Warner
Brothers has just released the Errol Flynn
Signature Collection, Vol. 2. Voted the 26th Greatest
Movie Star of all time, Flynn is often associated with swashbuckling
adventures and romance. The films in the set are as follows: The
Adventures of Don Juan (1948), Charge of the Light Brigade (1936),
The Dawn Patrol (1938), Dive Bomber (1941) and Gentleman Jim (1942).
This set follows Warner's fantastic Errol Flynn Signature Collection,
Vol. 1.
The Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
Flynn
stars as Don Juan in this classic tale of love and intrigue!Set in the 17th Century, Don is on the run from an angry husband
when he and his friend Leporello (played by Alan Hale)
are intercepted by soldiers waiting for a Spanish Duke. Juan poses
as the Duke and learns that he is to be married to Lady Diana (Helen
Westcott). When the real Duke appears, Juan is arrested with
Leporello and set for deportation. Before returning him to Spain,
Count De Polan (Robert Warwick) gives Juan a message for
Queen Margaret (Viveca Lindfors) and requests that he assist
in thwarting a war between England and Spain. Juan returns to a
broken country and fights off a group of soldiers sent by Duke de
Lorca (Robert Douglas). This makes him a certified hero.
Duke de Lorca does not give up that easily, however. After Queen
Margaret suggests that Juan become a fencing instructor at the Royal
Academy, de Lorca offers him a position as well, which Juan refuses.
This rejection angers de Lorca. Juan professes his love for Queen
Margaret, but when she refuses him, he returns to his Casanova-like
ways. Fantastic sword-fighting and excitement make this a must-see
for Errol Flynn fans! The tag line says it all - History's Boldest
Lover ... Most Daring Swordsman!! Special features include: Commentary
by director Vincent Sherman and historian Rudy Behlmer, Warner Night
at the Movies 1948: Vintage newsreel, Oscar-nominated Joe McDoakes
comedy short "So You Want to Be on the Radio," Oscar-nominated
travel short "Calgary Stampede," classic cartoon "Hare
Splitter" and the Trailer.
Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Errol
Flynn is Major Geoffrey Vickers, who along with Sir Humphrey
Harcourt (E.E. Clive) pay a visit the Amir Surat Khan (C.
Henry Gordon) to inform him that his funding from the British
government will be discontinued. The Khan is disappointed and angered,
but after Vickers saves his life, the two become friendly. Vickers
returns home to find that his wife has carried on an affair with
his brother Perry (Patric Knowles, who would go on to star with
Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood). The two brothers fight
relentlessly until Geoffrey is sent on a few more missions, one
of which leads him to meet back up with his wife Elsa (Olivia
de Havilland) and brother Perry. Elsa confides to Geoffrey
that she has fallen in love with Perry. In the midst of an ongoing
battle, Geoffrey succeeds to his brother for the love of Elsa and
protects him by sending him away from the fighting, which is lead
by the Khan's minions. Geoffrey flies into rage over the killing
of Col. Campbell (Donald Crisp) in battle and leads a revolt
against the Khan. Geoffrey and the Khan fight to the death in a
riveting final sequence that holds the viewer to the edge of their
seat! An interesting bit of trivia: During the filming of the charge
sequence, a stunt man was killed when he fell off his horse and landed
on a broken sword that was lying on the field where the charge was
being shot, and was unfortunately wedged in such a position that
its blade was sticking straight up. Special features include: Warner
Night at the Movies 1936 Short Subjects Gallery: Vintage newsreel,
Oscar-winning drama short "Give Me Liberty", Comedy short
"Shop Talk" with Bob Hope, Classic Cartoon - Boom Boom,
Oscar-nominated travel short "Calgary Stampede," and the
Trailers of The Charge of the Light Brigade and 1936's Anthony Adverse.
