Four Men and a Prayer is a 1938 American adventure film directed by John Ford and starring Loretta Young, Richard Greene, George Sanders and David Niven.
| Four Men and a Prayer | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | John Ford |
| Written by | Richard Sherman Sonya Levien Walter Ferris William Faulkner (uncredited) |
| Screenplay by | Richard Sherman Sonya Levien Walter Ferris |
| Based on | Four Men and a Prayer 1937 novel by David Garth (1908-1983) |
| Produced by | Kenneth Macgowan |
| Starring | Loretta Young Richard Greene George Sanders David Niven C. Aubrey Smith William Henry |
| Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
| Edited by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Music by | Louis Silvers |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Spanish |
Plot
editAfter Loring Leigh (C. Aubrey Smith), a British Army Officer, is cashiered in India following accusations of dereliction of duty, he summons his four sons Geoffrey (Richard Greene), Wyatt (George Sanders), Christopher (David Niven), and Rodney (William Henry) to meet him in their family home. Leigh reveals he has been framed, but before he can explain any more he is murdered. With what little they know, the four boys immediately set out to discover the truth. The boys split up and travel to South America, India, and Egypt to gather evidence and restore their father's honour. During their travels, Geoffrey's girlfriend, Lynn (Loretta Young), continuously appears in the same locations as Geoffrey and his brother, Christopher.
First, Geoffrey and Christopher encounter Lynn in Buenos Aires where they witness a mass murder of townspeople that were in a war with the government, while Wyatt and Rodney are in India.
Later, Geoffrey and Christopher run into Lynn in Alexandria while they are reuniting with Wyatt and Rodney to confront Lynn's father, Martin Cherrington (Berton Churchill) who they believe is the person responsible for their father's death. Then they discover that Lynn had no idea of the situation and was not on her father's side about his contribution to being a major arms dealer, but it is also discovered that her father had no part in the death of the boys' father.
Once they discover that Furnoy (Alan Hale) is responsible for Leigh's murder, the four boys journey back home to present the evidence that their father was innocent.
Cast
edit- Loretta Young as Miss Lynn Cherrington
- Richard Greene as Geoffrey Leigh
- George Sanders as Wyatt Leigh
- David Niven as Christopher Leigh
- C. Aubrey Smith as Col. Loring Leigh
- William Henry as Rodney Leigh
- J. Edward Bromberg as Gen. Torres
- John Carradine as Gen. Adolfo Arturo Sebastian
- Alan Hale as Mr. Furnoy
- Reginald Denny as Capt. Douglas Loveland
- Berton Churchill as Mr. Martin Cherrington
- Barry Fitzgerald as Trooper Mulcahay
- Claude King as Gen. Bryce
- Cecil Cunningham as Piper
- John Sutton as Capt. Drake
Reception
editThe response to Four Men and a Prayer was mixed.
The New York Times' Frank Nugent enjoyed the film. In his May 7, 1938 review, he describes the film as “A globetrotting, melodrama , a beau-gestive piece directed by John Ford, who loves to stab the murk with a revolver spat. It has been energetically told, compactly presented, and can be relied upon to keep the Roxy pleasantly occupied… the players are uniformly in excellent fettle…”[1]
Mae Tinee from the Chicago Daily Tribune observes "there's nothing like a good melodrama for grinding new grooves in the old thinking machine, and Four Men and a Prayer is a right pert groove grinder."[2]
However, Variety says the film "starts out as exciting melodrama, promising interesting romantic and adventurous...finishes as a piece of disappointing entertainment."[3]
The film has a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews.[4]
References
edit- ^ "THE SCREEN; In Melodramatic Vein Is Four Men and a Prayer' at the Roxy--Lonely White Sail' Opens at Cameo At the Cameo At the Teatro Hispano At the 86th St. Garden Theatre At the Modern Playhouse". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Tinee, Mae. "'Four Men and a Prayer' Tops in Melodrama: "FOUR MEN AND A PRAYER."." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963), May 14, 1938, p. 13.
- ^ Flin. "Film Reviews: Four Men and a Prayer." Variety (Archive: 1905-2000) Apr 27 1938: 22.
- ^ "Four Men and a Prayer - Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Eyman, Scott. Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford. Simon and Schuster, 2012.