My Wicked, Wicked Ways
The Aurum Press 2005 cover
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| Author |
Errol Flynn Earl Conrad |
|---|---|
| Original title | My Wicked, Wicked Ways |
| Country | Jamaica |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher |
G. P. Putnam's Sons Cooper Square Press Aurum Press |
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Publication date
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December 1959 New edition (25 Feb 2005) |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 438 (US) |
| ISBN | |
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 and 1999 amounting to £18,500. The book has never been out of print.
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 Aadland, Flynn's teenage girlfriend, Conrad was usually drunk and spent most of his time chasing Jamaican women. Aadland also claims that she and Flynn had difficulty 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 1958, and that he was a "literary stand in".
Conrad would eventually publish his own book, Errol Flynn: A Memoir in 1979 depicting Flynn's final year, their literary collaboration, and hearing the news of the actor's untimely death.
Beverly Aadland's remarks concerning Earl Conrad were rumored to be due to her jealousy of Mr. Conrad. When she complained to Errol that he was paying all his attention to the book and little to her Errol reportedly responded to her complaint, "That's right! I'm paying a helluva lot of attention to my book! Twenty-four hours a day and I'm going to keep on!"
The book is noteworthy for its depictions of major Hollywood players from the Classic Hollywood period including Jack L. Warner, 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.
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