Location, Location, Location: Catalina Island

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqdNI8dVaLtHY5wxKfsrFrwYx17coBSYPjRW3vWKY8N4kX3_vclwpH8oxyRBI9bDB-0p4JGexJ2SkQlaBN5nkR7moBWvzlXIa7VMEVw70toCwxrbSCUm_cVmoTmIvcxRe5Jp9spSovL_v/s1600/cropped+1934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqdNI8dVaLtHY5wxKfsrFrwYx17coBSYPjRW3vWKY8N4kX3_vclwpH8oxyRBI9bDB-0p4JGexJ2SkQlaBN5nkR7moBWvzlXIa7VMEVw70toCwxrbSCUm_cVmoTmIvcxRe5Jp9spSovL_v/s400/cropped+1934.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin off Catalina, 1934</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>A Film Location and Celebrity Haunt Since the Early 20th Century</b> </span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Santa Catalina, one of California's Channel Islands, is just 26 miles SSW of Los Angeles. Once called Pimu, it's been inhabited for more than 7,000 years and has weathered the Spanish conquest, an influx of otter hunters and infestation by smugglers over its long history. It is best known today as a playground for those with money and celebrity and was once a popular location for filming Hollywood movies. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tQLTAvi13DCbsMl8zs1MF1Gu5oHobWpxNsHawS_DhRTncxpOcAqc88EUVPKt_pftDGFXKK9099EViF-uyZiKSBI4lkpyoud6H9eHdJ8OfmSe2GnPvOHFdPnIIzSpkxmDpCM_I1FUq_Qt/s1600/catalina+ferry+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tQLTAvi13DCbsMl8zs1MF1Gu5oHobWpxNsHawS_DhRTncxpOcAqc88EUVPKt_pftDGFXKK9099EViF-uyZiKSBI4lkpyoud6H9eHdJ8OfmSe2GnPvOHFdPnIIzSpkxmDpCM_I1FUq_Qt/s320/catalina+ferry+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">22 miles from shore to isle</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back in 1891, Catalina was purchased by the Banning brothers who planned to develop the island as a resort. Avalon Harbor was their primary </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">focus, but roads and hunting lodges were also built in the interior. A devastating fire and World War I eventually forced the Bannings to sell off the property. In 1919, William Wrigley, Jr., founder of the chewing gum company and owner of the Chicago Cubs, bought controlling interest in the island. He soon set about building a dance hall on Sugarloaf Point - the Sugarloaf Casino.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Not long after, in 1920, Al Jolson recorded "Avalon" and popularized the song about Catalina's resort town:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxU66jHDWLhocPc6s-XWhjQoWUUb1uCpiuf8bUQD9-xNEHJcjrgNzm4RIT64XT6dw_6OFJqEaqqasM0waIqaVZ98pt5kXVnso23SCjfNILbsisQHs7QvZz_lAF2xonyX0vAG1VGsoBQNP/s1600/avalon+song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxU66jHDWLhocPc6s-XWhjQoWUUb1uCpiuf8bUQD9-xNEHJcjrgNzm4RIT64XT6dw_6OFJqEaqqasM0waIqaVZ98pt5kXVnso23SCjfNILbsisQHs7QvZz_lAF2xonyX0vAG1VGsoBQNP/s200/avalon+song.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Avalon" sheet music</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I found my love in Avalon</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beside the bay.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I left</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> my love in Avalon</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and sail'd away.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I dream of her and Avalon</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> from dusk 'til dawn.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And so I think I'll travel on</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>to Avalon.</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As it turned out, the song's tune was similar enough to an aria from Puccini's<i> Tosca </i>(1900) that the composer's music publisher filed and won a plagiarism lawsuit.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyVtwybS9rRyrnRCn4plgDdvLsbGj8AO5oXrEsXp7KvcAIPhDg_G-K6GTVuGVEfwdVmsuma-G2TZjuMdGMgqMiNfcI8TJXRttPeWT8ge_zQbe27BpRkVg4ag_22mI9G0VQiZiZ1cD17GT/s1600/the-ten-commandments-1923%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyVtwybS9rRyrnRCn4plgDdvLsbGj8AO5oXrEsXp7KvcAIPhDg_G-K6GTVuGVEfwdVmsuma-G2TZjuMdGMgqMiNfcI8TJXRttPeWT8ge_zQbe27BpRkVg4ag_22mI9G0VQiZiZ1cD17GT/s200/the-ten-commandments-1923%255B1%255D.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Ten Commandments </i>(1923)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From Hollywood's earliest days, Santa Catalina Island provided a shooting location for film crews. D.W. Griffith was one of the first to use the island for this purpose with <i>Man's Genesis</i> in 1912. Other filmmakers followed suit. Classic silents with a Catalina backdrop include Fox's <i>Treasure Island </i>(1918), directed by Sidney Franklin, DeMille's <i>The Ten Commandments </i>(1923) for Paramount, and <i>Ben-Hur </i>(1925), directed by Fred Niblo for MGM. The island portrayed locales as exotic as North Africa and Tahiti and three diverse island areas were most often used for filming - Avalon, Little Harbor and the Isthmus - which eventually became known as "the Movie Colony Isthmus." Some of Catalina's palm trees were originally planted by film companies, and the island's buffalo herd was the result of a movie production. Legend has it that the animals were imported for Famous Player-Lasky's Richard Dix vehicle, <i>The Vanishing American </i>(1925). Though this is unproven, it is true that the picture was filmed on the island at the same time the creatures first appeared.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB39o8PtKuaViGs8Et0-dk214CYf5r9vMQ9acxXMUtTSPSScNFmnJZf7h3FwvMfdcelwpeH-ziSrhvE5YFtEaQabtIdVgqWRICW-_kUQGOfeADt7cUGoPF_YPMnmjqobVPub7nRRRdls2/s1600/avalon+ballroom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB39o8PtKuaViGs8Et0-dk214CYf5r9vMQ9acxXMUtTSPSScNFmnJZf7h3FwvMfdcelwpeH-ziSrhvE5YFtEaQabtIdVgqWRICW-_kUQGOfeADt7cUGoPF_YPMnmjqobVPub7nRRRdls2/s320/avalon+ballroom.