BLOG ENTRY #24 ---- SEAN FLYNN, son of Errol Flynn, IS STILL MISSING! My blog SUPERNATURAL THEATER showcases a young actor that was carving out his own life
in film, and photojournalism.
He disappeared on the Cambodian border during the Vietnam War in 1970.
in film, and photojournalism.
He disappeared on the Cambodian border during the Vietnam War in 1970.
Sean was 28 years old at the time. He has never been found.
Two of his rarely seen films are featured here. The East Berlin border drama
STOP TRAIN 349 and EuroSpy MISSION TO VENICE from the 1960's.
First info on the two films, then his history during the Vietnam War.
STOP TRAIN 349 and EuroSpy MISSION TO VENICE from the 1960's.
First info on the two films, then his history during the Vietnam War.
UP FIRST ----- Sean Flynn at 22 years old stars in a taut drama taking place during the time of a divided East and West Berlin. Based on a true story.
STOP TRAIN 349
DELAY IN MARIENBORN
FUGITIVE ON THE BERLIN TRAIN
Starring JOSE FERRER and SEAN FLYNN
Nicole Courcel, Fred Dur, Edward Meeks,
Christiane Schmidtmer, Yossi Yadin, Hans-Joachim Schmeidel, Charlie Hickman
and with Jess Hahn
Directed by Rolf Haedrich
Produced by Hans Oppenheimer and Ray Ventura
Germany, Italy France ---- 1964
Train 349 is a transport train during the Cold War. It travels from the free side of Germany, through the divided East Germany, and off to Frankfurt. The train is mechanically operated by the Germans, the border controlled by the Russian Army, and the train passengers are protected by the US Army. The train is sealed from the inside, under guard, so only the declared, ticketed passengers are aboard.
Sean Flynn is a young Army officer Lt. Novak, and is assisted by Sgt. Torre (Jess Hahn) to provide security and safety for the mix of civilian passengers.
Newspaper reporter Cowan (Jose Ferrer) barely gets on the train before it is secured and leaves the station. He is a couple of minutes late, and is initially refused entry, because of being strict about military regulations. Cowan's angry since he been delayed by the military in his travels trying to get back to his news agency in London.
We meet the fellow passengers, a group of pretty teenage girls off for athletic competition, a widow returning her deceased husband to his family grave site, the strict German train crew, an injured US Army officer being transported to Frankfurt for treatment along with his caring Nurse Kathy (lovely Nicole Courcel), and for comic relief, a young newlywed couple. Army Corporal Williams (Charlie Hickman) and his sexy German new bride
Karin (Christiane Schmidtmer).
They certainly do not want to be disturbed in their cabin.
Karin (Christiane Schmidtmer).
They certainly do not want to be disturbed in their cabin.
Dedicated Nurse Kathy and hawkish reporter Cowan. The always get my story kinda guy.
Jess Hahn as Sgt. Torre.
The train is well on it's way and crosses over the sealed border of East Germany.
It pauses at night, on a side rail to allow another train to pass.
An East German named Banner (Hans-Joachim Schmiedel) jumps onto the step of a side rear door to try to escape out of the East Germany to the free West.
As the train builds back up to speed, he bangs on the door so he can enter, before he falls.
A confused Kathy, opens the door seal chain and lets him board. She thinks he was a passenger or crew member caught outside when the train stopped momentarily.
He says he escaping and is a refugee.
Then she realizes what she did.
Feeling sorry for him, she hides him in an empty cabin.
Sexy newlywed Karin with her new husband Corporal Williams. In between their exciting honeymoon moments, they have a spat, and Williams goes to the empty cabin to sleep and finds Banner. He tells Karin, and she wants to to wait to report it.
She just keeps him busily occupied with her.
She just keeps him busily occupied with her.
The German train staff suspect. Nurse Kathy confides in Cowan about the escaped Banner.
Cowan wants the big scoop, the big international story. All for himself.
They are nearing the border and possible inspection by Russians soldiers.
If no inspection, he could get then easily into West Germany, and freedom.
Lt. Novak at the border train station stop, brings his paperwork and passenger manifest to the rail terminal office of Russian Major Menschivov (Yossi Yadin).
All is ok, and approved to go.
The Major has a good working relationship with the young Novak.
The Major has a good working relationship with the young Novak.
Meanwhile, a member of the train crew reports to his superior.
The train is about to leave, and then is stopped by the Russian soldiers.
Who is the escaped criminal hiding aboard??? You must release him or the train needs to be searched mow --- they say!
Novak who is totally unaware of the refugee, says this is uncalled for, and the train needs to be released immediately. A search is against all military agreements. No way.
Now it runs into a stand off!
