Footsteps in the Dark (film)

Last updated
Footsteps in the Dark
Footstepsinthedark.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Lester Cole
John Wexley
Based onFootsteps in the Dark
1935 play
by Ladislas Fodor
1937 play Blondie White by Bernard Merivale & Jeffrey Dell [1]
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Robert Lord
Starring Errol Flynn
Brenda Marshall
Ralph Bellamy
Alan Hale
Cinematography Ernest Haller
Edited by Owen Marks
Music by Friedrich Hollaender
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • March 8, 1941 (1941-03-08)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Footsteps in the Dark is a 1941 American comedy mystery film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall and Ralph Bellamy. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Flynn plays a novelist and amateur detective investigating a murder. It takes its title from the 1935 play Footsteps in the Dark by Ladislas Fodor and also used material from the 1937 play Blondie White by Jeffrey Dell. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Francis Warren (Errol Flynn) appears to have a normal life handling investments, but secretly he writes lurid detective novels under the pseudonym F.X. Pettijohn. His other career is unknown to wife Rita (Brenda Marshall) or to anyone but Inspector Mason (Alan Hale), who mocks the books, insisting that true crime is much more difficult to solve. A man named Leopold Fissue (Noel Madison) turns up, wanting Francis to help him turn uncut diamonds into cash. Otherwise, he will reveal Warren's other life to the public.

Fissue is then found murdered on a yacht. The trail leads Francis to burlesque dancer Blondie White (Lee Patrick), who becomes his prime suspect. But her dentist, Dr. Davis (Ralph Bellamy), gives her a solid alibi. Rita becomes sure that Francis is having an affair. Blondie turns up dead after asking Francis to retrieve a satchel from a locker. Rita thinks Francis must have killed Blondie, while her husband believes just the opposite to be true. The diamonds are in the suitcase. Francis concludes that only one man could be behind all this—Davis, the dentist, who promptly tries to kill Francis before the police can figure things out.

Cast

Production

Original plays

The material was taken from two plays, Footsteps in the Dark (1935) and Blondie White originally titled Katzenzungen (1937) [4]

Warner Bros bought the rights to Footsteps in the Dark in 1937. [5]

Blondie White was about the adventures of Frank Warren, a writer of detective novels who gets involved in a real-life murder, along with his wife. It made its debut in London in 1937 starring Basil Sydney and Joan Marion. [6] [7] The Scotsman called it "a dexterous and ingenuously contrived little piece." [8] Warner Bros bought the film rights in October, with a view to possibly filming it at their British base at Teddington Studios. (On the same trip Jack L. Warner also bought the rights to The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse and George and Margaret .) [9] [10]

Development

In December 1937 Warners announced they would make Blondie White as Footsteps in the Dark. [11] Frank Cavett was assigned to write the script [12] and Joan Blondell and Claude Rains were mentioned as possible stars. [13] [14]

John Huston and John Wexley were then reported as working on the script. [15]

In late 1938, Edward G. Robinson was announced as star and Anatole Litvak director. [16] Lya Lys was to be the female star and in May 1939 it was announced the film would still go ahead. [17] But it did not happen and by November Norman Reilly Raine was still working on the script. [18]

In July 1940, Lester Cole had taken over as writer and Robinson had to drop out due to a commitment to make The Sea Wolf . [19] Cole says he was hired to rewrite Wexley's script, calling Wexley "a fine playwright and screenwriter" but the story "was hardly his style". [20]

Errol Flynn had just done seven period films in a row and was pestering Warner's for a change of pace so he was cast instead of Robinson. [21] Once Flynn came on board, Olivia de Havilland was announced as his co star. [22] She was replaced by Brenda Marshall. [23] William Keighley was the original director announced. Louella Parsons wrote the film would be "a humorously treated mystery yarn of The Thin Man variety". [24]

Shooting

Filming started in October 1940. [25]

Ralph Bellamy said Flynn was "a darling. Couldn't or wouldn't take himself seriously. And he drank like there was no tomorrow. Had a bum ticker from the malaria he'd picked up in Australia. Also a spot of TB. Tried to enlist but flunked his medical, so he drank some more. Knew he wouldn't live into old age. He really had a ball in Footsteps in the Dark. He was so glad to be out of swashbucklers." [26]

Reception

Box office

The film was one of Flynn's less successful movies at the box office around this time. [27]

