Four Wives
| Four Wives | |
|---|---|
 Priscilla Lane as Anne Lemp Deitz | |
| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Written by |
Julius J. Epstein Philip G. Epstein Maurice Hanline Novel: Fannie Hurst |
| Starring |
Priscilla Lane Rosemary Lane Claude Rains Eddie Albert John Garfield |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | Ralph Dawson |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Four Wives is a 1939 film starring Priscilla Lane and two of her sisters, features Gale Page, Claude Rains, Eddie Albert, and John Garfield, and was directed by Michael Curtiz. The movie is a sequel to Four Daughters (1938), and was followed by Four Mothers (1941).
Plot:
Ann Lemp Borden (played by the beautiful “girl next door” Priscilla Lane) had been recently widowed when her husband Mickey Borden (John Garfield), a down and out and unlucky musical genius, is tragically killed in a car accident( in previous film, Four Daughters). She now lives at home again with her Father (Claude Rains), Aunt Etta (May Robson) and younger sister Kay (Rosemary Lane); she also has two married sisters Thea (Lola Lane) and Emma (Gale Page), who all appear in the beautiful original film (Four Daughters).
Kay is dating a young doctor Clint Forrest Jr. (Eddie Albert); Emma and Thea are trying to conceive via their repsective husbands. Ann, engaged to Felix Dietz (Jeffrey Lynn) suddenly discovers she has been pregnant by her deceased husband and can’t get the tragic memory of Mickey out of her mind; she vacillates on marrying Felix.
Flashback shows Mickey playing an unfinished musical composition “that has only a middle…no beginning…no ending” and Ann finds herself frequently replaying the tune in her head or on her piano; she is distressed over the raw deal life had given Mickey. Felix eventually convinces Ann to marry him and they elope; but, Ann is still caught up in the past tragedy. Felix, a musical composer, finishes Mickey’s composition, conducts it nationally on radio and makes a speech commemorating Mickey's genius and untimly death.
Convinced now that Mickey Borden did not die in vain, Ann comes back to reality, rediscovers her love for husband Felix and together with her family goes on to have a normal happy life compleat with her child, nieces and nephews.
Beautiful sequel to “Four Daughters”...strongly recommended you watch the original first.
(Four Daughters was later redone with Frank Sinatra in the Borden role and Doris Day as Ann…titled ”Young At Heart”...another brilliant film)
Cast
- Priscilla Lane as Ann Lemp Dietz
- Rosemary Lane as Kay Lemp
- Lola Lane as Thea Lemp Crowley
- Gale Page as Emma Lemp Talbot
- Claude Rains as Adam Lemp
- Jeffrey Lynn as Felix Dietz
- Eddie Albert as Clint Forrest, Jr.
- May Robson as Aunt Etta
- Frank McHugh as Ben Crowley
- Dick Foran as Ernest Talbot
- Henry O'Neill as Clinton Forrest, Sr.
- John Garfield as Mickey Borden
- Vera Lewis as Mrs. Ridgefield
- John Qualen as Frank
External links
- Four Wives at the Internet Movie Database
- Four Wives at the TCM Movie Database