Errol Flynn Movies

Want to know the best Errol Flynn movies?  How about the worst Errol Flynn movies?  Curious about Errol Flynn’s box office grosses or which Errol Flynn movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Errol Flynn movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place.

Even though I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable movie buff, I knew very little about Errol Flynn before researching and writing this page. I basically knew two facts about Errol Flynn. One, he is the most famous Robin Hood of all-time and two, he made some pirate movies.

After a month of reading numerous books, checking out websites and watching a few documentaries on him, I am now much more familiar with the life and career of Errol Flynn. I would highly recommend checking out the Errol Flynn Blog for even more information on the life and times of Errol Flynn….just follow this link….The Errol Flynn Blog.

Errol Flynn (1909-1959) was born in Tasmania. As a child he used to play with a wooden sword that his parents told him had belonged to Fletcher Christian. Many times he would play on his grandfather’s boat…acting out Douglas Fairbanks pirate movies. This training would come in handy when he turned his attention to acting. He would appear in his first film when he was 24. By the time he was 26 he had already secured his first starring role in a big budget movie, Captain Blood. Captain Blood was a huge success and turned Flynn into a star. At 28 he turned into a superstar with his performance as Robin Hood in 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood.

From 1935 to 1950 Flynn was one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. However his “playboy lifestyle” began to catch up with him. Starting around 1950 his movie career started to stall as his off screen lifestyle started to impact his health. He would regularly smoke at least a pack of cigarettes a day and drank heavily. Problems with his liver and heart eventually led to a fatal heart attack in 1959.  Errol Flynn has 64 acting credits from 1933-1959. In the table below Ultimate Movie Rankings ranks 50 of his movies in 7 different sortable columns.  Television roles, cameos, and shorts were not included in the rankings.

Errol Flynn in 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood
Errol Flynn in 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood

Errol Flynn Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.

Errol Flynn Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort Errol Flynn movies by co-stars of her movies
  • Sort Errol Flynn movies by adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort Errol Flynn movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)… **** If the domestic totals are the same as the worldwide totals…then worldwide totals are unknown
  • Sort Errol Flynn movies by how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Errol Flynn movie received.
  • Sort Errol Flynn movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score.  UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
  • Blue link in Co-star column takes you to that star’s UMR movie page
Henry Daniell and Errol Flynn in 1940's The Sea Hawk
Henry Daniell and Errol Flynn in 1940’s The Sea Hawk

10 Possibly Interesting Facts About Errol Flynn

1. Errol Flynn was the first actor to play Fletcher Christian in a film that had sound. He played Christian in 1933’s The Wake of the Bounty…..later Clark Gable, Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson would play the same part.

2. Errol Flynn and the Perry Mason connection. One of his first Hollywood movies was The Case of the Curious Bride…which was one of the first ever Perry Mason movies. Flynn got to play the corpse. Later Flynn would co-star with Raymond Burr in Mara Maru….Burr would later go on to fame playing Perry Mason on the television series.

3. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland were one of the screen’s most popular couples. They would appear in 9 movies together from 1935 to 1943. Olivia de Havilland is still very much alive as she approaches the century mark.

4. Errol Flynn was married 3 times in his life. His first marriage to Lila Damita produced a son named Sean. His second marriage to Nora Eddington produced two daughters named Deirdre and Rory. His final marriage to Patrice Wymore produced one daughter named Arnella.

5. His son Sean, followed in his dad’s footsteps and has 10 IMDB credits to his name. His most famous movie role was in The Son Of Captain Blood (1962). The Son of Captain Blood was a sequel to the movie that made Errol Flynn famous, Captain Blood(1935). Later Sean Flynn turned towards a career as a freelance photojournalist. Sadly, Sean Flynn went missing while on assignment in Cambodia in 1970.

6. The saying …”In Like Flynn” became popular when Flynn was tried for statutory rape in 1942 but was acquitted….during the very high profile case, comedians of the day started to use the saying and it caught on.

7. His drinking was legendary.…he would inject oranges with vodka and eat them during his breaks so no one would know he was drinking on the set….during a play in the late 1950s his assistant would stage alcohol throughout the set, so Flynn could drink while performing.

8. Errol Flynn and Alan Hale Sr. (one of my favorite character actors) appeared in 11 movies together. Alan Hale Sr. was the father of Alan Hale Jr….better known as The Skipper on Gilligan’s Island.

