Too Much, Too Soon (1958)

The daughter of iconic actor John Barrymore becomes reunited with her father after a ten year estrangement and engages in his self-destructive lifestyle.

Director:

Art Napoleon

Writers:

Art Napoleon (screenplay), Jo Napoleon (screenplay),

Stars:

Dorothy Malone, Errol Flynn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dorothy Malone	...	Diana Barrymore
Errol Flynn	...	John Barrymore
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Vincent Bryant
Ray Danton	...	John Howard
Neva Patterson	...	Blanche Oehrichs aka Michael Strange
Murray Hamilton	...	Charlie Snow
Martin Milner	...	Lincoln Forrester
John Dennis	...	Walter Gerhardt
Ed Kemmer	...	Robert Wilcox (as Edward Kemmer)
Robert Ellenstein	...	Gerald Frank
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Older Attrendant (scenes deleted)
George Baxter	...	Schuyler (scenes deleted)
Dee Carroll	...	Telephone Operator (scenes deleted)

Storyline

The movie tells the true story of Diana Barrymore, a theatrical actress who acted on both stage and screen was once part of the legendary Barrymore family. Behind the cameras and backstage, Diana Barrymore would suffer through alcohol and drugs.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | career | socialite | actress | alcoholic | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Too Much, Too Soon: The Daring Story of Diana Barrymore

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Errol Flynn was a friend of Barrymore's in Hollywood during the time frame depicted in the film.

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Goofs

In actual life, Blanche Oelrichs aka Michael Strange, was the second of John Bayymore's four wives, the others of whom are talked about in Diana's book, but none of whom, apart from Strange, are even mentioned in the film.

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Quotes

Diana Barrymore: I don't want to write a book about my life. Living it was bad enough!

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Connections

References The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Just Wild About Harry"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Noble Sissle
Music by Eubie Blake

User Reviews

Too Much Diana, Too Little Jack

After ten years with a domineering mother, pretty teenager Dorothy Malone (as Diana Barrymore) goes to visit her father, legendary actor Errol Flynn (as John Barrymore). They get along well, but Mr. Flynn reveals himself as irresponsible and leaves Ms. Malone for a yacht party. When she grows up, Malone moves into her father's Hollywood mansion. The Gothic palace has been stripped of most furniture. Flynn lives with a caged eagle and companion John Dennis (as Walter Gerhardt), who tries to keep the boss sober. Malone decides to follow in her father's footsteps and become an actress...

"Too Much, Too Soon" (subtitled "The Daring Story of Diana Barrymore") is fine when dealing with Flynn, the eagle and Mr. Dennis. Flynn's follow-up to "The Sun Also Rises" (1957) gave him an opportunity to cap his career as "best dissipated supporting actor"; no doubt drawing from experience, his sobering characterization gives the film some real depth. But, he's far from the story's main subject. Poor Malone, shot to look like a little girl in the opening scenes, is put through episodic segments resembling 1950s documentaries warning young women that alcohol will lead them to nymphomania.

***** Too Much, Too Soon (4/17/58) Art Napoleon ~ Dorothy Malone, Errol Flynn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Ray Danton