Errol Flynn Slept Here: The Flynns, the Hamblens, Rick Nelson, and the Most Notorious House in Hollywood

A new book has just come out. And what a book it is!

Called ERROL FLYNN SLEPT HERE, by Robert Matzen and Michael Mazzone, it not only describes the infamous house that Flynn built, lived in, partied in, loved above all else, and finally lost in a bitterly contested divorce to his first wife, Lili Damita, but gives the reader a wonderful and accurate portrait of how life was in those Golden Years of Hollywood.

I know. I was there.

Take my advice. If you're at all interested in Flynn or how he lived, who his buddies were, who were the glamorous women who flitted in and out of his bedroom, then run don't walk to buy it!
The photos are spectacular; the text superlative.

I knew Flynn well. I was his house guest briefly in the late forties, early fifties. Though that was almost sixty years ago this book brought all my vivid memories flashing back as if they happened yesterday.

Thank you Mr. Matzen and Mr. Mazzone.

Flynn, you magnificent [............], you live and party again!

Steve Hayes, author of - GOOGIE'S: COFFEE SHOP TO THE STARS.

This book is fascinating. It tells a different tale of the star Errol Flynn. Detail in the planning, building, height of its glory, scandal and final demise of Errol's home that he loved so much. including some ghost stories, of which I wish i could have heard even more of. The home sadly is gone now, Justin Timberlake now owns a new house built on the original sight. The photos alone of the house Errol built that were torn down sadly not so many years ago, are worth it alone. This is an amazing book, wonderful writing with mostly never before seen pictures. If you are a fan of Errol Flynn. this is a must to have

While Falcon Lair or Pickfair may be more well known as famous homes of Hollywood stars, the stories of Errol Flynn's Mulholland Drive home with its two-way mirrors and secret passages, were always mentioned in Flynn biographies. Authors Robert Matzen and Michael Mazzone have written a fantastic biography of the Flynn home that was later owned by radio host/songwriter Stuart Hamblen and then by singer/actor Ricky Nelson. The book features biographical information on Flynn and the impetus behind the building of the home. Quotes from the many visitors during Flynn's and Hamblen's time are included as well as quotes from Flynn's daughters, Hamblen's children, and Ricky Nelson's sons of their memories of the home. The book is well researched with a good bibliography and plenty of references. However, the best feature of the book are the numerous photos of the home in all stages, from the empty lot Flynn purchased to photos of the home during the time of the three owners as well as photos of the home as it was being demolished. Some of the candid photos taken during Flynn's time were fantastic - I had never seen Gary Cooper in glasses before! For any fan of Errol Flynn, this book is a must have. My two suggestions for future editions - the photo captions that are printed in white print are difficult to read even though they are against a colored background. I would also have put the floor plans in the front of the book instead of the back. I did not know they were there until I reached them and it would have been nice to refer to them when reading the text. I would hope these two authors would select Falcon Lair and Greenacres as topics for future works.

The people who wrote this didn't exactly intend for it to be a step-by-step chronicle of a house becoming haunted but that's what it turned out to be. They said originally they were going to have a sidebar about the haunting phenomena but there was just so much eyewitness testimony to paranormal happenings it became more front and center.

First comes an overview of the travails of Errol Flynn, a basically decent chap given to making a lot of bad decisions, such as allowing himself to get involved with women who were too young. He also made some disastrously bad business moves which eventually cost him the only home he'd ever really cared about, which was the house in question. He was also an alcoholic.

Then the house went to a well-known gospel song-writer and (in those days) radio star. He and his family were as down-to-earth as one could be, evangelical Christians who were extremely plugged into the community. That guy's name was Stuart Hamblen. They were not inclined toward any belief in the paranormal whatsoever but they said on the night Errol Flynn died the house became haunted.

Lest you doubt this while reading the book I began thinking about Stuart Hamblen (the person in the book I most easily identified with). If he was that well known as a songwriter, singer and entertainer he must be represented on YouTube. Yes, he is. I found a segment of the old Jimmy Dean Show (the sausage guy who was also a great country singer).

Dean introduces Hamblen, Hamblen comes out and they both sit in rocking chairs. Within two minutes Dean says, "You live in Errol Flynn's old house."

Hamblen responds, "Yes, I do. I think we use it for different things than Errol did." (Big laugh; Errol was a notorious Playboy). Hamblen then says, "There are a couple of ghosts present but we just ignore them."

He came right out with it on national TV!

And that's what the Hamblen's did, they ignored it. One of their grandchildren said they (the old folks) knew things were going on but didn't want to sit everyone down and say, "Ok, listen, the house is haunted."

