Too Much, Too Soon

Flynn is very touching, and Malone is marvelous. Martin Milner and Efrem Zimbalist are sympathetic. But I have got to say something about Ray Danton, as a professional tennis player and sexual opportunist. As the guy who gets the married Malone into bed within minutes of meeting her, and persuades her to divorce her husband and marry him just about as fast, Danton is utterly convincing. It's one of the most flat-out sexy male performances I've ever seen. Actually, there are two that spring to mind, both in not particularly famous movies, and the other one is Ben Gazzara in "A Rage to Live." I just have to give a shout-out to Danton. He died a few years ago (only 61!), but his hot stuff lives on.

Flynn was released from his Warner contract in 1953, he returned in 1958 to play his dear friend John Barrymore in this autobiographical film. Due to legal complications at the time the resulting script was intentionally vague.

I enjoy this film because of Errol Flynns' sympathetic and moving performance of a charming rogue at war with himself.

A moody drama The film concentrates on Barrymores' daughter and her need for love in life.The film was based on her book. Dorothy Malone is wonderful in that role. It also is done well in black and white. The vague script means alot is missed, we only glimpse the complex characters.

The film is worth watching for Malones' performance and Flynns' sympathetic turn in a rare dramatic part.

(On a lighter note, while he knew John Barrymore well he didn't look at all like 'the great profile', so Flynn was assisted by makeup and given Mr Barrymores' distinctive Nose.)

Dorothy Malone was fantastic in this somewhat depressing film. Her outstanding performance really captured the rise of a promising real actress, Diana Barrymore, and her ultimate downfall. Malone seems to be a very under-appreciated actress. She was so good in this film as well as The Last Voyage (a disaster film reminiscent of "Titanic" that was made in the early 60's) and in Man of a Thousand Faces, a biography of Lon Chaney.

This could have been just another 50's melodrama, but Malone brings so much poise, authenticity, pathos, and spirit to the role of Diana that it raises the film above similar Hollywood biographies.

Does anyone know where Malone is now? She must be in her 80's.

Dorothy Malone does very fine work portraying Diana Barrymore, the daughter of alcoholic actor John Barrymore, a young woman with dreams of carving out her own niche in show business before succumbing to the same demons which dogged her father. The picture, however, is little more than a potboiler, co-written by director Art Napoleon with Jo Napoleon, from the book by Diana Barrymore and Gerold Frank. Errol Flynn is solid as John Barrymore, and there's a sweet supporting performance from Martin Milner as a family friend (Milner's final scene, revealing a bald head, is especially good). Still, this movie about the movies seems lackluster and naive, not to mention under-produced. For buffs, a somewhat enjoyable wallow with a quiet, even pace, and Malone manages to be sympathetic on the road to ruin without becoming a nuisance. **1/2 from ****

The tragic, wasted life of Diana Barrymore sanitized for 1950s audiences. One can't wonder if part of her problem was having no parental guidance during her formative years. She was pushed off to boarding schools and later given a lavish allowance. Once her movie career floundered she had no direction and too much time on her hands.

This movie is painful to watch, not only for Diana's sad story but to see Errol Flynn near death. The poor man looks as though every organ in his body is failing. He died within a year.

Of course most bios have laughably bad scenes. This one is no exception. Diana hits the skids and is reduced to performing in a dive bar. She is fired for being too drunk to speak. She wanders the streets in a full length evening gown and cloth coat (the minks long gone). She's arrested for vandalism and sent to an asylum for a year. She is released at 6am on a Sunday in the gown she came in wearing and no money! They couldn't have possibly done something so cold and stupid back then. Now, YES.