| Don't Bet on Blondes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Florey |
| Written by | Isabel Dawn Boyce DeGaw |
| Produced by | Samuel Bischoff |
| Starring | Warren William Guy Kibee |
| Cinematography | William Rees |
| Edited by | Thomas Richards |
| Music by | Leo F. Forbstein |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
Release date |
|
Running time | 59 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Don't Bet on Blondes is a 1935 American romantic comedy film.
When top Broadway bookmaker Odds Owen (Warren William) loses $50,000 on a horse owned by Everett Markham (Clay Clement), he investigates and finds out that the horse was doped. Owen visits Everett and lets him know that Everett will be selling his horses and paying back the $50,000.
Owen is inspired by hearing about Lloyd's of London. He decides to go into the business of underwriting unusual insurance policies.
Everett is a friend to actress Marilyn Youngblood (Claire Dodd). Marilyn supports her ne’er do well father, Colonel Youngblood (Guy Kibbee), and she is dating rich playboy Dwight Boardman (Walter Byron) who is also a hypochondriac. Everett convinces Marilyn's father to take out a 3-year insurance policy against Marilyn getting married. If she gets married within three years, her father gets 50,000. Owen agrees to insure the policy.
Owen's men get rid of Dwight by convincing him that marriage could kill someone with a weak heart.
Marilyn starts seeing David Van Dusen (Errol Flynn). Owen's men go to the restaurant where Marilyn and Van Dusen are eating and pretend to be shady characters who know Van Dusen. One of them walks by and hands Van Dusen an envelope with money. Another hands him a gun wrapped in a handkerchief. Marilyn, convinced he is a gangster, breaks up with him.
Marilyn notices Owen nearby and remarks on how strange it is to see him again when she is breaking up with someone. Owen is attracted to Marilyn and starts dating her, ostensibly to keep her from dating anyone else.
Marilyn's father tells her about the insurance policy. She decides to make Owen fall for her and he does. To get back at Owen, Marilyn becomes engaged to Everett. Now Everett will have his revenge. Owen will lose $50,000 and Marilyn. Owen tells Everett he will not welch but he does not think Everett will marry Marilyn. Owen has fallen in love with her, placing him in a dilemma, caught between the heart and the wallet.
Marilyn's father begs Owen to stop the wedding. Marilyn, at the church, is hoping the same thing. Everett does not show up for the wedding. Owen appears in his place and Marilyn happily marries him. Owen's men pay off dozens of cabbies who have caused a traffic jam which prevented Everett from getting to the church.
The film was originally known as Not on Your Life and was always intended as a vehicle for Warren William. [1] [2] Dolores del Río was originally announced as female co star. [3] She was eventually replaced by Claire Dodd. [4] Walter Byron replaced George Meeker. [5] Filming completed 13 May 1935. [6]
Errol Flynn appears briefly playing a bit part in his fifth movie, and second in Hollywood, just before his break-through role in Captain Blood later that year. He made the movie shortly after his marriage to Lili Damita. [7]
The Los Angeles Times called it a "sparkling comedy" in which Warren William "again proves himself a delightful and suave comedian." [8]
Filmink magazine said the main faults of the film were "the wonky structure, William’s flat performance, and the lack of chemistry between William and Dodd. It’s kind of a shame that Flynn didn’t get the chance to play the lead, as he would have been a lot better, even at that stage of his career." [9]
Robert Florey was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor.
Claire Dodd was an American film actress.
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1936 American historical adventure film from Warner Bros., starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Samuel Bischoff, with Hal B. Wallis as the executive producer. The film's screenplay is by Michael Jacoby and Rowland Leigh, from a story by Michael Jacoby, and based on the 1854 poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The music score was composed by Max Steiner, his first for Warner Bros., and the cinematography was by Sol Polito. Scenes were shot at the following California locations: Lone Pine, Sherwood Lake, Lasky Mesa, Chatsworth, and Sonora. The Sierra Nevada mountains were used for the Khyber Pass scenes.