9. The movie My Favorite Year is based on Mel Brooks’ encounter with Flynn on a television show in the 1950s….in that movie Peter O’Toole played the Flynn character. Also Jude Law portrayed Errol Flynn in The Aviator.

10. Check out Errol Flynn’s career compared to current and classic actors.  Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.

Steve’s Epic Errol Flynn You Tube Video

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143 thoughts on “Errol Flynn Movies”

  1. How are you doing today Bruce! So the domestic grosses you’re showing in your May 30th post is from the Warner Bros. ledgers and have been multiplied by 2.2? Did the ledgers show the foreign as well? Just wondering. Don’t know why I find all of these numbers so interesting but I do. This Saturday (June 20th) for Flynn’s birthday the fam and I are going to watch Sea Hawk, we only watch it once a year and usually in the summer and I try to explain to them how important this film was to England with the Nazi’s flying overhead as a precursor to a possible invasion.

    Reply

    1. Hey Rick. The ledgers did show the foreign totals too. The table has worldwide grosses for about 60% of his movies….an * is show for the ones that I do not have worldwide numbers on. I have ledgers for MGM, RKO, Warner Brothers and United Artists…..Warner Brothers ledgers does not mention how profitable the movie was…..the MGM and RKO ledgers provide that information.

      The Sea Hawk is one of my favorite Flynn movies….so I think you are picking a good one to watch on his 106th birthday. You know Luis Rainer made it to her 104th birthday….think of the roles Flynn could have played from 1960-2013 if he would have lived that long too.

      I am right there with you about being fascinated about these numbers.

      Reply

  2. Thanks for your reply. here are some exact figures I got froma source that has the Warner Bros. ledger: Captain Blood cost $1.242, made $1.357 in US and $1.733 Foreign for a total gross of $3.09
    Charge of the Light Brigade cost $1.33, made $1.454 in US & $1.928 foreign for $3.382 total.
    Robin Hood cost $2.47, made $2.343 in the US & $2.495 foreign for $4.838 total.
    Don Juan made $1.9 in US and $3.1 Foreign for $5.0 total.
    Another Dawn cost $552K and made $572K US & $473K foreign for $1.045 total.
    Kim made $2.896 US & $2.452 foreign for $5.348 total.
    Forsyte Woman made $1.855 US & $1.842 foreign for $3.697 total.
    It’s a Great Feeling cost $1.452, made $2.059 in US & $645K foreign for $2.896 total.
    Silver River made $2.2 in US and $1.284 foreign for a $3.484 total.
    Montana made $2.1 US and $900K foreign for $3.0 total.
    Eliz & Essex cost $1.1 to make, made $1.6 in US.
    Died with their Boots on made $2.55 in US.
    The average of 12 Flynn productions up to 1939 cost $989.2 K for make.
    Both Captain Blood & Robin Hood were the 1# films of Warner Bros. for 1935 & 1938.
    Errol Flynn was voted 4# biggest movie star of 1940 by Variety.
    Hope you like those tidbits!

    Reply

    1. Hey Rick. Thank you very much for sharing this information. I am going to compare the numbers with my Warner Brothers Ledgers. I have 1930-1943….but it only lists the Top Ten Warner Brothers Movies…and about 4 to 5 others per year. My ledgers have Captain Blood as the number 2 Warner Brothers movie…but they list it as 1934-35. They do give Errol credit for the top Warner Brothers movie in 1935-36 The Charge of the Light Brigade…..1936-37..The Prince and the Pauper his Green Light is #2 in 1936-37. Robin Hood 1937-38…Dodge City 1938-39….The Sea Hawk 1939-40, Dive Bomber #1 1940-4.

      Taking your ledger numbers and my ledger numbers it looks like yours are about 25% higher than mine in the ones in the 1930s and early 1940s. Our numbers match perfectly on Don Juan, Montana, Another Dawn(the only match in the 1930s), and Silver River. Makes you wonder why the two ledgers are so far apart on some of the movies. Maybe I should take the average of the two ledgers. Man do I wish they would have kept better records back then. Sorry this comment has wandered….I have adding to it as I research both sets of numbers.

      Thanks for sharing this information….it is great appreciated….I am scheduling a trip to the USC library were I can see the ledgers with my own eyes….I will be sure to check on the Flynn movies….it will probably be a third set of numbers….thanks again for sharing your information.

