The Errol Flynn Blog

Thank you for that great, new information, Karl. I find this a Fantaztic topic. The devil’s in the details.

The Warner Brothers letter is certainly unequivocal, but I have to be skeptical of their response. After all, the most famous “Tasmanian Devil” in the world when the cartoon was published and copyrighted in 1954 was Errol Flynn. Very few in America had ever seen or possibly even heard of a Tasmanian Devil before the cartoon. Errol, however, was calling himself that in Hollywood for years before.

True, it’s been said, as in the quotes below, that the cartoon figure was not inspired or named after Errol because Errol had already left Warner Brothers. Well, actually, I think that may well prove the opposite, that Warner’s would NOT have put out the cartoon if Errol still was with the studio. Moreover, if Jack Warner ever made it known that Errol was the inspiration, Flynn would most assuredly, IMO, have demanded a hefty, advance cut of the action and copyright. At least, that’s my thinking. (And, circa ’54 especially, JW probably felt like sticking to Flynn anyhow.)

What makes me believe Errol was some sort of inspiration even more is the fact that the creator of Taz Devil, Robert McKimson, most definitely knew of Flynn and Flynn’s unparalleled attributes and reputation. In fact, McKimson, who was only a year younger than Errol, lived and worked in Hollywood and at WB, and was the cartoonist most responsible for the design of Bugs Bunny, Errol’s co-star in Rabbit Hood. He definitely knew Errol! – including his voracious appetite (for sex, something they couldn’t directly depict in a children’s cartoon) and his great ability to cause chaos and commotion. Perhaps most important of all to note is that cartoonists, especially on the level of McKimson and his WB colleagues, have preeminent creative thought processes, which, IMO, would have assured they did not miss and were not to some extent influenced by the Flynn connection …

Additionally, it should be noted that both Taz Devils were nocturnal creatures, and, according to this cartoon, both liked wild ducks.

www.dailymotion.com…

All circumstantial evidence perhaps, and would be hard to prove in a copyright trial, but, nonetheless, I think the Tasmanian Devil was inspired by the Tasmanian Devil.

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“Tasmanian Devil” by David Owen and David Pemberton is a well-illustrated and researched overview of the natural and human history of the largest living marsupial carnivore.”

“A chapter of course is spent on the history of the famous Warner Brothers cartoon character Taz. Some have speculated that Warner Brothers studios had another Tasmanian in mind when they created the character, Errol Flynn, who worked for the studio.* Errol Flynn in his autobiography even titled the first chapter “Tasmanian Devil, 1909-1927″.

Robert McKimson based the character on the real life Tasmanian devil, or more specifically its carnivorous nature, voracious appetite, and surly disposition. Owen and Pemberton suggest that the character of the Tasmanian Devil was inspired by Errol Flynn. The most noticeable resemblance between the Australian marsupial and McKimson’s creation is their ravenous appetites and crazed behavior.”

“It would seem [however] that that was merely coincidence as the authors provide the history of the development of the character (for all his fame only five Taz cartoons were made between 1954 and 1964 until his 1990 resurrection) and of the legal battles involving the character (Warner Brothers had trademarked the name Tasmanian Devil, a fact that has bothered and hampered many Tasmanians’ use of their iconic animal in economic matters and in promoting tourism).”

“* And was the son of Professor Theodore Thomson Flynn, a pioneering 20th century mammologist, and world expert on Tasmanian Devils.”
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Cartoonists loved to caricature Flynn!

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