Four Daughters (1938)

Too much of everything

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

How refreshing it is to see America as it was, once upon a time. A depiction of family life that no longer exists, a design for living that would seem alien in the 21st century. Dressing up for dinner. An entire family with a cultural background. And no one seems to own a car, to say nothing of a television - they gather around the living room radio! Director Michael Curtiz has created a look back at what may be an idealized version of 30's americana and leaves us elated and uplifted, which might have been the point during the depression era. Three of the four Lane sisters are the title characters and get immeasurable help from a stellar supporting cast including Claude Rains, May Robson and Frank McHugh. Long story short, you can't go wrong here. It's an entertaining 90 minutes, taken cum grano salis and allowing for a lapse of 80 years.7/10 - The website no longer prints my star ratings.

No need to recap the plot.Thanks to some fairly gritty touches, the movie manages to avoid the sappy pitfalls of most soapers. Good touch making Dad (Rains) a likable curmudgeon, plus a sneaky Aunt Etta (Robson) who can out-cranky him one-on-one. Then, of course, there's the star-crossed Mickey (Garfield), a street tough musician and ethnic type, who sticks out in the whitebread family like the proverbial onion in a petunia patch. Together, these touches manage to keep the bubbly household from floating away. Naturally, with four lovely girls animating the family, there're bound to be romantic entanglements, which, of course, make up the plot. I'm glad Ann (Priscilla) has blonde hair because I was having real trouble telling the three brunettes apart. Priscilla Lane really registers, along with Garfield in his first, break-out, role. He also shows more self-doubt than maybe any other time in a storied career. Also, I agree that Jeffrey Lynn is livelier than usual and does well as the handsome swain. Too bad we don't see more of the other three sisters as individuals instead of part of the supporting chorus.All in all, however, it's really director Curtiz who keeps the sentimental package from unraveling. At no point does he milk the emotional scenes, ever a temptation for this type material. So what we come away with is the charm of an ideal family without the usual cloy-- no mean accomplishment. Of course, it also helps to have a squeaky swinging gate somewhere in the background.(In Passing-- note how the spread of radio is used as the hallmark of a generational shift. The girls like swing music as much as the classics, much to Dad's chagrin. Then too, why make your own parlor room music when the radio is as easy as an "On" button. I guess TV was not the first electronic device to re-orient family life.)

The story of "Four Daughters" starts with the real-life Lane sisters. The idea was for the four sisters to play the four roles in the film. During casting, one Lane sister did not make the grade, but the other three appear in the film, and it was the first film for the youngest, Priscilla, who went on to a successful career, though she quit films after ten years. The other sisters were not in film long either.Michael Curtiz directs this story of a wholesome, loving family whose equilibrium is upset by the young men who enter the daughters' lives. The youngest, Ann, is the perfect role for the bright-eyed Priscilla Lane. She serves as the catalyst for conflict due to the affections of more than one man.If it sounds like the film has a foreboding, dark quality, it really doesn't. Even in its darkest moments, the film maintains a warm feeling that centers around the loving family vignettes. John Garfield also gets his film debut as Mickey, the cynical guy who latches on to the family, hoping their happiness might rub off on him. The film is worth watching, especially to see novice Priscilla Lane dominate the film with her cheery portrayal.

I had heard a lot about this movie but the only good thing in it was John Garfield, even Claude Rains wasn't very good. This was Garfield's first big role and he was nominated for best supporting actor but he lost. After this movie, the next couple of years he made a lot of crappy movies. He was also turned down for Golden Boy, a movie he really wanted to do but was given to William Holden. This movie has four sisters living in the same house with their father, played by Claude Rains. The oldest one is the first to get engaged, and when Jeffrey Lynn comes to stay at their house, the other three girls fall for him. It isn't until John Garfield comes to stay that he falls for the youngest but then Jeffrey gets engaged to her. Their's more to the plot but it isn't very interesting and you should only watch if your a big John Garfield fan.