lugonian ADAM HAD FOUR SONS (Columbia, 1941), directed by Gregory Ratoff, could easily be mistaken for a Biblical story about Adam and Eve and their offsprings, starting with Cain and Abel, but it isn't. Taken from the novel "Legacy" by Charles Bonner, it's a turn of the century tale about a family man with a wife and four sons living in Connecticut, and how a French governess becomes part of their lives.The story begins in 1905 with the Stoddard family, consisting of Adam (Warner Baxter), Molly (Fay Wray), and their four sons, Jack (Billy Day), David (Steven Muller), Charles (Wallace Chadwell) and Philip (Bobby Walberg) posing for their family portrait. Later the Stoddards head for the train station to greet their new French governess, Emilie Gallatin (Ingrid Bergman). Surprised to find her so young, she immediately makes a good impression with the family. During a family Thanksgiving, Molly becomes ill and later dies. Adam, finding it hard to go on without his wife, sells his house, sends his boys, except for the youngest, away to school, but most of all, his hardest decision in sending Emilie back to her homeland. Years pass. With the Stoddard company a success, Adam purchases his former home and remodels it, but most of all, sends for Emilie to return to her former household position. It is now 1918 and the boys, David (Johnny Downs), Jack (Richard Denning), Philip (Charles Lind) and Charles (Robert Shaw) have grown to fine young men. The surprise comes when David returns home with Hester (Susan Hayward), his bride. Hester remains in the Stoddard home while David goes off to war. While the men like Hester, both Emilie and the visiting Cousin Phillipa (Helen Westley) take an immediate dislike to her, for reasons of their own. Their hunches are proved correct when the family becomes more divided than together because of Hester, and it's now up to Emilie to do something about it before it is too late. June Lockhart (Vance), the girl next door who likes Philip; Pietro Sosso (Otto); Gilbert Emery (Doctor Lane); Renie Riano (Miss Bonson); Clarence Muse and William B. Davidson also complete the cast.A good story that, by today's standards, is completely underrated and forgotten through the passage of time. Maybe the title or fact that having the audience accept the Swedish born Ingrid Bergman playing a French governess instead of a Swedish one might have something to do with it. For her second movie role in America, Bergman was popular enough to award feature billing over such veteran performers as Warner Baxter and Fay Wray. While Bergman doesn't really age through the passage of time, at least Baxter gets his limited share of gray hair around his temples. Of the members of the cast, the one who gathers the most attention is the young and youthful Susan Hayward. Having been in movies for a short time, her role as Hester allows her to improve her ability as an actress, and make the most of it around such a capable cast before becoming a major actress herself by the end of the decade to the next. Another added bonus to this production is having the characters dress according to time frame rather than wearing 1941 costumes and headdresses for an early 1900s setting. One surprise is to how small Fay Wray's (star of the legendary 1933 classic KING KONG) role was for this production.A fine family film where the attention falling mostly Hayward's character, ADAM HAD FOUR SONS at least did get its share of revivals over the years through home video distributions as early as 1984, (much later on DVD), followed by rare cable broadcasts as Turner Network Television (TNT) in 1992, and Turner Classic Movies where the film has been showing occasionally since August 29, 2006. For anyone who's never seen nor heard of this movie, should give it a try. (***)

mbrachman Fay Wray (yes, her, the blonde from the 1933 "King Kong," still the only KK worth watching) plays the materfamilias in this family romance/melodrama. Unfortunately, she dies off from one of those romantic-era illnesses early on, leaving the family involved to the not-so-tender mercies of the scheming Susan Hayworth, who faces off against the virtuous Ingrid Bergman as the new family governess (in what was only Bergman's second U.S. film role). Hayworth is good as the greedy girl who turns the head of one of the sons of the title, and marries him, while carrying on an affair with one of his brothers. Worthwhile film but a bit predictable and corny.

jjnxn-1 Somewhat stolid drama is immeasurably boosted by a terrific performance by Susan Hayward on her way up. This was really the first role that allowed her any kind of showcase and she takes full advantage as the grasping cat that's up to no good. From here on she started a steady if not meteoric rise to the very top but even at this early stage she demonstrates the fiery star quality that took her there.This second American outing for Ingrid Bergman is obviously designed as a star vehicle for her but except when pitted against Susan's shrew she is only required to show pallid goodness, not the best star making material. She only had to work her way through one more indifferent picture, Rage in Heaven, before hitting her stride as the cheap Ivy in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and of course following that up with the luminous Ilsa in Casablanca and on to immortality.As far as the rest of the film goes it's standard hokum with Warner Baxter stiff as the head of the household and the sons all lacking in personality. Fay Wray isn't given anything to do in her tiny amount of screen time but June Lockhart is all sweet faced and dewy youthfulness, at least making her nothing part stand out by her vivacity.

vincentlynch-moonoi Once again, I dissent from the majority. I thought this was a very good film, and it didn't really go where I was expecting it to go at the beginning of the film.Warner Baxter portrays the wealthy businessman whose loving family finds hard times after his wife dies and the stock market crashes (not the 1929 crash). Their governess, who had recently come from Europe, strives to keep the family together, but the hard times results in the father and the boys moving into an apartment, and the governess (Ingrid Bergman) returning to Europe. Over time, the business climate improves and the father buys back his house, but now the boys are off to war...but not before one of the boys marries Susan Hayward. The problem is that Hayward is a conniving slut. Bergman attempts to cover up the indiscretion of one son with the other son's wife in order to keep the family together. In the end, Hayward is found out by all, is forced to leave the family, and all (except Hayward) live happily ever after -- particularly Bergman and Baxter. Some viewers will be bothered by the extreme age difference between Warner Baxter and Ingrid Bergman. I'll be honest, this is the first film in which I really noticed Warner Baxter. He did a very fine job in this role, but I was startled at how closely he resembled an older Ronald Colman (without the accent, of course). Bergman is also very fine here, and it was a very positive role for her. It was impossible to like Susan Hayward in this role, not only because her character was the villain of the film, but frankly, I felt her acting was almost childish. Fay Wray was fine as the dying wife. Richard Denning turns is a good performance as one of the sons. The other actors did their parts well, though not exceptionally.If there's a criticism here it's about Warner Baxter's character (not Baxter's acting). The father figure seems terribly naive at times, although perhaps he needs to be for the script.Recommended as a very good film. In fact, I think I'll buy a copy for my DVD shelf.