Adventures of Captain Fabian
| Adventures of Captain Fabian | |
|---|---|
 1951 Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by |
William Marshall Robert Florey (uncredited) |
| Written by |
Errol Flynn (screenplay) Robert T. Shannon (novel) |
| Cinematography | Marcel Grignon |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release dates | 6 October 1951 |
Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | 1,505,518 admissions (France)[1] |
Adventures of Captain Fabian is a 1951 American adventure film starring Errol Flynn.
The plot revolves around the travails of a French Creole maid in a household of 1860 New Orleans and her romantic involvement with Captain Fabian. As with many later Flynn features, the tangled production history is arguably more interesting: Marshall, the co-producer and husband of Micheline Presle, began shooting in France with no experience as a director and without realizing that French law required a parallel French-language version. Robert Florey, who had directed Flynn in his last bit part in 1935, was hired as an uncredited "consultant". The same year Marshall and Flynn also produced the unreleased Hello God.
Cast
- Errol Flynn as Captain Fabian
- Micheline Presle as Lea Mariotte
- Vincent Price as George Brissac
- Agnes Moorehead as Aunt Jezebel
- Victor Francen as Henri Brissac
- Jim Gérald as Commissioner Germain
- Héléna Manson as Josephine
- Howard Vernon as Emile
- Roger Blin as Philippe
Production
At one stage the film was known as Bloodline.[2]
Filming started on July 15 in Paris under the title of The Bargain. Exteriors representing New Orleans were recreated in the city of Villefranche with studio scenes shot at the Victorine Studio in Nice and the Billancourt Studio in Paris.
Micheline Presle was borrowed from 20th Century Fox to play the female lead.[3] Gerard Philippe was to be in the cast but did not appear in the end.[4]
The film was meant to be shot in French and English versions but Marshall persuaded the French government to allow it to be made in English only. Robert Florey started the English production but not long after shooting began Marshall took over.[5]
Release
The movie was reasonably successful at the box office in France.[1]
Proposed sequels
The movie was meant to be the first of two films from Flynn and Marshall, the second which was to be The Man Who Cried, a psychological thriller about the perfect crime set over a four-hour period, but this wasn't made due to a dispute between Marshall and Flynn over Hello God.[6]
In November 1951 Charles Gross, an associate of Flynn's, sued claiming payments due for working on the screenplay.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1951 Box Office Figures at Box Office Story
- ↑ Trevor Howard Signed for Allen Film; Ladd Again Hero of Outdoors Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 27 Sep 1950: 19.
- ↑ Looking at Hollywood Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) [Chicago, Ill] 28 Dec 1949: 19.
- ↑ HEDDA HOPPER: Deborah Kerr Will Star in 'Ivanhoe' Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 28 Dec 1949: 8.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer & Clifford McCarty, The Films of Errol Flynn, Citadel Press, 1969 p 174-175
- ↑ Drama: Crime Thriller Slated for Flynn; Cobb Deal Looms for Wexley Film, Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 11 May 1950: A15.