Four's a Crowd Reviews

Change-of-pace role for Flynn who feared type-casting after THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD and pressured the studio to cast him in a few screwball comedies, assignments he handled fairly well. This one sees him as an ambitious public relations man who decides to prove his prowess by taking infamous skinflint millionaire Connolly as a client and changing his image. To do this, he begs his old boss Knowles to rehire him as the editor of a newspaper where he can work on Connolly's image in the press. Of course the dashing PR man takes time out to romance Connolly's daughter, de Havilland, and lady reporter Russell. Eventually things get sorted out and Flynn marries Russell, with Knowles taking de Havilland as his bride. The cast does okay, but the script is nothing special. The part played by Flynn is based upon Ivy Ledbetter Lee, a colorful and legendary PR man whose eccentric publicity for the Rockefeller family brought them newspaper headlines. This was one of de Havilland's least favorite roles and she resented Flynn's repeatedly calling her a "nitwit" in lines called for by the reckless script.