The Errol Flynn Centennial

Well, no. It can't be. Errol Flynn at 100 is unimaginable. Yet, as of Saturday, June 20th, the great swashbuckler of the sound era passed the one hundredth anniversary of his birth in 1909 in Tasmania.

In his fifty years on earth, he lived as much as a dozen other men, and left those of us who only knew him after his demise in movies breathless with the exuberance and zest he showed in his many dashing roles such as Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and The Sea Hawk (1940). In a few, such as his part in The Dawn Patrol (1938), Edge of Darkness (1943), The Sun Also Rises (1957), and Too Much, Too Soon (1958), he impressed with his too often hidden, introspective side.

Still, thinking of him brings alive memories of Flynn as the personification of the recklessness of youth, boyish mischief, the spirit of adventure and the simple, unalloyed joy in breathing. Thank goodness it was captured on film for a time, even though it couldn't possibly last within one gifted person for very long on earth.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Flynn