This past Saturday & Sunday being Independence Day Weekend in Mexico, Tijuana was the site of great festivities. For this reason, I chose Saturday to visit the city in honor of Errol’s great affection for and history South of the Border, in Old Mexico.
First stop was Chiki Jai, where Senor Flynn dined & partied with the likes of Ava Gardner & Rita Hayworth. Mr. Hemingway, too! As all at the restaurant enthusiastically agreed, wherever beautiful women gathered in Mexico, Flynn could be found – and where Flynn could be found, beautiful women would be found!
I have much more information regarding this wonderful research trip, but must do so later. Suffice it to say for now, that Errol is still very much remembered and admired in Mexico! (Plus I have an interesting personal story about a connection this restaurant has to a movie that was made in the Eighties.) … Hector, pictured above, sends his greetings and special invite to all on the
Errol Flynn Blog!
P.S. As did Errol & Ernest, I had the paella & sangria. Muy Sabroso!!
— Tim
Wow what a terrific thing to do,it sounds like you had a great time.I bet Errol was there in spirit. :)
Felt like he was, Lollie. … Maybe that’s why the beautiful Isabella Cristina came along!
The Chiki Jai has been located directly across from the Fronton Palacio Tijuana since the mid-40’s and was very popular with jai lai players & fans. Errol, being the great athlete and sportsman that he was, enjoyed watching and betting on games at “the Palacio.
Here’s how the Palacio looked in Errol’s day. The Chiki Jai is directly across the street (to the left) from the statue in this image.
[img]http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2009/11/tijuanajaialai1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=PiiAQhI2mGc1OM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Postcard-Bullfighting-Ring-OLE-Tijuana-Mexico-/390249660855&docid=yRCHnTUst0XN5M&itg=1&imgurl=http://www.billyspostcards.com/media/ccp0/prodlg/32310/image201003230787.jpg&w=720&h=474&ei=5xk6UsXQEonWqAHVuIDACA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=156&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=216&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:85&tx=130&ty=62[/img]
When I visited the Chiki Jai this past weekend, I recognized instantly that I had been in this small corner building before – not in the restaurant itself, but in the landmark underground nightclub below it. Though likely, I do not know if Errol ever visited this particular nightclub, which, under different names, has also existed since the 40’s. But, I do know one smaller “Hollywood” story.
Sometime in the early 80’s, probably ’81 or ’82, my brother, his best friend, and I, visited Tijuana. It was the first or second time in Mexico, I believe, for both my brother’s best friend (who we both knew from high school days) and myself. The friend (let’s call him J.T.) was an aspiring script writer.
I will forever recall this evening fondly, not only because it was my first or second visit to Mexico, but because of a humorously memorable incident that occurred in that nightclub.
As we were sitting there reminiscing over some of the great times we had shared, and our hopes for more, several young ladies decided to join us. In not too long, J.T. – being the character he is – invited those ladies, and a half dozen more, to join us in song. First in his repertoire, was “Don’t Cry for Me Tijuana”, which by the time it was finished had practically everyone in the club very enthusiastically singing along – certainly all the senoritas. …. Maybe it’s a “had to be there” story, but it sure was a day to remember for me. But, there’s more to the story, which is why I bring this up.
The “Hollywood” connection to this story is not merely that J.T. was an aspiring script writer. Rather, it’s that, shortly after our chorus “Don’t Cry for Me, Tijuana”, he told my brother & I that, though he had been struggling to sell his first movie script, he had just finished one he anticipated selling soon. .. And, indeed he did – resulting in a very big hit of a movie in 1983 or so! – and leading to what became and still is a very successful career in Hollywood (for both him and HIS brother!!)
So, maybe just maybe, Errol’s spirit helped with all of this – unbeknownst to us at the time. I don’t feel at liberty to name the scriptwriter or film here and now, but I can tell you Errol would have been great in it. Though it pioneered a somewhat new sub-genre of film, it has some similarities to Objective Burma!
MMMMM paella, but hold the snails and the mussels! LOL!
Love Sangria and my niece makes the best home made Sangria I’ve had! I love to eat the fruit in the bottom MMMM!