After spending a few days in Good Samaritan Hospital in L.A. from September 25, 1938 with pneumonia, Errol is back home with Lily by the 28th, after her return from New York City.
We will pick it up from there …
— Topper
Archive for the ‘Travels’ Category
Errol Flynn in Alaska and More!
01
Aug
Errol, and a group of four entertainers, spent over a month on a USO tour of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, cheering up the troops stationed at the U.S. outposts there during World War II.
This map and time frame tries to pinpoint their destinations based on a wide variety of sources … from Army records to some soldiers personal photos (and even some of those documents were contradictory).
Enjoy!
— Topper
At the Hut
21
Feb
Dear Flynnstones,
Christian’s Hut opened on Catalina Island in 1935, as a bar for the crew working on the film “Mutiny on the Bounty” The bar was located right under Clark Gable’s room and was named after Clark Gable’s character in the film.
After filming was completed, owners Art LaShelle and Joe Guido moved the operation (in name only) to to Balboa Island in Newport Beach in a building that was the old Southern Seas Club. They draped the building with netting, added a dock, and introduced the Tahitian-style restaurant Christian’s Hut. The sand-floored ground-level bar was frequented by the likes of Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart and Fred MacMurray. Their bouncer, Don Vaughn invented a new concept in throwing out unruly customers; he carried them out to the end of the pier and threw them into the bay.
Read more here: tikicentral.com…
The mascot for Christian’s Hut was “the Goof,” whose genesis is not known; it was basically just a funny-looking head that topped the building. The Goof can now be seen atop Bali Hai (www.balihairestaurant.com…) in San Diego.
There were a handful of other locations that were never as popular as the original on Balboa Island. Unfortunately, Christian’s Hut burned down in 1963 and the site is now home to the Newport Towers condominiums.
Here is Errol at the hut. He lingers on in tour guide Mang’s memories.
Balboa Island Museum’s “Golden Age of Newport Harbor” Movie Premieres at Balboa Yacht Club
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
The Old Sport and the Sea
23
Nov
Dear Flynnstones,
the A-list of anglers anchored at the Cabo Blanco Fishing Club situated at the Peruvian Pacific Coast more than 1000 miles north of its capital Lima.
Amongst them were the prime actors of their time, the likes of Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Bob Hope, Gregory Peck and Errol Flynn.
Membership fees of 10.000$ a year kept the club, which also ran a hotel, a bar as well as a restaurant, extremely exclusive.
This elusive hideaway became one of Ernest Hemingway‘s favorite haunts. The Chicagoean writer of writers loved this deep sea fishing paradise, where the biggest of marlins (black ones) went straight to heaven, mucho! Don Ernesto even caught the Nobel Prize there. Due to his poor health at the time after two plane crashes in Africa, he was unable to haul in the mega marlin he already had hooked. Sometimes you win, when you lose.
Years later Papa came back to supervise the filming of “The Old Man and the Sea‘ in person. Folklore has it, he can be seen in some scenes,
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
In the Trenches
14
Nov
Dear Flynnstones,
this blogbook entry comes in reference to both the Columbo and the travel kit post from not long ago. Travelin’ like Flynn saw our Hollywood hero mostly dressed in a trenchcoat wearing a hat at a rakish angle. Errol practically went from cloak and dagger to coat and swagger.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Flynn`s Footsteps- Sloping and Sliding in Switzerland
26
Sep
Dear Flynnstones,
Sankt Moritz is another great storytelling venue Errol Flynn set foot on.
His best man Freddie McEvoy was a regular guest at the famous Badrutt`s Palace Hotel with is first wife, the oil heiress Beatrice Cartwright.
Even though “Pleasure was his business”, Suicide Freddie was not idling his time at the terrace of the luxury hotel all the time.
After winning the gold medal in the Four Men Bobsleigh event at the 1937 World Championship of St. Moritz, he set his sight on the Cresta Run.
He came in second to US war hero Billy Fiske in the 1937 Curzon Cup, the most important race of the season from Junction (abbreviated track).
Our man Flynn tried his luck and risked his looks once there also on January 26th of 1953.
Trained by veteran competitor Colin Mitchell he managed a (respectable for an actor) time of 119.40 seconds from Junction.
Jokingly he addressed the press and said he would have arrived earlier had he not exited the course to sip champagne with a blonde curvier than the notorious Shuttlecock corner.