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
This
remake of the 1930 feature of the same name stars Errol Flynn as
Capt. Courtney, an officer at odds with Maj. Brand (Basil Rathbone)
over Brand's lack of sensitivity for the inexperienced pilots he
commands. Brand's dictator-like attitude has caused a number of
rookie flyers to perish. Courtney and his friend Lieutenant Scott
(David Niven) deal with the young pilots' deaths by drinking
a toast in their honor and singing before returning to their regular
routine of thrill-seeking. A German flyer taunts Courtney and Scott,
which prompts them to bomb the enemy camp after stealing two planes.
This infuriates Maj. Brand, but he forgives the two men once he
learns that they have completely wiped out the German camp. Brand's
sudden promotion leaves Courtney with the position of squadron commander,
which he soon learns is too difficult to undertake. In his frustration,
he begins to drink uncontrollably. Before long, a fresh crop of
new pilot recruits arrive with Lieutenant Scott's younger brother
Donnie (Morton Lowry). Courtney becomes obsessed with his
duties, and in his distraction, sends Donnie to his death. Lieutenant
Scott places the direct blame on Courtney and volunteers for a suicide
mission, as his brother's death has riddled him with depression.
Courtney instead takes the mission himself as a way to right his
wrongs. For this 1938 film, the filmmakers needed several shots
of the planes taking off and landing. They assembled a squadron
of 17 vintage WW1 aircraft, most of them Nieuports. Flying them
proved just as hazardous as in WW1. By the time filming ended, stunt
flyers had crashed 15 of them. One of the Nieuports used in the
movie is now on display at the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker
Alabama. Special features include: Warner Night at the Movies
1938 Short Subjects Gallery: Vintage newsreel, Musical shorts "The
Prisoner of Swing" and "Romance Road", Classic Cartoon
- What Price Porky?, and the Trailers of The Dawn Patrol and 1938's
Four's a Crowd.
Dive Bomber (1941)
Flynn
is Lt. Douglas Lee, a naval doctor who recommends immediate surgery
for Swede Larson (Louis Jean Heydt), a pilot who crashed
his airplane over the waters of Hawaii. Larson is part of a trio
of pilots who share a close friendship, the other pilots being Joe
Blake (Fred MacMurray, three years before his memorable role
in Double Indemnity) and Tim Griffin (Regis Toomey).
Larson does not survive the surgery, which causes Blake and Griffin
to be hostile towards Lee. Blake later becomes a flight instructor,
and when Lee enrolls in the flight surgeon's training program, Blake
is less than enthused. Lee also has slight difficulty with Lance
Rogers (Ralph Bellamy), the senior flight surgeon. After
learning that Rogers can no longer fly due to medical issues, the
two men become friends. Lee graduates and joins Rogers in San Diego
to assist him in researching. Lee volunteers as a test pilot in
order to devise a way to prevent pilots from blacking out while
diving in flight. Lee and Rogers solve the problem shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, Rogers grounds Tim Griffin from flying, a warning which
Griffin ignores and is subsequently killed during a flight for the
Canadian branch of the Royal Air Force. Lee and Joe Blake reconcile
after Griffin's death and the two work together to develop a flight
suit, which combats the effects of flying at high altitudes. Together,
they test their suit but another tragedy soon ensues. One of the
pilots who flew the planes in the film footage was Navy Lt. Edward
"Butch" O'Hare. O'Hare served as a fighter pilot in the
Pacific and shot down five Japanese planes in his first battle,
earning ace status and the Medal of Honor. O'Hare would go on to
down 12 planes total and become one of the top heroes of the war
before he was killed in action off the Gilbert Islands in November,
1943. O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was later named for
him. Special features include: New featurette - Dive Bomber:
Keep 'Em in the Air and the Theatrical Trailer.
Gentleman Jim (1942)
As
with the rest of the set, Gentleman Jim is a story about fighting.
This time however, the fighting takes place in the boxing ring.