The train engine is removed, and Russian Army guards are placed all around the train.
Big trouble from one train in the Cold War.
Lt. Novak quickly reports the incident to his superiors.
The stand off is about to escalate to military action.
Menschivok tells Novak, that they have had a good professional relationship during Novak's duty on these train trips. Give up the criminal, and they can get moving again, or let the Russians aboard to search and take him. Novak refuses stating his regulations again.
Negotiators are sent to lession the tension, and attempt to solve this huge problem.
Major Finnegan (Fred Dur) and Captain Kolski (Edward Meeks) meet with the Russian Major,
and ask what proof they have that the fugitive exists.
Has anybody seen the man? What's his name? What's his description?
We haven't seen him say the American officers, and they actually haven't.
We haven't seen him say the American officers, and they actually haven't.
The two Majors hash out an agreement.
Cowan gets his story recorded with Banner.
The passengers want Banner caught, so they can get on their way. No sympathy for him.
Banner cannot understand how an American train can't get him to freedom.
A train going in the opposite direction stops next to the halted train.
One German talks to another from the other train through open windows, and tells him of the escapee on their train.
Now the story is leaked into Germany, both sides. Newspapers report it.
Cowan is upset that his story couldn't get out. (Remember no cell phones then)
The Russians are upset too. Now they lose face, so the train stays. Tension mounts.
The American negotiators are mad, that their agreement to leave goes right out the window.
One German talks to another from the other train through open windows, and tells him of the escapee on their train.
Now the story is leaked into Germany, both sides. Newspapers report it.
Cowan is upset that his story couldn't get out. (Remember no cell phones then)
The Russians are upset too. Now they lose face, so the train stays. Tension mounts.
The American negotiators are mad, that their agreement to leave goes right out the window.
Banner seizes a moment to get off the train and attempt an escape.
Chased by the Russians soldiers, he knows an escape won't happen so he jumps back through the American guards, and gets back on the train.
The gripping finale begins -----
Does Banner escape or is he given to the Russian soldiers?
Does Lt. Novak face a court martial?
How does the outcome affect Kathy or Cowan?
Can the train get back on it's journey to the free side?
MY RATING ---- B MINUS
This is a low budget film made during the height of the Cold War, and obviously the divided Germany still existed then. So it was a timely film back in 1964.
The film opens with varied shots of the free Western side, with citizens at work or play, enjoying music and life. Then begins the somber, dark shots of the Berlin Wall, the imprisoned East, the attempted escapes, and murder along the wall.
The dark, atmosphere prevails through the film, and the film benefits from being shot on location aboard a train, and at a train station. It definitely has a realistic feel to it.
The story was based on true incidents during the time, which lifts it above the norm.
The US Army used film viewings of this to help train transport staffs.
The main characters hold up their end, even with some problems with dialogue.
Jose Ferrer always delivers the goods in his performances.
Sean Flynn does quite well at his young age of 23. You can see his predicament with being torn with his Army regulations, wanting to save a refugee, and getting the passengers to safety.
It think it is a unique drama of the Cold War, and still holds up today.
To me, it was Sean Flynn's best performance of the eight films he starred in.
Give it a viewing!!!
This was released in theaters through Europe under different titles, and got a modest release in the US by Allied Artists as Stop Train 349. I'm not informed on any European home video releases, but I acquired a 16mm film print of this about 35 years ago, and it was released here in the US using my print to transfer from, to go first onto VHS, then DVD by two video companies in 1990 and 1996.
Did you know that thousands of film prints have been destroyed?
Mostly by the companies that originally released them.
Hundreds & hundreds of 35mm & 16mm film prints would be made with a national release.
They wound up in storage, and after time, would be destroyed because of storage bills, or recycled for the mineral content in the film print.
Film collectors years ago, or smart distributors saved films.
A little known fact is --- 70% of all films ever made have been destroyed!
Pics of the pretty Nicole Courcel.
Varied poses of the sexy Christiane Schmidtmer.
Christiane's breakthrough film internationally was the US comedy Boeing, Boeing in 1965, starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis, co-starring Thelma Ritter. Curtis was a playboy juggling three traveling stewardesses from England, France, and Germany.
UP NEXT at SUPERNATURAL THEATER ---- SEAN FLYNN stars
in the minor, not major Eurospy film ---- MISSION TO VENICE.
in the minor, not major Eurospy film ---- MISSION TO VENICE.
MISSION TO VENICE
MISSION TO DIE
DEATH AT THE GRAND CANAL
SPECIAL AGENT IN VENICE
Starring SEAN FLYNN
Madeline Robinson, Karin Baal, Hannes Messemer, Pierre Mondy, Etorre Manni,
Daniel Emilfork, Jacques Dufilho, and with Jacques Monod.
