The enduring Hollywood legend that friends stole the body of Golden Age actor John Barrymore from a Los Angeles morgue in 1942 for one final party has been debunked by the actor's biographer, Terry Chester Shulman.
Shulman, author of "Barrymore: The Spectacular, Tumultuous Life of America's Prince of Players," told Fox News Digital that the story, which was famously confirmed by Barrymore's granddaughter Drew Barrymore six years ago, is not true. "I would like nothing more than to tell you that it's true, because it's such an outrageous story, but it isn't," Shulman stated.
The discrepancy in accounts from those allegedly involved, director Raoul Walsh and actor Errol Flynn, is a primary reason for the debunking. In their autobiographies, their recollections of the alleged event differ significantly. "In one story … Raoul Walsh's story, Flynn runs out of the house screaming and hides behind an oleander bush, and Flynn's story, he does something else: He runs out into the porch," Shulman explained. Further inconsistencies include the positioning of Barrymore's body, described as being propped in a chair in front of a door in one account and on a sofa in another.
Adding to the refutation, Shulman noted that Walsh claimed he had permission from a funeral home owner named Malloy to "borrow" Barrymore's body. However, Barrymore's remains were actually at the Pierce Brothers funeral home. John Barrymore's friend Gene Fowler and his son Will, who sat with the body all night, also confirmed the story was untrue.
Barrymore, who died at 60, struggled with alcoholism throughout his life. Shulman suggested that while drinking "destroyed" his personal life and marriages, it paradoxically aided his acting career by allowing him to embody a successful persona of a "boozy Shakespearean ham." This characterization was popular in films and on radio, keeping him employed until his death.
His alcoholism, combined with pathological jealousy, led to four tumultuous marriages. Shulman described Barrymore's interrogation of his wives as resembling police interrogations, often escalating to outbursts when he suspected infidelity.
Barrymore's personal life was also marked by a difficult childhood, including the early deaths of his mother and grandmother, and a sexual encounter with his stepmother at age 15. Shulman posited that these experiences may have contributed to his suspicion of women and his destructive behavior in relationships.
Despite his personal struggles, Barrymore is credited with significantly impacting the world of theater and film. Shulman highlighted Barrymore's role in reviving serious drama after World War I with successful Broadway plays, paving the way for playwrights like Eugene O'Neill and a subsequent era of American drama. His innovative approach to Shakespeare in the 20th century, particularly his 1920 London production of "Hamlet," influenced notable young actors like John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier.
Regarding his family, Barrymore reportedly attempted to spend time with his children, including John Drew Barrymore, father of Drew Barrymore. However, his ex-wives' negative experiences with him led them to restrict his unsupervised access to the children. Shulman commented that Drew Barrymore has been successful in modernizing and maintaining the visibility of the Barrymore name, contributing positively to their legacy.