Four’s a Crowd (1938)

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It’s surprising Errol Flynn didn’t make more screwball comedies, because he’s completely at home in this ‘who’s duping who’ comedy, outrunning the guard dogs, shaking hands with people in side-by-side moving cars, and carrying on romantic telephone conversations with two women simultaneously. In Four’s a Crowd, he’s teamed with his regular leading lady Olivia de Havilland, as well as Rosalind Russell (in a newspaper role the predates His Girl Friday), Patric Knowles, and Walter Connolly. Flynn plays the supporting characters off one another for his own selfish gain. The film climaxes with a double-elopement wherein the couples chase each other, quarrel, split up, and switch partners before the vows are finished.

If you’re a fan of classic screwballs, this one shouldn’t disappoint. And it’s the only chance you’ll ever get to see Errol Flynn bite both a dog and Rosalind Russell in the same movie. Look for character actor Margaret Hamilton (Oz‘s wicked witch) in small part. Directed by Michael Curtiz.

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