Here is a snippit of an email from pal Karl Holmberg. Notice the similarities in the two photos.
— David DeWitt
Unreleased Nicole Kidman Film ‘Princess Grace’ will air on LIFETIME Channel
21
May
We had spoken here at the blog about the big-budget film production ‘Princess Grace’ starring Nicole Kidman in the title role. It was shot at least two years ago but the producers decided against releasing it to theatres. It is scheduled to be telecast May 25, 2015 on the LIFETIME Channel, with many repeats. The rumors in Hollywood were that this extremely lavish film was a beautiful-looking bore. Now we may jusge for ourselves! See you at the movies Ralph Schiller
— rswilltell
Thank Your Blu-Ray Stars
21
May
“Errol Flynn Dances
… And He’s Terrific”
With a Voice Divine, He Won the War – and He Won the One Before:
(with Mack the Knave at the bar)
Errol Flynn, the Sailor Man:
— Tim
Trial Run
19
May
I am doing this as a trial run. I frequently have comments, but I have been stymied by my computer ignorance. Fortuneately, David has taken pity on me, and explained to me (again!) how to post, so here goes! If I am truly able to get on, I will start doing so more often (fair warning!). Please, if you ever have criticisms regarding something I post, please let me know. I may or may not agree with you, but I will not be insulted and will welcome back and forth discussion. I hope I will always be polite. I certainly will try to.
Kevin Kiernan
— kevin kiernan
Mailbag! Karl Holmberg, Flynn & Fettucini
18
May
Mailbag! Karl Holmberg, Flynn & Fettucini
18 May
Our dear chum Karl Holmberg writes in part recently:
Recently, through Tim, on EFB appeared a photo of Flynn and Fettuccini.
There is a story behind it, actually more than one, so… read on.
This photo is displayed rather prominently at one restaurant in Rome, Italy. And it wasn’t always the case. The Restaurant goes by the name of Alfredo Alla Scofa. And it was here that the photo was taken (probably in 1953 and around the time of the William Tell production). And this physical location also happens to be where, reputedly, Fettucini Alfredo was born.
But, there is more than one Alfredo’s also making this claim- each with a slightly different slant on the controversy. So here’s the general background:
Now having read through the previous link, it turns out that “Alfredo alla Scrofa”, begun in 1911 or 1914, wins the prize for being not only the oldest establishment but also, the only one to make the claim of being the 1st Alfredo’s that Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford visited on their honeymoon in 1920.
[This is the restaurant that Doug Sr and Pickford put on the “Ocean Liner” (currently “Jet”) set list of places to “BE”. And the story goes because they so loved the (new and unknown) Fettucini Alfredo dish, their entire visit was spent dining every evening at Alfredos. And on their final night they gifted him a golden fork and spoon; another version says it was in exchange for the secret recipe).
As you will see, through the virtual tour link below, this restaurant is decorated throughout with the many celebrity visitors’ photographs taken over the years.
The 1950 born restaurant, Il Vero Alfredo, (next to the tomb of Augustus) is a much newer and larger building and filled with photos of celebrities as well. All of their photos are labeled with the recognizable star names (first and last) except for 2: “Mr. Hitchcock” and “Perry Mason”. It’s has a different (more modern) feel to it. And, as Douglas Fairbanks Sr. passed in December, 1939 it would not have been possible for him to have “visited”.
The “background” link above also speaks of 2 additional sites, both in America. And they came well after: Alfredo’s at Epcot, and another in NYC (see it’s famous icon image attached). Epcot has since closed, and Alfredo of Rome of NY has relocated near Rockefeller Center to 7 East 54 street.
And now to the point of mentioning all this.
I have visited Alfredo alla Scrofa over the years; my last time being in July 2013. And at that time was delightfully surprised in finding a “decorating change”. It was such a change that it prompted me to pick up a hard cover copy of the McNulty book, send it to Tom for a dedication, (after explaining the story, of course) and ultimately on to the (alla Scrofa) owner himself.
Here, then, is a virtual tour of Alfredo alla Scrofa. As you first walk into the restaurant, there is an large archway flanked by paneling with a double row of photographs and ABOVE THIS, FLANKING THE ARCHWAY, and above all the rest, are 2 much larger photos: the “Fettuccine Flynn” shot and “Brigitte Bardot leaving the restaurant”. If you take the tour through the link you will see the “lay of the land” and the “complement” being paid:
So, as you can see, a MOST REVERED position of photo placement at the original home of Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome: Alfredo Alla Scrofa!
So, until next time, may I wish you…
Buon Appetito!
Karl
Thanks, Karl!
— David DeWitt
Letter from Sean
18
May
A letter from Sean Flynn to his father recently sold in auction. Apparently, Errol had suggested to Sean that he should become an actor and the 16 year old Sean angrily rejected the idea. An angry 16 year old is not surprising. But I don’t think a father encouraging his handsome son that he could be successful in films is a bad thing. The article strongly suggests that Errol was attempting to use Sean for his own gain. I’m not so sure. 
.
— zacal
Return to the Garden of Allah
16
May
Errol is mentioned a few times in this article about the Garden of Allah. For example: “The inveterate womaniser Errol Flynn initially shared a villa with British star David Niven, but liked to return to the Garden in between marriages so he could misbehave freely.
Flynn had a particular seduction technique at the Garden — his villa faced the pool and, every morning, his secretary would place a bottle of champagne with two glasses on a table beside the prettiest female sunbather.
