Errol Flynn often played Southerners in Westerns – Dodge City, Santa Fe Trail – so it’s no surprise to see him leading a rebel task force towards the end of the Civil War with the aim of starting an insurrection in California. It’s a strong situation and makes for a strong Western, with the small size of Errol’s patrol allows for a bit of character development.
Errol is in strong form as a tired, beaten down soldier, sick of war. The cast include a young Slim Pickens (if you can imaigine such a thing) and Patrice Wymore, who fell in love with Errol during the making of the movie and became his third (and from all accounts nicest) wife. To be honest, she’s not one of the great Errol Flynn co-stars on screen, though she’s pleasant enough. It makes a pleasing change that she doesn’t really romance Flynn – she’s got a sympathetic, brave finacee, a union officer (Scott Forbes).
William Keighley directs well, helped by an excellent location. There’s perhaps a bit too much chatting and not enough action, though there is a fair bit of suspense and a brilliant climax. It has all the Southerners waiting for help to arrive – they realise it’s not going to come, so decide to take on the Indians. There is something moving about the Southerners deciding to wear their colours as they go in for the final battle… and they all get killed! Because the story has similarities with Virginia City (north and south combine to fight Indians) you think the Union soldiers will come to the rescue but they don’t. And because we’ve gotten to know the Confederates quite well it packs a punch. Even if they are fighting for the right to own slaves (Errol owns a plantation) it’s quite touching.
This probably didn’t cost Warners a lot of money. Most of the action consists of a small group of cowboys on a mountain top (there are only a lot of extras at the end); the only star is Flynn. The part of Wymore’s fiancée would have seemed a natural for an up and coming Warners star – Steve Cochran? – but they give it to Forbes (NB who it must be said acquits himself decently).
Still this is a pretty good Western, with a wonderful touch of melancholy about it. With a bit more care and star power it could have become a minor classic.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Movie review – “Escape Me Never” (1947) **
Errol Flynn was supposed to star in The Constant Nymph for Warners but was ushered off into more stereotypical fare – but the film was a hit, so when Warners plumped for a sequel several years later he was allowed to star.
The plot has rich Eleanor Parker break it off with composer Gig Young because she thinks Young has been living with single mother Ida Lupino. Actually Lupino’s been living with Young’s brother, Errol Flynn – so when Parker heads off for the mountains, Flynn and Young accompany him along with Lupino. Flynn falls in love with Parker before finding out who she is – when he does he goes and marries Lupino and Young winds up with Parker. But Parker still loves Flynn.
At this point the film starts to go south – Errol writes a ballet, has a fling with Parker, Lupino’s child dies (a shock), then Errol realises he actually loves Lupino in a really contrived scene and gets back with her.
Errol is well cast as a bohemian composer, a free spirit who’s a bit selfish and a womaniser – though we never really see him be a real bastard. It might have been a better film if he had. He does take off with Parker towards the end and Lupino’s child dies, but if that’s anyone’s fault it’s Lupino’s (for not getting medical help earlier) – and Parker is hot and wants him. What do you expect him to do? But he's still effective, even though he's shaved off his moustache and wears little Austrian outfits when in the mountains. It's not his fault the movie doesn't work.
Ida Lupino is a bit too modern and American as the widowed mother. She is part independent - when Errol takes off, she insists on coming along – part door mat – she wants Errol no matter what. They throw in a few lines where Lupino says she and Flynn are just friends, to which you go “yeah right” – it’s fairly obvious they’re rooting (why else would he live with her? For friendship?)
Eleanor Parker is a stunner- I reckon she’s three times as good looking when she’s in period costume. She and Errol have a charming flirt scene (this was lacking in Never Say Goodbye since they were already married). Her scenes with Errol have genuine heat – so much so towards the end it’s not believable when they don’t get together. Errol and Lupino seem like friends with benefits but Errol and Parker are a hot fling.
It feels like it should be a musical – there are times when you swear the characters are about to sing, like when Errol and Young decide to leave, and when Lupino cuddles her baby after he goes. It's a heavily flawed movie in which the story and some of the casting doesn't work. I think Warners would have been able to pull it off during the studio's great days but they were coming to an end.
The plot has rich Eleanor Parker break it off with composer Gig Young because she thinks Young has been living with single mother Ida Lupino. Actually Lupino’s been living with Young’s brother, Errol Flynn – so when Parker heads off for the mountains, Flynn and Young accompany him along with Lupino. Flynn falls in love with Parker before finding out who she is – when he does he goes and marries Lupino and Young winds up with Parker. But Parker still loves Flynn.
