Lloyd Bacon | Footsteps in the Dark

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Lloyd Bacon

Footsteps in the Dark

Footsteps in the Dark (1941) has nothing to do with Georgette Heyer's 1932 novel of the same name. Rather, it is a comedy mystery starring Errol Flynn. He plays a wealthy businessman who has a secret life as a mystery writer. Eventually he gets involved in a real murder case himself, turning amateur sleuth to solve the mystery. The film is at it best in its first half. These are the sections with the most about Flynn's double life. The second half tends to neglect this aspect, and just be a conventional whodunit, one that goes on way too long. The first half has some delightful comedy as well, including Flynn's impersonation of a Texas rancher. Flynn's character is getting to try out all sorts of roles, something that the public has always enjoyed daydreaming about. In general, the comedy in this film is much more interesting than the mystery.

The film has been paying attention to the intuitionist - realist controversy in prose detective fiction. The sleuth that mystery author Flynn has been writing about is a genius amateur detective, one who solves crimes through pure thinking, in the intuitionist tradition. This is scoffed at by the head of the Homicide Bureau (Alan Hale), who says that detection is now a science, as practiced by the police, and that scientific crime solving would far outstrip such amateurs. Hale is arguing the basic position of the realist school. Hale and Flynn challenge each other to the solution of a real life mystery. Unfortunately, the debate is not sustained throughout the film. Instead the police turn into the cliché dumb flat foots of the whodunit film, always having some stupid idea they are following.

The film is into the mystique of high tech communication. We see Dictaphones, telephones and radio broadcasts in the movie. There is also much about alibis in the film. Both of these are features of the realist school.

The movie under-exploits Allen Jenkins as Flynn's long-suffering assistant. When Jenkins does get a chance to toss off a wisecrack, he does it with his usual expertise. Mainly, Jenkins must rely on his facial expressions to contribute to the scenes. One shot of this archetypal tough guy working as Flynn's typist is priceless. Jenkins has an "I'm agreeable and I'll do anything" kind of look. He also looks as if he is enjoying his work. Jenkins' characters always have a dog like loyalty. There is something reassuring about his presence. He also looks resourceful and practical.

This background approach to supporting players is perhaps typical of Bacon. He restricted Jenkins similarly in 42nd Street (1933) to an occasional one liner. By contrast, Roy Del Ruth tends to give Warners' contract players whole scenes to themselves, allowing them to really shine.