Errol Flynn Lies to His Wife and Solves a Murder

We quite properly think of Errol Flynn as a swashbuckler--Robin Hood, Captain Blood and so on. That's the sort of role in which he really shined.

But those roles always included a high level of humor, so it's not surprising that when he did do a straight comedy in 1941's Footsteps in the Dark, he was really good in it. I wish he'd done more.

Edward G. Robinson was initially slated to play the lead in Footsteps, but he was busy with another film, so Flynn got the role of a wealthy investment advisor who has secretly written a successful mystery novel and--of course--ends up solving a real murder.

Neither his wife nor his live-in mother-in-law know about his secret life as a novelist. With the help of his chauffer, he's established a routine to keep that secret, but when he ends up looking into a real killing, events begin to progress at a more hectic pace and keeping secrets becomes more difficult.

When his wife figures out what's going on, though, she figures wrong--assuming that he's having an affair with a burlesque dancer.  Actually, he is pretending to have an affair with the dancer, but only because he suspects her of killing a jewel smuggler. When the dancer is herself murdered, the wife is seen fleeing her apartment, so Flynn has to confess to the crime himself, then dodge the cops until he can trap the real killer into confessing. Fortunately, his chauffer is loyal enough to help him escape from the police. I hope he pays that guy well, as I don't think the duties of a chauffer normally involves committing felonies.

Warner Brothers had hopes of turning this into a series to compete with MGM's Thin Man series. But the box office was just so-so. That's a pity, because Flynn, Brenda Marshall (as his wife) and Allen Jenkins as the chauffer all play nicely off each other. The movie is sincerely funny and the mystery is pretty good. So, I have a bone to pick with you--1941 movie-going audience. You really needed to have gone to see this one. You ruined a good thing.

The rest of the cast adds to the fun. Alan Hale (who seemed to be required by law to appear in every Errol Flynn movie ever made) is the police inspector investigating the murder, with William Frawley getting some hilarious moments as Hale's less-than-brilliant assistant.

I watched this one on TCM, so wasn't able to make a clip of my own. I found the trailer on YouTube, but it presents the movie as more of a straight murder mystery than the comedy-mystery it is.