Captain Blood (Warner Bros.) (1935)

—s> BLiIClI os Errol Flynn Does [is Own Dangerous Feats Refuses To Let Stunt Man Double For Him In Filming ‘Captain Blood” Since motion pictures left the safety-pin age, ‘‘stunt men,’’ so-called ‘‘doubles,’’ have been an important adjunct to the industry. Not always because the more important stars are incapable of performing the hazardous feats required of them, but often because the studio forbids them to risk their valuable necks, are doubles assigned to substitute for the bigger names before the cameras. Many stars are willing to do even the most dangerous tricks if them ; they be pe ‘“dirty their studios permit some demand that mitted to do work,’’ as they describe it. even their own James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, George Brent, Barton McLane and a few others fall in this classification. ‘*Nobody’s going to risk their necks for our benefit,’’ is thei general reaction when a double is suggested. Now comes another star who hangs his name among those who prefer to take their own risks. Ile is Errol Flynn, the Irish adven turer-actor, who is playing the title role in the Cosmopolitan pro duction, ‘‘Captain Blood,’’ which comes to the Theatre on , as a First Nationa! I ise ( | ing | luct I I I ned along just as 450 odd extras and stunt men were preparing for a seene depicting the boarding of the French ‘*Diligent’’ by the wild crew ofBlood’s privateer, the ‘‘ Arabella.’’ The two ships were to be drawn together with grappling hooks and the pirates were to board by means of grapnels attached to free which hurled warship os ee ropes were to be into the rigging. Flynn was not ‘‘on ecall.’’ In to the other words, he day’s vacation. But, like the post man on holiday, he dropped by to watch the action. The actor happened to notice a man, greatly resembling him phy standing on the rail of the The man performer of sically, Arabella’s quarter deck. a prominent movie stunts, was clad in the costume habitually worn by Flynn. ‘*“Who’s inquired of Director ? that fellow??? Flynn Michael Cur tiz. aa ‘*Oh, he’s the hired to do a few tricks for you.’’ ‘‘Do tricks for me?’’ the acto: ‘“Say, get him down from stunt man we builder’s entire career. echoed. was enjoying a Mat No. Gangster’s Holster Worn By Pirates The modern gangster thinks he invented the shoulder holster to carry a pistol under the arm pit. Dwight Franklin, technical director for the Cosmopolitan production, ‘«Captain Blood,’’ now showing at the Theatre, and who is an expert not only on pirates but arms, says the shoulder holster is more than 300 years old, although the modern one is a handy improve ment on the older ones. Several of the old time shoulder holsters will be seen worn by the pirates in the picturization of Sabatini’s story. An Old Pirate Custom \‘ SA AY om Getting chucked under the chin does not seem to appeal to Olivia de Havilland, even when Errol Flynn is the chucker. Henry Stephenson, at the left doesn’t like it either. But it all happens when the slave becomes the master in ‘‘Captain Blood,’’ the Cosmopolitan production coming Theatre on 211—20¢ Seven Special Ships Are Built For ‘Captain Blood’ Film Experts Construct Them On Studio Lake For Mammoth Movie Shipbuilding is industry’s most highly specialized job. The construction of a single vessel often shapes the ship Yet the audacity of motion picture technicians is un them at the First National studios in two months, for use in there. I’ll handle my own dirty ; : : . we ; daunted by a hurry call for seven ships! They had to build work. fi ‘*But he has to swing at the : ae “Captal Blood,” the Cos iend of a rope from the Arabella’s ‘ 2 rd, he osmopoli sar ; ; : tan production which comes to quarter deck to the rigging of th ; i the Theatre on Diligent and then slide down an , Of seven, ty are ¢ . te other rope to the deck, where he seven, two are as complete : us al ship that s: > ger leads his men to a hand-to-hand : ee sails the seas. The construction is lighter. They They breast no storms except man-made Frenchmen,’’ ‘*That’s pretty victory over. the . have little durabil Curtiz protested. wok : lurability. dangerous.’’ ‘“Where’s the Flynn won the argument. He did danger?’? hurricanes. Yet, to the eye, not the slightest detail is missing. the stunt, comparatively simple to They are of regulation. size, ] + > er one whose whole life has been a length, height and beam. Their eontinuous adventure in far-flung decks are sturdy enough to Sup port he , E res . ae places and who has spent years port the hordes of weather-beaten t pirates who use them for a battle ground eruising the uncharted isles of the South Pacific on 20-ton schooners Flynn faced death a dozen times In the foreeastle of the bow, — ‘ ! noe during his soldier-of-fortune days are built the erew’s living quar in New Guinea, when he -pros ters. Below this, the galley. In pected among the vicious head the stern, the living quarters of hunters for gold, when he served the Commander, Navigator and with the territorial constabulary. Ulhcers He didn’t say as much himself, The Captain’s eabin is richly but it was evident the hazardous hand-carved, but simply fur movie stunt was merely a hop skip nished. A table, a few chairs and jump to him. chest and a single