Years before Arnold Schwarzeneggar in Twins another tough guy actor made his comedy debut in a film as a person raised in isolation to be the perfect man. Instead of Danny de Vito to come along and teach him about life there’s Joan Blondell as a wise cracking dame who takes him out for the day – just like Gregory Peck did for Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.
A comedy starring Errol Flynn directed by Michael Curtiz backed with a strong supporting cast of stock players (including Allen Jenkins, everyone’s favourite 30s old lady May Robson, everyone’s favourite 30s old geezer Henry Davenport and everyone’s favourite 30s gay Edward Everett Horton), with the same basic idea as Twins, Roman Holiday… why isn’t this well known?
Mostly because the story isn’t strong – Errol and Blondell head out for a day, he winds up doing a bit of boxing, then he hooks up with a poet who I think is meant to be colourful, then he and Blondell have a quite romantic and sexy scene drying themselves off after the rain… All this while the nation thinks Errol has been kidnapped – which actually isn’t very funny, because cops are wasting time chasing after someone who isn’t in danger.
There needed to be a stronger reason why Blondell takes Errol out for the day – why didn’t they just make her a reporter like Gable in It Happened One Night (that means she would deceive Errol, creating extra drama). And the finale is far too easily resolved, with Blondell’s brother easily tracking down Errol and him conveniently wanting to marry Errol’s fiancée.
The film badly needs an antagonist, someone who is on Errol’s trail, like they had in Twins and Roman Holiday. It also needed some decent adventures on the road – it’s a long way from It Happened One Night (clearly an inspiration - based on a book by the same writer). There are not really any decent jokes, just high spirits. Curtiz was a great director when it came to pace and action, but he didn't have Frank Capra's skill at filming warm encounters with eccentrics.
Errol is very handsome and charming in his role. His inexperience in comedy actually suits the role as he is playing an inexperienced person. But he doesn’t have much of a character to play – there’s tremendous potential there, this perfect person who has been protected and is naïve then proceeds to have fish out of water adventures – but it isn’t really used.
Blondell is charming as his feisty love interest. Blondell often played comic relief best friends but she is given a bit of glamour treatment here, is photographed nicely and comes across pretty. Dick Foran is a bit smug and pleased with himself as Blondell’s brother who is in love with Errol’s arranged fiancée – to be honest, it doesn’t make sense that Errol would have one (maybe he should have played a royal or something.
OK, I’ve been very critical but I would say this film passes the time. Errol is having a fine old time, Blondell is enjoyable, as are the support cast except for Foran and his girlfriend. It skips along at a bright pace and has charm. There was real potential here but it quite takes off – a thing you could say about all Errol’s comedies.
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