Errol Flynn: The Spy Who Never Was

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Summary: Thomas attacks assertion that Flynn was a Nazi spy
Review: Like a lot of other people, Tony Thomas grew up in the 1940s fixated on the dashing, magnetic screen idol Errol Flynn. In the 1950s -- when Thomas was a writer and Flynn a washed up, dissipated shadow of his former self -- Thomas got to know Flynn and conducted several interviews with him. One of those still exists in audio form, but it very hard to find. In the 1960s, Thomas co-authored the landmark work "The Complete Films of Errol Flynn," and went on to serve as a consultant on the actor's life for a number of documentaries. His last book, "Errol Flynn: The Spy Who Never Was," is one of the most fascinating looks at Errol Flynn ever committed to print -- it contains much never-published information on the actor -- and dismantles in detail Charles Higham's poorly-researched assertion that Flynn was a Nazi spy. Tony Thomas died last July after suffering a stroke; while those of us who had contact with him will miss him, we can be thankful of this last work, in which the great swashbuckler is finally defended. If you can find it, "Errol Flynn: The Spy Who Never Was," is a must-read.