another Fleming inspiration for Bond.c8.alamy.com…
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Noel Coward seemed to have gotten along way better with our man Flynn than Fleming ever could. They shared the same artistic background, while the papa of Bond was still preoccupied with gaining acceptance within the literary circles. This didn`t happen until John F. Kennedy endorsed his “From Russia with love” novel as one of his 10 favourite books. While the film rights had already been sold long ago, it took quite a while to see the first book made into a film. I presume the encounter between Sean Connery and Ian Fleming took place during the shooting of Dr. No: www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-3247729/Bond-Sean-Connery-real-charmer-fairly-unknown-good-actor-right-looks-physique.html…
007 has Errol written all over him, but Ian kept mummy about his influences and one can only speculate why there is virtually no trace of a social mingeling between Jamaican neighbours Fleming and Flynn.
Do not know if this is based on evidence or speculation, but this spanking new article asserts that Errol was invited to GoldenEye, by the Big I.F. himself:
“GoldenEye, the near-mythical getaway that counts Grace Jones, Jay-Z, Katherine Zeta Jones and Kate Moss as regulars. Before that, its original owner and Bond author, Ian Fleming, would invite Noël Coward, Errol Flynn, Katherine Hepburn and Truman Capote to unwind at his Caribbean outpost.”
www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/goldeneye-jamaica…
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