Figure 1.-- Here we see the new governess Emilie arriving in the Stoddard household in the 1949 film, "Adam Had Four Sons". Pictured are Emile, the parents and the four boys. I'm not sure who the second man is. The youngest boy wears a sailor suit and the other boys wear kneepants and knicker suits.

Adam Stoddard and his wife Molly decided that a governess is needed to help with their four unruly sons. They select a French governess, Emilie Gallatin, to look after the boys. Emilie stays after the tragic death of Molly to help the widower with his children. The film looks to be set about the turn of the 20th century. Emilie was played by a young Ingrid Bergman. This was her first second American film and she gives a touching performance. She supervises four rather undisciplined boys and gradually takes on a maternal role in a way not originally intended. She becomes the mainstay of the family. They begin to look on her more as their mother. She helps shape their character as the boys grow up. The boys are picturesd both in their younger years and as adults. The family goes through many crisis, including a stock market crash and World War I. The boys go off to war. One brings back a bride from France--Hester. Emilie has to sort out the trouble caused by Hester (Susan Haward) who proves to be a gold digger. The father is played by Warner Baxter. Fay Wray played Molly. The boys as children appear at the beginning of the film. I did not recognize mosdt of them, except one. The boys were played by: Billy Ray (Jack Stoddard), Steven Muller (David Stoddard), Wallace Chadwell (Chris Stoddard) , and Bobby Walberg (Phillip Stoddard). The boys wear kneepants and long stockings. The youngest boy wears a sailor suit.

Filmography

The film was directyed by Gregory Ratoff. It was notable for an early American performance by Ingrid Bergman.

Setting

The film is set in Connecticut. It looks to bgin in the early 20th century. It continues to World War I and the period following the War.

Cast

Emilie was played by a young Ingrid Bergman. This was her first second American film and she gives a touching performance. The father is played by Warner Baxter. Fay Wray played Molly. The boys as children appear at the beginning of the film. I did not recognize mosdt of them, except one. The boys were played by: Billy Ray (Jack Stoddard), Steven Muller (David Stoddard), Wallace Chadwell (Chris Stoddard) , and Bobby Walberg (Phillip Stoddard). Deevan Muller has a particularly interesting background.  The boys' parts are all convincingly acted.

Chracters

The wealthy Stoddard family has four boys. Jack is about 15 (Billy Ray), Christopher about 13 (Wallace Chadwell), David about 12 (Steven Muller), and Philip about 7 (Bobby Walberg).  

Plot

 The plot concerns the Stoddard family and their children. Adam Stoddard and his wife Molly decided that a governess is needed to help with their four unruly sons. Molly (Fay Wray), is unwell. Adam (Warner Baxter) hires a French governess, Emilie Gallatin (Ingrid Bergman), to take care of the boy. Emilie stays after the tragic death of Molly to help the widower with his children. Emilie supervises four rather undisciplined boys and gradually takes on a maternal role in a way not originally intended. She becomes the mainstay of the family. The boys and their father become increasingly dependent upon Emilie. They begin to look on her more as their mother. Emilie of course gradually falls in love with her wealthy employer. She helps shape their character as the boys grow up. The boys are picturesd both in their younger years and as adults. The boys grow up, and Emilie, who stays on as one of the family, falls in love with her employer, Adam. The family goes through many crisis, including a stock market crash which ruins the family business. Then America enters World War I. The boys go off to war. One brings back a bride from France--Hester. Emilie has to sort out the trouble caused by Hester (Susan Haward) who proves to be a gold digger.  The relationships become increasingly strained because of Hester.

Costuming

The costuming seems to be correct historically for the Connecticut of 1907, the period when the film begins.  There is interesting age-grading here.  The youngest boy, Philip, is the only one allowed to go with bare knees.  He wears a white sailor suit with knee socks.  Christopher and David (about 13 and 12 respectively) wear knee pants suits with floppy bow ties and long stockings.  The oldest boy, Jack, wears a knicker suit of Norfolk styling, with the knickers buckled below the knees, and a more grown-up necktie. The three oldest boys wear caps with bills (when they are outdoors) and hightop shoes. The boys appear in the same outfits for several scenes.

Created: 7:12 PM 9/23/2004
Last updated: 4:06 PM 11/10/2004