Directed by Andre Versini
Produced by Robert Moog and Hugo Benedek
Based on the novel Venetian Mission by James Hadley Chase (very prolific writer)
Cool Jazz music by Alain Goraguer
France, Italy --- 1964
Sean Flynn plays young athlete, and skirt chaser Michael Newman, who's being followed around Paris by a mysterious middle aged lady dressed in black with sunglasses.
He finally confronts her, and she identifies herself as Madame Thegard (Madeline Robinson).
Her husband is missing and is involved with espionage. Her husband knew Newman's Dad, and asks for his help in tracing him to Venice. She's afraid he has come to a bad end.
Michael's loyal servant-life advisor Cesar (Jacques Dufilho) warns him of the possible danger involved. But Michael is young and gun-ho. He does ask the advice of a local security man,
Colonel Vallier (veteran actor Jacques Monod), and he says the Madame is lying.
Her husband is a traitor, dealing with the other side.
So off Michael goes to scenic Venice to solve the mystery.
Hannes Messemer on the left is the criminal boss Natzka, who's after Tregard for the information and secrets he has. He doesn't hold back at being ruthless.
He'll have innocent people murdered, or tortured. He's a king size creep.
Below is Coliso, a real evil bad guy played veteran actor Daniel Emilfork.
Coliso is Natzka's right hand creep. A total sleaze. He loves to be violent.
Guiseppe on the right (Pierre Mondy) is a good guy. He's an old friend of Newman's.
He comes through a few fights, attempting to keep Michael out of the bad guys' clutches.
Once Michael and Cesar goes to Venice to search for Tregard, he conveniently, too conveniently runs into Maria (lovely Karin Baal). She is supposedly Natzka's wife, and she wants to get real close to Michael. She wants to get close enough to find out the whereabouts of Tregard.
Does he have important information and secrets?
You know, real EuroSpy stuff!
We see Maria loosening up a bit to Newman.
Is she Natzka's wife, or just a puppet in his hands.
Michael is getting hooked on her, slowly but surely. Can you blame him?
An innocent woman is murdered, Tregard is found alive but badly wounded,
multiple fist fights, kidnapping of Michael's friends, and some old fashioned torture too,
help the finale move right along.
The baddies below want the secrets that Michael now possesses.
Will Cesar, the talented butler help save the day? Newman better give him a big raise.
Will his friends escape in time???
Does Newman win this deadly game???
Will Natzka and Coliso get theres???
Will Michael get the girl by the end credits???
MY RATING ----- D PLUS
This is a terribly average EuroSpy flick. The script and English dubbing are flat.
But it is engaging.
But it is engaging.
The strengths are Sean Flynn, scenic locations in Venice, and the cool organ jazz music score by Alain Goraguer. The common spots of St. Mark's square and the canals, are mixed with the seedy side of the town. These films become strange movie travelogues in a way.
It's on cheap video here in the US. Two video companies used my old 16mm TV film print to transfer from for VHS years ago, and DVD in 1990 and 1996.
It's worth a viewing for Sean Flynn and Venice.
Venice is always worth a look! Ah Venice.
Karin's cult classic is the Edgar Wallace Krimi, Dead Eyes of London
with Joachim Fuchsberger, and Eddi Arent.
with Joachim Fuchsberger, and Eddi Arent.
The jazzy film score, by Alain Goraguer got a limited record release.
The screenplay was based on the novel, Venetian Mission by prolific writer James Hadley Chase.
Sean Leslie Flynn was born in 1941. He was an only child of famous father, swashbuckler actor Errol Flynn,
and Sean's mother was actress Lili Damita.
and Sean's mother was actress Lili Damita.
He tried to carve out his own name in music and then film acting. He recorded two songs at 20, in 1961, Stay in My Heart, and Secret Love. They were released on a 45 rpm. single.
Young Flynn then pursued acting in Europe with his first of eight starring roles in Eurofilms, the loose sequel of his Dad's character, called The Son of Captain Blood in 1962.
He was 21 at the time.
Other roles followed including the two films I discussed here.
Flynn got bored with acting, and late in 1964 he went to Kenya, Africa for exciting work as a game warden, and acted as a guide for hunting safaris.
In 1965, he needed money so he acted in two Italian-Spanish Spaghetti westerns.
In 1966 he became a high risk, embedded combat photojournalist covering the war in Vietnam for Paris Match, Time Life, and United Press International.
There was a small group of talented, dedicated, and brave photographers that he became a part of, including 2 men that became important later to Flynn, Dana Stone, and Tim Page.
Flynn went to Singapore later in 1966 to film his last feature on location there.
