Movie Review: Footsteps in the Dark (1941)

Synopsis: Francis Warren has a secret. Even though he is already a successful investment consultant by day, he writes scandalous mystery novels under the penname F. X. Pettijohn on the side, something his wife doesn't even know. The latter comes into play when he accepts a new but shady client, Leopold Fissure, who insists on his help turning uncut diamonds into money if he doesn't want his secret revealed. This becomes even more complicated when Fissure is found murdered on a yacht.

Who's in it? The movie stars Errol Flynn, Alan Hale, Brenda Marshall, Ralph Bellamy and Lee Patrick.

Review: I came across Footsteps in the Dark a couple days ago and, because I usually enjoy Errol Flynn movies and almost always enjoy murder mysteries, I added it to my library. I watched it early this morning before heading into the office and it turned out to be a good choice.

I'm always somewhat amused by classic movies like this by the way the authorities are so willing to let amateurs like Warren (Flynn) trounce all around crime scenes and give their opinions. Even though Police Inspector Mason (Hale) knew about Warren's side hustle, it seemed a bit farfetched. I probably could have bought it had Warren helped them solve crimes in the past but that didn't seem to be the case.

I did enjoy the comedy involved with Warren choosing not to tell the police he had met the victim (Noel Madison) ahead of time, allowing him to stay several steps ahead and pretend he was noticing obscure clues they were missing. It was one of those things that also created a bit of a wildcard as far as the ending was concerned because I wondered if his intimate knowledge of the crime would lead to him becoming one of the police department's suspects.

As for the murder mystery itself, it was an interesting one. For one, it was unclear if Fissure was even murdered since the medical examiner ruled it death by natural causes. From that point, it was a question about who would have the motive to murder him, other than for the diamonds of course.

The twist involving Warren's wife, Rita (Marshall) believing her husband was having an affair with one of the suspects, Blondie White (Patrick) was a nice touch. I loved how Warren was put on the hook multiple times and did his best to wiggle free whenever Rita cornered him. It became doubly interesting when Blondie is murdered, and Rita becomes a suspect and learns about her husband's hobby (which seems to be as bad in Rita's mind as the thought of her husband cheating).

However, there was also a part of me that felt a bit bad for Rita since she blamed herself for her husband's "affair," believing she wasn't being a good enough wife, and that, along with her being dragged into a murder investigation, did seem to be a bit unfair. Warren's decision not to come clean seemed almost cruel as a result, especially since he was investigating the case for laughs.

Final Opinion: It was an entertaining and light-hearted murder mystery and comedy that had some interesting twists and a fun plot. I enjoyed watching it and would recommend it.

My Grade: B+