Errol Flynn is Jim "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, a bank employee
who is busted during a raid on an illegal boxing match along with
Walter Lowrie (Jack Carson). Judge Geary (Wallis Clark),
a member of the bank's board of directors is also caught in the
raid. Because boxing has been banned, Geary arranges for boxing
matches to be held at the Olympic Club. Jim and Walter think they
are going to be fired when they see Geary enter the bank the following
day. Geary is actually there to thank Jim for his discretion about
the illegal match. Jim meets Vickie Ware (Alexis Smith)
at the bank and is taken with her. He accompanies her back to the
Olympic Club where they have lunch. Vickie gives Jim a tour of the
club, and when he does some impromptu boxing in the gym, he manages
to impress the trainer. Jim becomes a member of the club, which
boosts his ego to radical heights. The other club members are turned
off by his attitude, so a boxing match is arranged between Jim and
Jack Burke (Art Foster). Jim defeats Burke and a celebration
ball is held afterwards. Jim's old friend Walter gets drunk at the
ball and is asked to leave. Jim leaves with him out of loyalty,
and the two men wake up hung-over in Utah the next morning. With
no money, Jim has no choice but to box enough to earn the fare back
to San Francisco. He wins his matches and turns professional after
a series of victories. His newfound fame brings him a lot of money,
and he moves to an upscale neighborhood. His ego continues to grow.
Vickie grows impatient with Jim's smug attitude, but anonymously
puts up the money for him to fight John Sullivan (Ward Bond),
the heavyweight champion. She hopes that Jim will get beaten and
lose his pride. Instead, he wins and is surprisingly gracious. Vickie
is impressed and the two eventually marry. Errol Flynn did all of
his own boxing stunts in this film, and although production was
shut down for a time after Flynn suffered a mild heart attack, he
came back and finished the picture without ever using a double.
Special features include: Warner Night at the Movies 1942: Vintage
newsreel, Sports Shorts "Shoot Yourself Some Golf" with
Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman and "The Right Timing," classic
cartoon "Foney Fables", Trailer and an Audio-only bonus:
radio show adaptation with Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, and Ward Bond.
THE CONCLUSION
The Errol
Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 2 is a fitting
tribute to a man who left his mark on film, despite dying at the
young age of 50. Flynn's last words are said to be: "I've
had a hell of a lot of fun and I've enjoyed every minute of it."
Thanks to this wonderful set, we can continue to enjoy Flynn's larger-than-life
adventures for years to come! This set is AVAILABLE
NOW!
Warner
Brothers has just released the Errol Flynn
Signature Collection, Vol. 2. Voted the 26th Greatest
Movie Star of all time, Flynn is often associated with swashbuckling
adventures and romance. The films in the set are as follows: The
Adventures of Don Juan (1948), Charge of the Light Brigade (1936),
The Dawn Patrol (1938), Dive Bomber (1941) and Gentleman Jim (1942).
This set follows Warner's fantastic Errol Flynn Signature Collection,
Vol. 1.
Flynn
stars as Don Juan in this classic tale of love and intrigue!
Set in the 17th Century, Don is on the run from an angry husband
when he and his friend Leporello (played by Alan Hale)
are intercepted by soldiers waiting for a Spanish Duke. Juan poses
as the Duke and learns that he is to be married to Lady Diana (Helen
Westcott). When the real Duke appears, Juan is arrested with
Leporello and set for deportation. Before returning him to Spain,
Count De Polan (Robert Warwick) gives Juan a message for
Queen Margaret (Viveca Lindfors) and requests that he assist
in thwarting a war between England and Spain. Juan returns to a
broken country and fights off a group of soldiers sent by Duke de
Lorca (Robert Douglas). This makes him a certified hero.
Duke de Lorca does not give up that easily, however. After Queen
Margaret suggests that Juan become a fencing instructor at the Royal
Academy, de Lorca offers him a position as well, which Juan refuses.
This rejection angers de Lorca. Juan professes his love for Queen
Margaret, but when she refuses him, he returns to his Casanova-like
ways. Fantastic sword-fighting and excitement make this a must-see
for Errol Flynn fans! The tag line says it all - History's Boldest
Lover ... Most Daring Swordsman!! Special features include: Commentary
by director Vincent Sherman and historian Rudy Behlmer, Warner Night
at the Movies 1948: Vintage newsreel, Oscar-nominated Joe McDoakes
comedy short "So You Want to Be on the Radio," Oscar-nominated
travel short "Calgary Stampede," classic cartoon "Hare
Splitter" and the Trailer.