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The  Casino's Avalon Ballroom opened in May 1929</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Throughout the 1920s the island grew more popular as a resort destination and William Wrigley decided to raze Sugarloaf Casino to make room for a newer, larger structure. Construction on the Catalina Casino, a ballroom and theater, began in 1928. Architects Sumner A. Spaulding and William Webber created a design described variously as Moorish Alhambra and Mediterranean Revival. Fixtures and furnishings and art were designed in the Art Deco style. John Gabriel Beckman, known for his work on Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, designed the murals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The new ballroom opened in May 1929 with the Maurice Menge band providing dance music for 2,500 couples. The theater opened with <i>The Iron Mask</i> (1929), a silent film<i> </i>starring Douglas Fairbanks enhanced by the musical accompaniment of the theater's organ, the largest Page organ in the world. <b><a href="http://youtu.be/4LAp8mukNqM" style="color: #990000;">Click here</a></b> to visit the interior of the Casino theater and ballroom and hear "Avalon" played on the Page organ.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OvLMQprdh2XAPU_5mvxQ23ZcS3IHN5GPxkgRMlOtC1z5TY9uE3EsptuTEisxOfmn9_ewB_jo3ssiICLUgZ30FJOXoKfazHa-jl2WbCY9-hmZRVXoXqhepHzWUA-e9ZAvnwhR8vReAYbO/s1600/avalon-theatre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OvLMQprdh2XAPU_5mvxQ23ZcS3IHN5GPxkgRMlOtC1z5TY9uE3EsptuTEisxOfmn9_ewB_jo3ssiICLUgZ30FJOXoKfazHa-jl2WbCY9-hmZRVXoXqhepHzWUA-e9ZAvnwhR8vReAYbO/s320/avalon-theatre.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Avalon Theatre</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1929 sound permanently took hold in motion pictures. One early talkie filmed on Catalina was Sam Goldwyn's <i>Condemned </i>(1929) starring Ronald Colman and Ann Harding. Critic Mordaunt Hall, writing for the <i>New York Times</i> in November 1929, referred to it as an 'audible film.' In <i>Condemned</i>, Catalina provided the French penal island locale.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The island went on to appear in several classics of the 1930s: <i>The Island of Lost Souls </i>(1932), <i>Rain </i>(1932), Victor Fleming's version of <i>Treasure Island </i>(1934), <i>Captain Blood </i>(1935), <i>Mutiny on the Bounty </i>(1935) and <i>Captains Courageous </i>(1937).</span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnG_EnCjiyGL5w_yEkFKQgDSB9BPiKMYUP6kal-gE6L0kjKkU2825zt6vD4e1dAJn9g7-GSd365BSCV9HLY231k5J6GULPyCFeRNSaJMdqv8ovBHJBhGPnYO3BMOxVFz9k4qXusklRA3u/s1600/flynn+on+the+sirocco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnG_EnCjiyGL5w_yEkFKQgDSB9BPiKMYUP6kal-gE6L0kjKkU2825zt6vD4e1dAJn9g7-GSd365BSCV9HLY231k5J6GULPyCFeRNSaJMdqv8ovBHJBhGPnYO3BMOxVFz9k4qXusklRA3u/s1600/flynn+on+the+sirocco.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Errol Flynn on the <i>Sirocco</i> just off the island</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Filming on the island introduced movie casts and crews to the pleasures of Catalina, and those who could afford it sailed and vacationed there. Some of the biggest names in movies spent time on and around the island...Chaplin and Paulette Goddard (pictured above on Joe Schenck's yacht) reportedly enjoyed fishing for marlin in the nearby waters. And Errol Flynn, a devoted sailor and carouser, ended up on trial following one of his many sojourns to the island.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beginning in 1934, the Casino Ballroom hosted legendary big bands that were broadcast nationwide as they played live. Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Harry James, the Dorseys, Woody Herman and other top bands played to ballroom crowds that, over 28 years, averaged 4,000 per night. A record crowd turned out 6,200 strong for Kay Kyser and his band in 1938. The Avalon Ballroom's live big band broadcasts lasted far into the 1950s.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the mid-'30s MGM produced this 19-minute musical revue featuring Buddy Rogers and his band (the California Cavaliers), Chester Morris, Leon Errol and others. Filmed in beautiful 3-strip Technicolor, the short includes cameo appearances by Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Mickey Rooney, Virginia Bruce, Lee Tracy, Randolph Scott, Marion Davies and Lili Damita. Avalon provides the sea- and sun-kissed setting.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/czIGtYPpKrA" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH1qD6z7SEX-zSNGBSw1hPHlR8ZTPionheyRcsaNX-Ak-cAZXRTGYxUR2AOhHHRe-meVO1cDSADzGYIDQSqUWsFOlLj-qpfDYTL-AySjBJgv4JiCvEpi7IgXMyshuDxk3Jjup6vsz8jMT/s1600/Jaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH1qD6z7SEX-zSNGBSw1hPHlR8ZTPionheyRcsaNX-Ak-cAZXRTGYxUR2AOhHHRe-meVO1cDSADzGYIDQSqUWsFOlLj-qpfDYTL-AySjBJgv4JiCvEpi7IgXMyshuDxk3Jjup6vsz8jMT/s200/Jaws.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Jaws </i>1975</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When the United States entered World War II, the island was closed to tourism and decreed off-limits to film production for the duration. Following the war, domestic and international air travel boomed and studios began shooting on location in Africa, the South Pacific and around the world. This didn't end Catalina's life as a location site, however. The island and its surrounding waters have been featured many times since in films like <i>Around the World in 80 Days </i>(1956), <i>The Glass Bottom Boat </i>(1966), <i>Rosemary's Baby</i> (1968), <i>Chinatown </i>(1974), <i>Jaws </i>(1975), <i>Dick Tracy </i>(1989), <i>The Hunt for Red October </i>(1990), <i>Apollo 13 </i>(1995), and <i>The Thin Red Line </i>(1998). Beginning with the silent era, Catalina has appeared in more than 200 films. Of course, the island has been featured on TV many times, too...