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.

The musically inclined "Four Daughters" of the title are charmed by the arrival of composer Jeffrey Lynn (as Felix Deitz), who seems most taken with pretty blonde Priscilla Lane (as Ann Lemp). A marriage seems probable, but gruff pianist John Garfield (as Mickey Borden) is also in love with Ms. Lane... Original writer Fannie Hurst's "Sister Act" would have been better a better title as this film is mostly about Lane's "Ann" character, and her courtship by Mr. Lynn and Mr. Garfield. The screenplay is too obvious, but the production really excels in the direction by Michael Curtiz. He gets a responsive cast to convey believable emotions with words, posturing, and fleeting glances; orchestrated to elicit feelings and relationships we've all experienced.******** Four Daughters (8/9/38) Michael Curtiz ~ Priscilla Lane, John Garfield, Jeffrey Lynn, Claude Rains

Most people my age have never heard of John Garfield but they are missing out on one of the greatest actors of film history. At the age of 14, John Garfield was my first celebrity crush and he made me love movies.Four Daughter is his first and perhaps his greatest film (Although he is perhaps more famous for his movie "The Postman Only Rings Twice"). Ironically enough, Warner Brothers assumed that this film would shoot Jeffrey Lynn to stardom however, it was John Garfield who became the superstar. Because of Garfield's surprising popularity due to this film, WB quickly put together "Daughters Courageous" with an almost identical cast.The film centers around four musically talented sisters and their respective romances, though specifically the sister, Ann Lemp (Priscilla Lane) and the two men who love her: John Garfield and Jeffrey Lynn.John Garfield is explosive as the brooding, cynical composer who pretty much assumes that the "fates" are out to get him (Perhaps the greatest scene in the movie is where Garfield is at the piano explaining to Lane why the fates wouldn't let him win the upcoming music competition that he is composing a song for, "They've been at me now nearly a quarter of a century. No let-up. First they said, "Let him do without parents. He'll get along." Then they decided, "He doesn't need any education. That's for sissies." Then right at the beginning, they tossed a coin. "Heads he's poor, tails he's rich." So they tossed a coin... with two heads. Then, for a finale, they got together on talent. "Sure," they said, "let him have talent. Not enough to let him do anything on his own, anything good or great. Just enough to let him help other people. It's all he deserves." Well, you put all this together and you get Michael Bolgar.") Four Daughters would pretty much be just another "schmultzy" tear-jerker without John Garfield who completely steals the film the moment he enters and it's no surprise that when he died at the young age of 38, his funeral was the most attended celebrity funeral at that time, with more people in attendance than at Rudolph Valentino's.I highly recommend this movie- the only problem I have with it is the bittersweet ending. If you want a happier movie, albeit cornier, try the Doris Day, Frank Sinatra musical remake, "Young at Heart"

Lovingly crafted and terribly interesting to watch Garfield's gritty, breakthrough performance (introducing a new kind of rebellious acting style that would carry over to the Brandos and Clifts and so on after the war) but all that sisterly affection is a bit suffocating. Priscilla Lane is a bright, engaging performer but the other sisters don't really register (though they're all allowed to be tart and witty) and I just had a hard time buying any of the other male characters besides Garfield. Jeffrey Lynn is a pleasant enough actor, but he lacks the movie star weight to match up with Garfield's hard luck Mickey Borden and that throws the film a bit out of whack. (Imagine a Jimmy Stewart or someone in the part.) Also, I was not convinced that Garfield would make the pivotal (to say the least) final decision that he made. The film needed another half hour of running time to better explain that action; it feels awfully rushed and under-motivated.Still, it's not hard to understand how anybody who grew up with this picture would remember it fondly. It falls short of being a classic, but it does contain a few classic moments. The two gate swinging scenes are pure movie magic.