Was Errol Flynn a Nazi Spy?
Monday July 13, 2009
In a new, controversial biography, author Charles Higham alleges that famous actor Errol Flynn was a secret spy for the Nazis. Higham also states that Flynn met Hitler. Flynn's family denies these claims. See the full story at The Telegraph.
Comments
This bio is not new — though there may be a new edition because it is Flynn’s 100th birthday. I am a film historian, and I write, research, and teach about Hollywood movies, and I can tell you that Higham’s bios are generally not trustworthy — no matter the subject. I don’t think his argument as presented in the book on Flynn is sound –too much conjecture based on flimsy documentation. (My students are better at backing up their points than Higham is.) FLynn’s family denies the stories as do other sources. Unless a more credible Flynn biographer validates this information and provides the paper trail to back it up, it is little more than rumor and should be couched as such.
I agree. This book was first released in 1980; it’s nothing new. In addition, Higham’s hypotheses have often been suspect.
Was Flynn a Nazi agent or sympathizer ? I do not know. Did he sleep with underaged girls ? Again I do not know. I liked him as an actor, because I have movies on which to base my opinion of him – as an actor.