It's strange watching "Too Much, Too Soon" mainly because of Errol Flynn's take on his old mentor John Barrymore. The story involves the real John Barrymore's daughter, Diana, who herself was an early version of some of Hollywood's wayward children of today. Ms. Barrymore, charismatically played with loads of verve by Dorothy Malone, could've been a huge star, but it wasn't meant to be. Booze, drugs and an endless string of bad lovers put her career on the rocks from which she never really recovered. Ms. Barrymore's story is sad and morose and this movie does its best to sensationalize it. Her fast rise is chronicled here as well as her even faster fall from grace. That said, the performances are uniformly good in this movie, particularly Flynn as John Barrymore. Flynn died at the age of 50 the year after this film came out, and he was literally fading away during the entire production. He had his own demonic battles with alcohol, so he could entirely relate to the character he was playing.
After winning an Academy Award earlier, Dorothy Malone's movie career mostly stalled after this film, but she later achieved lasting fame on TV's "Peyton Place" as Constance MacKenzie. Ray Danton, another fine actor who never got his due in Hollywood, is along for the ride here as one of Dorothy's gigolo/lovers. The depressing tale of Diana Barrymore could probably stand a good remake today with a capable cast and director. After all this time, she's still a worthy subject.
After winning an Academy Award earlier, Dorothy Malone's movie career mostly stalled after this film, but she later achieved lasting fame on TV's "Peyton Place" as Constance MacKenzie. Ray Danton, another fine actor who never got his due in Hollywood, is along for the ride here as one of Dorothy's gigolo/lovers. The depressing tale of Diana Barrymore could probably stand a good remake today with a capable cast and director. After all this time, she's still a worthy subject.