Evening star., 1939-12-30

y
familiar ornaments of the Lemp
family's sprightly saga, the newest
picture demonstrates that Director
Michael Curtiz is the real genius OF
Warmers favorite serial. With a
script that is the weakest OF the
three which have made the Lemps
a national institution. Mr.. Curtiz
exercises a magic that exercises ar
tificialities of plot and makes very
agreeable entertainment out OF what
might have been too cute to be true
The bubbling, bouncing Miss
Raye's contribution to the show Is
an irresistible personality which
protrudes explosively from one of
the best balanced stage programs in
months. Those six years she has
spent before the cameras have not
turned Miss Raye into another
movie celebrity on personal ap-
pearance tour. She is graduate OF
the knockabout school of vaudeville
and night clubs and she has forgot
ten nothing of the course in how to
get an audience in the palm of her
hand and keep it there. Even the
enthusiastic anti-noise campaigner
is likely to be swept to the great
and exuberant heart which Miss
Raye gets into her return to her
public. She Is an infection, as well
as an unrestrained comedienne in
the field Of hotcha song and dance
-Four Wives" sequel to -Four
Daughters" and Daughters Cour-
ageous," carries the Lemp sisters a
bit past the destination implied in
the title, for, by the time it is finished
three of the four are mothers. Nor
are they just average mothers, for
it turns out that the next genera
ton continues Papa Lemp's en-
crossing Illustration by proving to
be solidly feminine. Even as a
grandfather. therefore, he must
contemplate vista of solitary mas
culinity, circumstance which has
provided one of the minor divert
ing bits of drama in the studios
favorite narrative of domesticity.
The familiar ingredients of pre-
.vious chapters are present without
exception in -Four Wives" The
major excitement of the occasion
is that provided by the psychologist
condition of the youngest daughter,
Priscilla Lane, who. on the eve of
her wedding to Jeffrey Lynn, dis
covers that her widowhood from
the first picture is about to bless
her with Mickey Borden's child
Bless" is not quite the word. for
the discovery proves enormously
disconcerting and there is quite
big to-do on the part of the
Lemps and new young doctor
eddie Alberb before pretty Pris-
cilla's maladjustment is worked out
to the happiness of every one The
happiness of every one includes even
the ghost of the dark, bitter Mickey
who returns as a wrath to haunt
the picture in its every pretty,
wholesome turning
The correlative affairs, all of
them having to do with maternity
or the marriage of the various
girls, are most interesting in the
case of Kay Lemp, the one played
by Rosemary Lane. Her pursuit
of the young physician, laconic,
idealistic, hard-to-get young man
of science. imparts a pleasant. if
undistinguished. favor of comedy
to the more dramatic proceedings
involving Priscilla, Mr.. Lynn and
Mickey's fretful ghost.
The musical as we'll as the marital
and maternal aspects, of the series
are expanded impressively in the
latest picture The kid orchestra
and the family band, which have
been such pleasant features OF
earlier Lemp films. are supplement-
ed this time by full symphony. II
makes quite an addition, not merely
artistically. but dramatically. when
it plays that modern symphony
which Mickey left unfinished in the
first film of the series.
The excellent cast, composed OF
the Lane girls. Gail Page. Lynn
Claude Rains, May Robson, ETC., re-
spends with it's old agility to every
sound instruction of Mr.. Curtiz tc
add to the merit of -Four Wives.
Albert. incidentally. makes fine
new husband for the last Lemp gir'
to marry.
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