Footsteps in the Dark

 

(1941)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Lester Cole, John Wexley from  a play by Bernard Merrivale
Starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Lee Patrick, Alan Hale, Ralph Bellamy, Lucile Watson, William Frawley, Alan Jenkins, Noel Madison
IMDB Entry

Under the studio system, actors get typecast. Errol Flynn, for instance, was usually cast in costume roles as a 30s version of an action hero. But Flynn wanted to try something more contemporary and asked Warner Brothers to try to cast him.  The result is Footsteps in the Dark.

Francis Warren (Errol Flynn) is a financial advisor, but he leads a double life as F. X. Pettijohn, writer of lurid mysteries.  His wife Rita (Brenda Marshall) and mother-in-law Agatha (Lucille Watson) both look  down on the books, so he keeps it all secret from them to avoid their embarrassment. Police Inspector Mason (Alan Hale) knows him as Pettijohn and they have a friendly rivalry as Mason insists that it's far harder to catch a crook than it seems in a book.

Leopold Fissue (Noel Madison) approaches Francis to have him get cash for some diamonds. Fissue knows Warren is Pettijohn and plans to reveal the fact if he doesn't do as he asked. Later, Fissue is found dead. It seems to be due to heart failure, but Francis insists it's murder.  Mason challenges Warren to prove it's murder and to find the one responsible.

The trail leads to a burlesque singer Blondie White (Lee Patrick) and he starts to romance her to get information about Fissue and the murder. Meanwhile, Rita and Agatha get suspicious of his late nights with  another woman.

The film is an odd mix of mystery and screwball comedy. The latter is a bit more interesting; it's not hard at all to spot the murderer. Flynn uses his usual charm to make the movie watchable.

There are familiar faces in the cast. Most notable is William Frawley (I Love Lucy) as a dumb cop. Lee Patrick is known to movie fans as Sam Spade's secretary, Effie, in The Maltese Falcon and Ralph Bellamy is usually cast as the guy who doesn't get the girl, most notably in His Girl Friday. Alan Hale may seem familiar, but you're probably thinking of his son, Alan Hale, Jr., the Skipper from Gilligan's Island.*

The movie is uneven but overall a decent bit of entertainment.   It was obviously planned to be a series; the end involves Francis going out on a new case and Rita joining him, Thin Man style.  Reports indicated that Olivia de Havilland, Flynn's frequent leading lady, had been up for the part of Rita, but it didn't work out.  

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*He is a dead ringer for his dad.