The 1958 film "Too Much, Too Soon" is based on the 1957 autobiography of Diana Barrymore, the daughter of 1930's actor John Barrymore, who also tried for a career as an actress and became an alcoholic and prescription drug addict. Some loose change appears in the film. The film stars Dorothy Malone as Diana Barrymore and Errol Flynn as John Barrymore. Diana Barrymore is the daughter of John Barrymore and Blanche Oehrichs, a writer who wrote under the name Michael Strange. Diana's wealthy parents are divorced and she was raised in private boarding schools. At one point in the film, Diana has to go to a New York to a writer's house but finds that she has no money for the bus. It is a long walk to the house and she is tempted by loose change on a newspaper vendor's table, which she resists. The loose change consists of real US coins of the period, including Indian Head or Buffalo nickels, Jefferson Nickels, including a couple of silver "war" nickels, and some silver Roosevelt dimes.

A more lurid second title appears after the first.

Although not stated in the film, Diana was born in 1921. In 1938, she is seventeen, riding in a car, and reading a 1938 movie fan magazine.

John Barrymore (Errol Flynn) is on the cover. Diana lives with her mother Blanche and, after visiting her father, decides to also become an actress. She gets a part in a Broadway play, mainly due to her famous name. Lincoln "Linc", a wealthy former boyfriend, and Diana's mother attend the first performance.

Diana receives an offer to appear in a motion picture, moves to Hollywood and, against her mother's advice, into her father's mansion.

John explains that film stars of the period were required to live ostentatious lives including building and living in mansions. Diana's mother has warned her not to live with John and she finds the reason why.

John has become an alcoholic or "drunk", and sometimes gets violent. He has Walter, a butler and keeper, who tries to keep him away from liquor, sometimes without success. Diana is put into a film "Forever in my Heart" (fictional title), again because of her name, and attends film promotion events.

Diana returns to John's house and finds him drunk and raving again and moves out.

John Barrymore dies (in 1942) and Diana inherits the house. She finds something that her father left.

The grief starts her on the road to alcohol, she marries three times, first to a film actor, then to an abusive professional tennis player, and then to another actor. Her mother dies and leaves her penniless, causing more grief. Diana is now living in New York City. She tries out performing as a stripper but is fired for drunkenness. She becomes violent, breaks into a drug store, is arrested, and sent to a rehabilitation facility. Gerold Frank, a professional writer, once worked with her mother and now visits Diana.

Gerold learns that Diana will be released and suggests that writing an autobiography will be therapeutic for her. He gives her his address which is several miles from the rehab facility. Diana is released onto the street with no money and boards a bus for Gerold's place.

The driver refuses to take her and she begins walking the several miles to Gerold's house.

The walk is tiring and she spots something on a newspaper vendor's table.

The change on the newspaper comic page consists of real US coins of the period, including two Indian Head or Buffalo nickels, five Jefferson Nickels, and four silver Roosevelt dimes. Two of the Jefferson nickels appear to be silver "war" nickels made from 1942 to 1945. One nickel reverse (lower left) has the large 'P' mint mark of the "war" nickel.

Diana looks at the change but keeps walking. Further along, she decides to ask a man for bus fare, he turns around and he is Linc. Linc has heard about her problems and offers her bus fare change.

He still wants her and asks if he can see her, she turns him down but accepts the change for the bus, which she then boards and rides away. Diana Barrymore died two years after the film was released.

Dorothy Malone as Diana Barrymore
Errol Flynn as John Barrymore
Martin Milner as Lincoln "Linc" Forrester
Neva Patterson as Blanche Oehrichs (Diana's mother and the writer Michael Strange)
Director: Art Napoleon
Writers: Art Napoleon, Jo Napoleon
Based on the 1957 autobiography Too Much, Too Soon by Diana Barrymore and Gerold Frank