Modern Screen (Jan-Dec 1960)

I could share in the present. And we did. Aside from the alligators, Errol bought me a rabbit called 'McTavish,' a spider monkey named 'Agnes Gootch,' after the secretary in Auntie Mame, and a mynah bird and a cat which we called 'Dagmar.' " Errol and Beverly finally ended up in Hollywood late last Summer. When Beverly got home to Inglewood, she was shocked to find her parents had been separated. Her father had left home. "My father had not liked my association with Errol and he blamed my mother for not stopping it. My father is a very hardheaded man. He is a German-Norwegian and, although he never showed his feelings for me, I'm sure he loved me. And that is why he took it out on my mother. He had to blame someone, I guess. "Mama tried to talk me out of marrying Errol. But she saw I was determined. She knew that I was very much in love with Errol and she wanted me to be happy. She could see that I was happier than I'd ever been in my life." While in Hollywood, Errol decided to throw a party for Beverly. That was last September 16 when Beverly turned seventeen. The party was in Francati's. Errol invited a lot of people, including his second wife, Nora Eddington Haymes, who was escorted to the party by songwriter Dok Stanford. After the party was over, Beverly wished she'd never come. "A lot of unpleasantness broke out. Nora accused me of making remarks about Errol being elderly. She said to me, 'You are very lucky to have a man like Errol interested in you.' "I told her I never spoke of Errol's age or ever said anything against him. I don't remember my language, but it was pretty strong, and it shut her up." Later, Dok hit a man named Otto on the jaw because he was lavishing too much attention on Nora. In what was considered a remarkable feat, Errol — although the center of the controversy — managed to stay out of the rhubarb without throwing a punch. His invitation to Nora to attend a party for his new sweetheart was part of the unpredictable nature that was Errol's. Nora was a young girl when she fell in love with Errol. She had read about him and his trouble in 1943 and came to Los Angeles and got a job at a cigarette stand in the courthouse where Errol was on trial just to be near him. Errol spotted her and they fell in love. That same year, as soon as his divorce from Lili Damita was finalized, Errol married Nora Eddington in Mexico. The marriage ended in 1949. Nora complained that she and Errol hardly were ever together. Errol was always off making pictures or sailing the seas. Their two daughters, Deirdre and Rory, went to live with Nora. And ten days after the divorce, she married singer Dick Haymes. Incidentally, Beverly resembles Errol's daughter, Rory, who is now fourteen years old! The day after the birthday party, Errol had a look of solemnity. Beverly wanted to know what was wrong. "Are you angry with me?" she asked. "No, darling," he replied. "It's just that I've come back from the doctor and found out that I've got to slow down a bit." Errol told Beverly the doctor had given him an electro-cardiogram and it showed his heart wasn't in the best of shape. "But Errol didn't tell me that he had suffered two earlier heart attacks — before we had met. "I was very worried and I pleaded with him to take it easy. I begged him to stop drinking, too. He told me he would." The next day Errol was in excellent 62 spirits again. He took Beverly swimming at a Beverly Hills hotel pool. While they were sitting poolside a reporter came over for an interview with Errol. Errol lit a cigarette and sipped a drink. He stroked Beverly's blond tresses as he started to tell the reporter about himself. It seemed then Errol might have suspected he didn't have long to live. He spoke of his life in the past tense. But he was cheery about it. He admitted he'd been a scalawag, but said he'd never change a thing if he had his life to live over again. "I have no complaints," Errol said. "I've enjoyed every minute of my life. "I have a great talent for spending. I've squandered more than $7,000,000 during my career. The public expects me to be a playboy, and I don't want to let people down. When I was broke I didn't let it worry me. And until now I have managed to hang onto my yacht Zaca no matter how badly things went. "But I guess I need the money now, old bean. That is why I'm going up to Vancouver to see if I can sell her. She's a $100,000 baby, and someone up there wants to buy her. "I guess I'll be criticized for a long time for carrying on with Beverly. But it's a question of living the life you see fit to live. I've been careless of other people's K Mamie Van Doren: I wear extreme V. # low-cut dresses because they help f 4) my posture. In those dresses, one A m slouch would be fatal. A U Sidnev Skolskv K W. in the New York Post # opinions. I never thought the public would be interested in my so-called antics. "Years ago it was a matter of choosing which road to travel. After