Gentleman Jim is a 1942 film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn as heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett (1866–1933). The supporting cast includes Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, William Frawley, and Ward Bond as John L. Sullivan. The movie was based upon Corbett's 1894 autobiography, The Roar of the Crowd. The role was one of Flynn's favorites.
Adventures of Don Juan is a 1948 American Technicolor swashbuckling adventure romance film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Errol Flynn and Viveca Lindfors, with Robert Douglas, Alan Hale, Ann Rutherford, and Robert Warwick. Also in the cast are Barbara Bates, Raymond Burr, and Mary Stuart. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Jerry Wald. The screenplay by George Oppenheimer and Harry Kurnitz, based on a story by Herbert Dalmas, has uncredited contributions by William Faulkner and Robert Florey.
The film appearances of movie actor Errol Flynn (1909–1959) are listed here, including his short films and one unfinished feature.
Green Light is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Errol Flynn, Anita Louise and Margaret Lindsay. The film is adapted from a novel written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The novel is closely related to Douglas' previous book, Magnificent Obsession, which was also adapted as a movie. It was Flynn's first starring role in a studio film that was not an action movie.
The Sun Also Rises is a 1957 American drama film adaptation of the 1926 Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name directed by Henry King. The screenplay was written by Peter Viertel and it starred Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer, and Errol Flynn. Much of it was filmed on location in France and Spain as well as Mexico in Cinemascope and color by Deluxe. A highlight of the film is the famous "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain and two bullfights.
The Master of Ballantrae is a 1953 British Technicolor adventure film starring Errol Flynn and Roger Livesey. It is a loose and highly truncated adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson 1889 novel of the same name. In eighteenth century Scotland, two sons of a laird clash over the family estate and a lady.
The Case of the Curious Bride is a 1935 American mystery film, the second in a series of four starring Warren William as Perry Mason, following The Case of the Howling Dog. The script was based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Erle Stanley Gardner, published by William Morrow and Company, which proved to be one of the most popular of all the Perry Mason novels.
Footsteps in the Dark is a light-hearted 1941 mystery film, starring Errol Flynn as an amateur detective investigating a murder.
The Perfect Specimen is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell. The picture is based on a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams.
The Dark Avenger is a 1955 British historical action adventure film directed by Henry Levin. The screenplay was written by Daniel B. Ullman. The film stars Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru and Peter Finch. The music score is by Cedric Thorpe Davie. It is also known as The Warriors in the United States, and had a working title of The Black Prince in the United Kingdom.
Silver River is a 1948 American western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan and Thomas Mitchell. The film is based on a Stephen Longstreet story that was turned into a novel. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros.
Adventures of Captain Fabian or Adventure in New Orleans is a 1951 American adventure film directed by William Marshall and starring Errol Flynn, Micheline Presle, Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead and Victor Francen.
Mara Maru is a 1952 American noir action film starring Errol Flynn, Ruth Roman and Raymond Burr. Directed by Gordon Douglas, it was the last movie Flynn made for Warner Bros where he had started out in Hollywood in 1935.
Montana is a 1950 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Errol Flynn. It was only the second time Flynn played an Australian on screen, the first time being Desperate Journey (1942).
Another Dawn is a 1937 American melodrama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Errol Flynn, Kay Francis and Ian Hunter. It is based on Somerset Maugham's 1919 play Caesar's Wife. It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. The film received dismissive reviews.
Crossed Swords or The Teacher of Don Juan is a 1954 historical swashbuckling adventure film directed by Milton Krims and starring Errol Flynn, Gina Lollobrigida and Nadia Gray. It was co-production between Italy and the United States. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Arrigo Equini.
The Story of William Tell is an unfinished film about William Tell. It starred and was produced by Errol Flynn. It commenced filming in Italy in 1953 and was meant to be the directorial debut of Jack Cardiff. It was filmed in CinemaScope. A £10,000 model town set was built near Mont Blanc.