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''Four Daughters'' is a 1938 American
romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
that tells the story of a happy musical family whose lives and loves are disrupted by the arrival of a charming young composer who interjects himself into the daughters' romantic lives. His cynical, bitter musician friend comes to help orchestrate his latest composition and complicates matters even more. The movie stars the
Lane Sisters The Lane Sisters were a family of American singers and actresses. The sisters were Leota Lane (October 25, 1903 – July 25, 1963), Lola Lane (May 21, 1906 – June 22, 1981), Rosemary Lane (April 4, 1913 – November 25, 1974) and Priscilla ...
(
Priscilla Lane Priscilla Lane (born Priscilla Mullican, June 12, 1915 – April 4, 1995) was an American actress, and the youngest sibling in the Lane Sisters of singers and actresses. She is best remembered for her roles in the films ''The Roaring Twenties'' ...
, Rosemary Lane, and
Lola Lane Lola Lane (born Dorothy Mullican; May 21, 1906 – June 22, 1981) was an American actress and one of the Lane Sisters with her sisters Leota, Rosemary, and Priscilla Lane. She appeared on Broadway and in films from the 1920s to 1940s. Early yea ...
) and
Gale Page Gale Page (born Sally Perkins Rutter July 29, 1910 – January 8, 1983) was an American singer and actress. Early life Page was the daughter of R.L. and Isabel (Gale) Rutter of Spokane. Her aunt and uncle were Elizabeth Gale Page and Mil ...
, and features Claude Rains,
Jeffrey Lynn Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...
,
John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...
, and
Dick Foran John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jer ...
. The three Lanes were sisters and members of a family singing trio. The film was written by Lenore J. Coffee and
Julius J. Epstein Julius J. Epstein (August 22, 1909December 30, 2000) was an American screenwriter, who had a long career, best remembered for his screenplay, written with his twin brother, Philip, and Howard E. Koch, of the film ''Casablanca'' (1942), for whic ...
, adapted from the 1937
Fannie Hurst Fannie Hurst (October 18, 1889 – February 23, 1968) was an American novelist and short-story writer whose works were highly popular during the post-World War I era. Her work combined sentimental, romantic themes with social issues of the d ...
story "Sister Act", and was directed by
Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
. The movie's success led to two sequels with more or less the same cast: ''
Four Wives ''Four Wives'' is a 1939 American drama film starring the Lane Sisters ( Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane) and Gale Page. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and is based on the story "Sister Act" by Fannie Hurst. The supporting ...
'' and ''
Four Mothers 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...
''. The same cast—with the addition of
Fay Bainter Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Jezebel'' (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Bainter wa ...
and
Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ...
—appeared in the film ''
Daughters Courageous ''Daughters Courageous'' is a 1939 American drama film starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn and featuring the Lane Sisters: Lola Lane, Rosemary Lane and Priscilla Lane. Based on the play ''Fly Away Home'' by Dorothy Bennett and I ...
'', which had no connection with the Lemp family trilogy.


