When Errol Flynn insisted that Warner Bros. cook up a non-swashbuckler for his next vehicle, the result was
Green Light
. Based on a novel by Lloyd C. Douglas (
Magnificent Obsession
,
The Robe
etc.), the film tells the story of a young surgeon (Flynn) who willingly takes blame for a fatal mistake committed by an older doctor (Henry O'Neill). Disgraced, Flynn takes the near-suicidal assignment of testing a new vaccine for spotted fever; to ascertain the serum's effectiveness, he must expose himself to the disease. Flynn's fiancee (Anita Louise), having learned that her lover was not responsible for the older doctor's error, is reunited with Flynn as he lies recuperating from the fever. Weaving in and out of
is the kindly old spiritual leader (Cedric Hardwicke) who espouses the values of sacrifice and faith.
did acceptable box office business, but Errol Flynn was back at his sword-wielding best in his next film,
The Prince and the Pauper
.