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ientt9E9ewNwvabT2r4Uon8j9FbLKOfMjhKeCrkO6GaC9Q4SZjYGs2IFaw1_upKNTgMfrMpAxZSFq1xjln7CLqRNcdAB3FYre60tw6f7712d4bgVmmJW8pyiKAgM_yTvhZFGLqFO-JM6/s1600/Bogart+and+Bacall+Santana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ientt9E9ewNwvabT2r4Uon8j9FbLKOfMjhKeCrkO6GaC9Q4SZjYGs2IFaw1_upKNTgMfrMpAxZSFq1xjln7CLqRNcdAB3FYre60tw6f7712d4bgVmmJW8pyiKAgM_yTvhZFGLqFO-JM6/s1600/Bogart+and+Bacall+Santana.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bacall and Bogart offshore</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once World War II ended, movie folk returned to the island. Bogart, Bacall and friends sailed often to and from Catalina on his beloved <i>Santana</i>. Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher spent part of their honeymoon on Catalina. Marlon Brando rented a house on the island while <i>Morituri </i>(1965) was shooting offshore. In 1972, Liza Minnelli threw a party in Avalon to celebrate her Oscar win for <i>Cabaret</i>. Celebrity couples from Warren Beatty and Julie Christie (dancing at the Chi Chi Club back in the day) to Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw to Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have been spotted on Catalina over the years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On a sadder note, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner were spending Thanksgiving weekend 1981 in the area on their yacht, the <i>Splendour</i>, and it was in the waters off Catalina that she drowned.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During William Wrigley's ownership of the Chicago Cubs, the team's spring training was held on the island - a tradition that went on for 30 years. But in addition to developing and making use of the island, Wrigley wanted to preserve it. In 1972, P.K. Wrigley fulfilled his late father's wishes when he established the Catalina Island Conservancy and transferred family ownership to it. Ever since, most of the island has been held in trust by the Conservancy...and buffalo still roam in the uplands (<b><a href="http://youtu.be/95EWO554CaA" style="color: #990000;">click here</a></b> to watch them roam), schools of Garibaldi fish still swim in the coastal waters, gray whales continue to pass by during their annual migration and dolphins are often sighted not far from shore.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_J86waQKI44FVSBHejyNFN51OXT4Z8teXi739LR5RuHWKo0Gy4RkuZO18rFHqN5KO8oOu2keBvDDDyLP8O9E8C3u9j-tVaRZvtAEtmgSjCsU-HsCLDkYhyphenhyphen3z1JdIKnFDH6grXiXZHQbb/s1600/CatalinaIsland%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_J86waQKI44FVSBHejyNFN51OXT4Z8teXi739LR5RuHWKo0Gy4RkuZO18rFHqN5KO8oOu2keBvDDDyLP8O9E8C3u9j-tVaRZvtAEtmgSjCsU-HsCLDkYhyphenhyphen3z1JdIKnFDH6grXiXZHQbb/s320/CatalinaIsland%255B2%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Avalon Harbor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIMZePAnogicBE87-t2YbNc5b_Lcbvj_6yeFqnyEYLQ5zx98in04cgjUtOibosRwOYcMIlq3070ZrdK_bXkFNTNkzF_3DRHDTpxQyaGsrhPHvOFSVktgK18N-TllfFkf5vfmwfKMRari-/s1600/casino+entrance+full+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIMZePAnogicBE87-t2YbNc5b_Lcbvj_6yeFqnyEYLQ5zx98in04cgjUtOibosRwOYcMIlq3070ZrdK_bXkFNTNkzF_3DRHDTpxQyaGsrhPHvOFSVktgK18N-TllfFkf5vfmwfKMRari-/s320/casino+entrance+full+shot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Catalina Casino entrance</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H1jTXvDIH2ZNVPWKZFLEsdSKXlVStm-c3KR005z_TZYXHHx8079x1UnmBEE7QP0X8fbSIg_El92O0WTXnrGujCc3QGEf9ez7h2CteMD-lwUCu8FpbUHkoUm3n5tgdoKmlRCD0BNUbx2O/s1600/casino+ballroom+and+theater+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H1jTXvDIH2ZNVPWKZFLEsdSKXlVStm-c3KR005z_TZYXHHx8079x1UnmBEE7QP0X8fbSIg_El92O0WTXnrGujCc3QGEf9ez7h2CteMD-lwUCu8FpbUHkoUm3n5tgdoKmlRCD0BNUbx2O/s320/casino+ballroom+and+theater+entrance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Casino entrance detail</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks3_fqVk2rLH-0PBSfya6yIXdJEDryXmbMjoBLQXhzgTanJXFDKY_T5_Mitmd7T5GqBEdUh8snGkh2HBEgHW6tPlacJcxBGq0ylpbiUaq-PS-Nlj1EwrD4gyX7sJkHWyUiNdCmTRlTX-8/s1600/Ronald_Colman_Condemned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks3_fqVk2rLH-0PBSfya6yIXdJEDryXmbMjoBLQXhzgTanJXFDKY_T5_Mitmd7T5GqBEdUh8snGkh2HBEgHW6tPlacJcxBGq0ylpbiUaq-PS-Nlj1EwrD4gyX7sJkHWyUiNdCmTRlTX-8/s320/Ronald_Colman_Condemned.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Condemned</i> 1929</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyOjkqyjep9CbCkvRkNLe0sW7ZYv8HwlQJ_N6xGiaXfsnQb-S2RYfyMW3IQa31IfWQR6xxhG3-dsL2qtehifhJU9rOIwOPxV_qoreR6XUSdQFkjhx9zkkQ13YwL8yFXc6jgf3GCpV8PC_/s320/Captain+Blood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="224" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Captain Blood</i> 1935</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMGzWUiwIGCggo5rVJ0u815A0hVksVLlaA6Tz5BONSjlItCZjC42v4Eso2MyKdOxgoYA2-o_p9HvYIOnoyZvfZgQz8jSo19QjYhQHobFkt4QgTA-hO0PSzA75DgX7N6kf_APQvZwrJHso/s1600/Muntiny+Bounty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMGzWUiwIGCggo5rVJ0u815A0hVksVLlaA6Tz5BONSjlItCZjC42v4Eso2MyKdOxgoYA2-o_p9HvYIOnoyZvfZgQz8jSo19QjYhQHobFkt4QgTA-hO0PSzA75DgX7N6kf_APQvZwrJHso/s320/Muntiny+Bounty.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Mutiny on the Bounty</i> 1935</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeEw7imwKKswXy-frczss6Udraqix2jlwUWt8DwsjGcW6MfbghrwTdo9VyMQNXrknxwKGM-rY4giRPh8fHiu1dxpT_b5XTg6HOnY_FamVXJIH1cILpYrk7twc7DQrrBfyOnDkTa592GUp/s1600/Rosemarys+Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeEw7imwKKswXy-frczss6Udraqix2jlwUWt8DwsjGcW6MfbghrwTdo9VyMQNXrknxwKGM-rY4giRPh8fHiu1dxpT_b5XTg6HOnY_FamVXJIH1cILpYrk7twc7DQrrBfyOnDkTa592GUp/s320/Rosemarys+Baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Rosemary's Baby</i> 1968</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Avalon Bogart Captain Blood Catalina Island Charlie Chaplin Chinatown D.W. Griffith Errol Flynn Jaws Mutiny on the Bounty Rosemary's Baby William Wrigley Jr. Location, Location, Location: Catalina Island

Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin off Catalina, 1934 A Film Location and Celebrity Haunt Since the Early 20th Century San...