Plot

The Lemp sisters, Emma (
Gale Page Gale Page (born Sally Perkins Rutter July 29, 1910 – January 8, 1983) was an American singer and actress. Early life Page was the daughter of R.L. and Isabel (Gale) Rutter of Spokane. Her aunt and uncle were Elizabeth Gale Page and Mil ...
), Thea (
Lola Lane Lola Lane (born Dorothy Mullican; May 21, 1906 – June 22, 1981) was an American actress and one of the Lane Sisters with her sisters Leota, Rosemary, and Priscilla Lane. She appeared on Broadway and in films from the 1920s to 1940s. Early yea ...
), Kay ( Rosemary Lane), and Ann (
Priscilla Lane Priscilla Lane (born Priscilla Mullican, June 12, 1915 – April 4, 1995) was an American actress, and the youngest sibling in the Lane Sisters of singers and actresses. She is best remembered for her roles in the films ''The Roaring Twenties'' ...
) are accomplished musicians in a musical family headed by their widowed father, Adam ( Claude Rains), who plays the flute. Harpist Emma, the oldest daughter, is the object of a neighbor's affection, but she rebuffs Ernest's (
Dick Foran John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jer ...
) attentions. Thea, a pianist and the second eldest, is courted by wealthy Ben Crowley (
Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...
), another neighbor, but she is not sure she loves him. Kay, the third daughter, is a talented singer and has a chance at a music school scholarship but doesn't want to leave home. The youngest daughter is Ann, a violinist. One day, Ann's violin practice is interrupted by the sound of their front gate squeaking. She instructs the young man making free with it in the finer points of the art, and introduces him to an apparently disapproving passerby, Mrs. Ridgefield, a local gossip. This charmer is young composer Felix Deitz (
Jeffrey Lynn Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...
), come to work at the foundation where Adam is Dean. He has a letter of introduction to Adam, and while they talk, the girls set the dinner table with the very best silver. All four daughters are attracted to Felix, and they soon invite him to room with the family. He also charms Aunt Etta. Felix hopes to win a prize with his latest composition. Enter Felix's friend Mickey (
John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...
), a cynical orchestral arranger whose hard life has given him a grim view of existence. He falls for Ann, and is crushed when she announces at Adam's birthday party that she and Felix are engaged. An hour before Ann and Felix are to marry, Mickey tells Ann how he feels—and that Emma is “insane” about Felix. Through a window, Ann observes Emma's distress when she ties Felix's tie before the ceremony. Everyone is wondering where Ann is when a telegram arrives, addressed to Emma, telling them she has eloped with Mickey. Ernest calmly steps in to tell the guests. Four months later, Ann and Mickey are living a hard life in New York City, professing love for each other but poor and unhappy. Mickey is invited to form a band and go to South America with some fellow musicians, but cannot afford passage. Ann forbids him to ask Ben for the money and asks Mickey if he would go if she weren't hung around his neck. The family meets at the Lemps' house for Christmas, except Kay, who is singing on the radio that night. Emma did not get together with Felix; she is now engaged to Ernest. Felix is alone and unhappy, though the composition Mickey helped to orchestrate won a prize: a contract with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. He is to leave that very night. While Kay sings Mendelssohn's “ On Wings of Song,” the camera passes over the listening family, revealing much. Ann, moved to tears, takes out her handkerchief and drops two pawn tickets. Felix sees them—one is for a bracelet he'd given her earlier in the year. Mickey drives Felix to the train station in Ben's car, dropping Ben at the drugstore. He apologizes to Felix, who says it is all in the past. Felix offers Mickey a loan, but Mickey refuses, musing that he must be a new man; the old Mickey would have taken it. As the train pulls out, Felix presses an envelope into his hands and tells him to use it for Ann, “any way you think that will make her happy.” Mickey watches the train leave and is suddenly grim. He gets into the car and drives away. It begins to snow. He turns off the windshield wiper and presses the accelerator to the floor. In the kitchen, doing dishes, Emma tells Ann that she had thought she was in love with Felix and would have kept on thinking so and spoiled her life if Ann had married him, but she was awakened to Ernest's qualities when he took charge at the wedding. Ann bursts into tears—and Thea screams. Ben is in the hospital. Adam emerges from the hospital room to tell them that it isn't Ben, it's Mickey. He dies with Ann at his bedside. It is spring; the trees in the yard are heavy with blossom. The girls and Adam are playing the piece that opened the film. Ann hears the sound of the gate squeaking. It is Felix. The family watches from the house as she welcomes him home and they swing together—until Mrs. Ridgefield approaches. “This is where we came in,” Felix cries, and they run inside. Mrs. Ridgefield looks around and steps onto the gate. The camera pulls slowly back as she swings back and forth, a blissful smile on her face.


Cast


Production

Contemporary sources report that
Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
was originally cast as Felix, but dropped out because of illness. According to TCM, Flynn was actually unhappy with the size of the part. Modern sources indicate that Michael Curtiz wanted
Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...
to play Mickey, but he was unavailable. Garfield modeled his performance on troubled pianist
Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian and actor. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for reco ...
. Garfield's characterization of Mickey in this, his first major film role, defined his screen personality for many future roles. The
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
that plays a key part in the film is not identified and the composers are not credited on screen. The only onscreen credit is “Music by
Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...
”. Records credit
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
and his Serenade, which opens the film and is played again near the end. According to
TCM.com Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...
,
Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...
, Al Dubin,
Allie Wrubel Elias Paul "Allie" Wrubel (January 15, 1905 – December 13, 1973) was an American composer and songwriter. Biography Wrubel was born to a Jewish family in Middletown, Connecticut, United States, the son of Regina (née Glasscheib) and Isaac ...
, Elliot Grennard,
Hugo Friedhofer Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901May 17, 1981) was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores. Biography Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was born in San Francisco, California, United States. His father, Paul, was a ...
,
Heinz Roemheld Heinz Roemheld (May 1, 1901 – February 11, 1985) was an American composer. Early life and career Born Heinz Eric Roemheld in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was one of four children of German immigrant Heinrich Roemheld and his wife Fanny Rauterberg ...
and Bernard Kaun contributed to the music. Max Rabinowitz composed "Mickey's Theme," and also played the piano off-screen during Garfield's performance.
Ray Heindorf Raymond John Heindorf (August 25, 1908 – February 3, 1980) was an American composer and songwriter who was noted for his work in film. Early life Born in Haverstraw, New York, Heindorf worked as a pianist in a movie house in Mechanicville in ...
handled the orchestration.


