Editing Errol Flynn (section)

==Hollywood==
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| caption2 = Flynn in the trailers for ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' (1935) and ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1936)
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On the ship from London, Flynn met (and eventually married) [[Lili Damita]], an actress five years his senior whose contacts proved invaluable when Flynn arrived in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. publicity described him as an "Irish leading man of the London stage".<ref>{{cite news|author=Schallert, Edwin|title=Marlene Dietrich Will Play Empress Josephine if Napoleon Search Successful: Original by Szekely Under Consideration' Frank Capra Will Direct ''Valley Forge'' at Columbia; ''Radio Jamboree'' Selected as Rudy Vallée's Next Picture|work=Los Angeles Times|date=6 February 1935|page=17}}</ref>

His first appearance was a small role in ''[[The Case of the Curious Bride]]'' (1935). Flynn had two scenes, one as a corpse and one in flashback. His next part was slightly bigger, in ''[[Don't Bet on Blondes]]'' (1935), a [[B-picture]] [[screwball comedy]].

===''Captain Blood'' and stardom===
Warner Bros. was preparing a big-budget swashbuckler, ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' (1935), based on the 1922 novel by [[Rafael Sabatini]] and directed by [[Michael Curtiz]].

The studio originally intended to cast [[Robert Donat]], but he turned down the part, afraid that his chronic [[asthma]] would make it impossible for him to perform the strenuous role.<ref>Thomas, Tony (1983). ''The Films of Olivia de Havilland''. New York: Citadel Press, p. 67.</ref> Warners considered a number of other actors, including [[Leslie Howard]] and [[James Cagney]], and also conducted screen tests of those they had under contract, like Flynn. The tests were impressive, and Warners finally cast Flynn in the lead, opposite 19-year-old [[Olivia de Havilland]]. The resulting film was a magnificent success for the studio and gave birth to two new Hollywood stars and an on-screen partnership that would encompass eight films over six years.<ref>Thomas, Tony (1983). ''The Films of Olivia de Havilland''. New York: Citadel Press, p. 29.</ref> The budget for ''Captain Blood'' was $1.242 million, and it made $1.357 million in the U.S. and $1.733 million overseas, meaning a huge profit for Warner Bros.<ref name="Glancy">{{cite journal | last = Glancy | first = H | title = Warner Bros. Film Grosses, 1924–1951: The William Schaefer Ledger | journal = Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = 55–74 |year = 1995 | language = en | doi = 10.1080/01439689500260031 }}</ref>

Flynn had been selected to support [[Fredric March]] in ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936), but public response to ''Captain Blood'' was so enthusiastic that Warners instead reunited him with de Havilland and Curtiz in another adventure tale, this time set during the [[Crimean War]], ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1936). The film was given a slightly larger budget than ''Captain Blood'', at $1.33&nbsp;million, and it had a much higher box-office gross, earning $1.454&nbsp;million in the U.S. and $1.928&nbsp;million overseas, making it Warner Bros.' No. 1 hit of 1936.<ref name="Glancy"/>

Flynn asked for a different kind of role, and so when ill health made Leslie Howard drop out of the screen adaptation of Lloyd C. Douglas' inspirational novel, Flynn got the lead role in ''[[Green Light (1937 film)|Green Light]]'' (1937), playing a doctor searching for a cure for [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Leslie Howard Is Ill|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=9 July 1935|page=24}}</ref> The studio then put him back into another swashbuckler, replacing [[Patric Knowles]] as Miles Hendon in ''[[The Prince and the Pauper (1937 film)|The Prince and the Pauper]]'' (1937). He appeared opposite [[Kay Francis]] in ''[[Another Dawn (1937 film)|Another Dawn]]'' (1937), a melodrama set in a mythical British desert colony. Warners then gave Flynn his first starring role in a modern comedy, ''[[The Perfect Specimen]]'' (1937), with [[Joan Blondell]], under the direction of Curtiz. Meanwhile, Flynn published his first book, ''Beam Ends'' (1937), an autobiographical account of his experiences sailing around Australia as a youth. He also travelled to Spain, in 1937, as a [[war correspondent]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]], in which he sympathised with the [[Second Spanish Republic|Republicans]].<ref name="bbc110618"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flamingstarfilms.com.au/presskits/Tasmanian_Devil.pdf|title=Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn|website=Flamingstarfilms.com.au|access-date=23 May 2012}}</ref>