Errol
Flynn is Major Geoffrey Vickers, who along with Sir Humphrey
Harcourt (E.E. Clive) pay a visit the Amir Surat Khan (C.
Henry Gordon) to inform him that his funding from the British
government will be discontinued. The Khan is disappointed and angered,
but after Vickers saves his life, the two become friendly. Vickers
returns home to find that his wife has carried on an affair with
his brother Perry (Patric Knowles, who would go on to star with
Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood). The two brothers fight
relentlessly until Geoffrey is sent on a few more missions, one
of which leads him to meet back up with his wife Elsa (Olivia
de Havilland) and brother Perry. Elsa confides to Geoffrey
that she has fallen in love with Perry. In the midst of an ongoing
battle, Geoffrey succeeds to his brother for the love of Elsa and
protects him by sending him away from the fighting, which is lead
by the Khan's minions. Geoffrey flies into rage over the killing
of Col. Campbell (Donald Crisp) in battle and leads a revolt
against the Khan. Geoffrey and the Khan fight to the death in a
riveting final sequence that holds the viewer to the edge of their
seat! An interesting bit of trivia: During the filming of the charge
sequence, a stunt man was killed when he fell off his horse and landed
on a broken sword that was lying on the field where the charge was
being shot, and was unfortunately wedged in such a position that
its blade was sticking straight up. Special features include: Warner
Night at the Movies 1936 Short Subjects Gallery: Vintage newsreel,
Oscar-winning drama short "Give Me Liberty", Comedy short
"Shop Talk" with Bob Hope, Classic Cartoon - Boom Boom,
Oscar-nominated travel short "Calgary Stampede," and the
Trailers of The Charge of the Light Brigade and 1936's Anthony Adverse.
This
remake of the 1930 feature of the same name stars Errol Flynn as
Capt. Courtney, an officer at odds with Maj. Brand (Basil Rathbone)
over Brand's lack of sensitivity for the inexperienced pilots he
commands. Brand's dictator-like attitude has caused a number of
rookie flyers to perish. Courtney and his friend Lieutenant Scott
(David Niven) deal with the young pilots' deaths by drinking
a toast in their honor and singing before returning to their regular
routine of thrill-seeking. A German flyer taunts Courtney and Scott,
which prompts them to bomb the enemy camp after stealing two planes.
This infuriates Maj. Brand, but he forgives the two men once he
learns that they have completely wiped out the German camp. Brand's
sudden promotion leaves Courtney with the position of squadron commander,
which he soon learns is too difficult to undertake. In his frustration,
he begins to drink uncontrollably. Before long, a fresh crop of
new pilot recruits arrive with Lieutenant Scott's younger brother
Donnie (Morton Lowry). Courtney becomes obsessed with his
duties, and in his distraction, sends Donnie to his death. Lieutenant
Scott places the direct blame on Courtney and volunteers for a suicide
mission, as his brother's death has riddled him with depression.
Courtney instead takes the mission himself as a way to right his
wrongs. For this 1938 film, the filmmakers needed several shots
of the planes taking off and landing. They assembled a squadron
of 17 vintage WW1 aircraft, most of them Nieuports. Flying them
proved just as hazardous as in WW1. By the time filming ended, stunt
flyers had crashed 15 of them. One of the Nieuports used in the
movie is now on display at the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker
Alabama. Special features include: Warner Night at the Movies
1938 Short Subjects Gallery: Vintage newsreel, Musical shorts "The
Prisoner of Swing" and "Romance Road", Classic Cartoon
- What Price Porky?, and the Trailers of The Dawn Patrol and 1938's
Four's a Crowd.