rug. On the ‘*Captain Blood’’ is Rafael wall, a few arms, a telescope and Sabatini’s smashing tale of the navigating instruments, quad sea rovers of the seventeenth rant, cross staff and astrolabe. century, set in a massive and This cabin is part of the gun colorful background and produced deck in time of action. With gun on a tremendous scale. ports to starboard and larboard. Michael Curtiz directed. All the furniture is portable. Page Twenty-two S Ne Nothing built in when everything must be thrown through the stern windows. , because fighting starts Wounds from flying splinters were more common than from musket and cannon balls. On each deck is a full complement of cannon. On the “cc frigate, “Arabella,” Captain Blood” as his pirate ship, there are forty guns. In one episode of the story two Spanish vessels attack a Dutch vessel and an English ship comes to the rescue. used by Nothing in picture production inakes as great technical demands as ships. This is true, even of Blood,” that the building of entire “Captain requires villages, ports, islands and palaces. “Captain Blood” is Rafael Sahatini’s smashing tale of the sea rovers of the seventeenth century. There is an all star cast which includes Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander, Guy Kibbee, Robert Barrat and hundreds of others. Michael Curtiz directed. Slave Whipping Becomes An Art In Sereen Work Cruelty Of Human Race In 17th Century Revealed In ‘“‘Captain Blood’’ A man stood manacled to a T-shaped post in a clearing on a sugar-cane plantation on the island of Jamaica. Close by him was a brutish-looking overseer with a 10 foot bullwhip. was the plantation owner. A little way off, perched upon a tall horse, ‘‘Lash him!’’ said this beast. The whip writhed out to its full length. There was a rifle-like ‘‘erack’’ and then the plaited leather wrapped itself three times about the body of the poor wretch who was being punished. ‘“Again!’’ shouted the overseer. Once more came the hiss of the thong, the explosive sound, the quick twining about the sufferer’s body—and his groans, which tear the hearts of the hearers. ‘¢‘Cut — O.K.,: boys,’’ said Director Michael Curtiz, and the whipping scene for the Cosmopolitan produetion of ‘‘Captain Blood,’’ which, released by First National, comes to the .......... Theatre on .-y Was at an end. ‘«Hey, Ross, how’s about a glass of beer?’’ said the brute who had been doing the whipping, to his victim, Ross Alexander. ?? said slave to Joe Cody, who had been manipulating the instrument of torture. ‘‘And I gotta hand it to you, kid—you haven’t lost any of your old stuff!’ Arm in arm, they went off the set, headed for the foaming amber beverage, with Cody remarking: ‘¢Oh, that was easy, I keep in pretty good practice all the time. That wasn’t nearly as tough as snapping a cigarette out of a guy’s mouth, or plucking a hanJkerchief from his breast pocket, with the old bullwhip.’’ Bjood-curdling as the scene ap peared, Ross Alexander hadn’i been hurt in the least. Most of the whipping that is done in pictures is done by this Joseph W. Cody, an Oklahoma-born young man who has handled whips of various sorts and lengths since childhood. He ean knock the ashes off a cigar held in a man’s mouth, yank a revolver from his hand, or trip a runner with the coils of his long ‘« Joe, you got a customer, the whipped weapon, at a distance of ten or twelve feet. It was Cody who taught Douglas Fairbanks to use a whip—though Doug didn’t attain Joe’s proficiency—in the famous ‘‘ Don Q’’ picture years ago. Nearly all the arrow-shooting done in pictures is done by Joe or his brother ‘‘Iron Eyes’’ Cody. ‘‘Tron Eyes’’ also has almost a monopoly on movie knife-throwing. ‘* Arrow-shooting—into a man’s body, apparently—is a pretty tick lish job,’’ Joe explains, ‘‘but we’ve made it almost an exact science. We don’t use a bow of the ordinary type. We use a crossbow — that is, an instrument with a stock like a gun, which you can put to your shoulder, and a groove down the barrel, along which the arrow slides. That way, you can get accuracy. ‘<This lashing job didn’t amount to anything. It was a good tryout, though, for a new whip that ‘Iron Eyes’ just brought me from Aus tralia, where he’s been with a circus. The whip is made of braided kangaroo hide, which is nice, pliable material.’’ Joe Cody offered to whip a cigarette from the mouth of Lionel Atwill, who plays the brutal plantation owner in ‘‘Captain Blood,’’ but Lionel said he’d agree that it could be done, without actually going through the experience. ‘‘Captain Blood’’ is Rafael Sabatini’s most powerful drama with a colorful romance and the wildest adventure, a tale of seventeenth century sea piracy, produced on a tremendous scale. The all star cast includes Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander, Guy Kibbee, Henry Stephenson, Robert Barrat and hundreds of others. The screen play is by Casey Robinson. Their Lives Are Forfeit This unusual camera study shows the tense faces of Peter Blood bees: some of his pirates facing their doom as a battle with a Spanish galleon looms. In the foreground are Errol Flynn, who has the title role, @ Guy Kibbee, portraying his aide, in the Cosmopolitan production ‘‘Captam Blood’’ now showing at the Theatre. Mat No, 209—200