Movie review – Errol #17 - “Virginia City” (1940) ***

Errol Flynn wasn’t the most obvious Western star in the world but Dodge City made buckets of dough, so Warners ushered him into this follow up. Its an odd sort of film – given a large budget and the A treatment (strong support cast, directed by Michael Curtiz, exec produced by Hal Wallis), it has an excellent central idea (during the Civil War, confederates try to smuggle $5 million out from Virginia City to help the war effort), but feels a little rushed in places: for instance, it’s a bit of a coincidence that Errol figures out about the shipment and takes off after his old gaoler Randolph Scott (why didn’t they just have Errol overhear it in prison?), Errol doesn’t really do much undercover work, the film goes on a bit too long.

There is also a major flaw in the casting of Miriam Hopkins as the love interest – she is given large billing, below Errol’s but just as big a font, she was a name at the time – but she is not very pretty, a poor actor and does not match well with Errol at all, who needs a bit of spunk in his female co-stars, not bland sandpaper. It’s a great role, you get to be a spy, act the Southern belle, sing in a dance hall, romance Errol Flynn and be pursued by Randolph Scott, shoot marauding bandits, plea to Abraham Lincoln – but Hopkins stuffs it. If only the other leading ladies at Warners had played it - Olivia de Havilland, Alexis Smith, Ann Sheridan, etc. Scenes which should have been winners – Hopkins being put in turmoil by conflicting loyalties, singing in a dance hall outfit – are sunk by her charisma and talent by-pass.

There is some compensatory emotional kick from Randolph Scott, who plays Errol’s adversary turned eventual ally (when northern and southerner realise that despite their differences they’re going to have to team up in order to beat off Mexicans). Humphrey Bogart is fun as said Mexican – he was only a year away from stardom, but still had to take assignments like these. The film has plenty of action and there is always something going on – Civil War history buffs will be intrigued by cameos from Lincoln and Jeff Davis, plus an early scene at Libby Prison.