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Sometimes it takes just a simple story to allow us to see a place as it once was. To magically remove decades of development and change and transport us to a time when the land in front of us was almost empty. Certainly none of the towers that are here today. And that's why we're going to tell you the story of a long lost Mallorcan house called El Molly. You're listening to Tall Stories, a monocle production brought to you by the team behind the Urbanist. I'm Andrew Tuck. In this episode, the 500th outing of Tall Stories, we go on the hunt for the spot where Errol Flynn, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s, sought calm from the storm. If you drive out of Palma, Mallorca's sunny capital, heading west, it will only take you a short time before you reach the sea facing neighborhood of Hyetas. In summer, its tiny coves are soon filled with the beach towers of locals and visitors and keen to swim in the sea and perhaps secure a table on the concrete terrace at Bugambilia, a restaurant right on the water's edge. The coastline here is home to some great architecture. There's the Barcelo Ietas albatross Hotel from 1963 that retains its LA style entrance, replete with an ancient Egyptian style frieze. There are also the five towers perched on a rocky outcropping that make up Rocca Marina, the work of the late Antonio Lamella, and of course, the Hotel de Mar by Jose Antonio cadets, another 1960s addition to Hyetas. But this tall story is about none of these edifices, but rather a nice white house that once sat on the water's edge here, but which would be demolished as all this development triumphed over tranquility. But it's the residents of this house and Molly which make the story so intriguing. If you look up from the water's edge, you might just see the American movie star Errol Flynn and his third wife, the actress Patrice Weimar, sitting there on the terrace. Those who sail without oars stay on good terms for the wind. Flynn's arrival on the island is said to have been a decision of the gods. Well, at least bad weather gods. In 1950, he was sailing his beloved yacht Zaka with his new wife. They were on their honeymoon across the Mediterranean when a storm forced them to take shelter on the northern coast of Mallorca. And as still happens with new arrivals today, the island captivated them. They returned, staying at the Hotel Maricel and the Hotel Bon Sol, both in hjetas, and in 1955, the pair took the lease on El Molly, a handsome white house with a curved tower at one end, and they sat alone on a little bay. Flynn's residency on the island still lives on in local folklore, a man who liked his drink, women and a good time. He frequented clubs such as Tito's El Patio and Joe's at Plaza Camilla in the town's El Terregno neighborhood. The pair were also visited by the likes of Ava Gardner, Orson Welles and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. And Flynn could also often be seen on his yacht, A Palmer's Sailing Club. But this party would not last for very long. In 1959, aged 50, facing financial troubles, his yacht now sold, Flynn died of a heart attack. But there are still two small reminders of his and Weimore's presence in Ietas. The first is a little tiled plaque dedicated to Flynn and Weimar that was put up by their neighbours thanking them for choosing to live here. The other is a piece of that house, a piece of that tower with a gargoyle still attached that someone rescued, which now sits in a tiny garden at the entrance to Roca Marina. But perhaps is there more? On the little beach where the house once stood, you spot amongst the pebbles and shells, small wave smoothed pieces of brick. When the house was demolished, did some of the rubble end up here? Perhaps. But what is clear is that the presence of a film star who died in 1950, his talented, glamorous wife and their house, El Mollie, have not been washed away by time. And if you look carefully, squint a little as you look through the sunshine, your mind can still conjure up their home here on the beach in Hiert. Tall Stories is a monocle production from the team behind the Urbanist. This episode was produced and edited by David Stevens. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to receive new episodes every week. I'm Andrew Tuck. Goodbye and thank you for still listening. City Lovers sa.
Podcast: The Urbanist — Tall Stories 500: Shadows of Errol Flynn in Mallorca
Host: Andrew Tuck (Monocle)
Date: March 16, 2026
This landmark 500th episode of Tall Stories takes listeners on an evocative journey through Mallorca’s coastline near Palma, retracing the shadows of Hollywood legend Errol Flynn and his third wife, Patrice Wymore. Rather than spotlighting Mallorca’s famed modernist towers and hotels, Andrew Tuck paints a nostalgic portrait of the once-peaceful “El Molly,” the couple’s seaside retreat, inviting urbanists to reflect on the ways stories, ruins, and memories shape a city’s identity.
On the transformative power of a story:
“Sometimes it takes just a simple story to allow us to see a place as it once was. To magically remove decades of development and change...” — Andrew Tuck (00:10)
On Errol Flynn’s fateful arrival:
“Flynn’s arrival on the island is said to have been a decision of the gods. Well, at least bad weather gods.” (02:40)
On traces left behind:
“But what is clear is that the presence of a film star who died in 1950, his talented, glamorous wife and their house, El Mollie, have not been washed away by time.” (06:40)
Summoning the past:
“If you look carefully, squint a little as you look through the sunshine, your mind can still conjure up their home here on the beach in Hjetas.” (06:50)
Tall Stories 500 revisits a lost piece of Mallorca’s coastline, showing how individual histories—celebrity or otherwise—can linger in a city’s DNA, even when their physical traces are largely erased. Through rich storytelling and evocative details, Tuck encourages listeners and urbanists to look beyond today’s cityscape and imagine what came before—and what might still remain, hidden in plain sight.