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Author Archive

Royale Encore

22 Oct

Dear Flynnstones,

the gaze says it all.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

 

Errol Royale

22 Oct

Dear Flynnstones,

what can you say?

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

 

Skiing like Flynn

18 Oct

Dear Flynnstones,

slipping and sliding on the slopes: When Errol Flynn Skied at Alta – SeniorsSkiing.com…

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

 

Rhett Blood

16 Oct

Dear Flynnstones,

whenever I see these two cinematic giants engage in conversation, I imagine Captain Blood pitching his idea to Rhett Butler of doing a movie together.  As Errol stated he had planned a film, correct me if I am wrong, called “Two Brothers“. To which that formidable Gable guy replied: “Nah, you‘re making me look too old.“

Another of Flynn‘s projects, that didn’t see the projection light, was his „Three Amigos“-script, very probably depicting the antics of him alongside Freddie McEvoy and Teddy Stauffer, south of the Mexican Border. Some highlights were filed by the FBI, some glints revealed by the respective biographies of Stauffer and Linda Christian. All of them would have made for tantalizing titillating Tinseltown talk.

Enjoy,

 

— shangheinz

 

Color me Curtiz

01 Oct

Dear Flynnstones,

which film, which scene, which date?

Guess,

— shangheinz

 

The Pirate Bride

30 Sep

Dear Flynnstones,

Livvie was a lady, but Errol`s bride not to be also wore those pirates` boots very well.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

 

A lotta Bette

28 Sep

Dear Flynnmates,

a nice lot of Errol and Bette came under the hammer lately. Did anybody here have the good fortune to come up with the winning bid?

I dunno about you, but this pic gives me an inkeling of an idea that the tandem of those temperamentous two could actually have worked well in “Gone with the Wind“. Very differently to Gable and Leigh, but still…

Davis‘ diva antics are immortalized marvellously by a striking Susan Sarandon opposite an equally convincing Jessica Lange playing Joan Crawford in the first season of FEUD. Flynn‘s in in spirit only.

Smack,

— shangheinz

 

Sophia not-to-be-a

22 Sep

Dear Flynnstones,

happy 90th birthday to Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone, also known as Signoria Sophia Loren. To her fellow italians she either is “La Loren“ or  “Sophia Nazionale“, being the national treasure she is.

Errol known to make a pass at any female beauty, sursprisingly passed on her, when director Jack Cardiff suggested her for the lead in their ill fated Will Tell tale.

“My casting director, Michael Washensky, had mentioned an attractive girl called Lazzaro, who worked as an extra but desperately wanted the sucurity of a contract. She was eighteen, tall and lanky, and her shyness was accentuated by her scanty knowledge of English. But it was her eyes that interested me. Large, luminous and slanted slightly upwards, they were tender brown, witha subtle topaz glint. Eyes that would be difficult for any man to forget. Her nose was long and her lips were large and sensous. She had a voluptous grace that reminded me of a Parmigianino madonna. She was definitely star material, and I decided to make a screen test. I dressed her in a black silk outfit, and she looked terrific. Errol returned from his trip to Germany and saw the test. I noticed he was a little more drunk as usual. The test was excellent; the girl had kind of Rita Hayworth glamour, and I had shot extra large close-ups to show those unforgettable eyes. I naturally expected Errol to be enthusiastic but, to my astonishment, he was not impressed: ‘Sorry, I can see nothing in this girl… nothing at all.’

The part of Anna Walden went to italien actress Antonella Lualdi, not to Miss Extravaganza of 1950.

Sophia not-to-be Anna came as close to filming with Flynn when she did El Cid with Charlton Heston, a movie vehicle considered for Errol Flynn in the 50s.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

 

Storming Fair Weather

14 Sep

Dear Flynnstones,

in an appendix to www.theerrolflynnblog.com…

here is a hilarious account about what Ol‘Errol is all about: www.caymancompass.com…

Once a pirate, always a pirate.

Enjoyoyoy,

— shangheinz

 

Secret Sirvice

08 Sep

Dear Flynnstones,

meet Sir Anthony Jenkinson, descendent of the 2nd Lord Liverpool, when he visited Errol at Elstree Studios in 1952.

They got acquainted probably via mutual friend David Niven in Hollywood of 1938.

The Etonite worked as wartime correspondent during WWII and was assigned by his school friend Commander Ian Fleming to the Carribean on a secret mission to document the activities of Nazi submarines in the area.

He was accompanied on this snoop cruise by none other than Hemingway‘s brother Leicester. Big Brother wrote in ernest about their adventures in the book (not the song!) “Islands in the Stream“.

Sir Alex was the first journalist to interview Chairman Mao and may have given Flynn the idea to do so likewise with Fidel Castro.

Jenkinson set up shop, a shipyard to build schooners, in Jamaica, where the seafarer and the swashbuckler again often met.

Ahoy,

— shangheinz