===''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938)===
[[File:The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 Trailer.jpg|thumb|right|With [[Olivia de Havilland]] in ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1938)]]
Flynn followed this with his most famous movie, ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1938), playing the title role, opposite de Havilland's [[Maid Marian|Marian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/05/15/32184-torn-exclusive-with-reclaiming-the-blade-director|title=Exclusive with 'Reclaiming The Blade' Director|publisher=Theonering.net|date=15 May 2009|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref> This movie was a global success. It was the 6th-top movie grosser of 1938.<ref>Variety December 1938</ref> It was also the studio's first large-budget colour film using the three-strip [[Technicolor]] process.<ref>Ebert, Roger (17 August 2003). "Roger Ebert's review of "The Adventures of Robin Hood". ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. Retrieved 30 March 2007.</ref> The budget for ''Robin Hood'' was the highest ever for a Warner Bros. production up to that point—$2.47&nbsp;million—but it more than made back its costs and turned a huge profit as it grossed $2.343&nbsp;million in the U.S. and $2.495&nbsp;million overseas.<ref>Mark Glancy Warner Bros. ledgers</ref>

It also received lavish praise from critics and became a world favourite; in 2019, Rotten Tomatoes summarised the critical consensus: "Errol Flynn thrills as the legendary title character, and the film embodies the type of imaginative family adventure tailor-made for the silver screen".<ref>The Adventures of Robin Hood". ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]]''. Retrieved June 30, 2019,</ref> In 1995, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States [[Library of Congress]] and selected for preservation by the [[National Film Registry]].<ref>"25 old films honored". ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]''. December 28, 1995. Retrieved July 22, 2009.</ref> Years later, in a 2005 interview, de Havilland described how, during the filming, she decided to tease Flynn, whose wife was on the set and watching closely. De Havilland said, "And so we had one kissing scene, which I looked forward to with great delight. I remember I blew every take, at least six in a row, maybe seven, maybe eight, and we had to kiss all over again. And Errol Flynn got really rather uncomfortable, and he had, if I may say so, a little trouble with his tights."<ref>Matzen, Robert (2010). ''Errol & Olivia: Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood''. Pittsburgh: Paladin Communications, p. 72.</ref>

The final duel between Robin and Sir Guy of Gisbourne ([[Basil Rathbone]]) is a classic, echoing the battle on the beach in ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' where Flynn also kills Rathbone's character after a long demonstration of fine swordplay, in that case choreographed by [[Ralph Faulkner]]. According to Faulkner's student, Tex Allen, "Faulkner had good material to work with. Veteran Basil Rathbone was a good fencer already, and Flynn, though new to the school of fence, was athletic and a quick learner".

The success of ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' did little to convince the studio that their prize swashbuckler should be allowed to do other things, but Warners allowed Flynn to try a [[screwball comedy]], ''[[Four's a Crowd]]'' (1938). Despite the presence of de Havilland and the direction of Curtiz, it was not a success. ''[[The Sisters (1938 film)|The Sisters]]'' (1938), a drama showing the lives of three sisters in the years from 1904 to 1908, including a dramatic rendering of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, was more popular. Flynn played alcoholic sports reporter Frank Medlin, who sweeps Louise Elliott ([[Bette Davis]]) off her feet on a visit to Silver Bow, Montana. Their married life in San Francisco is difficult, and Frank sails to Singapore just hours before the catastrophe. The original ending of the film was the same as the book: Louise married a character named William Benson, but preview audiences disliked the ending, and a new one was filmed in which Frank comes to Silver Bow to find her, and they reconcile. Apparently, audiences wanted Errol Flynn to "get the girl" or vice versa. (Bette Davis preferred the original ending.)<ref>Stine, Whitney, and [[Davis, Bette]], ''Mother Goddam: The Story of the Career of Bette Davis''. New York: Hawthorn Books 1974. {{ISBN|978-0-8015-5184-0}}, pp.101–104</ref>

Flynn had a powerful dramatic role in ''[[The Dawn Patrol (1938 film)|The Dawn Patrol]]'' (1938), a remake of a [[The Dawn Patrol (1930 film)|pre-code 1930 drama of the same title]] about [[Royal Flying Corps]] fighter pilots in World War I and the devastating burden carried by officers who must send men out to die every morning. Flynn and co-stars [[Basil Rathbone]] and [[David Niven]] led a cast that was all male and predominantly British. Director [[Edmund Goulding]]'s biographer [[Matthew Kennedy (author)|Matthew Kennedy]] wrote: "Everyone remembered a set filled with fraternal good cheer.... The filming of ''Dawn Patrol'' was an unusual experience for everyone connected with it, and dissipated for all time the legend that Britishers are lacking in a sense of humor.... The picture was made to the accompaniment of more ribbing than Hollywood has ever witnessed. The setting for all this horseplay was the beautiful English manners of the cutterups. The expressions of polite and pained shock on the faces of Niven, Flynn, Rathbone et al., when (women) visitors were embarrassed was the best part of the nonsense."<ref>Kennedy, Matthew. ''Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Bad Boy Genius'', Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-299-19770-4}}, p. 177.</ref>

