Thanksgiving, 1938
Errol Flynn’s Thanksgiving present from Lili Damita was a long distance call from Paris. It was collect and cost him $73.*
Here’s Lili hosting a cocktail party at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris, November 1938. Her guests include Ann Warner, Marlene Dietrich, Anderson Lawler, and Vera Matzouki.
* $73 in 1938 = $1348.11 in 2020
— Tim
Tim, that is no big deal, Errol had the cash he was making close to 5000 a week, as an A-listed star. Besides, it was a call from his wife
Today, Flynn would have an iPhone with an APP that could get calls from Paris it would be free
Excellent point, Jack. Besides, it was probably worth at least 10 times that to keep Lili thousands of miles and an ocean away from him …even if it did mean having to pay through the nose for her to party in Paris with that sewing circle of hers, at the opulent Hotel Plaza Athénée, no less. That, by the way, is the trip where Marlene Dietrich is said to have seduced JW’s wife, Ann Alvarado Page Warner, including with a wild tour of Gay Paris’ underground spots. She, a very attractive woman, looks quite worn out to me in this photo. Not so old pros Lili and Marlene!
As one example (where Errol may have actually earlier had to engage in some defensive combat):
Reportedly at The Monacle:
“Damita calmly stood by while a gang of women in white ties beat Flynn senseless before handing him over to the gensdarme to spend a night in the cell.”