— Maria
Author Archive
Robert Osborne Estate Auction
13
Jun
A Robin Hood book signed by the cast of The Adventures of Robin Hood
Warner Bros., 1938. Pyle, Howard. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935. 296 pp, 4to. Howard Pyle Brandywine Edition, signed by approximately 108 of the film’s cast and crew members, most in ink, some in pencil, with several small cards throughout identifying various departments’ autographs, with a September 23, 1982, article from the Chico Enterprise newspaper about the filming in Chico. An extraordinary collection of autographs of almost every major cast and crew member of Michael Curtiz’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, most inscribed “To Bob” or “To Bobbie.” From September-November 1937, the film’s company was on location in Chico, California, where they were housed at Richardson Springs, a local resort. The autographs in this book were collected by the son of the resort’s owner. Several cast members signed the book below Howard Pyle’s illustrations of their characters. In Pyle’s frontispiece of Robin Hood, Errol Flynn added an arrow pointing to Robin and quips: “God! Is this me? / Errol Flynn.” Under an illustration of Friar Tuck, Eugene Pallette writes: “For / Bob / Eugene Palette / Friar Tuck / Warner Brothers Productions / Oct 1937 / Richardson Springs Butte Co California”; Pallette signed a second time below another illustration of Tuck. Below Pyle’s depiction of Sir Guy of Gisbourne’s death, Basil Rathbone writes: “He may be dead / but thank God I am / very much alive. I have / greatly enjoyed my stay with your / father. / Sincerely / Basil Rathbone.” The book is also signed by Olivia de Havilland (Maid Marian), Melville Cooper (The Sheriff of Nottingham), co-director William Keighley, Una O’Connor, Alan Hale (who added “Little John”), Patric Knowles, Harry Cording (“Dickon Malbete”), Saul M. Gorss (“Double for Flynn”), Herbert Mundin (added “Much De Malleison / Good Luck”), Fred Cavens (“Fencing Master”), and dozens of others.
8 x 12 x 2 in.
8 x 12 x 2 in.
There are some fascinating items at this auction!
— Maria
Letter from Errol to Patrice – Dig -Dig – Dig!
22
Feb
I came across this letter from Errol to either Patrice or her father. It is for sale and I have attached the link:
I have never seen this before.
Maria
— Maria
Images of Flynn
08
Feb
While watching “Midsomer Murders” (S10E1) I happened to see this image on a sign outside a pub (The Airman). I could only capture on my cell phone -but what do you think?
— Maria
Robert Wagner meets Errol Flynn
26
Oct
I have started reading Robert Wagner’s memoir “Pieces of My Heart” and came across a little anecdote. Robert Wagner was totally driven to get into the movies – as a teenager the girls he dated were daughters of movie stars and he made many friendships in those early days.
“One day I was hitchhiking on Sunset Boulevard when it started to rain. A car stopped for me. I hopped in, and when I turned to thank the driver my mouth stopped working. He looked just like Errol Flynn. Dear God it WAS Errol Flynn and I had just seen “Objective Burma”. I gulped and said “you’re Errol Flynn!”. ” Yes I am” he said and the nearness of Errol Flynn was so staggering that that perfectly innocuous exchange is all I can remember of the entire ride.”
Well I can understand that.
He also was a good friend to Roddy McDowall – who apparently purchased many items from Errol’s estate in later years. There is a photo in the book showing a test shot for Lord Vanity in which he was supposed to star with Errol, Clifton Webb and Joan Collins. I guess I better read the rest of the book.
— Maria
Something Truly Monstrous
07
Oct
This is an interesting review of the play “Something Truly Monstrous”. The play is about the infamous night that John Barrymore paid and unexpected visit to Errol’s home..in the DEAD of night!
Very interesting!
— Maria
Five Came back – a story of Hollywood and the 2nd World War
02
Sep
I picked up this book to read during my Muskoka vacation in August. It is by Mark Harris writing about the movies made during the war by the big 5 directors of the time (Capra, Huston, Walsh, Wyler and Ford) and how, once war was declared in 1941, their mission went from entertaining to producing `propaganda`movies for public consumption. Of course there is a brief mention of “Operation Burma` and an interesting line or two-
Did you know that during the scene where the soldiers come upon the mutilated corpses of their comrades, the original script had Errol saying -`There`s nothing especially Japanese about this.. you`ll find it wherever you find Fascists. There are even people who call themselves American who`d do it too“The line was cut as anti Japanese language was preferred. It is an odd sentence to have in a movie about war.
Somehow I can see Errol saying that. I wonder what he thought of the line being cut.
— Maria
