Four Wives 1939

Romance

Drama

Runtime

99 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Michael Curtiz

Made by

Warner Bros. Pictures

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Four Wives Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Four Wives (1939). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Ann Lemp Borden, recently widowed after her husband Mickey Borden, John Garfield, a down-and-out and unlucky musical genius, is tragically killed in a car accident. She now lives at home again with her father, Aunt Etta May Robson, and next oldest sister Kay Rosemary Lane Lemp. Her two other sisters Emma Gale Page Lemp Talbot and Thea Lola Lane Lemp Crowley are married.

Kay is dating the young doctor Dr. Clint Forrest Jr., Eddie Albert.

Emma and Thea wish to have children.

Ann, engaged to musical composer Felix Dietz, Jeffrey Lynn, suddenly discovers that she is pregnant with Mickey’s child.

A flashback shows Mickey playing an unfinished musical composition that has only a middle…no beginning…no ending.

that has only a middle…no beginning…no ending

Ann is distressed over the raw deal life has dealt to Mickey, a gifted artist whose career was cut short.

Felix finishes Mickey’s composition and conducts it nationwide on radio, delivering a speech that honors Mickey’s genius and untimely death.

Convinced that Mickey did not die in vain, Ann comes back to reality, rediscovers her love for Felix, and, with the support of her family, begins a normal, happy life with her child, nieces and nephews.

Four Wives Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Four Wives (1939) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Mickey's death and Ann's widowed life

Ann Lemp Borden is recently widowed when Mickey dies in a car accident. She returns to the family home to live with her father, Aunt Etta, and sister Kay, while her other sisters Emma and Thea are married. The tragedy colors her outlook as she contends with a future without her husband.

Immediately after Mickey's death Lemp House

Kay's romance begins

Kay begins dating a young doctor, Clint Forrest Jr., which adds a hopeful new romance to the family dynamic. The relationship sits alongside the ongoing grief over Mickey, highlighting competing futures for the sisters. The family atmosphere becomes a backdrop for Ann's struggle with her own plans.

Shortly after Mickey's death Family home

Ann's pregnancy and engagement

Ann, though engaged to composer Felix Dietz, discovers she is pregnant with Mickey's child. The revelation deepens her conflict between honoring Mickey's memory and embracing a new life with Felix. She grapples with whether to marry Felix while carrying Mickey's child.

During engagement Home

Ann's inner turmoil over marriage

Ann cannot forget Mickey and remains unsure about marrying Felix. The memory of the unfinished tune and Mickey's genius haunts her decisions, adding emotional weight to every choice. Her pregnancy complicates the dilemma as she weighs duty against happiness.

Interim before decisions Piano room

Flashback: Mickey’s unfinished composition

A flashback reveals Mickey playing an unfinished composition, described as having 'only a middle—no beginning, no ending.' Ann frequently replays the haunting tune in her head or on the piano, keeping Mickey's genius close. The fragment symbolizes both the promise and the loss of Mickey's music.

Flashback sequence Music room

Ann's distress over Mickey's fate

Ann is distressed by the raw deal life has handed Mickey and by the premature end of his career. She carries the memory as a burden that colors her decisions and keeps him present in her thoughts. The tragedy serves as a constant emotional undertone to the family's daily life.

After his death Home

Felix influences the marriage decision

Felix finishes convincing Ann to marry him, and they elope to begin a new life together. The wedding symbolizes her attempt to move forward, yet she still carries Mickey's shadow. The choice marks a turning point in her personal arc as she blends past and future.

After engagement Secret location

Felix completes Mickey's composition

Felix finishes Mickey's composition and conducts it on radio nationwide. The performance serves as a public tribute to Mickey's genius and frames his death as untimely but meaningful. The broadcast stitches Ann's personal journey to a broader artistic legacy.

National broadcast Radio studio

Public speech honoring Mickey

Felix delivers a speech during the broadcast honoring Mickey's genius and untimely death. The speech reframes the tragedy into inspiration and enduring music. Ann begins to feel the past settle into a more hopeful present.

During the broadcast Radio studio

Ann's renewed faith in love and life

Convinced Mickey did not die in vain, Ann comes back to reality and rediscovers her love for Felix. The event reaffirms their bond as partners and parents in waiting. She resolves to embrace life with her husband and the child to come.

Post-broadcast Home

A normal, happy family takes shape

With her family around her and her child on the way, Ann steps into a normal, happy life. The nieces and nephews enrich the household and symbolize a sense of continuity. The story closes on a note of resilience and renewed purpose.

After childbirth / growing family Family home

Memory guiding a shared future

Ann, Felix, their child, and the extended family move forward together, honoring Mickey's memory through music. The past is reconciled as memory informs the present, and love completes the circle. The home is filled with laughter, music, and the everyday joys of a growing family.

