Customer Reviews

Footsteps in the Dark [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Warner Bros. Pictures presents "FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK" (8 March 1941) (96 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- A sprite comedy/mystery, starring Errol Flynn as a wealthy investment counselor who secretly doubles as a dilettante detective, the better to write mystery novels --- Brenda Marshall plays his wife, who can't understand why he is never home and begins to suspect hanky panky --- In fact, Flynn is investigating the murders of a jewelery smuggler and an exotic dancer.

Footsteps in the Dark was an attempt by Warner Bros. to create a "Nick and Nora Charles" team, in emulation of MGM's popular Thin Man series --- And it comes off! --- Flynn fans will love this one.

Under the production staff of:
Lloyd Bacon [Director]
Ladislas Fodor [play "Blondie White"]
Bernard Merivale [play "Blondie White"]
Jeffrey Dell [play "Blondie White"]
Lester Cole [Screenplay]
John Wexley [Screenplay]
Robert Lord [Associate Producer]
Hal B. Wallis [Associate Producer]
Friedrich Hollaender [Original Film Music]
Ernest Haller [Cinematographer]
Owen Marks [Film Editor]

BIOS:
1. Lloyd Bacon [Director]
Date of Birth: 4 December 1889 - San Jose, California
Date of Death: 15 November 1955 - Burbank, California

2. Errol Flynn [aka: Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn]
Date of Birth: 20 June 1909, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Date of Death: 14 October 1959, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

3. Brenda Marshall [aka: Ardis Ankerson]
Date of Birth: 29 September 1915 - Island of Negros, Philippines
Date of Death: 30 July 1992 - Palm Springs, California

the cast includes:
Errol Flynn - Francis Monroe Warren II
Brenda Marshall - Rita Warren
Ralph Bellamy - Dr. R.L. Davis
Alan Hale - Police Insp. Charles M. Mason
Lee Patrick - Blondie White
Allen Jenkins - Mr. Wilfred
Lucile Watson - Mrs. Agatha Archer
William Frawley - Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
Roscoe Karns - Monahan
Grant Mitchell - Wellington Carruthers
Maris Wrixon - June Brewster
Noel Madison - Leopold Fissue
Jack La Rue - Ace Vernon
Turhan Bey - Ahmed

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 96 min on DVD ~ Warner Bros. Pictures ~ (12/22/2010)

Errol Flynn is known mostly for swashbucklers as "The Adventures of Robin Hood". He mostly played in action films and of course was always the hero. But here with "Footsteps in the Dark" with get something completely different from Flynn, a light comedy/mystery. In fact Flynn only appeared in a small handful of comedies, I believe no more than 4.

In "Footsteps in the Dark" Flynn plays Franics Warren an investment counselor who also writes mystery books under an alias to protect his high profile wife, Rita (Brenda Marshall). When a jewel importer is found dead the police think the man's heart gave up after high amounts of alcohol were found in his body, but Francis supects murder. He then bets the police that he can solve the case before them. But in movies such as these the hero usually finds himself somehow involved and is soon thought to be a suspect himself. And the same thing happens in this movie when another suspect, Blondie White (Lee Patrick) is found dead. And not only are the police looking for Francis but his wife thinks he has been having an affair with the woman.

"Footsteps in the Dark" follows in the tradition of films such as "The Thin Man" series, "The Ex-Mrs. Bradford", "It's A Wonderful World", and "Rear Window" were innocent people turn themselves into amateur sleuths. But "Footsteps in the Dark" is no "Rear Window" but its not a dud. It's a worthwhile film that has some funny moments but is not very suspenseful. It follows the same formula mystery movies even of today follow. As we read the credits we notice that a big star in named in the credits but doesn't appear until late in the movie. Just by that you know he's gonna to have to have a larger role in the film. But I will not reveal who it is.

The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon, who I guess we can think of as a studio director. I'm not sure how much controll he had other his movies but even so, I'm sure many of you have seen some of his other films. They include "42nd Street", "Wonder Bar" and two Joe E. Brown movies; "You Said A Mouthful" (Ginger Rogers co-stars) and "Son of A Sailor".

I said before Flynn only appeared in 4 comedies. I haven't seen all of them but I have seen "Four's A Crowd", which is not available on Amazon. So I would just like to mention if anyone has the chance to see that movie do so as well. I think that movie might be a little better than this one.

Bottom-line: Enjoyable if predictable comedy\mystery starring Errol Flynn in one of his few comedies. Worthwhile for fans of black&white movies and Flynn fans.

Stop the presses! Errol Flynn also did comedy? Whaaaat? Evidently, he did and more than once, too. He starred in FOUR'S A CROWD, NEVER SAY GOODBYE, and THE PERFECT SPECIMEN, to name three pretty good comedies. This one, 1941's FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK, happens to be more a screwball mystery of THE THIN MAN persuasion. It's mighty strange seeing cinema's most dashing swashbuckler dolled up in a dinner jacket, but Flynn pulls it off elegantly. Of course he does.

Flynn plays Francis Monroe Warren III, a high society investment broker nursing a scandalous habit. Under the pen name of "F. X. Pettibone," Francis secretly moonlights as a detective novelist, churning out murder mysteries for the delectation of the common masses. Francis's wife and his snooty mother-in-law are kept in the dark about this, unaware that Francis prowls the city and hangs out with cops so as to collect data for his whodunits. Of course, eventually, his wife Rita does start wondering where her dear hubby's gone off to and, from there, suspecting him of marital chicanery. The hijinks escalate when the mother-in-law hires her own private eye to trail Francis. I have never seen Errol Flynn navigate so much on his tiptoes.