all, there is only one road to hell, and there aren't any signposts along the way. "I've taken the human disasters in the same stride as the good times," Errol said, referring to the many highpoints he hit in life and the numerous plunges to the depths which invariably followed. "I hope I managed to face it all with a brave front. You shouldn't distress your friends or have them feeling sorry. The worse the disaster, the braver the front. "I've lived hard, spent hard, and behaved as I damned well chose. You'd think I'd be ready for the wheelchair after the last twenty years of hell-raising. But I never felt better. "I like to travel, and that's what I'm going to keep doing. I have no intention of slowing down . . ." Beverly said she believed everything Errol had said except that last part — about slowing down. "If he were being honest with me when he promised to slow down for his health's sake, I know he was just putting on a front for the reporter. "Errol didn't want his millions of fans finding out he was a sick man." Beverly said she was beside herself trying to figure it all out. Errol had spoken of his life in the past tense. At the moment, Beverly thought it was very significant. "I thought perhaps the doctor might have told him his heart condition was more serious than Errol was letting on. But I really never got to know." Whatever Beverly's concern for Errol, he quickly made her forget it. "We're going to Vancouver," he announced unexpectedly. "Up to George Caldough's place. He's interested in buying the yacht." Beverly and Errol flew to Vancouver. It was their first trip to Canada — but just another country on their rapidly-building up itinerary of world travel. "Our visit in Vancouver was wonder ful," Beverly said. "The Caldoughs mad. delightful hosts. I had a thoroughly en joyable time, and so did Errol. I wa sorry when our visit came to the end oi its sixth day. "We started for the airport to fly bacl to Hollywood. We were being taken then by George and his wife in their car whei Errol complained of pains in his back. "He mentioned then for the first tim< to George that he had suffered two hear attacks in the past, and thought perhap this might be another. That was the firs I knew of the other attacks. "George said he thought Errol shoulc see a doctor and he drove the car to Di Grant A. Gould's apartment in Vancouver. As Dr. Gould began examining Erro there was no immediate diagnosis of aj emergency condition. Errol told the docto: he had suffered recurring attacks of malaria while in Vancouver. Then Errol drifted into how he contracted malaria in the South Seas. Tha started him talking, and he rambled abou his experiences in Hollywood. As Errol spoke, music and voices fron an apartment next door could be hear< in the doctor's office. It was a cocktai party. Somehow, word got there tha Errol Flynn was visiting Dr. Gould. One by one the guests began to floa into the physician's office uninvited t< listen to Errol in fascination as he spui his stories of the golden days. He proppec himself against the door and spoke endlessly— for a solid two hours! "He talked about W. C. Fields, the artis John Dexter, John Barrymore ... all th< greats," Beverly recalled. "His eyes lit up as he stood there waving his arms in magnificent gestures, imitatinj these movie greats. It was a beautiful performance. His stories were thrilling — h< was a wonderful story teller." Suddenly, Errol seemed to tire. H( bowed gracefully and said: "I think I might lie down." Then he walked steadily to a bedroorr in the doctor's apartment. As he reachec the door, he turned in a gesture of moci heroics and declared grandly: "But I shall return. . . ." Errol went into the bedroom and laj on the bed. Dr. Gould followed him ii and examined Errol there. A momeni later the doctor came running out of tht room. "Concern was plainly written on th« doctor's face," Beverly said. "I knew Errol was seriously ill. "I went into the bedroom and saw Erm gasping for breath. I sat on the bed anc put my arms around him. A few seconds later I noticed he was barely breathing "But I saw a smile on Errol's lips, which were trembling. He was trying to say something — perhaps that he loved me. FB never know. He never did speak. "I had a feeling this was the end. I had a feeling that Errol Flynn, the man ] loved so very much, had died in my arms. . . ." The door opened suddenly and Dr Gould came into the room. Beverly got up and went to the door to be out ol the way. Dr. Gould and George took Errol from the bed and placed him on the carpet. Errol wasn't breathing anymore. Dr Gould took a hypodermic of adrenalin and plunged it directly into Errol's heart, trying to shock it into action. Then the doctor stepped back. He said he hoped the Fire Department inhalator squad would get there in time He had phoned them when he had gone out of the bedroom the last time. In desperation, Caldough asked Dr Gould if nothing couldn't be done to save I