Four Mothers 1941

In this final installment of Warner Brothers’ Four Daughters series, the Lemp family faces a crushing setback when their investment in son-in-law Ben Crowley’s [Frank McHugh] out-of-state realty project is wiped out by a hurricane. With cash flow blocked and the town wary of new ventures, Ben proposes they localize and develop their own property to sell. But the hurricane’s aftermath leaves financing scarce, forcing the Lemps to reconsider their plans. Adam Lemp [Claude Rains], the family patriarch, makes a shocking move: he sells the house where he raised his daughters, hoping to salvage their finances. The buyer intends to raze the old house to make way for an apartment building, a plan that hits home for the sisters.

To raise the necessary capital, Felix Deitz [Jeffrey Lynn], the son-in-law, travels to Chicago to conduct an orchestra, seeking opportunities that could lift the family out of trouble. Meanwhile, Kay Lemp [Rosemary Lane], the only Lemp daughter who has no children, grows frustrated as husband Dr. Clint Forrest, Jr. [Eddie Albert] spends more time at work, and his lab research at the town’s smelting plant raises concerns about Pneumoconiosis.

Kay heads to Chicago to seek a radio job, but the big city offers no relief for either her or Felix, and both return home. After moving into an apartment with his sister Aunt Etta [May Robson], Adam is invited to conduct at the Beethoven Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, a prestigious honor that could restore the Lemp name.

The family travels to Los Angeles to watch him perform, and then they return home for the opening of Lemp Acres, Ben’s new property development. Upon Adam’s arrival, he rekindles the town’s respect; the townspeople even finance moving his old house to Lemp Acres, restoring the community’s familiar rhythm.

In the end, the four daughters — Ann Lemp Deitz [Priscilla Lane], Kay Lemp, Thea Lemp Crowley [Lola Lane], and Emma Lemp Talbot [Gale Page] — hold a musical practice, and Kay discovers she is pregnant, signaling a hopeful future for the family.