The Perfect Specimen **½ (1937, Errol Flynn, Joan Blondell, Hugh Herbert, Edward Everett Horton, May Robson) – Classic Movie Review 11,905

The Perfect Specimen (1937) is Errol Flynn’s first comedy.

Director Michael Curtiz’s 1937 comedy The Perfect Specimen is vintage-era screwball fun with Errol Flynn unexpectedly cast outside his comfort zone as Gerald Wicks, a wealthy man protected from the outside world by his ultra-protective grandmother (May Robson), until the day that daffy newspaper reporter Mona Carter (Joan Blondell) smashes her way into his reclusive life. They set off on an adventure and fall in love.

The Perfect Specimen is neither as fast nor as funny as you want it to be, but the stars are a treat and there are strong support performances. Comedy was never director Curtiz’s most effective genre, or Flynn’s either, but the swashbuckler does pretty well in his first try at it. The delightful Blondell makes a very peppy and sparky co-star. She replaced Miriam Hopkins, who turned down the role, and was chosen by Warner Bros over Olivia de Havilland because they preferred role played in a comedic rather than romantic way.

Warner Bros’ comedy stalwarts Edward Everett Horton, Hugh Herbert and Allen Jenkins show their true class in seemingly effortlessly funny performances, and May Robson shows her appeal as the grandmother.

The screenplay by Norman Reilly Raine, Lawrence Riley, Brewster Morse and Fritz Falkenstein is based on the story in a 1936 novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams.

Filming started in May 1937 and it was released on 23 October 1937 in the US.

The cast are Errol Flynn as Gerald Beresford Wicks, Joan Blondell as Mona Carter, Hugh Herbert as Killigrew Shaw, Edward Everett Horton as Mr Gratten, Dick Foran as Jink Carter, Beverly Roberts as Alicia, May Robson as Mrs Leona Wicks, Allen Jenkins as Pinky, Dennie Moore as Clarabelle, Hugh O’Connell as hotel clerk, James Burke as Snodgrass, Granville Bates as Hooker, Harry Davenport, James Burke, Tim Henning, Lee Phelps, Eddy Chandler, Wilfred Lucas, Spencer Charters, Harry Hollingsworth, and Frank Mayo.

It did quite well since it cost $505,000 and took $1,281,000 at the box office, enough to encourage another comedy for Flynn and Curtiz, Four’s a Crowd (1938).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,905

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