12. A Hit Movie With a Jinxed Production – and One of Hollywood’s Most Tragicomic Demises
1941’s hit movie They Died With Their Boots On was a highly fictionalized depiction of the life of George Armstrong Custer, from when he first entered West Point, to his death at Little Big Horn. Starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, the film was a huge commercial success, and one of the highest-grossing movies of 1941. However, production was marred by significant tragedy, as three crew and cast members perished on set during filming – some in unfortunately tragicomic ways.
A jinx seemed to have settled upon the movie set early on, and misfortune stalked the production. At some point, Errol Flynn collapsed from exhaustion, and for a while, it seemed touch and go for the famous actor. In the opening days of filming, which entailed scenes of massed cavalry charges and melees, eighty people were injured, and three died. The first fatality was a stuntman who had a massive heart attack and keeled over on the set. Next was an extra with no horseback riding experience, who fell off his steed while galloping and broke his neck. More was to come.