Four Sons
Encyclopedia
Four Sons is a silent
drama film
directed and produced by John Ford
and written for the screen by Philip Klein from a story by I. A. R. Wylie. It is one of only a handful of survivors out of the more than fifty silent films that Ford directed between 1917 and 1928. It starred Margaret Mann
, James Hall
, and Charles Morton
. The film is also notable for the presence of the young John Wayne
in an uncredited role as an Officer. Though "silent," it was released with a Movietone
music and sound effects track.
It was remade in 1940 with Don Ameche
and Eugenie Leontovich
, directed by Archie Mayo
, albeit the time frame was moved up to World War II.
with four sons: Franz, Johann, Andreas and Joseph.
Joseph receives a job offer from the United States
, and he is given money to travel there by his mother.
The First World War is heating up. Franz, who is already serving in the German
army, is joined by first Johann and then Andreas who is forced into the army after the village learns that Joseph joined the American army. Franz and Johann are killed on the eastern front. After Andreas is forced into the army, he is wounded on the western front and dies in his brother Joseph's arms.
In America, Joseph has married and is running a delicatessen. when America enters the war, Joseph enlists to fight for the American side. This causes problems for Mother Bernle, who is shunned in her village.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed and produced by John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
and written for the screen by Philip Klein from a story by I. A. R. Wylie. It is one of only a handful of survivors out of the more than fifty silent films that Ford directed between 1917 and 1928. It starred Margaret Mann
Margaret Mann
Margaret Mann , was a Scottish - American actress. She starred in a number of major films such as Black Beauty in 1921 and played the lead role in the 1928 film Four Sons one of John Wayne's first films...
, James Hall
James Hall (actor)
James Hall was an American film actor. Born James E. Brown in Dallas, Texas, Hall began his film career during the silent film era. He made his sound film debut in the 1929 film The Canary Murder Case, opposite William Powell and Louise Brooks. In 1930, Hall co-starred in Howard Hughes' epic film...
, and Charles Morton
Charles Morton
Charles Morton , was an American actor.-Career:Born in Illinois, Charles Morton spent his adolescence in Madison, Wisconsin; receiving his education at Madison High School and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.He made his first stage appearance at the age of seven and later appeared in vaudeville,...
. The film is also notable for the presence of the young John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in an uncredited role as an Officer. Though "silent," it was released with a Movietone
Movietone
Movietone may refer to:*Movietone , a Bristol-based British music group*Movietone News, a company producing cinema newsreels from the 1920s onwards*Movietone Records, Movietone was a budget subsidiary of 20th Century Fox' record division...
music and sound effects track.
It was remade in 1940 with Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
and Eugenie Leontovich
Eugenie Leontovich
Eugenie Leontovich was a Russian-born stage actress with a distinguished career in theatre, film and television. She was described as "[o]ne of the most colourful figures of the 20th-century theatre, a successful actress, producer, playwright and teacher."...
, directed by Archie Mayo
Archie Mayo
Archie Mayo was a movie director and stage actor who moved to Hollywood in 1915 and began working as a director in 1917....
, albeit the time frame was moved up to World War II.
Plot
Mother Bernle is a widow in BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
with four sons: Franz, Johann, Andreas and Joseph.
Joseph receives a job offer from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and he is given money to travel there by his mother.
The First World War is heating up. Franz, who is already serving in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
army, is joined by first Johann and then Andreas who is forced into the army after the village learns that Joseph joined the American army. Franz and Johann are killed on the eastern front. After Andreas is forced into the army, he is wounded on the western front and dies in his brother Joseph's arms.
In America, Joseph has married and is running a delicatessen. when America enters the war, Joseph enlists to fight for the American side. This causes problems for Mother Bernle, who is shunned in her village.
Cast
- Margaret MannMargaret MannMargaret Mann , was a Scottish - American actress. She starred in a number of major films such as Black Beauty in 1921 and played the lead role in the 1928 film Four Sons one of John Wayne's first films...
as Mother Bernle - James HallJames Hall (actor)James Hall was an American film actor. Born James E. Brown in Dallas, Texas, Hall began his film career during the silent film era. He made his sound film debut in the 1929 film The Canary Murder Case, opposite William Powell and Louise Brooks. In 1930, Hall co-starred in Howard Hughes' epic film...
as Joseph 'Dutch' Bernle - Charles MortonCharles MortonCharles Morton , was an American actor.-Career:Born in Illinois, Charles Morton spent his adolescence in Madison, Wisconsin; receiving his education at Madison High School and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.He made his first stage appearance at the age of seven and later appeared in vaudeville,...
as Johann Bernle - Ralph BushmanRalph BushmanRalph Everly Bushman , was an American actor. He appeared in fifty-five films between 1920 and 1943.The son of notable silent film star Francis X. Bushman and Josephine Fladine Duval, he was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and died in Los Angeles, California. In his early film career, he was often...
as Franz Bernle - George MeekerGeorge MeekerGeorge Meeker was an American character movie and Broadway actor who became more of a legend off-camera than on. Meeker made several movies such as Crime Inc. , and Thief in the Dark and played an uncredited part in All Through the Night .Meeker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-External...
as Andreas Bernle - June CollyerJune CollyerJune Collyer was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s.-Early life and career:Born Dorothea Heermance in New York City, Collyer chose to use her mother's maiden name when she decided to pursue acting. A society girl chosen by Allan Dwan, she had her first starring role in 1927 when she...
as Annabelle - Earle FoxeEarle FoxeEarle Foxe was an American actor.-Background:Foxe was born Earl Aldrich Fox in Oxford, Ohio, to Charles Aldrich Fox, originally of Flint, Michigan, and Eva May Herron. His older half sister was Ethel May Fox, a music teacher, born in Michigan to Charles Aldrich Fox and Katie Eldridge. Always very...
as Maj. von Stomm - Albert GranAlbert GranAlbert Gran was a Norwegian born American movie actor. He is most associated with his appearance in drama and light comedy films....
as The postman - Frank ReicherFrank ReicherFrank Reicher , was a German-born American stage and film actor, director and producer.-Early life:Frank Reicher was born in Munich, Germany, the son of actor Emanuel Reicher and Hedwig Kindermann, a popular German prima donna who was a daughter of the famous baritone August Kindermann...
as The schoolmaster - Archduke Leopold of Austria as a captain
- John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as Officer (uncredited)