In 1939, Flynn and de Havilland teamed up with Curtiz for ''[[Dodge City (film)|Dodge City]]'' (1939), the first [[Western (genre)|Western]] for both of them, set after the [[U.S. Civil War]].<ref>Kass, Judith M. (1976). ''Olivia de Havilland''. New York: Pyramid Publications, p. 36.</ref> Flynn was worried that audiences would not accept him in Westerns, but the film was Warner's most popular film of 1939, and he went on to make a number of movies in that genre.<ref>Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer * Clifford McCarty, ''The Films of Errol Flynn'', Citadel Press, 1969 p 80-81</ref>

===Second World War===
[[File:Bette Davis - Errol Flynn.jpg|right|thumb|upright|With [[Bette Davis]] in ''[[The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex]]'' (1939)]]
Flynn was reunited with Davis, Curtiz and de Havilland in ''[[The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex]]'' (1939), playing [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]]. Flynn's relationship with Davis during filming was quarrelsome; Davis allegedly slapped him across the face far harder than necessary during one scene. Flynn attributed her anger to unrequited romantic interest,<ref name="Flynn, Errol 1959">{{cite book|last1=Flynn|first1=Errol|first2=Earl|last2=Conrad|date=1959|title=My Wicked, Wicked Ways|title-link=My Wicked, Wicked Ways}}</ref> but according to others, Davis resented sharing equal billing with a man she considered incapable of playing any role beyond a dashing adventurer. "He himself openly said, 'I don't know really anything about acting,{{' "}} she told an interviewer, "and I admire his honesty because he's absolutely right."<ref>Spada, J. ''More Than a Woman: An Intimate Biography of Bette Davis''. Bantam (1993), p. 143; {{ISBN|978-0-553-09512-8}}.</ref> Years later, however, de Havilland said that during a private screening of ''Elizabeth and Essex'', an astounded Davis had exclaimed, "Damn it! The man ''could'' act!"<ref>Matzen, R. ''Errol & Olivia: Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood''. Paladin (2010), pp. 186–87; {{ISBN|978-0-9711685-8-9}}.</ref>

Warners put Flynn in another Western, ''[[Virginia City (film)|Virginia City]]'' (1940), set near the end of the Civil War. Flynn played Union officer Kerry Bradford. In an article for TCM, Jeremy Arnold wrote: "Ironically, the Randolph Scott role [as Captain Vance Irby, commandant of the prison camp where Bradford was a prisoner of war] was originally conceived for Flynn.... In fact, ''Virginia City'' was plagued with script, production and personnel problems all along. Shooting began without a finished script, angering Flynn, who complained unsuccessfully to the studio about it. Flynn disliked the temperamental Curtiz and tried to have him removed from the film. Curtiz didn't like Flynn (or co-star Miriam Hopkins) either. Humphrey Bogart apparently did not care for Flynn or Randolph Scott. Making matters worse was the steady rain that fell for two of the three weeks of location shooting near Flagstaff, Arizona. Flynn detested rain and was physically unwell for quite some time because of it. As Peter Valenti has written, "Errol's frustration at the role can be easily understood: he changed from antagonist to protagonist, from Southern to Northern officer, almost as the film was being shot. [This] intensified Errol's feelings of inadequacy as a performer and his contempt for studio operation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arnold|first=Jeremy|title=TCM Film Article Virginia City|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/33915|access-date=28 May 2024|website=Turner Classic Movies|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731011147/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?id=333905%7C33915|url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the troubles behind the scenes, the film was a huge success, making a profit of just under $1&nbsp;million.

Flynn's next film had been planned since 1936: another swashbuckler taken from a Sabatini novel, ''[[The Sea Hawk (1940 film)|The Sea Hawk]]'' (1940), but only the title was used. A reviewer observed in [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] 19 August 1940, "''The Sea Hawk'' (Warner) is 1940's lustiest assault on the double feature. It cost $1,700,000 and exhibits Errol Flynn and 3,000 other cinema actors performing every imaginable feat of spectacular derring-do, and lasts two hours and seven minutes... Produced by Warner's Hal Wallis with a splendour that would set parsimonious Queen Bess's teeth on edge, constructed of the most tried-and-true cinema materials available, ''The Sea Hawk'' is a handsome, shipshape picture. To Irish {{sic}} Cinemactor Errol Flynn, it gives the best swashbuckling role he has had since Captain Blood. For Hungarian Director Michael Curtiz, who took Flynn from bit-player ranks to make ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' and has made nine pictures with him since, it should prove a high point in their profitable relationship."<ref>''Time'' Review. Retrieved 13 September 2008.</ref> It was not, but ''The Sea Hawk'' made a profit of $977,000 on that budget of $1.7&nbsp;million.