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"Errol Flynn Adventures" - DVD Boxed Set Giveaway and More...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMfV8NdzmM1hfbKHp_pDIidNuqJ9RBPid65xKKFnHqZPVRlOwEheNUDsO9Nm9KlD2G384bztYVQkOB9H9agqb7y101cvtECy4uPYkQQc51hIE1_4FFSNr26fr7_L7mQAds_LDsn43T8SJ/s1600/l_1672476%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMfV8NdzmM1hfbKHp_pDIidNuqJ9RBPid65xKKFnHqZPVRlOwEheNUDsO9Nm9KlD2G384bztYVQkOB9H9agqb7y101cvtECy4uPYkQQc51hIE1_4FFSNr26fr7_L7mQAds_LDsn43T8SJ/s400/l_1672476%255B1%255D.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Memorial Day weekend is just a few days away and in commemoration of this special holiday, The Lady Eve's Reel Life is giving away a copy of the DVD boxed set <i>Errol Flynn Adventures</i> from TCM Spotlight/Warner Home Video.<i> </i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A collection of five World War II actioners, the set includes Flynn’s own favorite of his films, <i>Objective Burma! </i>(1945), directed by Raoul Walsh. Three more Walsh/Flynn collaborations are included in the set<i>: Desperate Journey</i> (1942),<i> Northern Pursuit</i> (1943<i>)</i> and<i> Uncertain Glory</i> (1944), along with Lewis Milestone’s <i>Edge of Darkness</i> (1943). </span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAv4R4S9k5thpRT2wl4QjLbLOiLkJNKEM4FB8Mzc_RqzqjPBHu3y4vYdB6tDMEKCxtiTLQ2YUjaQHTIAOXO-1zFVVIbhcLiQC39-rVtupP82xwB1NxEfDlovxLkle5hXm5rdMedQF6igd/s1600/Objective_Burma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAv4R4S9k5thpRT2wl4QjLbLOiLkJNKEM4FB8Mzc_RqzqjPBHu3y4vYdB6tDMEKCxtiTLQ2YUjaQHTIAOXO-1zFVVIbhcLiQC39-rVtupP82xwB1NxEfDlovxLkle5hXm5rdMedQF6igd/s200/Objective_Burma.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Objective Burma!</i> (1945)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Extras were carefully chosen to accompany each film, “like the pre-show at the neighborhood Bijou,” as the packaging puts it, with “newsreels, trailers and short subjects…each selection from the film’s release year.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To enter, send an e-mail with “Flynn Adventures” in the subject line to <a href="mailto:ladyevesidwich@gmail.com"><span style="color: #0b5394;">ladyevesidwich@gmail.com</span></a>. Include your name, address and e-mail. Entries must be received by Noon PDT on Monday, May 30, 2011.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>UPDATE:  A winner was selected in a random drawing at  Noon PDT on May 30. Congratulations to "Captain Gregg," a member of TCM's Classic Film Union who learned of the giveaway through that site. Thanks to all who participated, I hope to do more contests like this one in the future.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This boxed set retails for $39.99 on Amazon and has a 4 ½ star rating from the site’s customers. From Amazon’s editorial review: “Unlike so many boxed-set tributes to actors, this one's actually got a tight, logical theme: <i>Errol Flynn Adventures</i> offers five World War II pictures made at Warner Bros. during Flynn's reign as a top leading man. Four of the films were directed by one of Flynn's favored collaborators, the robust Raoul Walsh, and all of them have an urgent wartime commitment that puts them in a zone between entertainment and propaganda.” For a full review of this boxed set by CMBA member Classic Becky, <a href="http://classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com/2010/08/errol-flynn-adventures-new-warner-home.html"><span style="color: #990000;">click here</span></a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This boxed set is an unopened review copy provided by Warner Home Video, and The Lady Eve’s Reel Life is not responsible for any defects or other product or packaging glitches.</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Errol Flynn was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1909. His father was a biologist and professor and his mother was descended from a long line of seafarers who claimed an ancestor who served on the <i>HMS Bounty</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1z7EXzbCB1Ybz9QbqENmeHgnH6WRjTqRSxKoSm6RlNKCtx-ZNZLMMEzjXTOteSclZkRcZJCdzwmCf-Ptzo3dQz8y2QC2diNfrbw9SUtWNImYFddANacnPgobyrXc0MY_A39YT7iXddiYS/s1600/errol+1923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1z7EXzbCB1Ybz9QbqENmeHgnH6WRjTqRSxKoSm6RlNKCtx-ZNZLMMEzjXTOteSclZkRcZJCdzwmCf-Ptzo3dQz8y2QC2diNfrbw9SUtWNImYFddANacnPgobyrXc0MY_A39YT7iXddiYS/s200/errol+1923.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Errol Flynn, circa 1923</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Always a handful (a handsome, athletic handful), young Errol set off to seek his fortune in New Guinea in the late 1920s. His exploits there are open to debate due to his habit of embellishing his adventures, but it’s generally agreed that Flynn found various ways to make a living, from government service to slave trading. One of these many endeavors led to his life as a film star.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The story goes that in the early '30s filmmakers employed by the Australian government ventured to New Guinea to make a record of the territory. Flynn agreed to take them through uncharted waters on his boat. As the skipper of the vessel, he was often on camera. A while later Flynn received a telegram from Australian producer Charles Chauvel who offered him </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">£</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">50 plus expenses to travel to Tahiti and star in a film. It was a friend of Chauvel's who'd shot the government footage and word had gotten around that the "pilot" of the expeditionary boat had star potential. Flynn took the opportunity and starred as Fletcher Christian in <i>In the Wake of the Bounty </i>(1933). He was billed as Leslie Flynn.