Four Wives (1939)

Just so...so bad

Expected more

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Four Wives is the first sequel in the saga of the musical Lemp family that Warner Brothers brought to us in Four Daughters. This family film about widower Claude Rains and his four musical and unmarried daughters struck a nice note with the movie going public in 1938 and John Garfield in his screen debut earned himself a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Garfield is back here, but only in flashback to the original film.The main plot line involves Priscilla Lane who ran off with Garfield leaving Jeffrey Lynn at the altar and in a lurch. Garfield still comes between them and he's left a permanent reminder of his brief marraige to Lane.The others also having their early marital adjustments, Lola Lane to banker Frank McHugh, Gale Page to Dick Foran and Rosemary Lane still unattached to Priscilla's pediatrician Eddie Albert. Albert seems to fit right in with the general harmony of the group.One thing with the Lemps they seem to do everything together from playing classical music with their music teacher dad to having babies. The only question left unanswered is will Claude Rains ever have a grandson in this girl's town he's started.Four Wives is a worthy film, a fine sequel to Four Daughters and Warner Brothers wasn't through with the Lemp family yet as soon enough out came Four Mothers.

Following "Four Daughters" (1938), Warner Brothers had almost all of the same cast return for a film that wasn't really a sequel--but it was so similar to the first film in so many ways that the audiences must have been thoroughly confused. John Garfield's character had died at the end of "Four Daughters" but suddenly he was alive and the sweet father (Claude Rains) was a jerk who'd abandoned his family two decades previous! Finally with "Four Wives" is there a true sequel. It picks up right after the first film--with Garfield's character STILL dead and his widow (Priscilla Lane) beginning to date her old boyfriend again--not knowing that she is pregnant with his child! It also finds one of the sisters (Gale Page) learning she cannot have children--putting a strain on her new marriage. Another sister (Lola Lane) is also married--leaving only one (Rosemary Lane) to try to trap, I mean 'find' a husband for herself--and the prospective groom is Eddie Albert.The main theme of the film is Priscilla's depression following her hubby's death. Eventually, she snaps out of it (of sorts) and finally marries Felix (Jeffrey Lynn)--but memories of the dead man keep intruding on their happiness. So once again, Priscilla appears to be the main focus of the sisters--probably since at the time she was the most popular of the three real-life sisters.This film is (finally) a worthy follow-up to the first film--and perhaps a bit better film (it's a lot sweeter and more sentimental). Priscilla's character is STILL a bit annoying and the rest of the folks are back just as they were in the first movie--a rather pleasant bunch who you wish could be your family! While there were no huge happenings, the film is sweet and worth seeing. Very nice but nothing earth-shattering.By the way, you may notice John Garfield in the credits--an odd thing since he died in the previous film! This is not 'zombie' John Garfield but he is shown in a somewhat creepy flashback sort of scene as Priscilla is pining for him. It's only a tiny cameo and nothing more. Also one other odd thing about the film is the scene where Gale Page has apparently arranged to adopt a baby without telling her husband. Even back in the good 'ol days, I find it hard to imagine any agency approving an adoption without the prospective father knowing!!! Only in Hollywood!And, if you care, the disease Eddie Albert's character is always talking about (Pneumoconiosis) is a real disease and comes from inhalation of coal dust or asbestos. It includes 'black lung' and several other related illnesses.

Four Wives (1939) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Sequel to Four Daughters has father Claude Rains hands full when his daughters (Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Gale Page) are out of the house and married. All except for Ann (P. Lane), who lost her husband at the end of the last film and now tries to start up her relationship with the man (Jeffrey Lynn) she left in the first film. Only problem is she's pregnant by her dead husband. Okay, this sequel actually isn't too bad on a technical level and the performances are all very good but the story really bothered me and kept me from caring too much about the main character Ann. This film goes against her feelings for her husband from the first film so that they can set up the romance here. The father and sisters make long speeches about how she never really loved her husband and this certainly wasn't the case so that's part of the reason this film bothered me. Another point that bothered me is that she was started up a relationship perhaps weeks after her husband died. There's a lot of situations here, which I'm shocked got past the ratings code, although something might have been cut since the version I saw ran 99-minutes, which the IMDb lists another version running 110-minutes.

On the strength of an outstanding performance by Priscilla Lane, Four Wives succeeds as a sequel to the popular Four Daughters.Priscilla Lane gives a performance that any of the more acclaimed actresses of her time would be hard-pressed to match. She does an outstanding job of portraying a woman whose life has been completely turned upside down. How she reconciles the past, which keeps intruding on the present, will determine how well she handles the future.There is an examination of certain issues in this movie, grief, guilt, depression, and loyalty, for example, that goes a bit deeper than one might expect at first glance. At the core of Four Wives, however, is the stunningly beautiful Priscilla Lane, whose beauty is at least the equal to any of Hollywood's actresses of that era, or any era.As for the rest of the cast, Jeffrey Lynn does a nice job opposite Miss Lane, and Eddie Albert and Claude Rains both do a fine job in support. And, lest I forget, Priscilla's real life sisters Rosemary and Lola, and the "fourth" Lane sister Gale Page.After the next sequel, Four Mothers, it's too bad they didn't make one more movie to finish the series. Four Sisters has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?