[[File:Santa Fe Trail De Havilland Flynn.jpg|upright|thumb|left|With [[Olivia de Havilland]] in ''[[Santa Fe Trail (film)|Santa Fe Trail]]'' (1940)]]
Another financial success was the Western ''[[Santa Fe Trail (film)|Santa Fe Trail]]'' (1940), with de Havilland and [[Ronald Reagan]] and directed by Curtiz, which grossed $2,147,663 in the U.S., making it Warner Brothers' second-biggest hit of 1940. At the zenith of his career, Flynn was voted the fourteenth most popular star in the U.S. and the seventh most popular in Britain according to ''[[Motion Picture Daily]]''. According to [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']], he was the fourth-biggest star in the U.S. and the fourth-biggest box-office attraction overseas as well.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47308347|title=FILM WORLD|newspaper=[[The West Australian]]|location=Perth|date=14 February 1941|access-date=24 April 2012|page=16|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47309649|title=FILM WORLD|newspaper=[[The West Australian]]|location=Perth|date=21 February 1941|access-date=24 April 2012|page=14|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>''Variety'', 8 January 1941, pg. 1.</ref>

Flynn consistently ranked among Warner Bros.'s top stars. In 1937, he was the studio's No. 1 star, ahead of [[Paul Muni]] and [[Bette Davis]].<ref>''Variety'', 5 January 1938.</ref> In 1938, he was No. 3, just behind Davis and Muni.<ref>''Variety'', 5 January 1939</ref> In 1939, he was No. 3 again, this time behind Davis and [[James Cagney]].<ref>''Variety'', 18 December 1939.</ref> In 1940 and 1941, he was Warner Bros.'s No. 1 top box-office draw.<ref>''Variety'', 8 January/31 December 1941.</ref> In 1942, he was No. 2, behind Cagney.<ref>Variety, December 1942</ref> In 1943, he was No. 2, behind [[Humphrey Bogart]].<ref>''Variety'', December 1943.</ref> Warners allowed Flynn a change of pace from a long string of period pieces in a light-hearted mystery, ''[[Footsteps in the Dark (film)|Footsteps in the Dark]]'' (1941). ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''' Edwin Schallert wrote: "Errol Flynn becomes a modern for a change in a whodunit film and the excursion proves eminently worth-while... an exceptionally clever and amusing exhibit ..."<ref>Scihallert, Edwin (27 Feb 1941). "'Footsteps in the Dark' Engaging Mystery-Comedy".|work=Los Angeles Times. p. 12.</ref> The film was not a big success; far more popular was the military drama ''[[Dive Bomber (film)|Dive Bomber]]'' (1941), his last film with Curtiz.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

In later years, ''[[Footsteps in the Dark (film)|Footsteps in the Dark]]'' co-star [[Ralph Bellamy]] recalled Flynn at this time as "a darling. Couldn't or wouldn't take himself seriously. And he drank like there was no tomorrow. Had a bum ticker from the malaria he'd picked up in Australia. Also, a spot of TB. Tried to enlist but flunked his medical, so he drank some more. Knew he wouldn't live into old age. He really had a ball in ''Footsteps in the Dark''. He was so glad to be out of swashbucklers".<ref>Bawden, James; Miller, Ron (4 March 2016). ''Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era''. University Press of Kentucky. p. 36.</ref>

Flynn became a [[naturalised]] American citizen on 14 August 1942.<ref name="Basinger, Jeanine p. 247"/> With the United States fully involved in the Second World War, he attempted to enlist in the armed services but failed the physical exam due to recurrent [[malaria]] (contracted in [[New Guinea]]), a heart murmur, various venereal diseases and latent pulmonary tuberculosis.<ref name="Basinger, Jeanine p. 247">Basinger, Jeanine: ''The Star Machine''. Vintage reprint (2009), p. 247; {{ISBN|978-0-307-38875-9}}</ref> Flynn was mocked by reporters and critics as a "draft dodger" because the studio refused to admit that their star, promoted for his physical beauty and athleticism, had been disqualified due to health problems.<ref>{{cite news|date=14 October 1950|title=STAR SYSTEM 'ON THE WAY OUT'. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/55850501|access-date=28 May 2024|newspaper=[[The Mail (Adelaide)|The Mail]] |location=Adelaide|page=8 Supplement: Sunday Magazine|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Flynn started a new long-term relationship with a director when he teamed with [[Raoul Walsh]] in ''[[They Died with Their Boots On]]'' (1942), a biopic of [[George Armstrong Custer]]. De Havilland was his co-star in this, the last of eight films they made together. The movie grossed $2.55&nbsp;million in the U.S. alone, making it Warner Bros.' second-biggest hit of 1942.<ref>''Variety'', January 1943.</ref> Flynn's first World War II film was ''[[Desperate Journey]]'' (1942), directed by Walsh, in which he played an Australian for the first time. It was another big hit.