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A few adventures later Flynn arrived in London in pursuit of an acting career. It didn't take too much time but it took a lot of bravado for him to land the lead in Teddington Studio's production of <i>Murder at Monte Carlo </i>(1935) directed by Ralph Ince (younger brother of Hollywood pioneer Thomas and actor/director John). His performance prompted the head of the studio to cable Jack Warner: "WE HAVE HELL OF PERSONALITY HERE SUGGEST SIGN HIM FOR HOLLYWOOD FILM." Warner responded, "AGREE YOUR SUGGESTION."</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk33uA5GBx84b6frWJ5RT8FxuoDBzPBnmvB_6Vw0U-80JoMrHc2VPBWpQ5WPap3SM813H9Dx8KXkqEHm947P-5_OPX3nQhnrLc0_oHzHU95gl7rVmoETnLSRcJ-WORvATT_ASXTXvm_pxD/s1600/sea+hawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk33uA5GBx84b6frWJ5RT8FxuoDBzPBnmvB_6Vw0U-80JoMrHc2VPBWpQ5WPap3SM813H9Dx8KXkqEHm947P-5_OPX3nQhnrLc0_oHzHU95gl7rVmoETnLSRcJ-WORvATT_ASXTXvm_pxD/s320/sea+hawk.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Swashbuckling!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Flynn's first appearance in an American film was as a cadaver in <i>The Case of the Curious Bride</i> (1935). In his next film, <i>Don't Bet on Blondes </i>(1935), he had a speaking part. His third film and a starring role came about because Robert Donat dropped out. The movie was <i>Captain Blood </i>(1935) and it made Errol Flynn a star. His stardom grew with <i>The Charge of the Light Brigade </i>(1936), <i>The Adventures of Robin Hood </i>(1938), <i>The Dawn Patrol </i>(1938), <i>Dodge City </i>(1939), <i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i> (1939), <i>The Sea Hawk </i>(1941) and several other box office hits. Classified 4F and unable to serve in the war (a status Warner Bros. did not publicize), Flynn was cast in a series of World War II films - highlighted by <i>Objective Burma! </i>(1945). He delivered one of his finest performances cast against type in <i>That Forsyte Woman </i>(1948).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A high-profile movie star, Flynn's reputation as an epic womanizer, drinker and brawler was well-known and well-earned. His career waned and he aged rapidly in the 1950s, but he continued to work until the time of his death. His last major studio effort was John Huston's adaptation of Romain Gary's <i>The Roots of Heaven </i>(1958). His very last film, <i>Cuban Rebel Girls </i>(1959), co-starred his 17-year-old girlfriend, Beverly Aadland.</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Flynn died in 1959 at age 50. He left behind a widow, two ex-wives and four children. Sean Flynn was born in 1941 to Errol Flynn and his first wife, actress Lily Damita. Sean, who</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> resembled his father, had a brief movie career during the early 1960s.  By the mid-60s he'd become a freelance photojournalist and went on to cover the Arab-Israeli war and the war in Vietnam. He disappeared in Cambodia in 1970 with photojournalist Dana Stone, on assignment for CBS News and <i>Time </i>magazine. The two are presumed dead. Sean Flynn would have celebrated his 70th birthday this May 31.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGcbuyYz3kadEiX8cY22Tv-p7bATFIOu2PHSzwihxN3OXhLhyRXQXplyza8xf-0MCNFYDiUQtYqg5fUe8bW9egDxvc2CGxcTgua5RzbIPcfPtl6vCxsNIPiRCYoiWN9QFiypgUMyrUERE/s1600/sean+and+errol+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGcbuyYz3kadEiX8cY22Tv-p7bATFIOu2PHSzwihxN3OXhLhyRXQXplyza8xf-0MCNFYDiUQtYqg5fUe8bW9egDxvc2CGxcTgua5RzbIPcfPtl6vCxsNIPiRCYoiWN9QFiypgUMyrUERE/s200/sean+and+errol+3.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Errol and Sean Flynn</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSJtTFa-zhX78cKLbYWuL243Pzz0DB3m19t-6Li1JWtGGR_SetUAtVssR_MjlVSTbi2EpkLlNshf-a0-Pa5QwP0c3ydQ90mCehuuweAmlBpIRw9S3yy_A3XEf9MkkixUBviXExqjcEdsL/s1600/sean+flynn.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSJtTFa-zhX78cKLbYWuL243Pzz0DB3m19t-6Li1JWtGGR_SetUAtVssR_MjlVSTbi2EpkLlNshf-a0-Pa5QwP0c3ydQ90mCehuuweAmlBpIRw9S3yy_A3XEf9MkkixUBviXExqjcEdsL/s1600/sean+flynn.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sean Flynn</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>

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CMBA Movies of 1939 Blogathon - The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGBYYaTT1CRE9TsYvka5ikTm7KxLkDdEYtcmUmIJIQpSBdCzBUVwZm3LIqBhHslng9CcpYCDUDrDbwCUPajCC8wE3CTjMzTrWVRTNhc1TTG9OTs2t84cmlSeqF6rrLBZ1wyHbH7Xx9NMS/s1600/bette+as+eliz+i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGBYYaTT1CRE9TsYvka5ikTm7KxLkDdEYtcmUmIJIQpSBdCzBUVwZm3LIqBhHslng9CcpYCDUDrDbwCUPajCC8wE3CTjMzTrWVRTNhc1TTG9OTs2t84cmlSeqF6rrLBZ1wyHbH7Xx9NMS/s400/bette+as+eliz+i.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“In 1939, I secured my career and my stardom forever. I made five pictures in twelve months and every one of them was successful.” Bette Davis was referring to the string of movies she made in rapid succession, beginning with <i>The Sisters </i>in 1938 and followed by four more the next year – <i>Dark Victory</i>, <i>Juarez</i>, <i>The Old Maid </i>and <i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i>. If 1939 was a watershed year for Hollywood, it was, too, for the actress who was about to begin her reign as America’s top film actress.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Of6MJeEASW17UARIlA9Vz8TUukkQulfrs2F2c6GHrmjoM0bD8MWlcIpNC1iVhV6glLeegZ9WBA4BGAu784WhXQF2g8ZQdbvkQMjavYTkigo21CBV-w7DPySmKHzRT9OKoLWVs8MvXJxi/s1600/bondage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Of6MJeEASW17UARIlA9Vz8TUukkQulfrs2F2c6GHrmjoM0bD8MWlcIpNC1iVhV6glLeegZ9WBA4BGAu784WhXQF2g8ZQdbvkQMjavYTkigo21CBV-w7DPySmKHzRT9OKoLWVs8MvXJxi/s200/bondage.