At this point the film starts to go south – Errol writes a ballet, has a fling with Parker, Lupino’s child dies (a shock), then Errol realises he actually loves Lupino in a really contrived scene and gets back with her.
Errol is well cast as a bohemian composer, a free spirit who’s a bit selfish and a womaniser – though we never really see him be a real bastard. It might have been a better film if he had. He does take off with Parker towards the end and Lupino’s child dies, but if that’s anyone’s fault it’s Lupino’s (for not getting medical help earlier) – and Parker is hot and wants him. What do you expect him to do? But he's still effective, even though he's shaved off his moustache and wears little Austrian outfits when in the mountains. It's not his fault the movie doesn't work.
Ida Lupino is a bit too modern and American as the widowed mother. She is part independent - when Errol takes off, she insists on coming along – part door mat – she wants Errol no matter what. They throw in a few lines where Lupino says she and Flynn are just friends, to which you go “yeah right” – it’s fairly obvious they’re rooting (why else would he live with her? For friendship?)
Eleanor Parker is a stunner- I reckon she’s three times as good looking when she’s in period costume. She and Errol have a charming flirt scene (this was lacking in Never Say Goodbye since they were already married). Her scenes with Errol have genuine heat – so much so towards the end it’s not believable when they don’t get together. Errol and Lupino seem like friends with benefits but Errol and Parker are a hot fling.
It feels like it should be a musical – there are times when you swear the characters are about to sing, like when Errol and Young decide to leave, and when Lupino cuddles her baby after he goes. It's a heavily flawed movie in which the story and some of the casting doesn't work. I think Warners would have been able to pull it off during the studio's great days but they were coming to an end.
TV review – "Errol Flynn Theatre" - "Strange Auction" (1957) **1/2
The segment of Errol Flynn Theatre that seems to pop up most on anthologies because it features not only Patrice Wymore but Sean Flynn. Flynn Jnr was a very handsome lout who couldn’t act to save his life – his performance is amateurish with his clanging American accent. (Even though this is an Irish story, it's explained that Sean was educated in the US).
Patrice Wymore plays his mother, who hires hobo Errol Flynn to work as a labourer. Errol and Patrice fall in love – then Sean develops a man crush on Errol and wants to go hobo-ing with him. They do it but eventually come home.
I enjoyed this a lot – Errol is very well cast as the dishevelled, well-educated but ne’er-do-well hobo, and seems to be having the time of his life. The Irish atmosphere is quite good, supporting performances (apart from Sean) are strong, and it makes enjoyable light entertainment all round. A copy of the episode is available here.
Patrice Wymore plays his mother, who hires hobo Errol Flynn to work as a labourer. Errol and Patrice fall in love – then Sean develops a man crush on Errol and wants to go hobo-ing with him. They do it but eventually come home.
I enjoyed this a lot – Errol is very well cast as the dishevelled, well-educated but ne’er-do-well hobo, and seems to be having the time of his life. The Irish atmosphere is quite good, supporting performances (apart from Sean) are strong, and it makes enjoyable light entertainment all round. A copy of the episode is available here.
Movie review – “Another Dawn” (1937) ***
Odd combination of woman’s picture and British Imperial adventure. Ian Hunter and Errol Flynn are jolly decent British officers in a colony called “Dickit” or something – it’s a silly name and this is at times a silly movie, with it’s highly sympathetic depiction of the upper clsses, colourful cockneys and ripe dialogue (“pity a chap like that had to go west”).
Hunter is on leave for two months when he meets and falls for Kay Francis, who is mourning the loss of a dead pilot who she “loved” for “three ecstatic years” (outside of wedlock I presume which is a bit naughty).
I think this is the only Kay Francis movie I’ve ever seen – though I’m familiar with some aspects of her career: apparently she had trouble with her Ws and was a bit of a bitch, was very well paid but became less popular in films and Warners tried to get her to quit by putting her in increasingly humiliating films but she gutsed it out. She’s not bad here – pretty enough with a distinct throaty voice, even if she spends most of the movie delivering dialogue while looking off into the distance.
She plays an interesting character – an American independent woman of means, sexually active, a bit of a necrophiliac: she mainly falls for Errol because she reminds him of her ex, not because of anything special about him. They make eyes at each other but fight the attraction out of devotion to Hunter - fortunately some pesky Arabs come along to sort out people's problems.
