Maurice Bennett Flynn (May 26, 1892 – March 4, 1959) was an American football player and actor. He was also known as "Lefty" Flynn because in football, he kicked with his left foot.

Biography

Flynn was born in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, on May 26, 1892. He later attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

starting in 1910. He was expelled from Yale in January 1913 after he married

Irene Leary Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States * I ...

, a chorus girl. They separated after 11 days, and their divorce became final in 1914. In 1916 he married Blanche Shove Palmer and they had two children, including basketball player and broadcaster

Bud Palmer John Shove "Bud" Palmer (born John Palmer Flynn; September 14, 1921 – March 19, 2013) was an American professional basketball player and sportscaster. He was a member of the New York Knicks during the team's first three seasons in the Basketbal ...

. Between 1919 and 1927, Flynn appeared in 40 feature films, often as the lead actor, and sometimes as a sports hero or daring adventurer. He moved to

Tryon, North Carolina Tryon is a town in Polk County, on the southwestern border of North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,562. Located in the escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, today the area is affluent and a center ...

, and was married for the third time to Nora Langhorne Phipps. She was the youngest sister of

Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor w ...

and of Irene Langhorne, who was married to the artist

Charles Dana Gibson Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944) was an American illustrator who created the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century. He published his ...

. Flynn was married to actress

Viola Dana Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films. Early lif ...

from 1925 to 1929. Nora, Flynn's third wife, persuaded Lefty to cure his alcoholism through Christian Science treatments. She tried less-than-successfully to convince F. Scott Fitzgerald to try the

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy (née Baker; July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author, who in 1879 founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, the ''Mother Church'' of the Christian Science movement. She also founded ''The C ...

approach in March 1934, when she and Lefty were caring for Scottie, Zelda and Scott's daughter, during trying times for a depressed Scott. The next month Fitzgerald published a story, "The Intimate Strangers," based on the Flynns. He died on March 4, 1959, in Camden, SC. He was 66.

Filmography

* '' Oh, Boy!'' (1919) * '' The Silver Horde'' (1920) * '' The Great Accident'' (1920) * ''

Going Some ''Going Some'' is a lost 1920 silent film directed by Harry Beaumont. It stars Cullen Landis, Helen Ferguson, Kenneth Harlan and Lillian Hall. It was released by Goldwyn Pictures.''Pictorial History of the Silent Film'', p.195 c.1953 by Daniel ...

'' (1920) * ''

Stop Thief! ''Stop Thief!'' is a 1901 British Short film, short silent film, silent drama film, directed by James Williamson (film pioneer), James Williamson, showing a tramp getting his comeuppance after stealing some meat from a butcher and his dogs. "On ...

'' (1920) * '' Officer 666'' (1920) * '' Just Out of College'' (1920) * ''

Roads of Destiny ''Roads of Destiny'' is a 1921 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. The film is based on the 1909 short story of the same name by O. Henry that was turned into a play by Channing Pollock starring Florence ...

'' (1921) * '' Children of the Night'' (1921) * ''

Dangerous Curve Ahead ''Dangerous Curve Ahead'' is a 1921 American silent film, silent comedy film, comedy starring Helene Chadwick and Richard Dix. The film is considered to be lost films, lost. Plot As described in a film magazine, Phoebe Mabee (Chadwick) is a muc ...

'' (1921) * '' Voices of the City'' (1921) * '' The Old Nest'' (1921) * '' The Last Trail'' (1921) * ''

Bucking the Line ''Bucking the Line'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Carl Harbaugh and starring Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn, Molly Malone and Kathryn McGuire.Munden p.96 Plot Cast * Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn as John Montague Smith * Molly Malone a ...

'' (1921) * '' Oath-Bound'' (1922) * '' The Woman Who Walked Alone'' (1922) * '' Roughshod'' (1922) * '' Smiles Are Trumps'' (1922) * '' Omar the Tentmaker'' (1922) * '' Drums of Fate'' (1923) *'' Hell's Hole'' (1923) * '' The Snow Bride'' (1923) * '' Salomy Jane'' (1923) * '' The No-Gun Man'' (1924) * '' The Millionaire Cowboy'' (1924) * '' The Uninvited Guest'' (1924) * ''

Code of the Sea ''Code of the Sea'' is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Victor Fleming and starred Rod La Rocque and Jacqueline Logan. Cast Preservation Prints ...

'' (1924) * '' Breed of the Border'' (1924) * '' Open All Night'' (1924) * '' Speed Wild'' (May 1925) * ''

High and Handsome ''High and Handsome'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Harry Garson Harry Garson (1882 – September 21, 1938) was an American film director. He directed 30 films between 1920 and 1934, and produced 11 films before that. ...

'' (September 1925) * '' Heads Up'' (October 1925) * ''

Smilin' at Trouble ''Smilin' at Trouble'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Harry Garson and starring Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn, Helen Lynch and Kathleen Myers.Katchmer p. 293 Location shooting took place around San Pedro ...

'' (December 1925) * '' The College Boob'' (1926) * '' Sir Lumberjack'' (1926) * '' The Traffic Cop'' (1926) * '' Glenister of the Mounted'' (1926) * '' Mulhall's Greatest Catch'' (1926) * '' The Golden Stallion'' (1927)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Maurice Bennett 1892 births 1959 deaths Yale Bulldogs football players Players of American football from Greenwich, Connecticut American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Tryon, North Carolina

Biography

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links