Footsteps in the Dark (1941)

The only thing that keeps this movie from receiving the worst possible rating is that the fine cast all give first-rate performances. First-rate performances of an amazingly bad script, unfortunately.How could Jack Warner have thought this would work? It's confusing, uninteresting, and no, not funny. Seeing the stars of The Sea Hawk from just the year before - Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale - try to make this come alive is almost painful.And who thought of trying to pass Lee Patrick, a fine comedian, off as a burlesque queen???? Her number is downright embarrassing, and it's not really her fault. She was completely wrong for the part.Skip this movie. Yes, Flynn is his usual charming himself, but that certainly can't save this mistake.

Not exactly a comedy, although very funny. Not exactly a drama, but a clever detective story. I liked this movie.Even its beginning is clever. You assume that Errol Flynn is a cat burglar breaking into a house, but no, he's sneaking in late at night to escape his wife discovering him coming in so late. Turns out he's secretly writing mystery novels under a pen name, instead of tending to business at the investment firm. He gets involved in a murder case and ends up being a suspect. But again, the same story could have been told straight with no humor, but this is done with a good dose of laughs. In fact, it's nice to see Errol Flynn in a role where in some scenes he could be so silly.There are some other nice performances here, too. Alan Hale (Sr.) is fine as the detective, and it's always nice to see him in films with Flynn. William Frawley ("I Love Luce") is great as the dumb cop. And Lee Patrick is fine as the dumb burlesque queen.Highly recommended and a great change of pace for Errol Flynn. This could have easily become a serial.

Never realized that Errol Flynn made a comedy in 1941 with Brenda Marshall and a great cast of veteran actors who were all in the top of their acting careers. This is a very funny film about a rich financial investment banker, Francis Monroe WarrenII (Errol Flynn),"Cry Wolf", who also on the side writes mystery books and keeps it all a complete secret from his family. Brenda Marshall,(Rita Warren), "Whispering Smith", plays the role of a rather dumb wife who begins to get suspicious of her husbands 3 AM arrivals through their bedroom window almost every night. Ralph Bellamy, (Dr. R.L.Davis),"Rosemary's Baby plays the role as a dentist and does more than pull teeth painlessly. Alan Hale along with Allen Jenkins give great supporting roles along with a fast paced comedy that is full of laughs and that bow tie on Errol Flynn did me IN! Enjoy

Footsteps in the Dark is the title of a mystery novel that investment banker Errol Flynn wrote under a pseudonym that has become a best seller. Unfortunately he used as characters some of his wife Brenda Marshall and mother-in-law Lucille Watson's society friends and they'd like to sue the author if they can find him.Errol while trying to see they don't find out what his double life is gets himself involved in another murder of Noel Madison who wanted Flynn to essentially launder the money from some stolen jewels in his banker self. Flynn spends over 90 minutes struggling to keep his identities secret from those who know him in one guise or the other and solve the mystery at the same time. The only two who know about his masquerade are his chauffeur Allen Jenkins and his lawyer Grant Mitchell.Flynn had a very good gift for comedy, he had already done The Perfect Specimen and Four's A Crowd and had gotten good reviews. Footsteps in the Dark was an effort by Warner Brothers to cash in on the popularity and success MGM was enjoying with The Thin Man series. Flynn and Marshall were good together though there was no further sequels.Best in the film by far is William Frawley as one truly dumb detective that even his superior Alan Hale is frustrated with. Flynn bounces some great lines off Frawley.It's a different Errol Flynn than normal and not a bad one.