      Reply

    2. thanks so much for these Errol Flynn actual box office $$$ figures.
      do you have any more from the ledgers?
      It would be great if you could provide more fro his other films.
      thank you
      Anthony

      Reply

      1. i found these figures on a blog, many appear legit when compared to Rick’s numbers above:

        http://thegreatunmaderobertaldrichromcom.blogspot.ca/2006/09/errol-flynn-box-office.html

        Errol Flynn Box Office
        Captain Blood (1935) made a profit of $1.462 million.

        The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Prince and the Pauper (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Private Lives Of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) and The Sea Hawk (1940) established Flynn as the top star at Warner Bros. Each of the six films had high domestic earnings and earned very high foreign grosses.

        The Adventures of Robin Hood was by far the most expensive and successful. It had the highest production cost ($2,033,000) of any Warner Bros film at this time, and earnings of $3,981,000 were the highest of the decade – a profit of almost $2 million.

        Elizabeth and Essex cost $1.075 million, making a profit of $550,000.

        Flynn also starred in three highly successful westerns [Dodge City (1939), Virginia City (1940), Sante Fe Trail (1941)]), which all had costs above $1,000,000 and earned solid profits. Santa Fe Trail made a profit of $1.48 million.

        He also starred in films costing half that amount, including Green Light (1936), Another Dawn (1937), and The Dawn Patrol (1938).

        In 1942 Errol Flynn’s contract specified that on every fourth picture at Warner’s he would receive a percentage of the ‘‘net gross.’’ This term was defined to be the gross revenues less all negative, advertising, and distribution costs and a 20 percent distribution fee.

        They Died with Their Boots On (1942) made a profit of $1.5 million.

        His highest earning film of the mid 40s was San Antonio (1945), which cost more than $2,000,000 and and earned $3.553 million (it was Warners biggest hit of the year).

        His biggest hit of the late 40s was The Adventures of Don Juan (1948) which had earnings of just under $5,000,000 and costs of approximately $3,500,000.

        It is highly unlikely that the western Silver River (1947), made any profit at all. Costs of $3,204,000 were barely met by earnings of $3,484,000.

        Films such as Cry Wolf (1947) and Never Say Goodbye (1946) placed well outside the ten top earning films of their season, and Escape Me Never (1947) had earnings below its production cost. Never Say Goodbye earned cinema receipts of £116,821 in England (a solid amount).

        Over at MGM he made two films. That Forsyth Woman (1949) grossed $3,697,000 (domestic $1,855,000 and foreign $1,842,000) at a cost of $2,612,000 – making a loss of $574,000.

        Kim made $5,348,000 (domestic $2,896,000 – the tenth biggest film of the year – and foreign $2,452,000), at a cost of

        $2,049,000 – made a profit of $1,064,000. It wasn’t as big a hit as King Solomon’s Mines, which had also been offered to Errol, but that was still pretty good. He picked the wrong film but it wasn’t that massive a mistake.

        Montana (1950) cost between $1-$1.5 million and earned over $3 million, including cinema receipts of

        £131,969 in the UK.

        Rocky Mountain (1951) earned

        £125,231 worth of receipts in the UK.

        King’s Rhapsody (1954) earned

        £90,884 in receipts in the UK – this was poor compared to earlier musicals from Anna Neagle.

        He had two supporting roles in films for 20th Century Fox in the late 50s. The Sun Also Rises (1958) made $3.5 million and cost $3.815. The Roots of Heaven (1958) made $3 million, cost $3.3 million.

        Reply

        1. Hey Anthony…..thanks for sharing this information…..looks like some good information….if I had to bet the info came from one of the many biographies on Flynn. I always feel like a detective when trying to figure out box office information for movies made before 1980. It is a fun but frustrating hobby to have.

          Reply

      2. Hey Anthony. Here are my “actual” box office grosses for the Flynn movies. This is based on box office rentals times a multiplier of 2.2. I got my 2.2 multiplier by taking the average of 3,145 movies where the rentals and actual gross were known…..not an exact number but I feel they are pretty close. Also including the “negative cost” of the ones shown in the ledgers….the Warner Brothers Ledgers does not say if the movie made money or lost money.