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Of Human Bondage </i>(1934)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bette Davis spent most of the first half of the 1930s making her way through a series of mostly dreary film assignments, first for Universal and then for Warner Bros. Her startling performance in RKO's <i>Of Human Bondage </i>(1934) changed the course of her career. She won her first Best Actress Oscar for a downbeat role in <i>Dangerous </i>(1935), and her second for her turn as a headstrong Southern belle in <i>Jezebel </i>(1938).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Maxwell Anderson’s <i>Elizabeth, the Queen</i>, a historical drama written in blank verse a la Shakespeare, opened on Broadway in 1930. It starred Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt and ran for 147 performances. The production and Fontanne’s portrayal of Elizabeth I were legendary. Eight years after the play closed, an adaptation would make its way to the screen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Based on events of Elizabeth’s late years, the story follows her relationship with the much younger Earl of Essex. After a victory against Spain at Cadiz, Essex returns to England a hero. Ambitious and overconfident, he is a favorite of the queen. However, the two are often at odds; she favors measured statesmanship and he is for bold action; both have a taste for power. Not surprisingly, the Earl is unpopular with the queen’s advisors who maneuver him into leading an ill-fated intervention in Ireland. Essex fails and returns to England in disgrace. Unable to bear ignominy, he attempts to raise a rebellion against the queen. This ends badly for Essex. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17cwyXLxnTZf8u_Z5ZNoBB6m8pPtMjLWkvM7QV__pZLBUFpof8cFzsZ0iMJGWQBC_hZlYJhUBRFeLt8zJLRwfDn310BEJmCyc0O3v88jUXKKRj1S2D0SWydgisgkNgFIvIWuSlZGU5eWC/s1600/picture%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17cwyXLxnTZf8u_Z5ZNoBB6m8pPtMjLWkvM7QV__pZLBUFpof8cFzsZ0iMJGWQBC_hZlYJhUBRFeLt8zJLRwfDn310BEJmCyc0O3v88jUXKKRj1S2D0SWydgisgkNgFIvIWuSlZGU5eWC/s320/picture%255B1%255D.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth I by Hans Holbein</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When Bette Davis learned that producer Hal Wallis bought Anderson’s play for her, she was elated. “Elizabeth was my tankard of tea,” she later recalled. Familiar with the Broadway production and Fontanne’s performance, she saw in the part an exciting opportunity as well as a real challenge. Davis was only 31 at the time and she would be portraying Elizabeth in her 60s. Additionally, the script primarily consisted of complex blank verse dialogue. As was typical of her, Davis threw herself into the project completely. She began extensive research on the Elizabethan period and monarchy, and she was happily surprised when she saw in Holbein's portraits of Elizabeth a resemblance between herself and the queen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Davis campaigned for Laurence Olivier to be cast in the role of Essex. “He was perfect for the part…he <i>was </i>arrogant, beautiful, virile and talented,” she remembered years afterward. Olivier was in between <i>Wuthering Heights</i> (1939) and <i>Rebecca </i>(1940) at the time, but Jack Warner wasn’t enthusiastic. Olivier was not yet a star in the U.S. (though he was on the very brink) and Warner felt the film required a box office powerhouse equal to Davis. The adaptation of Anderson’s play was a big picture for Warners in 1939 and Jack Warner wanted Errol Flynn, the studio’s hottest leading man, for Essex. Flynn had completed <i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i>, <i>The Dawn Patrol</i> and <i>Dodge City</i> all within the past year and was at the height of his popularity. Davis was not convinced. She did not think Flynn had the experience to cope with blank verse or the professionalism to work at it. But Warner prevailed; Flynn it would be. Davis was deeply disappointed. Perhaps the fact that Flynn was being paid twice as much as she amplified her disappointment…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPbgyo0KMcIZs3nVRiaVesajV7gzhNvPRFE-F33_KyyQ3tlTt_jPx9omcjXSERvme6sxlq7EJYoSSVTrUP15fd_218bc0SIYPU6iX2QUe5CNApFVQfsRBClxEdjWAWYz-zVgUtsk8vywT/s1600/curtiz+and+queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPbgyo0KMcIZs3nVRiaVesajV7gzhNvPRFE-F33_KyyQ3tlTt_jPx9omcjXSERvme6sxlq7EJYoSSVTrUP15fd_218bc0SIYPU6iX2QUe5CNApFVQfsRBClxEdjWAWYz-zVgUtsk8vywT/s320/curtiz+and+queen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis and Michael Curtiz on the set</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Warner Bros. veteran Michael Curtiz was tapped to direct. Though Curtiz and Flynn collaborated on several popular films, the dynamic between them was not ideal. Curtiz viewed  Flynn as little more than a blank slate, referring to the actor as “my beautiful puppet.” </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the other hand, Davis put up with nothing from Curtiz on this set, she would not  forgive or forget his dismissive treatment of her before she was a star.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The supporting cast was steeped in solid character actors: Donald Crisp, Henry Daniell, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, Leo G. Carroll, Alan Hale and James Stephenson. Olivia de Havilland appeared intermittently and young Nanette Fabray (Fabares) made an affecting screen debut as ladies in waiting. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though Davis anticipated the film and her role as “a dream come true,” the production did not go smoothly.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It might seem logical that in making a film of a famed stage drama, the name of the play would remain intact. But Flynn did not like it that his character was not mentioned in the title and insisted on a change. <i>The Knight and the Lady </i>was proposed. For Davis, whose character was the centerpiece of the drama, that was unacceptable. <i>The Lady and the Knight</i> was offered as an option. No one liked this, including Davis. The success of Alexander Korda’s <i>The Private Life of Henry VIII </i>(1933), an Oscar-winner for Charles Laughton, inspired the film’s eventual title.