Reception

''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' movie review said: "A charming, at times heartbreakingly human, little comedy about life in a musical family of attractive daughters which occasionally is ruffled by the drama of a masculine world outside, Four Daughters, at the Music Hall, tempts one to agree with Jack Warner's recent assertion in the advertisements that it is the climax of his career. Putting aside Mr. Warner's career for the nonce, we may assert with equal confidence that Four Daughters is one of the best pictures of anybody's career, if only for the sake of the marvelously meaningful character of Mickey Borden as portrayed by John (formerly Jules) Garfield, who bites off his lines with a delivery so eloquent that we still aren't sure whether it is the dialogue or Mr. Garfield who is so bitterly brilliant." ''The New York Times'' named it one of the year's ten best films. The
National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
named Garfield as one of the year's best actors. The film has a 100% fresh rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 10 reviews.


Accolades


Academy Awards

;Nominations * Outstanding Production: Warner Bros.- First National * Best Directing: Michael Curtiz * Best Sound Recording: Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department,
Nathan Levinson Nathan Levinson (July 15, 1888 – October 18, 1952) was an American sound engineer. He won an Oscar in the category Sound Recording for the film ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' and was nominated for 16 more in the same category. He was also nominat ...
, Sound Director * Best Actor in a Supporting Role: John Garfield * Best Writing (Screenplay):
Julius J. Epstein Julius J. Epstein (August 22, 1909December 30, 2000) was an American screenwriter, who had a long career, best remembered for his screenplay, written with his twin brother, Philip, and Howard E. Koch, of the film ''Casablanca'' (1942), for whic ...
,
Lenore Coffee Lenore Jackson Coffee (July 13, 1896 – July 2, 1984) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist. Biography Lenore was born in San Francisco in 1896 to Andrew Jackson Coffee Jr. and Ella Muffley. She attended Dominican College ...


Others

The film is recognized by
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated


Film series and remake

''Four Daughters'' is the first in a
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...
of four films by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
featuring the
Lane Sisters The Lane Sisters were a family of American singers and actresses. The sisters were Leota Lane (October 25, 1903 – July 25, 1963), Lola Lane (May 21, 1906 – June 22, 1981), Rosemary Lane (April 4, 1913 – November 25, 1974) and Priscilla ...
and the other cast members. It was followed by 1939's ''
Daughters Courageous ''Daughters Courageous'' is a 1939 American drama film starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn and featuring the Lane Sisters: Lola Lane, Rosemary Lane and Priscilla Lane. Based on the play ''Fly Away Home'' by Dorothy Bennett and I ...
'', also directed by
Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
and co-starring Claude Rains and
John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...
, though it is a story about a different family. However, the storyline of ''Four Daughters'' and the Lemp family is continued in the 1940 film, ''
Four Wives ''Four Wives'' is a 1939 American drama film starring the Lane Sisters ( Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane) and Gale Page. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and is based on the story "Sister Act" by Fannie Hurst. The supporting ...
'', and 1941's ''
Four Mothers 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...
''. ''Four Daughters'' was remade in 1954 as '' Young at Heart,'' starring
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
in the role played by Garfield and
Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...
in Priscilla Lane's part. All the characters' names were changed, the number of daughters was reduced to three, and the young men who vie for the heroine's heart compose songs rather than orchestral music. ''Young at Heart'' also has a very different ending: Frank Sinatra's character's suicide attempt fails.


Home media

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...
released ''Four Daughters'' on DVD on August 4, 2009. The film was also released by Warner Archive in the "Four Daughters Movie Series Collection" on August 1, 2011.


References


External links

* * * * * {{Michael Curtiz 1938 films American musical drama films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films scored by Max Steiner Films based on American novels Films directed by Michael Curtiz Warner Bros. films Films with screenplays by Julius J. Epstein Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Films about families Films based on works by Fannie Hurst 1930s musical drama films 1938 drama films 1930s American films