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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Scandalous film star Errol Flynn tells all in this autobiography, detailing his pre-Hollywood career as a mercenary, and his trial for rape in 1943.

Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

A Tasmanian Devil October 23, 2008
Errol Flynn led what can only be described as a fascinating life - even shockingly fascinating. Born in Tasmania, of all places, Flynn spent his early life in a melange of unlikely professions - seafarer, gold miner, plantation master. After he gathered some money and made his way to the United States, his life became, if anything, more remarkable. Flynn parlayed good looks and little experience into immediate Hollywood success - both in the movies and with the women. As with most things, the wild ride came to an end and Flynn was left doubting and perhaps regretting some of his choices.

In My Wicked, Wicked Ways, Errol Flynn tell his story as he sees it, recounting his youth through his wasting middle-age. Mr. Flynn as a narrator is not without charm. Consistently self-deprecating and informal, Flynn is genuinely an attractive narrator who invites the reader into his confidence (though, perhaps not everything in the book is to be believed). Flynn, moreover, has a very interesting story to tell. Though separated from today by only a century, his adventures prior to becoming a famous actor seem nearly unlikely and impossible to the modern reader as Lewis and Clark's trip across the unexplored West.

The more familiar part of Flynn's story is, however, where the book begins to lose its luster. Upon arriving in Hollywood, the thrills of Flynn's life become less exotic and more purely glutenous. In describing the succession of women in his life and his increasingly pedestrian movie performances, Flynn starts to write more of a justification than a narrative. Perhaps, this is because he, at the time of writing, intended to recapture his Hollywood magic and wished to provide some assurance that his troubles were behind him. By the end of the novel, however, its not clear that Flynn is involved in any activities whatsoever, and his amateur psychological explanations for his condition are not entirely satisfying.

My Wicked Wicked Ways is certainly well worth the effort, if simply to become aware of the manner in which life could be lived in the early 20th century. In the best of all worlds the interesting, well-paced narrative of Flynn's early life would continue through to Flynn's narrative of Hollywood life. It does not. And the final few hundred pages of this book leave us unsatisfied - as, perhaps, the movie industry ultimately was at this shooting star.

5 out of 5 stars

The lovable rogue September 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Basil Rathbone: His life and his films
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

There was nobody like Errol Flynn. He was one-of-a-kind, a grown-up kid who, constantly looking for adventure, sailed through life on his good looks and innate charm.

He was really a "flake". He avoided responsibility, usually letting his "little head" dictate to the one on top of his neck.

No woman could hold him for very long.

You'd be a fool to loan Errol money, as his creditors back in his native Tasmania would be quick to tell you. He spent that green stuff like there was no tomorrow.

But, tomorrow did come and his last days were plagued with health and financial problems. He died at age 50.

What remains for us to savor is his dashing, heroic on-screen image that will be forever young.

I understand that this autobiography was ghost written, but Flynn certainly had a strong hand in writing it. The book has his wry, witty "voice" and is a very entertaining read.

Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

5 out of 5 stars

Flynn defined the Devil May Care Attitude! June 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

My Wicked Wicked Ways was every bit as entertaining as Flynn's on screen adventures. Amazingly handsome, a lady's man, highly intelligent and a natural athlete, his meteoric rise in Hollywood provided the money and resources to be a true Tasmanian Devil (he was born in Tasmania). Today's tabloids would have a field day with this guy!

This is the story of a man with an insatiable curiosity, but with a devil may care attitude. Flynn had a difficult time grasping the consequences of his actions. A heavy drinker and womanizer he lived by his rules and couldn't care less about his Hollywood image.

Catapulting to super stardom over night in the film Captain Blood there was no looking back. Robin Hood and The Sea Haw are arguably his finest roles where this swashbuckler takes over the big screen. With a spring in his step and a glimmer in his eye Errol Flynn captivated audiences and imaginations everywhere. I was fortunate to see a Flynn's movie years ago on the big screen and he was absolutely captivating.

Flynn tired as his role of swashbuckler and yearned for more serious roles. He became depressed when Hollywood continually cast him in the roles of adventurer. He could never quite break into serious roles except for a few movies such as Elizabeth and Essex He almost made it to the top with Gone with the Wind, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

My Wicked Wicked Ways is told in the first person but is written by the ghost writer Earl Conrad. Conrad works effectively at keeping the tone of the book in Flynn's voice.

