Hollywood's Hellfire Club: The Misadventures of John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn and the Bundy Drive Boys
Page 35
“Quinn and Basehart Would Film ‘Jest,’” by Hedda Hopper, February 18, 1958, p. A6.
“Fowler Recalls Days as Big City Reporter,” by Jack Smith, February 3, 1959, p. B1.
“Not Only the Widow Was Merry Then!” by Philip K. Scheuer, February 5, 1963.
“The Second Handshake Really Gets to You,” by Will Fowler, January 7, 1968, p. D7.
“Groucho’s 3 Children to Get Bulk of Estate,” by Myrna Oliver, August 26, 1977, p. B1.
“The Great Profile’s Final Act,” by Will Fowler, May 23, 1982, p. L28.
“The Late Great Days of Chasen’s,” by Rip Rense, March 31, 1995.
“Before the Rat Pack, Another Wild Bunch,” by Richard Rushfield, July 30, 2005.
The New York Times
“Perfume Concert Fails,” December 1, 1902, pg. 5.
“The Play.” By Alexander Woollcott, September 13, 1922, p. 15.
“The Play,” by John Colton, November 17, 1922, p. 22. Underworld advertisement, August 21, 1927.
“The Play,” by Brooks Atkinson, August 16, 1929.
“The Play,” by Brooks Atkinson, December 3, 1932.
“’The Profile’ Names Actors Better Than He,” June 27, 1940, p. 11.
“Gene Fowler Tells of His Writing Plans,” by Robert Van Gelder, September 15, 1940, p. 94.
“Divorce Suit Is Filed by John Barrymore,” September 24, 1940, p. 23.
“Roland Young Dies In Home Here At 65,” June 7, 1953, p. 84.
“Gene Fowler Dead: Author and Newsman,” July 3, 1960, p. 1.
“Rites For Fowler Set,” July 4, 1960, p. 15.
“Rites Held For Fowler,” July 7, 1960, p. 31.
“Gene Fowler Left Estate to Widow,” July 19, 1960, p. 59.
“Thomas Mitchell Actor, Dead; Star of Stage and Screen, 70,” December 18, 1962.
“The Theatre: ‘Enter Laughing,’” March 15, 1963, p. 8.
“Ben Hecht, 70, Dies at His Home Here,” April 19, 1964, p. 1.
“Hecht Completed Work on Musical,” by Sam Zolotow, April 20, 1964, p. 35.
“Ben Hecht Is Buried in Nyack Near Charles MacArthur Grave,” April 22, 1964, p. 47.
“Alan Mowbray, Character Actor Is Dead at 72,” March 26, 1969.
“I Hate Hamlet Co-Star Walks Out,” by Alex Witchel, May 4, 1991, p. 11.
“Anthony Quinn Dies at 86; Played Earthy Tough Guys,” by Anita Gates, June 4, 2001, p. A1.
The New York Post
“King of the Bohemians, Past and Present,” by William Bryk, (CQ), January 26, 2005.
Interviews
James Bacon, interview with Charles Heard and Bill Nelson, Northridge, California, October, 2006.
Henry Brandon, telephone interview with Gregory William Mank, West Hollywood, California, April 19, 1986 and April 26, 1986.
Ronald J. Fields, telephone interview with Gregory William Mank, La Selva Beach, California, October 27, 2006.
Will Fowler, interview with Bill Nelson.
Marian Marsh, interview with Gregory William Mank, Palm Desert, California, May 14, 1983 and December 15, 1992.
Constance Moore, telephone interview with Gregory William Mank, Los Angeles, California, August 28, 2000.
Phil Rhodes, interview with Gregory William Mank and Bill Nelson, Burbank, California, May 4, 2006.
Rita Saiz, interview with Gregory William Mank and Bill Nelson, Brentwood, California, May 2, 2006.
Mary Lou Warn, telephone interviews with Gregory William Mank, Clearwater, Florida, October 4, 2006 and March 5, 2007.
Personal Letters
John Barrymore to Laird Cregar, undated, circa Fall 1941.
John Decker to Phyllis Decker, undated, circa 1945.
Hubert Eaton, letters to Phyllis Decker and William R. Valentiner, respectively dated July 24, 1947 and July 21, 1947, collection of Charles Heard.
W.C. Fields to Jane Fowler, October 4, 1939.
W.C. Fields to Gene Fowler, September 6, no year (probably 1940).
W.C. Fields to Miss Elise Cavanna, April 7, 1942.
W.C. Fields to Gene Fowler, October 17, 1944.
Gene Fowler to John Barrymore, undated.
Gene Fowler to Dr. Harold Thomas Hyman, January 13, 1944.
Ben Hecht to Gene Fowler, February 8, 1933.
