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.

Follow-up to Four Daughters is okay but pushes the mawkish sentimentality pretty hard. Most of the cast perform well. Frank McHugh is most appealing as Lola's flummoxed husband and Priscilla Lane is good in her bruised sadness unable to move on or get over her guilt after her sudden loss in the original. Claude Rains and May Robson add their special brand of enjoyment but really are wasted in small supporting parts. The one actor who is terrible and throws the whole enterprise off is Jeffrey Lynn, supposedly an ideal man he is attractive but a dull, bland presence and the constant comparison to the magnetic John Garfield who is superimposed throughout only makes him worse. Plus he must be the most unconvincing orchestra conductor ever! Curtiz gets the job done direction wise but he must have recognized the mediocre quality of the script and just moves the story from point A to point Z with none of the flourish he could infuse into a superior project like The Adventures of Robin Hood.

I like this family overall. It's a rich blend of some vital elements. In this particular series, as with others, the savor seems to diminish a little as it goes along. But, with that, the core group is always there and I find it a winner. The first is the best, this one weakens with script, and the last one has a real problem script-wise. While some are impressed with the portrayal of Ann as the disturbed widow and reluctant fiancé, I find that a rewrite of history from the initial film. I wanted Ann to throw that junk off and get with it. Jeffrey Lynn's character should have gotten a purple heart for long suffering in this one. It's a reversal of what they had going. In the first film, Ann was realistic as the overly sympathetic young woman who went so far as to marry a guy who needed her, when the one she really loved was seemingly not available to her. Okay, all that got fixed and fixed well. This film seems to moot the turnaround, and we find her more focused on her unsatisfactory dead husband and pushing away the true love who is readily available to her now. Yes, she does find she is carrying the first husband's child, and becomes emotionally vulnerable in her memory of him. That can happen, but it just wore on me. However, I still valued the film because of the winning ensemble and overall premise.

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.