From action hero to serious actor

FLYNN. Displayed his dramatic intensity in “Too Much, Too Soon” and “The Sun Also Rises.”

I recall the time I met Alexis Smith during one of the functions at the Manila International Film Festival. The statuesque star was shocked when I told her I could not dissociate her from Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling hero of “Robin Hood” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

In the western, “San Antonio,” which Flynn topbilled with Smith, she sang the catchy tune, “Some Sunday Morning.” I even sang a portion of the tune, one of my favorites as a young lad, to the astonished actress.

I also liked movies about families, like “The Best Years of Our Lives,” “I Remember Mama” and the “Andy Hardy” series. We enjoyed seeing beautiful but amoral vixens played by Gene Tierney and Joan Fontaine get their comeuppance, as well as those who portrayed saints, like Ingrid Bergman (“Joan of Arc”) and Jennifer Jones (“The Song of Bernadette”).

Daring

I thoroughly enjoyed “San Antonio” because of Flynn—who was just as daring in “Robin Hood.” When he got older, he began appearing in films like “The Sun Also Rises,” where he proved how underrated he was as an actor.

The action luminary should have been nominated as Best Actor for his fine portrayal in “Too Much, Too Soon.” Flynn’s name does not immediately come to mind when people talk about exceptional actors, because he established himself more as an action star.

Come to think of it, Tyrone Power didn’t transform himself into a dramatic actor of note despite appearing in staged readings of plays with Charles Laughton and other revered thespians. However, had Flynn not died early, he might have transformed himself into one of his era’s best screen thespians!