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTm6KRxNik69VbaP79gJEHuOy3WETwMXhblpCTjWALq_k-eN7CRDlY5OEUga8ymk-tumpHCevxYY6iTP9SVY2vZHDCuoufe-gibySidWCoJECzy65dQ6fk5537ynD11YqENx53Yy5CBRB/s1600/eliz+and+essex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTm6KRxNik69VbaP79gJEHuOy3WETwMXhblpCTjWALq_k-eN7CRDlY5OEUga8ymk-tumpHCevxYY6iTP9SVY2vZHDCuoufe-gibySidWCoJECzy65dQ6fk5537ynD11YqENx53Yy5CBRB/s320/eliz+and+essex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis and Errol Flynn</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When Olivia de Havilland arrived to begin work, she was still doing retakes for <i>Gone With the Wind</i>. She claimed that she wasn’t ready to start, she couldn’t play two characters at the same time. Jack Warner convinced her, at least to some extent, that she could.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Davis insisted on authentic costume design, but Curtiz thought that authentic costumes would be “too much for the camera” and wanted them scaled down. According to Davis, designer Orry-Kelly made two complete sets of Elizabeth’s costumes – the first conforming to Curtiz’s edict, the second historically accurate. Davis tested in the first set and played her role in the second. “Tricky is the determined female,” she later mused.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Makeup artist Perc Westmore worked closely with Bette Davis to achieve Elizabeth’s age and appearance. He remarked on her dedication to the part but said that he had to walk a fine line to create what Davis wanted while not exceeding what Jack Warner would tolerate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As it turned out, Davis’s concerns about Errol Flynn were well-founded. Notes in the film’s production reports mention the actor’s difficulty with the dialogue. Flynn apparently protested, “I can’t remember lines like that,” and screenwriters Aeneas MacKenzie and Norman Reilly Raine simplified his lines by rewriting them out of verse.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In one famous scene (and infamous incident), Davis gave Flynn a hearty slap across the face with her heavily jeweled hand. Flynn called it a “right hook” and reportedly never forgave her for it. Davis did not seem to think she’d done anything out of character…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lgo-7Wu2llM" width="425"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Orry-Kelly, Perc Westmore, art director Anton Grot and cinematographer/d.p. Sol Polito, all masters of their respective cinematic arts, worked inspired magic. Polito was especially valuable on the production for his wizardry with Technicolor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anton Grot’s lavish sets are an eyeful. At times Elizabeth seems to exist as if within an enormous chest of jewels, so surrounded is she by plush shades of amethyst, turquoise, ruby, emerald and gold. And Grot creates an evocative mood...in vaulted candle-lit chambers, a massive fireplace blazes and flickering shadows leap across dim walls.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkgpGYUwbopIboiLg4uigqwmaM1V5jw2kz9rbtKcYma_mjjPji79XwCFRLus4QaLunVxV5O9AxeM-By2QqCeZJ0XVwteiLd2qtspu1bOh7Hmxe2NcEVuc-LUpLLuK1Bp4HFW5NAdGiZge/s1600/anton+grot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkgpGYUwbopIboiLg4uigqwmaM1V5jw2kz9rbtKcYma_mjjPji79XwCFRLus4QaLunVxV5O9AxeM-By2QqCeZJ0XVwteiLd2qtspu1bOh7Hmxe2NcEVuc-LUpLLuK1Bp4HFW5NAdGiZge/s200/anton+grot.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Director Anton Grot</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anton Grot dominated art direction at Warner Bros. from the late '20s through the 1940s and is often credited for the realism of "the Warner Bros. look" of the 1930s. He was known for his interest in the expressive qualities of light on film, and his work was influenced by European modernism. Nominated for five competitive Oscars, Grot was given a special technical achievement award in 1940 for his design of a "water ripple and wave illusion machine." His films include <i>Little Caesar</i>, <i>Anthony Adverse</i>, <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i>, <i>Captain Blood</i>, and <i>Mildred Pierce</i>. The UCLA Library houses a collection of Grot's original sketches (see below and <a href="http://potulentpalaver.blogspot.com/2007/01/anton-grot.html"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>click here</b></span></a> to see more).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWVhrIZ2OKpcG1YMp2DEJQBN62lpb0Tq5u07hyS89OEJw2oVRtZRrhvE5JTM1dYjQ4bLwuHFr62O0R_Qo9JiE60bY1EfNmjA9eACQiag3tl2WuomjEZZwadwGjaXjI3T7gxZg0u9xPQV6/s1600/Anton+Grot+sketch++Eliz+and+Essex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWVhrIZ2OKpcG1YMp2DEJQBN62lpb0Tq5u07hyS89OEJw2oVRtZRrhvE5JTM1dYjQ4bLwuHFr62O0R_Qo9JiE60bY1EfNmjA9eACQiag3tl2WuomjEZZwadwGjaXjI3T7gxZg0u9xPQV6/s320/Anton+Grot+sketch++Eliz+and+Essex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anton Grot's sketch of the court of Elizabeth I</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bette Davis in an intriguing performance is the finest of the film's<i> </i>fine qualities. In his <i>Great Stars</i> monograph on the actress, David Thomson wrote of Davis that she "often moves like a beast fearful of being leashed." As Elizabeth, her erratic gestures and movements, her voice and her eyes are alive with frustration and exasperation, insecurity and rage. At times she seems to prowl the queen's quarters like a caged cat. Davis captures the spirit of a weary but wily and indomitable monarch, a woman trapped in the power she has fought hard to hold.