Critical

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote: "A few spots are faintly amusing, thanks to Allen Jenkins as a chauffeur-valet and William Frawley as a thick-headed cop. But most of it is painfully dull and obvious, the pace is incredibly slow and Mr. Flynn, playing the detective, acts like a puzzled schoolboy." [28]

Variety wrote that Flynn did "well enough" but called the script "routine, going in for too much dialog and too many absurdities." [29] Los Angeles Times wrote that "Errol Flynn becomes a modern for a change in a whodunit film and the excursion proves eminently worth-while... an exceptionally clever and amusing exhibit – a little lagging now and then in the action but nothing to bother about in that regard". [30]

Film Daily reported: "Basis for a first-rate mystery meller with plenty of laughs is contained in the plot for this yarn, but the development of the script falls short of the story possibilities. The screenplay lacks any real punch drama and it does not have any hilariously amusing comedy, and it is also slightly incredible at times. On the whole, this picture is moderately entertaining screenfare for the average audience." [31]

Harrison's Reports called the film "fairly good", though the killer's identity was "pretty obvious." [32]

The Wall Street Journal called it "an amusing if not too subtle mystery." [33]

John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote that while the burlesque performer added a "bright note", the film was otherwise a "commonplace mystery picture." [34]

Filmink magazine argued Flynn was "not entirely comfortable as a comic actor but it's a very endearing performance, and he has that charisma and charm to compensate for his lack of technique. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t do its star justice." [35]

Proposed sequel

John Wexley and Lester Cole were reported as working on a sequel, Ghosts Don't Leave Footprints. [36] This was to reteam Marshall and Flynn and revolve around spiritualists. [37] However no sequel materialized.

Other versions

The BBC made a TV adaptation of Blondie White called The Strange Case of Blondie White in 1947. [38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errol Flynn</span> Australian actor (1909–1959)

Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia de Havilland, and reputation for his womanising and hedonistic personal life. His most notable roles include Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which was later named by the American Film Institute as the 18th-greatest hero in American film history, the lead role in Captain Blood (1935), Major Geoffrey Vickers in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), and the hero in a number of Westerns such as Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail, Virginia City and San Antonio (1945).

Robert Florey was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor.

<i>Edge of Darkness</i> (1943 film) 1943 film by Lewis Milestone

Edge of Darkness is a 1943 World War II film directed by Lewis Milestone that features Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, and Walter Huston. The feature is based on a script written by Robert Rossen which was adapted from the 1942 novel The Edge of Darkness by William Woods.

<i>Virginia City</i> (film) 1940 film directed by Michael Curtiz

Virginia City is a 1940 American Western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott, and a mustachioed Humphrey Bogart in the role of the real-life outlaw John Murrell. Based on a screenplay by Robert Buckner, the film is about a Union officer who escapes from a Confederate prison and is sent to Virginia City from where his former prison commander is planning to send five million dollars in gold to Virginia to save the Confederacy. The film premiered in its namesake, Virginia City, Nevada. The film was shot in black and white (sepiatone).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patric Knowles</span> English actor (1911–1995)

Patric Knowles was an English film actor. Born in Horsforth, West Riding of Yorkshire, he later changed his name to reflect his Irish heritage. He made his film debut in 1932, and played either first or second film leads throughout his career. He appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1970s.

<i>Santa Fe Trail</i> (film) 1940 film

Santa Fe Trail is a 1940 American western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn as J. E. B. "Jeb" Stuart, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey as John Brown, Ronald Reagan as George Armstrong Custer and Alan Hale. Written by Robert Buckner, the film is critical of the abolitionist John Brown and his controversial campaign against slavery before the American Civil War. In a subplot, Jeb Stuart and George Armstrong Custer—who are depicted as friends from the same West Point graduating class—compete for the hand of Kit Carson Holliday.

<i>Gentleman Jim</i> (film) 1942 film by Raoul Walsh

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.

<i>Adventures of Don Juan</i> 1948 film by Vincent Sherman

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. It concerns the legendary, fictional Spanish character Don Juan and his exploits.

<i>The Sisters</i> (1938 film) 1938 drama film by Anatole Litvak

The Sisters is a 1938 American drama film produced and directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Errol Flynn and Bette Davis. The screenplay by Milton Krims is based on the 1937 novel of the same title by Myron Brinig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errol Flynn filmography</span>

The film appearances of movie actor Errol Flynn (1909–1959) are listed here, including his short films and one unfinished feature.

