Four's a Crowd (1938)

Waste of time

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Errol Flynn showed he was very capable of making light comedies and "Four's a Crowd" is his best one by quite some way. Once again, Michael Curtiz is the director and Olivia De Havilland is Flynn's leading lady. The script is a bit corny in all honesty but at least "Four's a Crowd" isn't depressing or melancholic. It takes a bit of getting used to, seeing Errol Flynn in a contemporary setting. An undemanding film but quite amusing.

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Rosalind Russell in a screwball comedy? These are the kinds of cast ensembles which unleash the inner fan boy in me. Errol Flynn rarely got the chance in his career to perform comedy and here he proves he was cable of doing Cary Grant-esque comedy on the same level as well, Cary Grant. Sadly Four's a Crowd's lack of box office success prevented Warner Bros from putting him in more comedies. Although The Women is seen as the film which launched Rosalind Russell as a fast talking comedic actress, Four's a Crowd is the first film in which she plays such a character and her first turn as the working career woman (or "newspaper man" as she refers to herself here) which became synonymous with with shades of Hildy Johnson coming through. She takes full advantage of the role, stealing the show with her impeccable timing which reportedly made Olivia de Havilland envious. De Havilland though is tasked with playing a dim witted character which she performs without coming off as annoying as such characters can easily be.Four's a Crowd owes a certain debt to Libeled Lady featuring some similar plot trends and themes with its slam on the upper classes, the socialite lifestyle and the desperate lengths newspapers will go to in order to get a story. Even the opening title sequence is taken from Libeled Lady in which the cast do the same arm in arm walk but is full of moments of inspired zaniness to distinguish itself. The model train sequence which lasts for 16 minutes had to have come from creative minds; plus what's funnier in an innocent, cute kind of way than grown men playing with model trains. However there is one moment in Fours a Crowd which is one of the most bizarre gags I've ever seen in a film in which after escaping from a pack of guard dogs to the other side of a gate, he grabs one of the dog's legs and bites it. I still don't know how to react to it, weather I should laugh or be horrified or both! The plot gets very confusing very fast but in a good way culminating in a finale in which Errol gets the wrong girl at the end! Although the manner in which this happens is screwball antics at its finest.

I just saw this movie last night for the first time, and I thought this was a very funny movie. I thought the story line was very good, and Walter Connolly was excellent as the wealthy Grandfather (as always)! I have to admit one thing though. As far as who shined best in this comedy, I thought it was Flynn and De Havilland. I really expected that Rosalind Russell would steal the show. I was truly surprised she didn't. Even Patric Knowles was funnier in my opinion. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Errol Flynn or Olivia De Havilland. If this came out on DVD tomorrow, it would be a part of my collection tomorrow.

What a fun cast ! Bob Lansford (Errol Flynn) and reporter Jean Christy (Rosalind Russell) are scheming writers, about to lose their jobs. They decide to write stories about rich man Mr. Dillingwill (Walter Connelly -- played the father of the bride in It Happened One Night) that will affect his standing, as well as theirs. Errol Flynn, about 30 at this time, is known mostly as swashbuckling pirate and Robin Hood, and has a most interesting family history in real life; check it out on the Bio page of IMDb. And of course, they do manage to take Flynn's shirt off in Four's a Crowd. Olivia DeHavilland (Gone With the Wind) plays Lorri, the daughter of Dillingwell. Also look for Margaret Hamilton (wicked witch from Wizard of Oz) as Amy, the housekeeper with long pigtails no less, and Frank Pangborn plays the butler. He always had perfect timing as the prim & proper butler, the hotel clerk, or the bank examiner in Bank Dick. The sale of the newspaper was a common theme in the 30s and 40s, (think Citizen Kane) but here it's a fun caper as everyone tries to decide which side they are on. Check out the giant train set Mr. Connelly and his butler play with. This story kind of goes around the mulberry bush, but it's fun to be along for the ride. As others have noted, this WOULD be a good DVD, but doesn't seem to have been released yet. Directed by Michael Curtiz.