New Years with Nora And Ida:
On the A++ Guest List at one or more of Jack & Mary Benny’s legendarily lavish New Years Eve Parties:
Lucy lived right next to the Benny’s, on Roxbury
— Tim
Archive for the ‘Flynn and…’ Category
New Years with Errol — Ring in with Flynn
31
Dec
Beyond the Blue Sky
09
Dec
Frank “Spig” Wead: The Legend Behind Dive Bomber
From “The Moguls and the Dictators: Hollywood and the Coming of World War II”
Further information and research assistance is available from the following sources:
From Gale CenGage Primary Resource Research Libraries:
From “Warner Brothers Screenplays, 1930-1950”
Screenplay: Frank Wead, Robert Buckner.
Dive Bomber.
(1941)
Producer: Hal B. Wallis; Director: Michael Curtiz; Principal Cast: Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray; Source: Original story, “Beyond the Blue Sky,” by Frank Wead; Script: Treatment. Beyond the Blue Sky, by Frank Wead. ND. 102 pp. [100/6]; Final. By Wead and Robert Buckner. 11 Mar. with revisions to 30 Apr. 1941. c 145 pp. [101/2].
Reel: 49
From the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences:
§ Manuscripts Biography/History
The Frank “Spig” Wead papers span the years 1851-1994 (bulk 1929-1947) and encompass 5.1 linear feet. The collection consists of production files, stage files, subject files, photographs, and scrapbook pages. The production files include scripts, clippings, and reviews for films on which Wead served as a writer. Of interest are the files for the stage production and film version of “Ceiling Zero” (1936). Other notable production files include those for “Dirigible” (1931) and “The Wings of Eagles” (1957), the latter based on Wead’s life. The subject files contain information on Wead’s naval career and family genealogy, as well as correspondence. There is no correspondence from John Ford, who directed “The Wings of Eagles.” The collection also includes unpublished aviation-related manuscripts by Wead.
News report of the accident that changed Frank Wead’s life, famously depicted in “On Wings of Eagles”, with John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara:
“Lieut. Frank Wead Slips on Stairway of Coronado Home; Operated Upon. Lieut. Frank Wead, one of the best known aviators in the naval service, was operated on for a fractured neck at the naval hospital yesterday morning. Wead sustained the injury which came near costing his life when he slipped and fell from the top of the stairway of his home in Coronado late Wednesday night. The aviator had just moved into the home and was unfamiliar with the staircase. Physicians, following the operation yesterday, said that Wead will recover but it is doubtful if he will be able to fly again. Wead’s outstanding exploit since entering the naval flying corps was his flight against British pilots in the international seaplane races off the Isle of Wight in 1923, when American naval fliers took all the honors.”
— Tim
Errol Flynn at Home — Ready to Swing
07
Dec
Errol with the Stars & Angels
Scroll down to the fifth clip, from the WPA Film Library, titled “Celebs at PCL Baseball Game”.
See Errol “playing baseball”, looking better at the plate than DiMaggio.*
Despite Errol’s best efforts and magnificent batting stance, this is just not cricket.
* Joltin’ Joe’s wife once wowed the crowd at this very same venue, long gone Gilmore Field,along with one of EF’s best friends, the great Mickey Rooney.
** It’s a close call, but Chuck Connors may have been in the pre-game show and playing for the Angels at this event with Errol, before he himself became a Hollywood star of the cinematic type, though not nearly as incandescent as either Errol or Marilyn.
— Tim
Errol’s Elephants
06
Dec
Star Wars Took Charge of Errol’s Elephants
We all know the Star Wars movies are a feast for the eyeballs, but when you think about it, they are also a special treat for the ears, too. According to Mentalfloss, legendary sound designer Ben Burtt got his star on Star Wars fresh out of the University of Southern California’s film school and “was tasked with coming up with a completely new and organic soundscape for the movie.”
Burtt created Chewbacca’s iconic voice by blending the vocalizations of a bear, a lion, a walrus and a badger. The beloved pint-sized droid R2-D2’s endearing chirps were made using loops on a synthesizer matched with beeps and boops modelled after baby coos performed by Burtt. The infamous deep breathing of the evil Darth Vader was created by putting a microphone inside the regulator on a scuba tank.
But our favourite iconic sound, the swooshing shriek of the film’s TIE fighter engines, are — brace yourselves for a shock — the sound of an elephant call mixed with the sounds of a car driving on wet pavement. According to the blog Unidentified Sound Object, Lucas had seen a documentary about the Battle of Stalingrad and told Burtt the sound of the Nazi rockets would make a great laser-gun noise.
That’s when Burtt stumbled on recordings of some stampeding elephants from an old Errol Flynn movie, which he mixed with recordings of cars speeding through puddles in a rainstorm. He slipped the sound in for a screening at the last moment, and everyone went wild. “I’d really put it in because I had no other alternative, but it got great reviews, so naturally it became the sound of the TIE fighters,” the sound legend said.
— Tim
Errol Puts Out a Fire
27
Nov
Mail Bag! Wallace Berry Remembers …
25
Nov
The Mail Bag brings a reply from Wallace Berry to a post by Gentleman Tim. See the original post …
David, Pat Paterson had been on Zaca during its war service. Pat and Babe Lamerdin, Jack Geary and Eric Johnson had all been down in the So Pacific during WW2. They were the original crew that moved Zaca to Newport, and put her in the great condition she was on departure. My tie in was two fold – a Boston Blue nose schooner we owned and sailed on and being part of location/purchase of Zaca with Errol. At the time I was one of the founders of Sausalito yacht club. I was not a professional. I was still in high school.
At the time Flynn, in Newport, suggested a guest crewman spot for me to France on the upcoming trip – that was in the framework of Pat, Babe, Jack all going. My dad approved my going at the time – because of them. At the Mulholland meeting – their salary request was disputed – the next morning on the ship Pat advised I had the ship. And so it stood until departure from Santa Monica.
As to the “cabin Boy” bit – that cropped up with Nora about the time of Acapulco and lasted for about a day. The Hollywood gang had scampered off to LA and that left Bob, Bill, Vince (Hubbs man) and myself – save two or three Mexican crew hired there. We had the 17 Higgins runabout a nice little design and the 26 double ender powered with a little Grey engine. I remained aboard for a time doing light chores and spending time with the Pullen and Shoundoly families. The magazine, newspaper stuff created some reaction in my family (my Dad was KMAG in Korea, at the time) resulting in strong advice to bailout. My injury was also a cause for concern – that’s when I headed for Fort Sam Houston and Brooks hospital.
I did not return to my senior year instead did the GED while in Letterman Presidio and from there was first mate on a large motor yacht owned by the man who ran Pacific Telephone – he fired me and sent me in a direction that put me in the stock market as the youngest trader (for awhile – soon overtaken) …
Time to go, wb
Wallace, thanks so much! We are honored that you take the time to reply …
— David DeWitt