        Movie (Year) / Actual Domestic Box Office (Millions) / Negative Cost

        The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) $5.50 $2.033 million in negative cost
        San Antonio (1945) $7.82
        The Sea Hawk (1940) $3.59 $1.701 million in negative cost
        Captain Blood (1935) $2.39 $.995 million in negative cost
        Gentleman Jim (1942) $3.91
        They Died with Their Boots On (1941) $4.12 $1.358 million in negative cost
        Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) $5.51 $1.566 million in negative cost
        Edge of Darkness (1943) $4.49
        Desperate Journey (1942) $4.46 $1.209 million in negative cost
        That Forsyte Woman (1949) $6.38
        Dodge City (1939) $3.71 $1.061 million in negative cost
        Objective Burma! (1945) $4.40
        The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) $2.59 $1.076 million in negative cost
        Kim (1950) $6.60
        The Dawn Patrol (1938) $2.89 $.500 million in negative cost
        Santa Fe Trail (1940) $3.85 $1.115 millon in negative cost
        Dive Bomber (1941) $3.86 $1.271 million in negative cost
        Adventures of Don Juan (1948) $4.18
        Northern Pursuit (1943) $4.26 $1.290 million in negative cost
        Silver River (1948) $4.84
        The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) $2.10 $1.073 million in negative cost
        Virginia City (1940) $3.34 $1.179 negative cost
        Green Light (1937) $2.75 $1.25 $.513 million negative cost
        Escape Me Never (1947) $5.06
        The Sun Also Rises (1957) $6.60
        Footsteps in the Dark (1941) $2.20
        The Roots of Heaven (1958) $6.60
        Uncertain Glory (1944) $1.71
        Rocky Mountain (1950) $3.74
        The Prince and the Pauper (1937) $2.26
        Never Say Goodbye (1946) $2.74
        The Master of Ballantrae (1953) $4.40
        Cry Wolf (1947) $4.40
        The Perfect Specimen (1937) $1.73 $.505 million
        Montana (1950) $4.62
        The Sisters (1938) $2.03
        Against All Flags (1952) $3.52
        Four’s A Crowd (1938) $1.82
        Mara Maru (1952) $3.30
        Crossed Swords (1954) $1.79
        Too Much Too Soon (1958) $2.09
        Another Dawn (1937) $1.26 $.552 million
        Istanbul (1957) $1.76
        The Dark Avenger (1955) $1.66
        Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951) $.94
        Let’s Make Up (1954) $1.10
        In The Wake of the Bounty (1933) $.43
        King’s Rhapsody (1955) $1.00
        The Big Boodle (1957) $1.10
        Cuban Rebel Girls (1959) $.11

        Reply

  4. I’m interested in additional information on photographer Robert Bardey who took the iconic photo Errol, in the poolside chair, that you referenced in a previous site. Who was Robert Bardey? What else is known about Bardey, where is his family? Where can I see more of his photos.

    Thanks,

    Chris

    Reply

    1. Hey Chris…I have to say I am not much help when it comes to Robert Bardey. A quick Google search offers no clues either…if I find some info on him I will be sure to share it with you

      Reply

  5. Just wondering if you took into account the foreign grosses as well as the domestic seeing as Don Juan was huge in Europe but moderately big in the US and thus would have been sig. higher than 17th. Also, where did you get your grosses? I’ve gotten most of mine from old Variety issues as well as a couple of other sources. Very interesting stuff! Did you also account for population growth as well as ticket prices and inflation when determining what the grosses today would look like? Thanks, Rick Glowaki

    Reply

    1. Hey Rich…..the above totals are North America grosses only. I got most of the numbers from my old Variety year in review issues…I have 1940-1980 covered…..anything before 1940….I have the MGM ledgers and the RKO ledgers. I have not been able to find a copy of the Warner Brother ledgers….which would have lots of Flynn information….including international numbers. If I ever find that information I will include it in the page…..my Clark Gable page has all of that information.
      As for the box office calculation….Variety lists the domestic rentals….to calculate box office gross with a multiplier of 2.2 times the rentals (I came up with the 2.2 number after doing a study that looked at almost 3,000 movies were I knew both the rentals and the actual box office)….once I have the box office gross….I divide that by the average ticket price that the movie got released….that gives tickets sold….which is used with 2013 ticket prices to get the adjusted for inflation box office…..sadly it is not an exact science….but I feel my number gets pretty darn close…..hope that explains….I appreciate the comment and the visit.

      Reply

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