Four's a Crowd (1938)

Robert will do anything to get the big account that has eluded him. His public relations business makes public angels of rich scoundrels. Jean needs someone to save the paper and she wants ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Casey Robinson (screenplay), Sig Herzig (screenplay)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Errol Flynn	...	Bob Lansford
Olivia de Havilland	...	Lorri Dillingwell
Rosalind Russell	...	Jean Christy
Patric Knowles	...	Patterson Buckley
Walter Connolly	...	John P. Dillingwell
Hugh Herbert	...	Jenkins
Melville Cooper	...	Bingham
Franklin Pangborn	...	Preston
Herman Bing	...	Barber
Margaret Hamilton	...	Amy
Joseph Crehan	...	Butler Pierce
Joe Cunningham	...	Young
Dennie Moore	...	Buckley's Secretary (scenes deleted)
Gloria Blondell	...	Lansford's 1st Secretary
Carole Landis	...	Lansford's 2nd Secretary

Storyline

Robert will do anything to get the big account that has eluded him. His public relations business makes public angels of rich scoundrels. Jean needs someone to save the paper and she wants Robert. When he finds out that Pat is dating Lorri, John Dillingwell's granddaughter, he gets involved. Robert begins to make John the most hated man and Lorri blames Pat, the publisher. He then goes to John for a job to erase all the bad publicity that he has gotten from the paper. This works until Pat tells John that Robert was behind the smear campaign. But John decides that he does need some good publicity and hires Robert to provide it...

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Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | female reporter | female journalist | newspaper | secret identity | 

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Taglines:

Two's company, three's a triangle but "Four's a Crowd!"

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bob's salary of $1,500 per week to return to the newspaper would be the equivalent of over $25,600 per week in 2016.

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Goofs

At one point Jean is shown dialing Bob, then he is shown dialing her before she finishes. Neither Bob or Jean get a busy signal and Bob's phone doesn't ring, but they both say hello to each other inexplicably.

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Quotes

Jean Christy: I'm in love with a man whom I dislike intensely, who'd cheat me, who'd lie to me, whom I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw the Queen Mary. I...
Robert Kensington 'Bob' Lansford: You... you don't mean me, do you?

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Alternate Versions

This is the only one of the Eroll Flynn-Olivia de Havilland that was never released to the home entertainment market in the USA. It was released in Argentina using a well preserved 16mm print with the original English credits and audio track and Spanish language subtitles.

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Connections

Featured in The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)

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Soundtracks

Frühlingslied (Spring Song) Op. 62, No. 6
(1842) (uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn
Hummed and danced by Olivia de Havilland

User Reviews

Could of Been Better, if There was a Different Writer and Director

Four's a Crowd is a silly, goofy, and at times hard to follow comedy with the all-star duo of Errol Flynn and Olivia deHavilland. The film at times is funny and boring. There is a lot of telephone conversations featured in the film and it gets kind of tiring after awhile. Errol Flynn is at his goofiest in this role. This role is unlike his others in past roles. Roles such as Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and The Charge of the Light Brigade, where in those roles he plays jolly, kind, respected people. In Four's a Crowd he's a crude, annoying, and pushy person. Even Olivia deHavilland's role is different from her past ones. In this movie she's downright annoying and childish. She was 22 at the time and she acts like a 15 year old. The script of this movie is rather poor and includes segments in the film that have "been there, done that" written all over. This could of been a great and funny movie if there was a stronger script and director. Michael Curtiz doesn't have to direct every film Errol Flynn was in. There more actors to work with, then just Errol. I perfer Roual Walsh and William Kieghley's work with Errol Flynn than Kurtiz's. *1/2 out of ****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

All Rights Reserved

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1