Errol and his friend, Bes Mudi...

Errol and Bes Mudi, his Siamese cat, just hanging out...

Errol and Olivia equal pure magic....

This legendary couple appeared in 8 films together from 1935 to 1941, all for Warner Bros. Actually it's 9 if you count the 1943 musical Thank Your Lucky Stars, where the pair play themselves. They made a varied mix of swashbucklers, westerns, comedy, and period films. Their first pairing came in the rousing Captain Blood (1935), which was Flynn's first starring role, making him an overnight sensation. Olivia had already appeared in three films prior to Captain Blood. I've seen this film twice and it's a beaut. Terrific action sequences and the undeniable chemistry of Flynn and de Havilland on full display. Olivia beat out Jean Arthur and Bette Davis for the role of Arabella Bishop and the rest is history. Blood was so successful Warner Bros quickly paired the duo up the next year for The Charge Of The Light Brigade.

Set in 1854 India, the film had Flynn cast as a British officer fighting the Russians in The Crimean War. Olivia plays Flynn's fiancee. I have yet to see this film so I can't critique on it. But it sounds interesting. For their next film together would be their masterpiece, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Everyone knows the legend of Hood and Flynn was positively electric as the dashing archer. Olivia was equally as good as Maid Marian. Everything came together for this entertaining film. To this day, I still say this is the most vibrant and gorgeous looking film ever made. And one of the best music scores in history.

Screwball comedy was in it's heyday during this time and Warner Bros decided to pair up Errol and Olivia for one called Four's A Crowd (1938). This is another of the duo's films that I have yet to see and since screwball comedy is my favorite genre, I am hankering to see it.

I did see their next film though, the terrific western Dodge City (1939). And let me tell ya something, Errol looks just as comfortable firing six shooters like he does shooting a bow and arrow or swordplay. Dodge City is one of the best westerns ever made and solidified Flynn and de Havilland as one of the premiere on screen couples in film.

They switched gears for their next film, with the historial drama The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. And while this is not solely a Flynn and De Havilland production because of Bette Davis top billed role, this film showed that Errol and Olivia could make just about any type of film.

When Santa Fe Trail (1940) debuted, it marked the pair's seventh outing and it was another huge success. While it was a very entertaining western, I liked Dodge City more. Santa Fe did have an outstanding supporting cast of newcomers such as Ronald Reagan and Van Heflin.

And lastly, for their final film together, came 1941's They Died With Their Boots On, an film based on General George Custer and his infamous last stand. Another western and another solid hit. At this point, Olivia's star was rising and she wanted more starring roles, so the pair parted ways after a successful 8 film run. They firmly established themselves as the ideal romantic leads of Hollywood period adventures. No doubt. And while Olivia went on to have a successful career post Flynn, he was not as fortunate. Still but before his career ended, he did turn in two top notch performances in The Sun Also Rises (1957) and Too Much, Too Soon (1958). But we will always have those 8 wonderful films he and Olivia did. Nothing can ever change that.

Thank our lucky stars....

Monty



Why Errol Flynn is one of my favorites...

So Errol Flynn is our star of the week. I thought it would be a good time to share some thoughts as to why he is one of my favorite actors. At the top of the list, I would have to say he had incredible charisma. Just came across as so likeable and you believed in every word he said and every action he did. He had a great screen presence. He was very athletic in most of his roles. Running, leaping, riding horseback, dueling, etc. Was a joy to watch him do his thing onscreen. He was also a very good actor that he doesn't get a lot of credit for. I know he played a lot adventure type roles that may not have demanded a lot of acting per se, but you invested in him and believed in him completely. And for those who don't think he could act, check out his performance in Too Much, Too Soon as he plays John Barrymore. You watch Errol in that film and if you're not convinced he was a talented actor, then I give up. He was amazing. True his appearance looked ravaged thanks to excessive drinking and smoking but he still had an incredible screen presence.

Errol in Too Much, Too Soon

Another reason that I love Flynn is his legendary pairings with Olivia de Havilland. 9 films with Olivia produced one of Hollywood's best onscreen teams. They had amazing chemistry together that I would rank up there with Powell & Loy, Tracy & Hepburn, and Grant & Dunne.

Errol and Olivia...I'm thinking their conversation went like this:

Errol: Wait, what was I saying?

Olivia: umm, I don't know, I was staring at your eyes there for a second..

And for sheer adventurous spectacle, no one did it better than Flynn. I mean he has to be ranked up with with Douglas Fairbanks. He has to be. So those are some of the reasons why I love Mr. Flynn so much. A true Hollywood icon in every sense of the world.

Monty

Take it away, Mr. Flynn....

So Errol Flynn will be the first star that we will spotlight here on Let the Show begin. I chose him because he is one of my all time favorite actors and recently had a classic stars match play event with him battling Tyrone Power on my blog All Good Things. And plus Irene was gracious enough to share some excerpts on her recent book reading about Mr. Flynn with me, so he was at the top of my list. So for the next two weeks it will all be about Errol. Talking about his movies, posting tons of pics, and so forth. I will probably talk about his awesome partnership with Olivia de Havilland as well. So sit back and relax and we will try to provide as much entertainment as possible.