The role of [[Gentleman Jim Corbett]] in Walsh's [[Gentleman Jim (film)|''Gentleman Jim'']] (1942) was one of Flynn's favourites.<ref>Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer * Clifford McCarty, ''The Films of Errol Flynn'', Citadel Press, 1969 pp. 116–117</ref> Warner Bros. purchased the rights to make a film of Corbett's life from his widow, Vera, specifically for their handsome, athletic and charming leading man.<ref>Douglas W. Churchill (17 July 1941). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Ernst Lubitsch Signs Ginger Rogers to Star in His First Production for Fox NEW FILM AT MUSIC HALL 'Tom, Dick and Harry' to Open Today – Arnold Pressburger to Produce 'Saxophone'&nbsp;". ''[[The New York Times]]''. p. 23.</ref> The movie bears little resemblance to the boxer's life, but the story was a crowd-pleaser. Despite—or perhaps because of—its departure from reality, ''Gentleman Jim'' packed the theatres. According to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', it was the third Errol Flynn movie to gross at least $2 million for Warner Bros. in 1942.<ref name="ReferenceA">Glancy, H. Mark. "Warner Bros film grosses, 1921–51", ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'' (March 1995).<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref>

Flynn eagerly undertook extensive boxing training for this film, working with Buster Wiles and [[Mushy Callahan]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Scheuer, Philip K|date=7 June 1942|title=Town Called Hollywood|work=Los Angeles Times|page= C3}}</ref> Callahan's remembrances were documented in Charles Higham's ''[[Errol Flynn: The Untold Story]]''. "Errol tended to use his right fist. I had to teach him to use his left and to move very fast on his feet...Luckily, he had excellent footwork, he was dodgy, [and] he could duck faster than anybody I saw. And by the time I was through with him, he'd jab, jab, jab with his left like a veteran".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Steinberg|first=Jay S. |title=Gentleman Jim (1942) Articles |url=http://www.tcm.turner.com/tcmdb/title/617/Gentleman-Jim/articles.html#00 |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>

Flynn took the role seriously and was rarely doubled during the boxing sequences. In ''[[The Two Lives of Errol Flynn]]'' by [[Michael Freedland]], Alexis Smith told of taking the star aside: "'It's so silly, working all day and then playing all night and dissipating yourself. Don't you want to live a long life?' Errol was his usually apparently unconcerned self: 'I'm only interested in this half,' he told her. 'I don't care for the future. {{' "}}<ref>''Gentleman Jim'' at the [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM Movie Database]]</ref> Flynn collapsed on set on 15 July 1942, while filming a boxing scene with Ward Bond.<ref>{{cite news|title=Errol Flynn Collapses on Set|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=16 July 1942|page=22}}</ref> Filming was shut down while he recovered; he returned a week later.<ref>''[[The New York Times]]'', 21 July 1942. p. 22.</ref> In his autobiography, ''[[My Wicked, Wicked Ways]]'', Flynn describes the episode as a mild heart attack. In September 1942, Warners announced that Flynn had signed a new contract with the studio for four films a year, one of which he would also produce.<ref>{{cite news|title=Of Local Origin|work=The New York Times|date=30 September 1942|page=29}}</ref>

In ''[[Edge of Darkness (1943 film)|Edge of Darkness]]'' (1943), set in Nazi-occupied Norway, Flynn played a Norwegian resistance fighter, a role originally intended for [[Edward G. Robinson]]. Director [[Lewis Milestone]] later recalled, "Flynn kept underrating himself. If you wanted to embarrass him, all you had to do was to tell him how great he was in a scene he'd just finished playing: He'd blush like a young girl and muttering 'I'm no actor' would go away somewhere and sit down".<ref>Higham, Charles; Greenberg, Joel (1971). ''The celluloid muse; Hollywood directors speak''. Regnery. p. 184.</ref> With a box office gross of $2.3 million in the U.S., it was Warner Bros.'s eighth-biggest movie of the year. In Warners' all-star musical comedy fund-raiser for the [[Stage Door Canteen]], ''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (film)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]'' (1943), Flynn sings and dances as a cockney seaman boasting to his pub mates of how he's won the war in "That's What You Jolly Well Get", the only musical number that was ever performed by Flynn on screen.