Dr. Harold Thomas Hyman, M.D., to Gene Fowler, January 12, 1943.
Dr. Harold Thomas Hyman to Gene Fowler, January 3, 1944.
Dr. Harold Thomas Hyman to Gene Fowler, January 17, 1944.
Legal Papers and Records
Death Certificate of John Barrymore, filed June 1, 1942.
Last Will and Testament of John Barrymore, December 30, 1941.
Death Certificate of John Decker, filed June 10, 1947.
Harriet V. Fields, Creditor’s Claim and Disaffirmance, No. 264050, July 23, 1947. Death Certificate of William Claude Fields, filed December 30, 1946.
Last Will and Testament of William C. Fields, April 28, 1943.
Death Certificate of Sadakichi Hartmann, filed November 24, 1944.
Death Certificate of Thomas Mitchell, registered December 19, 1962.
Death Certificate of Anthony Quinn, signed June 3, 2001.
Hospital Papers
Dr. V.L. Andrews, Autopsy Report on Mr. John Barrymore, undated.
Dr. Samuel Hirshfeld, Personal History of Mr. John Barrymore, May 14, 1934.
Dr. Hugo M. Kersten, Hollywood Hospital, Statement on the Death of John Barrymore, undated.
Libraries
Claremont College, California. (From Irving Wallace’s Archives, his interviews with John Decker for the proposed magazine installments entitled Heroes with Hangovers.)
Billy Rose Library of Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, New York, New York.
Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Maryland.
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, California.
University of Southern California Performing Arts Library, Los Angeles, California.
Miscellaneous
Steve Beasley, e-mail to author, September 18, 2006.
James Card, program notes, The Films of John Barrymore, As Shown in the Dryden Theatre Tribute Series, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York, May-June 1969.
John Decker, “Asylum” (also titled “James Felton, Insane”). Short story written by Decker circa 1940.
Roby Heard, “Artist John Decker Revealed as German Baron by Widow,” unsourced/undated newspaper clipping, from John Decker’s scrapbooks, Charles Heard collection.
“Decker Divorces Mate Thought Dead When He Wed Again,” unsourced newspaper clipping, Charles Heard collection.
Alan Mowbray, “Bits and Pieces,” unsourced, November, 1945, from John Decker’s scrapbooks.
Recording of The Rudy Vallee Show, May 1, 1941.
Sadakichi Hartmann “Perfume Concert” scrapbook and various unpublished works, from Adam Parfrey collection.
Index
Anderson, John Murray
Anderson, Sherwood
Barrie (Barrymore), Elaine
Barrymore, Diana
Barrymore, John
Brice, Fannie
Brooks, Louise
Carradine, John
Colbert, Claudette
Costello (Barrymore), Dolores
Decker, John Bundy Drive Alta Loma Studio Rembrandt Bust of Christ
Decker, Phyllis
DeMille, Cecil B.
DeMille (Quinn), Katherine
Dentist, The
Dvorak, Ann
Fallon, Joseph
Father Goose
Fields, W.C.
Flynn, Errol
Fowler, Gene
Fowler, Will
Frankenstein
Front Page, The
Gable, Clark
Garbo, Greta
Gone With the Wind
Great Magoo, The
Great Mouthpiece, The
Harlow, Jean
Hartmann, Sadak
ichi
Hecht, Ben
Hepburn, Katharine
Karloff, Boris
Louvish, Simon
MacArthur, Charles
Macbeth
Mannix, Eddie
Marx, Harpo
Minutes of the Last Meeting
Mitchell, Thomas
Mowbray, Alan
Muni, Paul
Nagel, Anne
Pangborn, Franklin
Paval, Philip
Peary, Danny
Perfidy
Peters, Margot
Price, Vincent
Richards, Frank
Queen Victoria
Quinn, Anthony
Roosevelt, Eleanor
Sennett, Mack
Sheridan, Ann
Sherlock Holmes
Stagecoach
Swall, Dr. Vernon
Topper
Underworld
Vagabond King, The
Van Gogh, Vincent
Wuthering Heights
Young, Roland
Hollywood’s Hellfire Club: The Misadventures of John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn and “The Bundy Drive Boys”
© 2007 by Gregory William Mank and Feral House
The photographs, research material, paintings, previously unpublished manuscripts are courtesy of the collections of Charles Heard, Bill Nelson, Phil Rhodes, Adam Parfrey, Gregory William Mank, Ronald J. Fields.
The publisher wishes to thank Anton Szandor LaVey for initially charming us with stories of the Bundy Drive boys.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
For information contact Feral House, P.O. Box 39910, Los Angeles, CA 90039
www.FeralHouse.com
Designer: Dana Collins
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1