Later life Family home

Four Wives Characters

Explore all characters from Four Wives (1939). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Mickey Borden (John Garfield)

A down-and-out yet gifted composer whose death sets the plot in motion. Through his memory and unfinished work, he remains a haunting influence on Ann, highlighting the tension between past genius and present happiness.

🎼 Creative 💔 Tragic figure 🕊️ Legacy

Ann Lemp Dietz (Priscilla Lane)

A recently widowed woman who discovers she is pregnant with Mickey's child. She struggles to let go of the past while trying to build a normal life with Felix, ultimately rediscovering love and family.

💞 Romance 👪 Family 🧠 Inner conflict

Felix Dietz (Jeffrey Lynn)

A musical composer who marries Ann and helps complete Mickey's unfinished score, bringing the work to national attention when conducted on the radio. He is patient, supportive, and ultimately helps Ann move forward.

🎵 Composer 💡 Catalyst 📡 Radio

Aunt Etta (May Robson)

Ann's motherly aunt, a steady presence who reinforces family bonds and provides pragmatic advice as the family navigates grief and renewal.

👵 Elderly matriarch 💖 Support 🏡 Home

Adam Lemp (Claude Rains)

The patriarchal figure of the Lemp family, representing stability and guidance as the sisters and Ann cope with loss and change.

👨‍👧‍👦 Patriarch 💬 Guidance 🏡 Family

Kay Lemp (Rosemary Lane)

Ann's sister, the next oldest, who supports the family while navigating her own developing life and relationships.

👧 Family 💬 Support 💞 Romance

Emma Lemp Talbot (Gale Page)

Ann's sister who is married and yearns to have children, highlighting the differing desires within the family as they move forward.

👩‍👧‍👦 Family 🌱 Reproduction 💭 Hopes

Ernest Talbot (Dick Foran)

Emma's husband, part of the extended family network that participates in wedding celebrations and family milestones.

👨‍👦 Family 🥂 Celebration 🗣️ Presence

Dr. Clinton Forrest, Sr. (Henry O'Neill)

A family friend and physician figure within the community, representing the entwined roles of medicine and care in the narrative.

👨‍⚕️ Medical 🧭 Guidance 🤝 Community

Dr. Clinton Forrest, Jr. (Eddie Albert)

Young doctor and Kay's love interest, embodying the new generation entering the family’s story and its future.

👨‍⚕️ Medical 💞 Romance 👔 New blood

Four Wives Settings

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Location

Lemp Family Home

Primarily takes place in the Lemp family home, the center of family life after Ann's loss. The house is depicted as a warm, close-knit space where grief is processed through support and memory. It also hosts pivotal moments like weddings and gatherings that push the family forward.

🏡 Domestic setting 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family dynamics 🎼 Music motif

Four Wives Themes

Discover the main themes in Four Wives (1939). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🎼

Music and Memory

Mickey Borden's unfinished composition and its completion by Felix Dietz drive the emotional core of the story. The melodies linger in Ann's mind, linking past love with present decisions and shaping how she remembers her husband.

💔

Grief and Renewal

Ann's grief over Mickey's death complicates her choices about marriage and motherhood. The film traces her journey from sorrow to acceptance as she embraces a future with Felix and the child she will have.

👪

Family and Support

The Lemp-Borden clan provides a safety net that sustains Ann through loss, guiding her toward reconciliation with Felix. Aunt Etta, Kay, Emma, and the others embody resilience, transforming adversity into renewed family bonds and hope.

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Four Wives Spoiler-Free Summary

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In the warm, musical household of the Lemp family, life moves forward with both tenderness and complexity. What began as a story of four sisters has evolved into something new — the “Four Daughters” have become the “Four Wives,” each navigating the intricate landscape of married life with its unique demands and quiet struggles. At the heart of this continuation stands Ann Lemp Borden, a young widow returning to her family’s embrace, carrying both memories and hopes that will shape her uncertain path.

The family home, presided over by their father and the ever-present Aunt Etta, remains a sanctuary where love and tradition intersect. Kay Lemp, the next oldest sister, finds herself drawn to the young and earnest Dr. Clint Forrest Jr., while married sisters Emma Talbot and Thea Crowley each face their own aspirations and adjustments. The rhythm of their lives pulses with everyday concerns and deep bonds that only siblings can share.

Into this family circle steps Felix Dietz, a musical composer whose presence offers Ann a chance at renewed connection and affection. Yet the shadow of her past lingers, and the journey toward new beginnings carries its own weight. The film explores how loss transforms those it leaves behind, and whether the heart can open itself to possibility once more.

Through melodies and moments both joyful and bittersweet, the story examines the ties that bind a family together and the courage required to embrace life’s unexpected turns. As the sisters confront their separate challenges, the narrative unfolds with warmth and authenticity, inviting viewers into a world where love, memory, and hope converge in ways both surprising and deeply human.

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