<i>That Forsyte Woman</i> 1949 film by Compton Bennett

That Forsyte Woman is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Greer Garson, Errol Flynn, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Young and Janet Leigh. It is an adaptation of the 1906 novel The Man of Property, the first book in The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.

Seton Ingersoll Miller was an American screenwriter and producer. During his career, he worked with film directors such as Howard Hawks and Michael Curtiz. Miller received two Oscar nominations and won once for Best Screenplay for the 1941 fantasy romantic comedy film, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, along with Sidney Buchman.

<i>Green Light</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Frank Borzage

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.

<i>The Case of the Curious Bride</i> 1935 film by Michael Curtiz

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.

<i>Never Say Goodbye</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by James V. Kern

Never Say Goodbye is a 1946 American romantic comedy film directed by James V. Kern and starring Errol Flynn, Eleanor Parker, and Lucile Watson. Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers, it is about a divorced couple and the daughter who works to bring them back together. It was Errol Flynn's first purely comedic role since Footsteps in the Dark.

<i>Cry Wolf</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Peter Godfrey

Cry Wolf is a 1947 American mystery film noir directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Errol Flynn, Barbara Stanwyck and Geraldine Brooks. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Marjorie Carleton.

<i>The Perfect Specimen</i> 1937 film by Michael Curtiz

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.

<i>Montana</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Ray Enright

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).

<i>Another Dawn</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by William Dieterle

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.

<i>Blondie White</i> 1937 play

Blondie White is a 1937 mystery play by British writer Jeffrey Dell and Bernard Merivale. A murder mystery, it was inspired by an earlier play by Hungarian writer Ladislas Fodor. A famous crime novelist helps Scotland Yard to solve the murder of a nightclub performer, Blondie White.