===Statutory rape charges===
In late 1942, two 17-year-old girls, Betty Hansen<ref>{{cite news|first=Florabel|last=Muir|title=Cast as a Villain, Errol Plans a New Battle|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=18 October 1942|page=88}}</ref> and Peggy Satterlee,<ref>{{cite news|title=Flynn and Peggy on Yacht|work=Des Moines Register|date=5 November 1942|page=9}}</ref> separately accused Flynn of [[statutory rape]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/news/here-we-go-again-wbna6929318|title=Statutory Rape Charges|publisher=Today.com|date=1 March 2005|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref> at the [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]] home of Flynn's friend [[Frederick McEvoy]], and on board Flynn's yacht ''Sirocco'', respectively. The scandal received immense press attention. Many of Flynn's fans founded organisations to publicly protest the accusation. One such group, the American Boys' Club for the Defense of Errol Flynn—ABCDEF—accumulated a substantial membership that included [[William F. Buckley Jr.]]<ref>Valenti, Peter. ''Errol Flynn: A Bio-Bibliography'', pg. 141.<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref>

The trial took place in late January and early February 1943. Satterlee testified that she had sex twice with Flynn aboard his boat when she was 15 years of age.<ref name="Advertiser1942">[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48888810?searchTerm=fred%20mcevoy&searchLimits=Flynn's Host Sued For Divorce], ''[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]'', 28 October 1942. Retrieved 26 October 2011.</ref> Photographer [[Peter Stackpole]], who joined Flynn's yacht cruise at [[Santa Catalina Island (California)|Catalina Island]] on assignment for ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine, testified that Flynn and Satterlee spent hours together below decks, with the crew staying above, and that Satterlee was angry with Flynn and sullen afterward.<ref name=SeattleTimes>{{cite news |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930318/1691068/shooting-stars----peter-stackpole-one-of-lifes-original-photographers-made-a-name-for-himself-through-his-hollywood-focus |title=Shooting Stars – Peter Stackpole, One Of Life's Original Photographers, Made A Name For Himself Through His Hollywood Focus |date=18 March 1993 |last=Ament |first=Deloris Tarzan |newspaper=[[Seattle Times]] |access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref> Flynn denied everything, and blamed Stackpole's photography assignment for the presence of Satterlee on the yacht.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/61840232|title=Errol Flynn's Trial|newspaper=[[Townsville Daily Bulletin]]|date=29 January 1943|page=1|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Flynn's attorney, [[Jerry Giesler]], impugned the accusers' character and morals and accused them of numerous indiscretions, including affairs with married men and, in Satterlee's case, an abortion (which was illegal at the time).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/throwback-thursday-errol-flynn-stood-699299|title=Throwback Thursday: Errol Flynn Stood Trial for Statutory Rape in 1934|newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=5 January 2014|access-date=11 June 2017}}</ref> He noted that the two girls, who said they did not know each other, filed their complaints within days of each other, although the episodes allegedly took place more than a year apart. He implied that the girls had cooperated with prosecutors in hopes of avoiding prosecution themselves.<ref>''The Jerry Giesler Story''. Simon and Schuster (1960), pp. 144–46; ASIN B001T4F75E<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed, if any --></ref>

Flynn was acquitted, but the trial's widespread coverage and lurid overtones permanently damaged his carefully cultivated screen image as an idealised romantic leading player.<ref>Valenti, Peter ''Errol Flynn: A Bio-Bibliography'', pp. 143–46.<!-- publisher; ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref>

===After the trial===
''[[Northern Pursuit]]'' (1943), also with Walsh as director, was a war film set in Canada. He then made a film for his own production company, Thomson Productions, where he had a say in the choice of vehicle, director and cast, plus a portion of the profits. ''[[Uncertain Glory (1944 film)|Uncertain Glory]]'' (1944), a war-time drama set in France with Flynn as a criminal who redeems himself, was not a success, earning only a modest gross of $1.5&nbsp;million. Thomson Productions made no more movies. Still, Flynn earned $175,000 in 1943.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety155-1944–07#page/n94/mode/1up|title=Treasury Lists Over $75,000 Salary|newspaper=Variety|date=19 July 1944|page=21|access-date=13 August 2016}}</ref> With Walsh he made ''[[Objective, Burma!]]'' in 1944, released in 1945, a war film set during the [[Burma Campaign]]. Although popular, it was withdrawn in Britain after protests that the role played by British troops was not given sufficient credit.<ref>Basinger (2009), p. 248.</ref> A Western, ''[[San Antonio (film)|San Antonio]]'' (1945), was also very popular, grossing $3.553&nbsp;million in the U.S. and was Warner Bros.' third-biggest hit of the year.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