Francis has a bit of an axe to grind with Inspector Mason (played with erudite elan by Alan Hale) who, in his review, just trashed Francis's latest and controversial novel "Footsteps in the Dark." Feeling that he has something to prove, Francis ends up playing amateur detective when he stumbles into a multiple murder case involving a diamond smuggling ring, a sinister turbaned Oriental, and a sexy burlesque queen. Errol Flynn looks flawlessly dapper and, in his character's precarious juggling of a double life, demonstrates a light touch, not that this should be surprising. Even in his swashbuckling pictures, the man often exhibited that twinkle in the eye. And, falling right into that classic Nick Charles mold, Francis readily outwits all comers, coppers and crooks and courtesans. And, like Nick Charles, his witticisms fly over the heads of the lumbering constables.

FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK is darn entertaining, and it makes a nice change of pace for this lead star. I'll admit that the mystery itself isn't all that absorbing or suspenseful, but Flynn's presence and the breezy tone elevate the story. It helps, too, that Flynn is backed by a strong supporting cast. Character actors William Frawley (Fred Mertz from I LOVE LUCY) and Flynn's perennial sidekick Alan Hale are the clueless coppers. A neat bit of trivia is that Ralph Bellamy, who was Ellery Queen in several pictures, steps in as one of the suspects, an above-board dentist. Allen Jenkins - who now and then also sidekicked for another amateur sleuth, the Falcon - has a bit part as Francis's dim but loyal chauffer-valet Wilfred. Wilfred tends to throw out lost-at-sea remarks such as: "Chief, I'm beginning not to know what you're talking about fast." and "Chief, uh, Mr. Warren, this is all very confusing to me." As the long-suffering wife, lovely Brenda Marshall shows more fight and personality than she did in THE SEA HAWK. I really liked her in this. Mostly, though, I relished the prospect of watching an Errol Flynn not quite in his element. Only, as it turns out, the gent is perfectly at home dispensing comedy instead of derring-do.

This is an uncommon and absolutely charming Errol Flynn film. Errol Flynn gives the viewer a change of pace in this lighthearted outing. Errol Flynn usually possessed a light approach with an underlying sense of seriousness to most of his roles but here he ventures into the genre of slapstick comedy. His character combines writing with being an amateur sleuth and things predictably get complicated. Flynn's character makes this film seem like a forerunner to HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE. Errol Flynn demonstrates a great range of histrionics and versatility and some unrealized qualities not associated with his usual craft and screen presence. This is not a bad film and should be interesting for most Errol Flynn enthusiasts.

FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK is a movie about an investment banker who writes mystery novels as a sideline. While doing research for his books he becomes involved with real crime as an amateur sleuth.

Errol Flynn plays the light-hearted detective. Brenda Marshall is his loving wife and the rest of the cast includes Ralph Bellamy, William Frawley, Lee Patrick and Grant Mitchell.

FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK is a pleasant surprise for a low budget movie. The director is Lloyd Bacon who directed MOBY DICK starring John Barrymore in 1930. He also directed the musical 42ND STREET with the assistance of Busby Berkeley in 1933.

Errol Flynn is brilliant in this comedy and also in "Never Say Goodbye", what a different Errol Flynn, just great and most delightful. Any Errol Flynn fans missing these movies will be very sorry. He was the best ever, no doubt about that!

His multi-talents where just outstanding, he even did song and dance routines, one could think there was nothing he could not do. A "Must See" is "Thank your Lucky Stars"! He also is the author of three books, which I could not put away, I just kept on reading. Everybody knows "My Wicked, Wicked Ways", but you have to read "Beams End" and "Showdown" to really appreciate his talent as a writer. The command and diction of the English language are just superb. What a fascinating man! Man like him are maybe only born every thousand years.

This is a delightful presentation of the charming Errol Flynn. He's his normal carefree self with the twist of a author/mystery solving (on the side)character. It's nice seeing him in a current up to date movie. I love the relationship between all the people in the movie. Brenda Marshall is wonderful as his wife who is clueless as to what he's up to. I could watch this movie over and over again. I feel like we are seeing the real Errol Flynn, I'm not sure why but he's very believable in this role.

An awkward parody of the "Thin Man" movies, with Errol Flynn trying out screwball comedy for a change... The set-up is that Flynn is a rich playboy who, unbeknownst to family and friends, moonlights as a writer of detective fiction. This, of course, necessitates his staying out late to do research into crime, and telling all kinds of lame fibs to his wife and shrewish mother-in-law, in order to cover his tracks. Misunderstandings and wackiness ensue. William Frawley plays the dumb cop Flynn loves to torment; Ralph Bellamy and other great character actors pop up as well. Mysteriously, the actress playing "the other woman" is completely unattractive: couldn't they have gotten a real starlet for the part? Guess not. Anyway, this is a pretty weak film, and doesn't really even work as a curio.

Errol Flynn stars as a successful business man with a secret. Although the world thinks he's just an investment counselor, he is also a controversial best selling writer of mysteries using a pen name. His interest in mysteries as he tries to solve a jewel robbery/murder case threatens to expose his double life. It's kind of odd to see Flynn in suits and modern clothing after years of watching him in period action pieces. He does an acceptable job in the role, although the Texan accent he assumes in some scenes is really poor. But the script never allows him or the rest of the cast to develop their characters - they're cut-outs going through the motions. Flynn has little chemistry with Brenda Marshall as his wife, and Lee Patrick is badly miscast as a burlesque queen. Even reliable Allen Jenkins, one of my favourite character actors, hardly makes an impression. The film tries to be a comedy mystery, but the comedy is barely evident and the mystery hardly engrossing. The set up of the film holds lots of promise. But neither the director or the writers deliver on that promise.