''Four Men and a Prayer'' is a 1938 American

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, ani ...

directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

and starring

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

, Richard Greene and

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

Plot

After Loring Leigh (

C. Aubrey Smith Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (21 July 1863 – 20 December 1948) was an English Test cricketer who became a stage and film actor, acquiring a niche as the officer-and-gentleman type, as in the first sound version of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937) ...

), a British Army Officer, is

cashiered Cashiering (or degradation ceremony), generally within military forces, is a ritual dismissal of an individual from some position of responsibility for a breach of discipline. Etymology From the Flemish (to dismiss from service; to discar ...

in India following accusations of dereliction of duty, he summons his four sons Geoffrey ( Richard Greene), Wyatt (

), Christopher (

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

), 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 South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

to gather evidence and restore their father's honour. During their travels, Geoffrey's girlfriend, Lynn (

), continuously appears in the same locations as Geoffrey and his brother, Christopher. First, Geoffrey and Christopher encounter Lynn in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

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 Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

while they are reuniting with Wyatt and Rodney to confront Lynn's father, Martin Cherrington (

Berton Churchill Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Early years Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law a ...

) 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 the real person responsible for Leigh's murder, the four boys journey back home to present the evidence that their father was innocent.

Reception

The response to ''Four Men and a Prayer'' was mixed. Mae Tinee from the

Chicago Daily Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are ...

said "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." However,

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

said the film "starts out as exciting melodrama, promising interesting romantic and adventurous...finishes as a piece of disappointing entertainment."Flin. "Film Reviews: Four Men and a Prayer." ''Variety (Archive: 1905-2000)'' Apr 27 1938: 22.

Cast

as Miss Lynn Cherrington * Richard Greene as Geoffrey Leigh *

as Wyatt Leigh *

as Christopher Leigh *

as Col. Loring Leigh * William Henry as Rodney Leigh *

J. Edward Bromberg Joseph Edward Bromberg (born Josef Bromberger, December 25, 1903 – December 6, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s. Knowledge of his past as a membe ...

as Gen. Torres *

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

as Gen. Adolfo Arturo Sebastian * Alan Hale as Mr. Furnoy * Reginald Denny as Capt. Douglas Loveland *

as Mr. Martin Cherrington *

Barry Fitzgerald William Joseph Shields (10 March 1888 – 14 January 1961), known professionally as Barry Fitzgerald, was an Irish stage, film and television actor. In a career spanning almost forty years, he appeared in such notable films as ''Bringing Up Ba ...

as Trooper Mulcahay *

Claude King Claude King (February 5, 1923 – March 7, 2013) was an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for his million selling 1962 hit, " Wolverton Mountain". Biography King was born in Keithville in southern Caddo Parish sou ...

as Gen. Bryce *

Cecil Cunningham Edna Cecil Cunningham (August 2, 1888 – April 17, 1959) was an American film and stage actress, singer, and comedienne. Early years Cunningham started her working life as a switchboard operator in a commerce bank and did some sittings as a ...

as Piper

References

Bibliography

* Eyman, Scott. ''Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford''. Simon and Schuster, 2012.

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Four Men And A Prayer 1938 films 1938 adventure films American adventure films American black-and-white films Films directed by John Ford Films based on American novels Films with screenplays by Sonya Levien Films with screenplays by William Faulkner Films scored by Louis Silvers Films set in London Films set in India Films set in England Films set in Buenos Aires Films set in Alexandria Seafaring films 20th Century Fox films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language adventure films