There are some great stories in this book. One story tells of Flynn and a companion fishing with dynamite. A shark grabbed the dynamite and swam towards their boat as a living torpedo!

In another amazing story Flynn was caught in one of the most heartless pranks in Hollywood. So called friends of Flynn stole John Barrymore's corpse from the morgue and set it up in a chair at Flynn's house with a lit cigarette. Flynn walked in after a hard night of drinking and reminiscing about Barrymore (they were friends). It scared him half to death.

Are all these stories true...some are true, some exaggerated and some may be totally false...but they are still enormously entertaining and there are enough threads of truth to make the book extremely engaging.

I read this book back in the 1970s when my mother mentioned that Errol Flynn messed up his life. He had great looks, fame, fortune and women. Then, he died relatively young as an alcoholic. I was fascinated and interested in learning more about this interesting human and what made him tick.

What I found was that Flynn was born with a many talents, but had an unbridled curiosity, the morals of a tomcat and had difficulty envisioning the consequences of his actions...and many times just didn't care! Flynn may wasn't an upstanding citizen, but he is sure fun to read about and see in the all the great movies he made!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is one of my all time favorite books about an adventurer, a scoundrel and ladies man. It is packed with fascinating and hilarious stories. Highly recommended!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

4 out of 5 stars

Perhaps More True in Its Character than Its Facts, but an Entertaining Memoir. June 2, 2008
Errol Flynn dictated "My Wicked, Wicked Ways" to ghostwriter Earl Conrad in 1958. By the time the book was published, Flynn would be dead. But he left an entertaining memoir that seems emotionally honest, if it is not always factual. Flynn said, "If I have any genius it is a genius for living", and this chronicle bears it out. Flynn's great lust for life, curiosity, individualism, and love of the sea are present in nearly every word and deed. He was also gullible, alcoholic, and tended toward self-pity when he felt confined. As Jeffrey Meyers, one of Flynn's biographers, points out, Flynn sometimes exaggerated his misdeeds to leave no doubt as to his rakish reputation. Nevertheless, Flynn seems like a charismatic man whose good looks and iconoclastic lifestyle made him all the more irresistible.

Oddly, Flynn starts the story off with his nadir, the 4 1/2 years in the 1950s he spent vagabonding around the world, broke, unable to find work after he left Warner Brothers. These are not the years anyone would have best wanted to know Errol Flynn. Then Flynn takes us back to his childhood in Tasmania, son of a prominent biologist and hateful mother. Expelled from however many schools, the 17-year-old Flynn headed to New Guinea to find his fortune in the gold rush. If he is to be believed, in 5 years on the island he had the most extraordinary variety of occupations: a civil servant, manager of a coconut plantation, gold prospector, bird hunter, fish dynamiter, bottle-smeller (!), recruiter of indentured servants (i.e. slave trader), and charter boat captain, which brought his first taste of acting.

Flynn is never long between amorous adventures. His enjoyment of women and of all physical engagement in life are enduring themes. Though more than half of the book recalls his professional and social life as a Hollywood star, it doesn't seem to be the happiest time in his life, and he takes the opportunity to lambaste his first wife, the French actress Lili Damita, who hounded him for money until the end. Flynn talks about filming some movies, comments on co-stars, love scenes, and on his contentious relationship with Jack Warner, but this is more his personal take on his experiences than it is a catalog of events or gossip. He recounts his trial for statutory rape, of which he was acquitted, but he seems to feel wounded by the implication that he had injured a woman.

I haven't read any other biography of Errol Flynn, so I don't know how much of what he writes is fanciful. Some of his exploits seem improbable, if only because of their serial nature. In other cases, he doesn't exonerate himself from false accusations when he could. The man had a love-hate relationship with his public image, the need to maintain or exaggerate the truth of his wild ways, and disgust at the presumptive and unrelenting press and public. But, for its time, this was a candid memoir. Its style is that of a raconteur, conversational, colorful tales of a life lived fully and with little regret. This has some disadvantages, such as a lack of dates and chapters. The book is divided into five long parts. But Flynn's personality, perspective, and sense of adventure come across strongly.

5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't Put It Down! April 18, 2008
What a fun book this was! A rolicking ride inside the life of a truly remarkable individual. Joy, melancholy, exasperation, flair and fight, darkness, and more - I was sad to see it end. I'm still processing... an E-ticket ride!

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