References

  1. ↑ "Edmond Pauker papers". Drs.library.yale.edu. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ Kabatchnik p.325
  3. ↑ Goble p.122
  4. ↑ Churchill, Douglas (19 June 1940). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: WARNERS AND METRO IN STORY ROW OVER 'CALAMITY JANE'--MAURICE EVANS ARRIVING 'SAFARI' IS OPENING TODAY FAIRBANKS JR. AND MISS CARROLL STARRED IN FILM--REVIVALS AT 55TH ST. PLAYHOUSE". The New York Times. p. 27.
  5. ↑ "NEWS OF THE STAGE: 'Wise Tomorrow' Closes After Three Performances--'I'd Rather Be Right' May Open at Alvin". New York Times. 18 Oct 1937. p. 14.
  6. ↑ "Dramatis Personae". The Observer. London (UK). 25 July 1937. p. 11.
  7. ↑ Our Theatre Correspondent (19 Sep 1937). "NEW PLAYS BUT NO THEATRES: LONDON AUTUMN PROBLEM PROSPEROUS SEASON MANY LONG RUNS". The Observer. London (UK). p. 11.{{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ "LONDON THEATRES: "Blondie White"". The Scotsman. Edinburgh, Scotland. 14 Oct 1937. p. 12.
  9. ↑ "STUDIO AND SCREEN: Directors Wanted--A Comic Colman--Health and Beauty Films". The Manchester Guardian. Manchester (UK). 28 Oct 1937. p. 12.
  10. ↑ "NEWS OF THE STAGE: Chappell Will Offer 'Father Malachy's Miracle'New Broadway School for Actors Is Planned Connelly to Finish Fantasy". New York Times. 28 Oct 1937. p. 28.
  11. ↑ "NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Paramount Buys Deval's 'Soubrette' for Franceska Gaal-Stars Plan New York Holiday Visits Of Local Origin". New York Times. 21 Dec 1937. p. 28.
  12. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (13 Jan 1938). ""THE SEA WOLF" AND "VICTOR HUGO" LINED UP AS MUNI FILM STORIES: Sid Silvers to Glorify Stooge in Screen Play". Los Angeles Times. p. 10.
  13. ↑ "HOLLYWOOD Merry-Go-Round". The Barrier Miner (HOME ed.). Broken Hill, NSW. 6 October 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 26 October 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (12 May 1938). ""Lady Hamilton" to Be Frank Lloyd Feature: Freddie, Judy Teamed Morris, Olivia Cast Houston in "Waltz" Ellison Gets Contract". Los Angeles Times. p. 10.
  15. ↑ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Louis Hayward to Play Lead in 'Man in the Iron Mask' for United Artists OPENING AT CONTINENTAL ' The Singing Blacksmith,' New Yiddish Picture, Will Begin Engagement Today Casting for "Hotel Imperial" Coast Scripts Of Local Origin". New York Times. 1 Nov 1938. p. 27.
  16. ↑ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: 'Footsteps in the Dark' to Be Edward G. Robinson's Next Picture at Warners MISS LAMOUR GETS ROLE She and George Raft Will Be Stars in Crime Melodrama, 'Two-Time Loser' Coast Scripts Of Local Origin". New York Times. 18 Nov 1938. p. 25.
  17. ↑ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Wanger Signs Loretta Young for Lead in 'Whose Wife?' --Tay Garnett to Direct JOLSON FILM HERE TODAY Alice Faye-Tyrone Power Also in Feature at the Roxy-- 'Fixer Dugan' at Rialto James Stewart Gets Role Coast Scripts Of Local Origin Offers 'Mikado' Without Swing Stars in Brooklyn Opening". New York Times. 5 May 1939. p. 32.
  18. ↑ DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL (21 Dec 1939). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Olivia de Havilland Suspended by Warners--Out of 'Married, Pretty and Poor' Cast ACTRESS WANTS VACATION 'Tevya,' Yiddish Film, Opens Today at the Continental-- 'Laugh It Off' at Palace Mary Martin in Benny Film Of Local Origin Premiere to Be a Benefit". New York Times. p. 28.
  19. ↑ "NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Merle Oberon and Melvyn Douglas Will Co-Star-- 'Those Were the Days' Opens Saturday Universal Assigns Directors Of Local Origin". New York Times. 9 July 1940. p. 25.
  20. ↑ Cole, Lester (1981). Hollywood Red : the autobiography of Lester Cole . Ramparts Press. p.  189-190. ISBN   9780878670857.
  21. ↑ "Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer * Clifford McCarty, The Films of Errol Flynn, Citadel Press, 1969 p 102".
  22. ↑ Scheuer, Philip K (21 Sep 1940). "Lubitsch, Universal Both Sign Meredith". Los Angeles Times. p. A7.
  23. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (17 Oct 1940). "Buddy Rogers to Lead Band in 'Broadcast': Fitzgerald in 'Sea Wolf' Rogers' Budget Upped Mary Lee in 'Sierra Sue' Bob Crosby Film Looms Dennis Morgan Lead Set". Los Angeles Times. p. A11.
  24. ↑ Louella O. Parsons (Aug 27, 1940). "Close-Ups and Long-Shots Of the Motion Picture Scene". The Washington Post. p. 8.
  25. ↑ "Screen News Here and In Hollywood". New York Times. 26 August 1940. p. 11.
  26. ↑ Bawden, James; Miller, Ron (4 March 2016). Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era. University Press of Kentucky. p. 36. ISBN   9780813167121.
  27. ↑ Glancy, H. Mark. "Warner Bros film grosses, 1921–51." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. March 1995
  28. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (March 15, 1941). "Movie Review – Footsteps in the Dark". The New York Times . Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Footsteps in the Dark". Variety . New York. March 5, 1941. p. 16.
  30. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (27 Feb 1941). "'Footsteps in the Dark' Engaging Mystery-Comedy". Los Angeles Times. p. 12.
  31. ↑ "Reviews of the New Films". Film Daily . New York: 13. March 4, 1941.
  32. ↑ "'Footsteps in the Dark' with Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall and Ralph Bellamy". Harrison's Reports : 39. March 8, 1941.
  33. ↑ "The THEATRE: Mirthful Mystery". Wall Street Journal. New York. 18 Mar 1941. p. 9.
  34. ↑ Mosher, John (March 15, 1941). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker . p. 82.
  35. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (November 17, 2019). "The Films of Errol Flynn: Part 3 The War Years". Filmink.
  36. ↑ "News in Hollywood". The New York Times . 19 Feb 1941. p. 25.
  37. ↑ "TODAY'S FILM NEWS". The News . Adelaide. 9 April 1941. p. 10. Retrieved 26 October 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  38. ↑ The Strange Case of Blondie White at IMDb

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.