There’s a fascinating scene where Errol’s sister admits she’s carried a torch for Ian Hunter for seven years – seven! – and tries to tells Errol about the benefits of such a one sided relationship – to look on wistfully enjoying their achievements, etc. Talk about promoting self-flagellating relationships.
(I made fun of the dialogue but at least it’s a film with a genuine philosophical theme – all about duty and love and making the most of each moment. Bill Collins is a booster of the film for this reason.)
Errol and Ian Hunter are decent chaps – Errol looks handsome and dashing, though there’s only one action sequence (an Arab ambush – we never see the climactic bombing raid). Hunter acquits himself quite well, with the professional aplomb of an actor who’s resigned to being accepted that Errol will out-charisma him (he doesn’t even get a death scene). Like Dawn Patrol this has a climax with two mates squabbling over who gets to go on a suicide mission - the two-British-soldiers-in-love-with-the-same-girl-in-the-middle-east plot also featured in the little remembered Cary Grant film The Last Outpost, a few years earlier.
Hunter is on leave for two months when he meets and falls for Kay Francis, who is mourning the loss of a dead pilot who she “loved” for “three ecstatic years” (outside of wedlock I presume which is a bit naughty).
I think this is the only Kay Francis movie I’ve ever seen – though I’m familiar with some aspects of her career: apparently she had trouble with her Ws and was a bit of a bitch, was very well paid but became less popular in films and Warners tried to get her to quit by putting her in increasingly humiliating films but she gutsed it out. She’s not bad here – pretty enough with a distinct throaty voice, even if she spends most of the movie delivering dialogue while looking off into the distance.
She plays an interesting character – an American independent woman of means, sexually active, a bit of a necrophiliac: she mainly falls for Errol because she reminds him of her ex, not because of anything special about him. They make eyes at each other but fight the attraction out of devotion to Hunter - fortunately some pesky Arabs come along to sort out people's problems.
There’s a fascinating scene where Errol’s sister admits she’s carried a torch for Ian Hunter for seven years – seven! – and tries to tells Errol about the benefits of such a one sided relationship – to look on wistfully enjoying their achievements, etc. Talk about promoting self-flagellating relationships.
(I made fun of the dialogue but at least it’s a film with a genuine philosophical theme – all about duty and love and making the most of each moment. Bill Collins is a booster of the film for this reason.)
Errol and Ian Hunter are decent chaps – Errol looks handsome and dashing, though there’s only one action sequence (an Arab ambush – we never see the climactic bombing raid). Hunter acquits himself quite well, with the professional aplomb of an actor who’s resigned to being accepted that Errol will out-charisma him (he doesn’t even get a death scene). Like Dawn Patrol this has a climax with two mates squabbling over who gets to go on a suicide mission - the two-British-soldiers-in-love-with-the-same-girl-in-the-middle-east plot also featured in the little remembered Cary Grant film The Last Outpost, a few years earlier.
Movie review – “King’s Rhapsody” (1955) **
Apparently Lilacs in the Spring was successful enough at the box office to inspire Herbert Wilcox to reunite Errol Flynn with Anna Neagle for another colourful musical. Whereas Lilacs was a Neagle vehicle, this one is more a vehicle for Errol, Neagle and Patrice Wymore (a mistake, since surely Lilac only made money on the back of Neagle's appeal).
It starts with Errol living it up as a playboy in Monte Cristo, recovering from a hang over, with his mistress (Anna Neagle). Mum rocks up, says that his father has died and that he is to marry Patrice Wymre. Wymore isn’t keen on an arranged marriage at first – until she finds out she’s marrying Errol, on whom she had a crush. Since by this stage Errol was looking his age you’re likely to think “yeah right”.
Actually there is something a little touching about Errol as this aging playboy prince, who has led this wastrel life but who loves his mistress, called to duty late in life. I kept thinking of Prince Edward and Queen Victoria. Just because he’s married though doesn’t mean he has to give up his mistress – indeed, he hangs on to Neagle through the birth of his son. Then Neagle leaves, telling Errol that he actually loves Wymore – and Errol goes “fair enough” and gives Wymore a pash.
But then there’s this third act where Errol is forced to abdicate in favour of his son by nasty politicians (well we assume they’re nasty but Errol clearly isn’t much of a king) – he goes into exile, levaes Wymore behind, runs into Neagle who encourages him to go back for his son’s coronation which he does and he seems to be reunited with Wymore… so what? Why do we care? It’s like this bit tacked on to a decent enough drama for the first hour.
