The Errol Flynn Blog

Dear Flynnstones,

until recently very little was known about child actor Guido Martufi, who played Errol‘s son Jimmy/Gemmy in “The Story of William Tell“.

Little Guido won over Jack Cardiff in a casting, which saw him competing against Flynn‘s real life son Sean.

At 12 years he recently had completed “I Vitelloni“, the Fellini film prior to “La Strada“.

As it turns out this child prodigy had already done a tour to Hollywood before, starring in “Westward the Women“ by “Beau Geste“-director Willam A. Wellman and in Fred Zinnemann‘s “Teresa“.

He would go on after the missed appleshot to act in Selznick‘s remake of  “Farewell to the Arms“ and appear in some comedies of Totó, the Italian Charlie Chaplin.

Then at age 20 he would abruptly stop and never act again.

In an Italian interview in 1999 he promised a biography by an American film journalist, which by the sheer size of his work would have made for the slimmest book east of the English Kamasutra.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear Flynnstones,

Enjoy,

— shangheinz

Dear Flynnstones,

as this picture shows, Rufus Edward Mackahan could have held his own as Robin Hood. Billed Alan Hale, he instead got to play Little John in film on three occasions and for the respective generations. A whale of hails to Errol’s most trusted side-, back- and frontkick.

Enjoy.

— shangheinz

Dear Flynnmates, for some actresses filming with Errol Flynn equals a life insurance.

Maureen O`Hara lived for 95 years, Lady Livvie even saw 104 and recently Mrs. Waltraut Haas celebrated her 94th birthday.

The co-co-star from his unfinished Will Tell epic overcame a stunt-worthy fall down her staircase and plans on a big party once the corona`s box is closed again.

Errol still vividly is on her mind in her new autobiography “But now I  tell it…”

When he fell ill during the ill fated shoot, she cooked him chicken soup.

But when approached by King Farouk for a liaison in exchange for funding the film, she left the post production scene in a hurry.

She has no regrets of not making it to Hollywood (“I wouldn`t have wanted my nose shortened, anyway”), since she had a fabulous career in Europe starring alongside local greats Peter Alexander, Jopi Heesters and Curd Juergens.

I raise a glass of apple wine to her.

Enjoy,

— shangheinz