===Post-war career===
Flynn tried comedy again with ''[[Never Say Goodbye (1946 film)|Never Say Goodbye]]'' (1946), a comedy of remarriage opposite [[Eleanor Parker]], but it was not a success, grossing $1.77&nbsp;million in the U.S. In 1946, Flynn published an adventure novel, ''[[Showdown (Flynn novel)|Showdown]]'', and earned a reported $184,000 ({{Inflation|US|184000|1946|r=-4|fmt=eq}}).<ref>{{cite news|title=M'Carey's Wage of $1,113,035 Year's Highest: Treasury Report Places Film Producer First|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=17 June 1946|page=6}}</ref> ''[[Cry Wolf (1947 film)|Cry Wolf]]'' (1947) was a thriller with Flynn in a seemingly more villainous role. It was a moderate success at the box office. He was in a melodrama, ''[[Escape Me Never (1947 film)|Escape Me Never]]'' (1947), filmed in early 1946 but not released until late 1947, which lost money. More popular was a Western with Walsh and [[Ann Sheridan]], ''[[Silver River (film)|Silver River]]'' (1948). This was a hit, although its high cost meant it was not very profitable. Flynn drank so heavily on the set that he was effectively disabled after noon-hour, and a disgusted Walsh terminated their business relationship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepages.sover.net/~ozus/silverriver.htm|title=silverriver|website=homepages.sover.net|access-date=8 June 2018|archive-date=11 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211211808/http://homepages.sover.net/~ozus/silverriver.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Warners tried returning Flynn to swashbucklers and the result was ''[[Adventures of Don Juan]]'' (1948). The film was very successful, becoming Warner Bros.' 4th-biggest hit of the year. As with some other Flynn films, it was more popular in Europe than the States, grossing $3.1&nbsp;million there and $2.1&nbsp;million in the U.S., with total earnings of $4.7&nbsp;million on an approximate budget of $3.25&nbsp;million. However, from this point on, Warner Bros. reduced the budgets of Flynn's films. In November 1947, Flynn signed a 15-year contract with [[Warner Bros.]] for $225,000 per film.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/variety168-1947–12#page/n195/mode/1up "Flynn's Fancy WB Pact"], ''Variety'', December 1947. Retrieved 22 March 2016.</ref> His income totalled $214,000 that year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety169-1948–02#page/n195/mode/1up|title=Variety (February 1948)|website=Archive.org|access-date=29 April 2017}}</ref> and $200,000 in 1948.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety173-1949–02#page/n69/mode/2up|title=Variety (February 1949)|website=Archive.org|access-date=29 April 2017}}</ref>

===Later Warner films===
[[File:Errol Flynn in That Forsyte Woman.JPG|thumb|Flynn in ''[[That Forsyte Woman]]'' (1949)]]
After a cameo in Warner Bros.' Technicolor musical comedy ''[[It's a Great Feeling]]'' (1949), Flynn was borrowed by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] to appear in ''[[That Forsyte Woman]]'' (1949), which made $1.855&nbsp;million in the U.S. and $1.842&nbsp;million abroad which was the eleventh-biggest hit of the year for MGM. He went on a three-month holiday then made two medium-budget Westerns for Warners, ''[[Montana (1950 film)|Montana]]'' (1950), which made $2.1&nbsp;million and was Warner Bros.' fifth-biggest movie of the year, and ''[[Rocky Mountain (film)|Rocky Mountain]]'' (1950), which made $1.7&nbsp;million in the U.S. and was Warner Bros.' ninth-biggest movie of the year. He returned to MGM for ''[[Kim (1950 film)|Kim]]'' (1950), one of Flynn's most popular and profitable movies from this period, grossing $5.348&nbsp;million ($2.896&nbsp;million in the U.S. plus $2.452&nbsp;million abroad, on a budget of $2.056&nbsp;million) while making it MGM's fifth-biggest movie of the year by box office and eleventh biggest overall for Hollywood. It was shot partly in India. On his way home, he shot some scenes for a film he produced, ''[[Hello God]]'' (1951), directed by William Marshall; it was never released. For many years, this was considered a lost film, but in 2013, a copy was discovered in the basement of the surrogate court of New York City. Two of seven cans of the movie had deteriorated beyond hope, but five survived and were sent to the George Eastman House film archive for restoration.