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">While I don't think Flynn was up to this script, it isn't hard to imagine an aging queen (or any woman) falling victim to his many obvious charms. It's true that Olivier's brooding charisma along with his mastery of Shakespeare might've made for a compelling Essex - and I'm very sure he would have held his own with Bette Davis. But many among the film's cast and technical crew were veterans of Curtiz/Flynn action adventures and that may have something to do with why, overall, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>Elizabeth and Essex</i> plays as a slightly off-balance marriage between historical drama and swashbuckling epic.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i> was a moneymaker for Warner Bros. <i>Variety</i> reported, “Bette Davis dominates the production at every turn…” and pointed out it was the first picture to be released using fast new Technicolor methods. The picture's "slow spots" were discounted as minor shortcomings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh99gq21O3db8RU_BwrN9YfrquFiBkqizXLru4rgxNxyyWHmPKtSYp8oRKH1IDSIRyqwr_C6a2Rs7FiTEdbdBHRGqUX8k2oOGRNJg1Mc_t2rk6tjyIMlNiJlivuE3m7bmogdc_PQu2Kgv0/s1600/Private_Lives_of_Elizabeth_and_Essex_%25281939%2529_4%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh99gq21O3db8RU_BwrN9YfrquFiBkqizXLru4rgxNxyyWHmPKtSYp8oRKH1IDSIRyqwr_C6a2Rs7FiTEdbdBHRGqUX8k2oOGRNJg1Mc_t2rk6tjyIMlNiJlivuE3m7bmogdc_PQu2Kgv0/s320/Private_Lives_of_Elizabeth_and_Essex_%25281939%2529_4%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis and Errol Flynn</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Frank S. Nugent of the New York Times, voicing a complaint common among critics that Flynn was a weak Essex, observed that Davis delivered “a strong, resolute, glamour-skimping characterization against which Mr. Flynn’s Essex has about as much chance as a beanshooter against a tank.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bette Davis needed a rest at this point. “I weighed 80 pounds when I discarded Bess’s ruff and hoop for the last time. I was really exhausted. I knew I must take a holiday and recharge the battery…” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i> received five Academy Award nominations - for art direction, color cinematography, special effects, music score and sound recording. Davis was nominated for <i>Dark Victory</i> instead.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKUJBJf4BJmvFJ6I_lfUpRj0iAyvFJRHqTNKBIwZFU8mpcreDn0JkmlJ8-4kSv4LqaORaGL3vZ3MgzBK1YCFha-EclXuWJ3Ecmn7QHroxyQDSB7PUxBz1_1DZ3nnr5XQWtkZpbTPOHKgc/s1600/essex1%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKUJBJf4BJmvFJ6I_lfUpRj0iAyvFJRHqTNKBIwZFU8mpcreDn0JkmlJ8-4kSv4LqaORaGL3vZ3MgzBK1YCFha-EclXuWJ3Ecmn7QHroxyQDSB7PUxBz1_1DZ3nnr5XQWtkZpbTPOHKgc/s320/essex1%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nominated for art direction, cinematography, effects, score and sound</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Forty years after the film’s release, the actress told a biographer, “I have very mixed emotions when I see it.” She questioned whether she had, young as she was at the time, enough life experience to draw upon for the role. And she admitted that she had “secretly” been a bit unsure about playing Elizabeth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In her 1962 autobiography, <u>A Lonely Life</u>, Bette Davis recalled a moment that stood out in her memory of the production. One day Charles Laughton visited the set. It was her first meeting with an actor she admired very much.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Hi, Pop,” she greeted him, playfully referring to his role as Henry VIII.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Ah, it’s my favorite daughter,” he replied.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As they talked, Bette mentioned that perhaps she had a lot of nerve to be trying to play Elizabeth. Laughton’s response was something she never forgot.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Never stop daring to hang yourself, Bette,” he told her.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>~</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2011/04/classic-movies-of-1939-blogathon-may-15.html" style="color: #990000;">Click here</a></b><i> for a full list of links to blogs participating in CMBA's "Classic Movies of 1939" blogathon.</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjPkNY3g2YA_JM99NkIAA7a98sPn89HJnWEQ9C-rkGaONao6SKOyn846fiOriIn4yfBPCOLnGGmKhUy6XoaPbMhMOHedYGFgAtWdMoAyEzZJad5nHdKQRGDk0LRAU7PAVhRWAsI4XRx8/s1600/Cimba+Best+Film+Review+Drama+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjPkNY3g2YA_JM99NkIAA7a98sPn89HJnWEQ9C-rkGaONao6SKOyn846fiOriIn4yfBPCOLnGGmKhUy6XoaPbMhMOHedYGFgAtWdMoAyEzZJad5nHdKQRGDk0LRAU7PAVhRWAsI4XRx8/s320/Cimba+Best+Film+Review+Drama+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Classic Movie Blog Association honored this post with the 2011 CiMBA award for Best Film Review (Drama) </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Sources:</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>The Lonely Life</u> (1962) by Bette Davis, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, A Personal Biography</u> (2006) by Charlotte Chandler, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Dark Victory : The Life of Bette Davis</u> (2007) by Ed Sikov, <u>B</u></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>ette Davis</u> (2009) by David Thomson (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Great Stars </i>series)</span></div>

Anton Grot Bette Davis Donald Crisp Errol Flynn Jack Warner Michael Curtiz Orry-Kelly Sol Polito The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex CMBA Movies of 1939 Blogathon - The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

“In 1939, I secured my career and my stardom forever. I made five pictures in twelve months and every one of them was successful.” Bette Dav...

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