At Hotel Steffani there is a whole bar dedicated to the icey race.
Barbara Hutton and flynntimo Count Troubetzkoy (A bus line back one century in time « The Errol Flynn Blog) dinned at restaurant “Le Lapin Bleu”
At the foyer, unlike an apple impossible to miss, is an imposing statue of Swiss national hero William Tell which may have given our Hollywood hero the ultimate spin to ditch “The Story of Farouk” for “The Story of William Tell” as his next film.
Banzai,
— shangheinz
Flynn`s Footsteps – the Gulf of the Sleeping Giant
21
Apr
Dear Flynnstones,
as soon as Errol set foot on italian soil he was treated like royalty. Contrary to Orson Welles whose escape act to Europe did not turn into a love affair with press and producers, Flynn felt right at home. His first film in Italy of course was “Crossed Swords”, filmed at Castello Lancelotti in Lauro roughly an hour`s drive from Naples.
More Commedia dell`Arte spoof than swashbuckler the secretive sequel to “The Adventures of Don Juan”, is mostly famous for the launch of Gina Lollobrigida`s career.
One of Lollo`s ladies in waiting became Welles new wife. O. Welles in turn was considered for the role of Gessler, the heavy (!) in the upcoming William Tell movie.
The Gulf of Naples is rich with historic landmarks and ripe with lemon groves.
The peninsula of Sorrento boasts the most 5 star restaurants per square mile worldwide. No wonder our Hollywood hero decided to prolong his stay to show Jack Warner how (not) to make movies back in 1953.
Errol Flynn resided at the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, which offers a splendid view of the namesake, who the people of Napoli respectfully refer to as “the sleeping giant”.
Over a million people live at the foot of the not yet extinct vulcano. Theirs is a state of mind very comparable to those in SF and LA, living passionately in the moment.
If you like me can`t afford the Grand Hotel, be a baron for a day at the Palazzo del Barone. The owner is a real one of the esteemed line of the Coluccis.
We know from his diary entries, that Errol went to to Pompeii, but the must see along the Amalfitanian Coast are the dome of Amalfi.
And on top of that, literally because it is situated high on the hills of the town of Ravello, the Villa Rufolo.
The Zaca went to Capri at least once, in 1949 when chartered by Rita Hayworth and husband Aly Khan.
There, if you feel like feeling blue, but in a good way, take a rowing boat and enter the “grotta Azzurra”.
It was in the province of Campania, that Flynn tried to resurrect his film career.
He was the toast of even the smallest of towns and never once did feel the night coming on.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Tracing Errol‘s Footsteps on Mallorca
23
Mar
Hello dear Flynnthusiasts,
I was fortunate enough to spend a bit over a week on Mallorca this month and, besides admiring the spectacular scenery and fascinating history, visited some of the places connected to our man Flynn.
First and foremost I spent a night at the Hotel Maricel (couldn‘t afford more) where Errol stayed several times. Of course it has been completely refurbished and modernized since then but on the outside it hasn‘t changed much.
Here is a view from the terrace of the Maricel – Es Moli was just behind the ugly condo buildings.
Of course I also looked for the remains of Es Moli. When it was demolished, a part of the tower was salvaged and set up in a small park close to the original location. It is now called Plaza la Gargola – unfortunately there is no sign explaining the origins but it is nice to know that they saved at least a small part of the building.
Very close by it is possible to access the beach where Es Moli once stood. Now the bay is surrounded by ugly condo buildings but if you compare today‘s view to the old picture you get a good idea of how nice it must have been there back then.
Last but not least I looked for the commemorative plaque set up for Errol and Pat. It wasn‘t easy to find although it is right next to a busy street but in the end I managed. I found it very touching that people there obviously had such good memories of their stay that they set up this plaque.
— Claudia
Big in Brazil
09
Mar
Queridas pietras do Flynn,
mira aqui El Guapo nuestro en Sudamerica.
Mucho gusto,
— shangheinz
Mr Fegerl’s journey to Jamaica
06
Mar
Some time back, when I posted the info about Mr Fegerl’s new book, there was a question as to why the pages below were included. Mr Fegerl gave me the permission to publish these pages on the blog. They relate to a private journey he made in Flynn’s footsteps. Hope you’ll enjoy.
— Inga
