Why a book about Errol Flynn’s house? Well, when you think about it, why not – it’s going to give as good an insight into his personality as anything. Because Errol lived at Mullholland Drive for longer than anywhere else in his life; he designed the place himself, he went through some of the best times of his life – and some of the worst. Massive parties, police arriving to inform him of the rape allegations, the trial, making his best and worst films, increasing addiction to alcohol and drugs, an unhappy second marriage, legal fights with Lili, flings with Ida Lupino, carousing with mates... It all happened at Mullholland.
Errol designed Mullholland as his dream house, so we see all aspects to the man: it was high up on a mountain, had great view and lots of privacy, featured a study to write, a swimming pool and tennis court to play sport, a separate hut for cockfights and gambling and who-knows-what-else (okay, we know – orgies), a guest bathroom for visiting ladies… with a two-way mirror (observed behind the bar – room for a mate to sit in, too), another two-way mirror in the ceiling of the guest bedroom (viewable from the attic), an escape stairway from his bedroom (why would you need that from your own house?), no specific front door. Clearly a man who loved a good time (parties, sex), and had a strong kinky streak, but who also liked peace and quiet.
You can say Errol got a raw deal a lot of the time (the rape charges, financial persecution from Lili, bad publicity over Objective Burma) – but honestly he brought a lot of it on himself. He was a nasty drunk, he lacked the discipline to write even though it gave him such great joy, Warners gave him chances at other types of roles (screwball comedies, mysteries, melodramas) but the public didn’t like him then as much as the action stuff, he became unprofessional on set, he wasted lots of his money, even when up for statutory rape he continued to see underage girls, he kept getting in brawls. A lot of the time I kept muttering, "Errol, you idiot!" But people can't change their natures, I guess - if he hadn't been such a charming rogue, he wouldn't have been Errol Flynn. I will only add that just because a man attracts women easily, doesn't mean he can't be a rapist.
I found the rest of the book, about the other people who lived there, surprisingly interesting. It helped that the final owner was Ricky Nelson, teen heart throb and actor – I didn’t realise the poor guy was so shy or had such a bad divorce; his sons played a lot of music there, leading to their band, Nelson. The one before him was Sturt Hamblen, very different from both, although in showbusiness: he wrote songs like “This Ole House’. He was a Christian, clean living, and a big family man. When he moved in he had to remove truckloads of empty vodka bottles from where they'd been thrown by Errol and his mates.
I really enjoyed this book. Plenty of interesting facts, and gorgeous, fascinating photos. I particularly liked the snaps of various parties: Errol talking with Ida Lupino (I didn’t know they had an affair), Nora at dinner, Gary Cooper and Raoul Walsh watching a fencing match, etc. Definitely worth getting if you're an Errol Flynn (or Ricky Nelson) fan.
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