My Wicked, Wicked Ways
Encyclopedia
My Wicked, Wicked Ways is an autobiography
written by Australian actor
Errol Flynn
with the aid of ghostwriter
Earl Conrad
. It was released posthumously following the sudden death of the actor and became immensely popular for its cynical tone and candid depiction of the world of filmmaking in Hollywood. My Wicked, Wicked Ways has sold over one million copies and still sells remarkably well, with paperback sales in the United Kingdom
between 1992 – 1999 amounting to £18,500.
, Flynn's teenage girlfriend, Conrad was usually drunk and spent most of his time chasing Jamaican women. Aadland also claims that her and Flynn had difficultly removing him, saying "He was basically a doorstop with paid vacation". Jeffrey Meyers' introduction in the Aurum edition of My Wicked, Wicked Ways claims that Errol dictated the book to Conrad from August to October in 1958, and that he was a "literary stand in".
, John Barrymore
, Bruce Cabot
, Flynn's first wife Lili Damita
and director Michael Curtiz
. Flynn also writes of falling in love with co-star Olivia de Havilland
.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
written by Australian actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
with the aid of ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
Earl Conrad
Earl Conrad
Earl Conrad , birth name Cohen, was an author who penned at least twenty works of biography, history, and criticism, including books in collaboration. At least one that he 'ghost' wrote was the biography of actor Errol Flynn, titled My Wicked, Wicked Ways.He was born and educated in Auburn, New York...
. It was released posthumously following the sudden death of the actor and became immensely popular for its cynical tone and candid depiction of the world of filmmaking in Hollywood. My Wicked, Wicked Ways has sold over one million copies and still sells remarkably well, with paperback sales in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
between 1992 – 1999 amounting to £18,500.
Writing Process
The original publisher, Putnam paid an advance of $9,000 to Flynn for the rights of his autobiography. Ghostwriter Earl Conrad was sent to Flynn's home in Jamaica to collaborate with the actor throughout the writing period. According to Beverly AadlandBeverly Aadland
Beverly Elaine Aadland was an American film actress.She appeared in films including South Pacific. As a teenager, she co-starred Errol Flynn's Cuban Rebel Girls and had been considered for the role of Lolita, opposite Flynn in a planned production of Lolita, although it was James Mason who was...
, Flynn's teenage girlfriend, Conrad was usually drunk and spent most of his time chasing Jamaican women. Aadland also claims that her and Flynn had difficultly removing him, saying "He was basically a doorstop with paid vacation". Jeffrey Meyers' introduction in the Aurum edition of My Wicked, Wicked Ways claims that Errol dictated the book to Conrad from August to October in 1958, and that he was a "literary stand in".
Controversies
The book is noteworthy for its depictions of major Hollywood players from the Classic Hollywood period including Jack WarnerJack Warner
Jack Leonard "J. L." Warner , born Jacob Warner in London, Ontario, was a Canadian American film executive who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California...
, John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
, Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
, Flynn's first wife Lili Damita
Lili Damita
Lili Damita was a French actress who appeared in 33 movies between 1922 and 1937.-Early life and education:...
and director Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
. Flynn also writes of falling in love with co-star Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
.
Adaptations
- A TV movie adaptation called My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn directed by Don Taylor and starring Duncan RegehrDuncan RegehrDuncan Peter Regehr is a Canadian writer, multi-media artist, and film and television actor. He has also been a figure skater, an Olympic boxing contender, and a classically trained Shakespearean stage actor in his native Canada, before heading to Hollywood in 1980...
as Flynn was released in 1985.