Flynn - taking a break from shooting THE PRINCE & THE PAUPER - checks a review copy of his first novel, BEAM ENDS (30kb)

Errol Flynn: The Untold Story

Well publicised for its kinky accounts, this book managed to change Errol Flynn's already controversial reputation for the worse in the eyes of the general moviegoing public.

Evidence was cited to support claims that:

Errol Flynn had bisexual tendencies and bedded little boys, as well as many of Hollywood's closet homosexuals, and
Errol Flynn spied on behalf of the Nazi Party before and during WWII.

According to Higham and his sources, Flynn was an anti-semitic bastard, who got off watching himself having sex with men from a mirror on the ceiling of his bedroom at Mulholland House.

B U L L S H ® T !!!

Documents in question were often perpetually pending or re-written. There were many instances where Higham reported Flynn as having made liasons with notable Nazi agents all over the place, while records at Warner Brothers list him to be present on the set for a shoot. Interviews were fabricated when friends and acquaintances turned the author away, while other interviews (incl. those with government officials) were altered to support Higham's tales. Higham ran with the public notion of Flynn's not having enlisted in WWII or at least performing before the troops as something tratorious; it is in fact common knowledge among biographers and fans alike that the star was rejected from every branch in Great Britain and the USA for ill health - AND that Flynn did his part to entertain our servicemen.

It didn't end there. In just about every biography since ERROL FLYNN: THE UNTOLD STORY (EF:TUS), Charles Higham has managed to include some passing mention of Flynn's so-called undercover activities. To be sure, justice is long overdue.

Why is a book like this allowed to exist? And why is Higham permitted to continue spreading these libelous claims? I can only speak with regards to the United States, whose laws don't recognise defamation of the deceased. Flynn's omission from Hollywood coffee table books during and after the release of EF:TUS is certainly no coincidence. There is also a noticeable lack of licensed material and memorabilia sporting Flynn's visage and movies, while those of Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, James Dean, etc. enjoy an active market and please film buffs of all ages. So don't talk to me about there not being any such thing as defamation of the deceased.

(Note: I understand Flynn's daughters Deidre and Rory pursued charges in Canada where defamation of character does apply to the deceased. Does anyone know how that turned out?)

The problem is, authors have used EF:TUS as their primary source by virtue of its impressive circulation. Even up here on the WWW, outrageous and libelous material culled from this title's pages are being passed off as information, most notably on the MR. SHOWBIZ search engine. These books and sites are a travesty and are more concerned with spectacle, with no regard for the truth (like an honest account of Errol Flynn's life could ever be sedentary!). The fact that stories about Flynn bedding down Tyrone Power and Howard Hughes continue to circulate, while anyone doing a minimum of research on Flynn's habits can see that he neither had time for males (to put it bluntly, he was too busy trying to screw every woman alive), nor was looking for anything sexual which men could possibly provide him. (As for the mirror bit, there was a two-way mirror in his guest room, but not only was there none on his ceiling, there are more instances documented to support the fact that Errol Flynn was a rather insecure man who avoided looking at himself in the mirror. In the 1950s, Flynn won a lawsuit against the gossip tabloid CONFIDENTIAL for making similar claims pertaining to his bedroom.)

Thank heavens for folks like Tony Thomas, Buster Wiles, and William Donati, who have come to Errol's defense for those few things he DIDN'T do in his lifetime. Unfortunately, THEIR books (see below) had not reached anywhere near the circulation of "The Nazi Book". There isn't a Flynn afficionado alive who hasn't expressed a desire to see every copy of EF:TUS on the planet recalled and burned.

It remains circulating in used bookstores. Please do your part and do NOT purchase it. If you're curious as to its contents, go to the library where there's no doubt a copy for review free of charge.

Publisher (1980):: Doubleday; ISBN: 0-385-13495-9; 370 pages hardbound plus photos

For books which refute Higham's libelous accusations in detail, try the following:

All original contents (writing, graphics) ęD.David and may not be used without permission