Flynn wrote and co-produced his next film, the low-budget ''[[Adventures of Captain Fabian]]'' (1951), directed by Marshall and shot in France. (Flynn wrote articles, novels and scripts but never had the discipline to turn it into a full-time career.<ref>{{cite web|website=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=Ten Stories About Australian Screenwriters You Might Not Know|date=29 September 2019|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/ten-stories-australian-screenwriters-might-not-know/}}</ref>) Flynn wound up suing Marshall over both movies. For Warners, he appeared in an adventure tale set in the Philippines, ''[[Mara Maru]]'' (1952). That studio released a documentary of a 1946 voyage he had taken on his yacht, ''[[Cruise of the Zaca]]'' (1952). In August 1951, he signed a one-picture deal to make a movie for Universal in exchange for a percentage of the profits: this was ''[[Against All Flags]]'' (1952), a popular swashbuckler. In 1952, he was seriously ill with [[hepatitis]], resulting in liver damage.<ref>Flynn, Errol. ''My Wicked, Wicked Ways'' (1959), p. 14.</ref> In England, he made another swashbuckler for Warners, ''[[The Master of Ballantrae (1953 film)|The Master of Ballantrae]]'' (1953). After that, Warners ended their contract with him and their association that had lasted for 18 years and 35 films.<ref>{{cite news|first=Thomas|last=Pryor|title=ERROL FLYNN ENDS PACT AT WARNERS: ACTOR AND STUDIO AGREE TO PART — STAR MADE 35 FILMS IN 20 YEARS ON LOT|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=20 March 1954|page=10}}</ref>

===Europe===
Flynn relocated his career to Europe, starting with a swashbuckler in Italy, ''[[Crossed Swords (1954 film)|Crossed Swords]]'' (1954). This inspired him to produce a similar movie in that country, ''[[The Story of William Tell]]'' (1953), directed by [[Jack Cardiff]] with himself in the title role. The movie fell apart during production, was never finished, and ruined Flynn financially. Desperate for money, he accepted an offer from [[Herbert Wilcox]] to support [[Anna Neagle]] in a British musical, ''[[Lilacs in the Spring]]'' (1954). Also shot in Britain was ''[[The Dark Avenger]]'' (1955), for Allied Artists, in which Flynn played [[Edward, the Black Prince]]. Wilcox used him with Neagle again in ''[[King's Rhapsody (film)|King's Rhapsody]]'' (1955), but it was not a success, ending plans for further Wilcox-Flynn collaborations. In 1956 he presented and sometimes performed in the British-filmed television [[anthology series]] ''The Errol Flynn Theatre''.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

===Return to Hollywood===
Flynn received an offer to make his first Hollywood film in five years: ''[[Istanbul (film)|Istanbul]]'' (1957), for Universal, which was not well received. He made a thriller shot in Cuba, ''[[The Big Boodle]]'' (1957), then had his best role in a long time in the blockbuster [[Ernest Hemingway]] adaptation ''[[The Sun Also Rises (1957 film)|The Sun Also Rises]]'' (1957) for producer [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], which made $3&nbsp;million in the U.S.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} Flynn's performance in the latter was well received and led to a series of roles where he played to type, assaying drunks. Warner Bros. cast him as [[John Barrymore]] in ''[[Too Much, Too Soon]]'' (1958), and Zanuck used him again in ''[[The Roots of Heaven (film)|The Roots of Heaven]]'' which made $3&nbsp;million (1958). He met with [[Stanley Kubrick]] to discuss a role in ''[[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]'', but nothing came of it.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Robert|last=Osborne|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0527616820070905|title=Errol Flynn's daughter remembers notorious dad|work=[[Reuters]]|date=5 September 2007|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref>

Flynn went to Cuba in late 1958 to film the self-produced [[B film]] ''[[Cuban Rebel Girls]]'', where he met [[Fidel Castro]] and was an enthusiastic supporter of the [[Cuban Revolution]]. He wrote a series of newspaper and magazine articles for the ''[[New York Journal American]]'' and other publications documenting his time in Cuba with Castro. Flynn was the only journalist who happened to be with Castro the night Batista fled the country, and Castro learned of his victory in the revolution.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cuba Libre!: Che, Fidel, and the Improbable Revolution That Changed World History |publisher=Blue Rider Press |first=Tony |last=Perrottet |year=2019 |chapter=Ch. 31: In (Cuba) Like Flynn }}</ref> Many of these pieces were lost until 2009 when they were rediscovered in a collection at the [[University of Texas at Austin]]'s [[Dolph Briscoe Center for American History]].<ref name="bbc110618">{{cite news|last=Humphries|first=Patrick|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8298582.stm|title=Errol Flynn's Cuban adventures|work=BBC News|access-date=11 June 2017}}</ref> He appeared in a short titled ''[[Cuban Story|Cuban Story: The Truth About Fidel Castro Revolution]]'' (1959), his last-known work.