Eventually they sold it to singer Rick Nelson. Eventually his kids moved in and eventually they told their own stories about the ghost(s).

There were parts of the house they hated to walk through. It felt like someone was there, watching. But Rick Nelson seemed to make friends with Errol. He genuinely liked Errol (they never met) and loved the idea of him being there. One night his daughter Tracy came home and from outside saw a light on and a man in one of the big downstairs rooms.

"I thought pop was home." As if on cue then the phone rings, it's her dad, he won't be home till tomorrow. She says she saw a guy in the house and even a light on.

Rick tells her, "Oh, that's just Errol."

Eventually the house became so scary that all Rick Nelson's children refused to return. Rick and Errol seemed to have come to a mutual understanding, however.

Permit me one more story. I'm a Buddhist. The Tibetans say if you have a dream that's set in the actual place where you are sleeping, then that's a dream you should look at very closely because it could be important.

The first night Tracy Nelson spent in the house she dreamed she got out of bed and went down the long winding staircase. Walking around the last turn at the bottom of the stairs she came face to face with Errol in a tuxedo who looked stunningly beautiful. He held up a glass of Champaign, flashed her a billion watt smile and happily proclaimed, "Happy Hew Year!"

Welcome to my house, he should have added. He always did love the ladies.

It wasn't always so cheerful, though and later became very dark. Tracy Nelson wondered later if the ghost was trying to warn her dad about the plane crash that soon tragically took his life.

Anyway, this is an excellent story of a great and beautiful house becoming haunted. It even gives you some indication of the inner forces that drove the original owner to return to his beloved home rather than move on to wherever the dead go (Errol was a troubled soul).

Inadvertently, it chronicles the haunting of a house. I really enjoyed it on more than one level.

If you are truly interested in the house where Errol Flynn sought refuge during his darkest days, and partied relentlessly with his celebrity friends, then buy this coffeetable-style book. It's beautifully done, with quality photos on glossy pages. A lot of Flynn's life is touched on, and there are quite a few family photos that I, being an avid Errol Flynn fan, had never seen before. There is however, more than I ever wanted or needed to know about this rambling, mishmash of a house, whioh is basically what the authors call it. Needless to say, I didn't even finish reading it -- I sold it.

A wonderful book with a side of Errol never been told. His home now sadly gone, was apparently very unrestful after his death as you will read accounts by Ricky Nelsons sons and family who had ghostly encounters with the paranromal while living there. It is a must have & great addition to your library for any movie buff or person who likes reading about unxplained paranormal experiences. I give this book and A+

I was anxiously awaiting publication of this book and it certainly didn't disappoint!! I had only seen a couple of pictures of Mulholland Farm and longed to see more of this infamous home. I was delighted with the many photographs and illustrations of the floor plan. The addition of the chapter describing paranormal activity in the house was fascinating. I found myself wondering if the wandering souls still stroll about the property. What a shame that this wonderful piece of Hollywood history is now gone! Thanks to both the authors for giving us a rare glimpse into Mr. Flynn's beloved sanctuary.

I was anxiously awaiting publication of this book and it certainly didn't disappoint!! I had only seen a couple of pictures of Mulholland Farm and longed to see more of this infamous home. I was delighted with the many photographs and illustrations of the floor plan. The addition of the chapter describing paranormal activity in the house was fascinating. I found myself wondering if the wandering souls still stroll about the property. What a shame that this wonderful piece of Hollywood history is now gone! Thanks to both the authors for giving us a rare glimpse into Mr. Flynn's beloved sanctuary.

For several years, I have searched for photos of Errol Flynn's home. I located a few shots of the exterior, but none of the interior. I preordered "Errol Flynn Slept Here". I must say, the book totally satisfied my curiosity.

Having been an Errol Flynn fan for years I've read many, many books on him...I was always interested when seeing pictures of Errol at Mulholland Farm; not because of those particular additions he made to the home, but simply the architecture, furnishings and artwork it contained. To have an entire book dedicated to a place Errol designed and built makes a great addition to my Flynn collection. While there are a lot of pictures, I'm greedy for more and would have gladly paid a higher price for a longer book with more pictures ;) The only thing I would have changed about this book would be the very last page...the book felt like it ended abruptly...it would have been a better ending if there were a full page picture of Errol in the house, IMO. It was very sad to see what happened to Errol's house, and sadder still that it was torn down. Not only has a piece of Errol been erased, but a unique home and a bit of history has been eradicated, also. Considering how popular and remembered Errol still is so many years after his death makes the destruction of Mulholland a Farm even more sad.