My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jill Trump
James Lee
Don Taylor
Barbara Hershey
| My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Biopic |
| Written by | Doris Keating Jill Trump James Lee Don Taylor |
| Directed by | Don Taylor |
| Starring | Duncan Regehr Barbara Hershey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Doris Keating |
| Cinematography | James Glennon |
| Production company | CBS Entertainment Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | January 21, 1985 |
My Wicked, Wicked Ways is a 1985 American TV movie based on My Wicked, Wicked Ways, the best selling memoir of Errol Flynn, with Duncan Regehr as Flynn and Barbara Hershey as Lili Damita.
In 1935 Errol Flynn arrives in Los Angeles to take up a contract with Warner Bros. He plays a corpse in The Case of the Curious Bride, which impresses Jack Warner enough to cast Flynn in the lead of Captain Blood. He falls in love with fading film star Lily Damita.
Cast
- Duncan Regehr as Errol Flynn
- Barbara Hershey as Lili Damita
- Darren McGavin as Gerrit Koets
- Barrie Ingham as John Barrymore
- George Coe as Irving Jerome
- Hal Linden as Jack L. Warner
- Lee Purcell as Olivia de Havilland
- Michael Callan as Hal B. Wallis[1]
- Stefan Gierasch as Michael Curtiz
- Michael C. Gwynne as Raoul Walsh
- Elissa Leeds as Bette Davis
Background
Doris Keating, daughter of Barry Mahon, Flynn's one time business manager, optioned the book in 1977. It took her several years to find finance.
"Some people at the networks felt maybe he just wasn't likable enough," Miss Keating said, "But I persisted. I felt I owed it to him to present his story the way he wrote it. The film is my valentine to him."[2]
She managed to get up the film as a TV movie for CBS. The project deliberately steered clear of any political controversies.[2]
The lead role went to Canadian actor Duncan Regehr. He said he "didn`t want to do an imitation of Flynn or mimic him in any way. I chose to do an interpretation, an attempt to capture his elegance and charm, the soul of the man."[3]
The film focuses on the years 1935 to 1943, ending with trial for statutory rape. Regehr later said, "The movie does dribble away. But we chose to do it that way. He wanted to have a good time. He didn`t understand why people didn`t want him to do that. He never looked before he leaped. We leave him feeling terribly sad, in a state of confusion. Then again, he only wanted to live the first half of his life anyway."[3]
Keating said if the film was successful she wanted to do a prequel about Flynn's life in New Guinea, but this did not eventuate.[4]