It was released in 1967 under different titles (common in Eurofilms) including 5 Ashore in Singapore, or Singapore,Singapore based on a story by OSS-117 writer Jean Bruce.
Sean became embedded with the 101st Airborne returning to Vietnam in December, 1966.
The Arab-Israeli War became his next assignments in 1967.
After the Tet Offensive, he returned to Vietnam in 1968 wanting to make a war documentary.
Entering early 1970, Sean wanted to cover advances of the North Vietnamese crossing over the border into Cambodia.
Flynn (working for Time magazine) and his buddy Dana Stone (for CBS News) rode motorcycles leaving Phnom Pehn to go cover the action at the border.
On April 6, 1970, they past the checkpoint on Route One, at the Suay Rieng area in Cambodia.
They were then captured by Communist guerillas of North Vietnam.
Information found out later, is that were held prisoner by the Khmer Rouge, and murdered
by June of 1971.
No trace of Sean Flynn or Dana Stone since then. Missing for 44 years.
His other photojournalist friend Tim Page, searched in various ways over three decades,
with no success. He also founded the Indochina Media foundation dealing with missing & killed journalists, I believe 37 in all, and also has written about the war and
missing people for years.
Page still keeps the search going. He has written recent articles about his quest of finding evidence of Flynn, Stone, and the other missing journalists from that era.
He is 69 now, and the journey is tougher now with life's normal aging.
with no success. He also founded the Indochina Media foundation dealing with missing & killed journalists, I believe 37 in all, and also has written about the war and
missing people for years.
Page still keeps the search going. He has written recent articles about his quest of finding evidence of Flynn, Stone, and the other missing journalists from that era.
He is 69 now, and the journey is tougher now with life's normal aging.
Sean's mother, Lili Damita spent huge amounts of funds trying to find her son over the years.
She finally had him declared dead fourteen years later in 1984, when she was 84 years old.
She was divorced from Errol Flynn who passed away years before at 59.
There have been various stories, and documentaries about the missing
Sean Flynn & Dana Stone.
Sean Flynn & Dana Stone.
Even the Clash performed a song they wrote called Sean Flynn.
A campaign during the Vietnam War protest era, asked Whatever Happened to Sean Flynn?
Their matchbook cover shown below.
Also along with the last photos of Flynn & Stone, taken 2 hours before their capture.
Their matchbook cover shown below.
Also along with the last photos of Flynn & Stone, taken 2 hours before their capture.
The reason I am writing about Sean Flynn now, is that I see that he is literally disappearing from our society like thousands and thousands of others from the Vietnam era.
Most didn't have a movie career or have a well known name.
It's sad. Our society's collective memory fades.
There are 52,286 names on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.
We need to remember!
Most didn't have a movie career or have a well known name.
It's sad. Our society's collective memory fades.
There are 52,286 names on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.
We need to remember!
One old friend of mine, George is still a Vietnam MIA from 1971.
We were friends way back when in Scouts. George always wanted to be a helicopter pilot.
He was a pilot in Vietnam.
It's really strange to go to our New Jersey Vietnam Memorial and see information about George there, now realizing that has family has died since, with all the time that has passed by.
We were friends way back when in Scouts. George always wanted to be a helicopter pilot.
He was a pilot in Vietnam.
It's really strange to go to our New Jersey Vietnam Memorial and see information about George there, now realizing that has family has died since, with all the time that has passed by.
I got these two films for my 16mm film collection around 1980, and helped to get them released on video in 1990 and 1996.
They were lost films here in America.
My prints were used for the transfers.
So between getting the films on video,
and writing this piece,
I hope Sean's memory carries on for awhile.
and writing this piece,
I hope Sean's memory carries on for awhile.
Dana Stone, fellow war photojournalist & friend of Sean. --- They disappeared together.
These were the last photos taken of Sean Flynn and Dana Stone.
They were taken just two hours before their disappearance on April 6, 1970 in Cambodia.
They are still missing today, some 44 years later.
Sean was featured in a Anti Vietnam War matchbook.
Recently, one of Flynn's original Leica cameras came up for sale.
He captured some startling and striking images of the war.
From Flynn's first starring role in 1962, The Son of Captain Blood.
The Temple of the White Elephant from 1964.
Seven Magnificent Guns (aka. 7 Guns for Timothy) was made in 1966 with Sean starring.
Also in 1966, Flynn starred in Sharp Shooting Twins (Women for Ringo).
Five Ashore in Singapore was Flynn's last film released in 1967 (aka. Singapore, Singapore, or Five Marines in Singapore).
The story by Jean Bruce, famous internationally for the spy series OSS-117.
Duel at the Rio Grande (Zorro) was filmed in 1963.
May Sean rest in peace.
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