It’s like an amateur theatre production, with the stars “acting” but with enthusiasm. I enjoyed the color photography and the impressive sets – and even Ivor Novello’s tunes. Patrice Wymore is pretty and likeable though no great shakes as an actor (at least not on evidence here); she’s a decent dancer though and gets an opportunity to show off her skills in that area.
Errol does a drunk scene with Wymore – a fore runner of the sorts of scenes he would play with increasing regularity over the next few years. It’s not a bad performance – he’s blotchy and sad and clearly has wasted his life. I don’t know if that’s the effect that was intended but it’s what comes across. Neagle is fine – she wears a really way out black dress in one scene that draws attention to her chest in a rather alarming way.
It starts with Errol living it up as a playboy in Monte Cristo, recovering from a hang over, with his mistress (Anna Neagle). Mum rocks up, says that his father has died and that he is to marry Patrice Wymre. Wymore isn’t keen on an arranged marriage at first – until she finds out she’s marrying Errol, on whom she had a crush. Since by this stage Errol was looking his age you’re likely to think “yeah right”.
Actually there is something a little touching about Errol as this aging playboy prince, who has led this wastrel life but who loves his mistress, called to duty late in life. I kept thinking of Prince Edward and Queen Victoria. Just because he’s married though doesn’t mean he has to give up his mistress – indeed, he hangs on to Neagle through the birth of his son. Then Neagle leaves, telling Errol that he actually loves Wymore – and Errol goes “fair enough” and gives Wymore a pash.
But then there’s this third act where Errol is forced to abdicate in favour of his son by nasty politicians (well we assume they’re nasty but Errol clearly isn’t much of a king) – he goes into exile, levaes Wymore behind, runs into Neagle who encourages him to go back for his son’s coronation which he does and he seems to be reunited with Wymore… so what? Why do we care? It’s like this bit tacked on to a decent enough drama for the first hour.
It’s like an amateur theatre production, with the stars “acting” but with enthusiasm. I enjoyed the color photography and the impressive sets – and even Ivor Novello’s tunes. Patrice Wymore is pretty and likeable though no great shakes as an actor (at least not on evidence here); she’s a decent dancer though and gets an opportunity to show off her skills in that area.
Errol does a drunk scene with Wymore – a fore runner of the sorts of scenes he would play with increasing regularity over the next few years. It’s not a bad performance – he’s blotchy and sad and clearly has wasted his life. I don’t know if that’s the effect that was intended but it’s what comes across. Neagle is fine – she wears a really way out black dress in one scene that draws attention to her chest in a rather alarming way.
Movie review – “The Perfect Specimen” (1937) **1/2
Years before Arnold Schwarzeneggar in Twins another tough guy actor made his comedy debut in a film as a person raised in isolation to be the perfect man. Instead of Danny de Vito to come along and teach him about life there’s Joan Blondell as a wise cracking dame who takes him out for the day – just like Gregory Peck did for Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.
A comedy starring Errol Flynn directed by Michael Curtiz backed with a strong supporting cast of stock players (including Allen Jenkins, everyone’s favourite 30s old lady May Robson, everyone’s favourite 30s old geezer Henry Davenport and everyone’s favourite 30s gay Edward Everett Horton), with the same basic idea as Twins, Roman Holiday… why isn’t this well known?
Mostly because the story isn’t strong – Errol and Blondell head out for a day, he winds up doing a bit of boxing, then he hooks up with a poet who I think is meant to be colourful, then he and Blondell have a quite romantic and sexy scene drying themselves off after the rain… All this while the nation thinks Errol has been kidnapped – which actually isn’t very funny, because cops are wasting time chasing after someone who isn’t in danger.
There needed to be a stronger reason why Blondell takes Errol out for the day – why didn’t they just make her a reporter like Gable in It Happened One Night (that means she would deceive Errol, creating extra drama). And the finale is far too easily resolved, with Blondell’s brother easily tracking down Errol and him conveniently wanting to marry Errol’s fiancée.
The film badly needs an antagonist, someone who is on Errol’s trail, like they had in Twins and Roman Holiday. It also needed some decent adventures on the road – it’s a long way from It Happened One Night (clearly an inspiration - based on a book by the same writer). There are not really any decent jokes, just high spirits. Curtiz was a great director when it came to pace and action, but he didn't have Frank Capra's skill at filming warm encounters with eccentrics.
Errol is very handsome and charming in his role. His inexperience in comedy actually suits the role as he is playing an inexperienced person. But he doesn’t have much of a character to play – there’s tremendous potential there, this perfect person who has been protected and is naïve then proceeds to have fish out of water adventures – but it isn’t really used.