Flynn
is Lt. Douglas Lee, a naval doctor who recommends immediate surgery
for Swede Larson (Louis Jean Heydt), a pilot who crashed
his airplane over the waters of Hawaii. Larson is part of a trio
of pilots who share a close friendship, the other pilots being Joe
Blake (Fred MacMurray, three years before his memorable role
in Double Indemnity) and Tim Griffin (Regis Toomey).
Larson does not survive the surgery, which causes Blake and Griffin
to be hostile towards Lee. Blake later becomes a flight instructor,
and when Lee enrolls in the flight surgeon's training program, Blake
is less than enthused. Lee also has slight difficulty with Lance
Rogers (Ralph Bellamy), the senior flight surgeon. After
learning that Rogers can no longer fly due to medical issues, the
two men become friends. Lee graduates and joins Rogers in San Diego
to assist him in researching. Lee volunteers as a test pilot in
order to devise a way to prevent pilots from blacking out while
diving in flight. Lee and Rogers solve the problem shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, Rogers grounds Tim Griffin from flying, a warning which
Griffin ignores and is subsequently killed during a flight for the
Canadian branch of the Royal Air Force. Lee and Joe Blake reconcile
after Griffin's death and the two work together to develop a flight
suit, which combats the effects of flying at high altitudes. Together,
they test their suit but another tragedy soon ensues. One of the
pilots who flew the planes in the film footage was Navy Lt. Edward
"Butch" O'Hare. O'Hare served as a fighter pilot in the
Pacific and shot down five Japanese planes in his first battle,
earning ace status and the Medal of Honor. O'Hare would go on to
down 12 planes total and become one of the top heroes of the war
before he was killed in action off the Gilbert Islands in November,
1943. O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was later named for
him. Special features include: New featurette - Dive Bomber:
Keep 'Em in the Air and the Theatrical Trailer. 
As
with the rest of the set, Gentleman Jim is a story about fighting.
This time however, the fighting takes place in the boxing ring.
Errol Flynn is Jim "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, a bank employee
who is busted during a raid on an illegal boxing match along with
Walter Lowrie (Jack Carson). Judge Geary (Wallis Clark),
a member of the bank's board of directors is also caught in the
raid. Because boxing has been banned, Geary arranges for boxing
matches to be held at the Olympic Club. Jim and Walter think they
are going to be fired when they see Geary enter the bank the following
day. Geary is actually there to thank Jim for his discretion about
the illegal match. Jim meets Vickie Ware (Alexis Smith)
at the bank and is taken with her. He accompanies her back to the
Olympic Club where they have lunch. Vickie gives Jim a tour of the
club, and when he does some impromptu boxing in the gym, he manages
to impress the trainer. Jim becomes a member of the club, which
boosts his ego to radical heights. The other club members are turned
off by his attitude, so a boxing match is arranged between Jim and
Jack Burke (Art Foster). Jim defeats Burke and a celebration
ball is held afterwards. Jim's old friend Walter gets drunk at the
ball and is asked to leave. Jim leaves with him out of loyalty,
and the two men wake up hung-over in Utah the next morning. With
no money, Jim has no choice but to box enough to earn the fare back
to San Francisco. He wins his matches and turns professional after
a series of victories. His newfound fame brings him a lot of money,
and he moves to an upscale neighborhood. His ego continues to grow.
Vickie grows impatient with Jim's smug attitude, but anonymously
puts up the money for him to fight John Sullivan (Ward Bond),
the heavyweight champion. She hopes that Jim will get beaten and
lose his pride. Instead, he wins and is surprisingly gracious. Vickie
is impressed and the two eventually marry. Errol Flynn did all of
his own boxing stunts in this film, and although production was
shut down for a time after Flynn suffered a mild heart attack, he
came back and finished the picture without ever using a double.
Special features include: Warner Night at the Movies 1942: Vintage
newsreel, Sports Shorts "Shoot Yourself Some Golf" with
Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman and "The Right Timing," classic
cartoon "Foney Fables", Trailer and an Audio-only bonus:
radio show adaptation with Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, and Ward Bond.