The actor would later emerge looking immaculate and ask the lucky girl if she would share the bottle with him. Veteran residents liked to bet how long it would take him to lure the woman back to his villa.”
— zacal
A nugget out of the Korngold mine
15
May
Dear fellow Flynn fans,
in 2007 an exhibition called “The Korngolds- Cliché, Critic & Composition” was shown at the Jewish Museum of Vienna to commemorate 50th years since the passing of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. See: www.korngold-society.org…
Attending this event was the Maestro`s granddaughter Kathrin Korngold, herself an accomplished ventriloquist, pardon, violinist of course! Here is an excerpt of the adressing speech she gave on opening night.
I am often asked whether I remember my grandfather. Regrettably, I was only three years old when he passed away, but for the last year of his life, my family lived immediately next door to his home, just a short distance from the Warner Bros. Studios. My memories of that time are shadowy at best, but my life has been punctuated and enriched by accounts of Korngold’s early life as a child prodigy, his musical career both in Vienna and Hollywood, his generous and benevolent spirit, his legendary quickwitted Viennese humor, the memorabilia that filled my childhood home and of course, the music. Always the music.
The genesis of the Korngold Renaissance dates back to 1972, owing to an RCA recording of the Warner Bros. film score classic, “The Sea Hawk”, produced by my uncle, George Korngold, and the esteemed conductor, Charles Gerhardt. The span of Korngold’s Hollywood career was relatively short – a mere twelve years — and yet its significance remains indisputable. In 1938, after having traveled between Vienna and Hollywood for several years, and having established himself as an Academy Awardwinning composer, Korngold was forced to make a critical decision that would have a long-lasting effect on his life, as well as that of his family. He was invited to compose the score for a film called “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, agreed, and then, having viewed a screening, had a change of heart feeling that it was, as he put it — “no picture for him”. On February 12th, Helene Thimig, wife of the famed director and impresario, Max Reinhardt, called the Korngolds who were now in California, warning them that it was “all over” in Vienna. To quote my grandmother, “Under the crucifying influence of the news we had just heard on the telephone, Erich began to reflect on the matter. My grandfather acquiesced and went on to earn his second Oscar for “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.
Fifty years ago, Erich Wolfgang Korngold died in Hollywood, brokenhearted – believing himself a forgotten man. I would like to close this evening, by articulating how deeply gratified our family is to know that Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the man and his music, have been welcomed once again to Vienna, the city he knew and loved so well. Indeed, the child prodigy has, at last, come home again.
Over the past 10 years, since my father’s death, I have seen my Family role evolve to that of an ambassador – a caretaker of my grandfather’s legacy, if you will — and now, my greatest pleasure derives from corresponding with scholars and artists who are keen to research and perform the Korngold repertoire. In doing so, I am fulfilling the promise that I made in 1987 to my Uncle George, shortly before his death – to do all that I could to help Korngold’s star continue to rise.
True to her word, Mrs. Korngold was very forthcoming when I approached and asked her what she knew about an abandoned Errol Flynn soundtrack of her grandfather. In Brendan Carroll`s Korngold biography, The Last Prodigy, the topic of a Don Juan score is mentioned.
She said that she could only answer speculatively about her grandfather’s view of the abandoned Don Juan mission. As Flynn’s drinking bouts were the cause of the delay in shooting this film, she imagined that Korngold was disappointed. However, by 1945, she believed that he was already feeling somewhat disillusioned with the quality of his film assignments, and was ready to return to his concert works. Poor health prevented him from taking on Forever Amber at Twentieth Century Fox, as well as The Adventures of Don Juan at Warner Brothers. He however did some sketches for a main theme.
I was allowed to order them from the Korngold Collection and show them to you here on the blog. Mrs. Kathy K., your heart is a Korngold mine- Danke schön!
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Looks Like Lili may have been On a Big Time Rebound When She Hooked Up with Errol!
14
May
Well, well. Another twist in the anything-but-Liliputian life of Lili Damita. Turns out she may have been dumped by a notable Englisman/Australian for a German Baroness not long before she met Errol – or possibly she did the dumping?
Lili appears to have been on the rebound when she met Errol! She was previously engaged or at least pre-engaged to marry a rather notable Englishman/Australian, Hugo Brassey, with very strong and high level connections Down Under – he was the grandson of the govenour of Victoria, Thomas Brassey and his then very well-known author-wife, Annie Brassey, as well as the nephew of His Excellency of New South Wales. Brassey appears to left Lili in 1935 and married a German baroness, Baroness von Bodenhausen related to the Queen of England. (The Baroness may have also been possibly related to the 19th Century painter, Baron von Bodenhausen, but I haven’t confirmed that.)
In the same timeframe, Hugo Brassey became a key figure in the development of Dunk Island, a notable Great Barrier Reef resort location, frequented by many VIPs and celebrities over the years, including Sean Connery:
Interestingly, the Brasseys have a strong official Northhampton connection, too.
I wonder what all those Brasseys thought when the brash and brassey Errol Flynn – with a quite unique and controversial reputation in both New South Wales AND Northhampton – married Hugo’s ex-fiancee!?
Lord Brassey Entertains King Kalakaui. He apparently almost became Lili’s grandfather-in-law.
Stunningly Beautiful Dunk Island, where Lili’s ex took his baroness bride. Wonder what Tiger Lil’ thought of that.
— Tim