Blondell is charming as his feisty love interest. Blondell often played comic relief best friends but she is given a bit of glamour treatment here, is photographed nicely and comes across pretty. Dick Foran is a bit smug and pleased with himself as Blondell’s brother who is in love with Errol’s arranged fiancée – to be honest, it doesn’t make sense that Errol would have one (maybe he should have played a royal or something.
OK, I’ve been very critical but I would say this film passes the time. Errol is having a fine old time, Blondell is enjoyable, as are the support cast except for Foran and his girlfriend. It skips along at a bright pace and has charm. There was real potential here but it quite takes off – a thing you could say about all Errol’s comedies.
A comedy starring Errol Flynn directed by Michael Curtiz backed with a strong supporting cast of stock players (including Allen Jenkins, everyone’s favourite 30s old lady May Robson, everyone’s favourite 30s old geezer Henry Davenport and everyone’s favourite 30s gay Edward Everett Horton), with the same basic idea as Twins, Roman Holiday… why isn’t this well known?
Mostly because the story isn’t strong – Errol and Blondell head out for a day, he winds up doing a bit of boxing, then he hooks up with a poet who I think is meant to be colourful, then he and Blondell have a quite romantic and sexy scene drying themselves off after the rain… All this while the nation thinks Errol has been kidnapped – which actually isn’t very funny, because cops are wasting time chasing after someone who isn’t in danger.
There needed to be a stronger reason why Blondell takes Errol out for the day – why didn’t they just make her a reporter like Gable in It Happened One Night (that means she would deceive Errol, creating extra drama). And the finale is far too easily resolved, with Blondell’s brother easily tracking down Errol and him conveniently wanting to marry Errol’s fiancée.
The film badly needs an antagonist, someone who is on Errol’s trail, like they had in Twins and Roman Holiday. It also needed some decent adventures on the road – it’s a long way from It Happened One Night (clearly an inspiration - based on a book by the same writer). There are not really any decent jokes, just high spirits. Curtiz was a great director when it came to pace and action, but he didn't have Frank Capra's skill at filming warm encounters with eccentrics.
Errol is very handsome and charming in his role. His inexperience in comedy actually suits the role as he is playing an inexperienced person. But he doesn’t have much of a character to play – there’s tremendous potential there, this perfect person who has been protected and is naïve then proceeds to have fish out of water adventures – but it isn’t really used.
Blondell is charming as his feisty love interest. Blondell often played comic relief best friends but she is given a bit of glamour treatment here, is photographed nicely and comes across pretty. Dick Foran is a bit smug and pleased with himself as Blondell’s brother who is in love with Errol’s arranged fiancée – to be honest, it doesn’t make sense that Errol would have one (maybe he should have played a royal or something.
OK, I’ve been very critical but I would say this film passes the time. Errol is having a fine old time, Blondell is enjoyable, as are the support cast except for Foran and his girlfriend. It skips along at a bright pace and has charm. There was real potential here but it quite takes off – a thing you could say about all Errol’s comedies.
TV review – “Goodyear Theatre - The Golden Shanty” (1959) **
Errol Flynn’s television performances are of varying quality but he’s quite happily cast here as a travelling salesman in the old west – the shonky nature of the character suits Errol’s dodgy persona. This has extra resonance in that it was his last on screen dramatic performance.
The plot has Errol once seeling a worthless gold mine to a poor sucker (Peter Hansen) –then discovers the sucker has build a saloon out of bricks which contain gold. This means he needs to smooth talk the man’s wife (Patricia Barry) in order to buy the saloon. Because he’s got no money he gets his offsider ro pinch bricks and melt down gold to raise enough money – while he buys time be sweet talking the wife.
Errol always made a good rogue and he’s fun here. Barry isn’t bad – perhaps a bit too pretty to be suckered in by Flynn’s antics (imagine say Marjorie Main or someone in the role). The script is fairly so-so. Arthur Hiller directed this.
The plot has Errol once seeling a worthless gold mine to a poor sucker (Peter Hansen) –then discovers the sucker has build a saloon out of bricks which contain gold. This means he needs to smooth talk the man’s wife (Patricia Barry) in order to buy the saloon. Because he’s got no money he gets his offsider ro pinch bricks and melt down gold to raise enough money – while he buys time be sweet talking the wife.
Errol always made a good rogue and he’s fun here. Barry isn’t bad – perhaps a bit too pretty to be suckered in by Flynn’s antics (imagine say Marjorie Main or someone in the role). The script is fairly so-so. Arthur Hiller directed this.
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