In Like Flynn in April

Errol Flynn


Before Jude Law or the Hughs (Grant & Jackman)

There was Errol Flynn. "The Adventures of Errol Flynn," a new documentary about the legend, premieres on Turner Classic Movies on April 5, 2005 at 5 p.m. ET with an encore at 11:30 p.m. ET. Included in the show are interviews with Flynn's widow Patricia Wymore Flynn, his eldest daughter Deirdre Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Burt Reynolds, Joanne Woodward and more. The doc presents a balanced portrait of a complex man, who was as much a swashbuckler in real life, as on film. A 32-film festival on Tuesdays in April accompanies the program and showcases Flynn's talents and some of his best roles. Warner Home Video is also include the documentary on the DVD release of "Errol Flynn: The Signature Collection" later in April.

Flynn was born in Tasmania in 1909. At 18 he headed for New Guinea, where he spent more than four years as a gold prospector, patrol officer, and tobacco plantation manager. In 1933, he appeared as Fletcher Christian in Australia’s first sound feature, In the Wake of the Bounty. He pursued his future in England, where, after 22 plays in a repertory company, he was eventually cast in Murder at Monte Carlo. It was his ticket to Hollywood and a contract with Warner Bros. He landed his first starring role in Captain Blood in 1935, opposite Olivia de Havilland, the first of their eight pictures together. He was a superstar overnight and went on to become one of the highest grossing actors of his era.

Off screen he often thumbed his nose at society’s conventions. At the height of his fame, he was charged with statutory rape. Although he was acquitted, he was horrified by the trial and the sexual innuendoes it spawned, including the phrase, “In Like Flynn.” To everyone’s surprise, people still flocked to his films. Alcohol plagued him the rest of his life (and allegedly, an addiction to morphine). Behind the smile and devil-may-care façade, Flynn was an enigma: a boy who hated school yet educated himself and loved to write; an athlete who was declared 4-F by the military; an actor who longed for recognition by his peers; and a man who wanted to explore everything life had to offer but precipitated his own decline.

The Schedule

Tuesday, April 5
8 p.m. The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005) (premiere)
9:30 p.m. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
11:30 p.m. The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)
1 a.m. Captain Blood (1935)
3:30 a.m. They Died With Their Boots On (1942)

Tuesday, April 12
10 a.m. That Forsyte Woman (1949)
12 p.m. Never Say Goodbye (1946)
2 p.m. Escape Me Never (1947)
4 p.m. Desperate Journey (1942)
6 p.m. San Antonio (1945)
8 p.m. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
10 p.m. The Dawn Patrol (1938)
12 a.m. Dodge City (1939)
2 a.m. Santa Fe Trail (1940)
4 a.m. Virginia City (1940)

Tuesday, April 19
10 a.m. Cry Wolf (1947)
12 p.m. Edge of Darkness (1943)
2 p.m. Northern Pursuit (1943)
4 p.m. Uncertain Glory (1944)
6 p.m. The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)
8 p.m. Adventures of Don Juan (1949)
10 p.m. The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)
11:30 p.m. Gentleman Jim (1942)
1:30 a.m. Objective, Burma! (1945)
4 a.m. Kim (1951)

Tuesday, April 26
10 a.m. The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)
11:30 a.m. Silver River (1948)
1:30 p.m. Dive Bomber (1941)
4 p.m. Green Light (1937)
6 p.m. The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
8 p.m. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
10 p.m. The Sisters (1938)
12 a.m. Four’s a Crowd (1938)
2 a.m. Footsteps in the Dark (1941)
3:45 a.m. Another Dawn (1937)
5 a.m. Don’t Bet on Blondes (1935)