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Daughters Courageous

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Daughters Courageous
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Curtiz
Screenplay byJulius J. Epstein
Philip G. Epstein
Based onFly Away Home
1935 play
by Dorothy Bennett
Irving White
Produced byHenry Blanke
Hal B. Wallis
StarringJohn Garfield
Claude Rains
Jeffrey Lynn
Fay Bainter
CinematographyJames Wong Howe
Edited byRalph Dawson
Music byMax Steiner
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • June 23, 1939 (1939-06-23)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Daughters Courageous is a 1939 American drama film starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn and featuring the Lane Sisters: Lola Lane, Rosemary Lane and Priscilla Lane. Based on the play Fly Away Home by Dorothy Bennett and Irving White, the film was directed by Michael Curtiz. It was released by Warner Bros. on June 23, 1939.

Plot

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Freewheeling Jim Masters returns home after a 20-year absence, during which he was declared dead, to find that his wife, Nancy, is about to marry Sam Sloane, a stable local man in Carmel, California. She must now choose between her ex-husband and her new fiancé. The Masters daughters are also upset that their irresponsible father has re-entered their lives after so long an absence. Meanwhile, the youngest daughter, Buff, is drawn to tough-guy Gabriel Lopez, a man that reminds Jim Masters of himself.

Cast

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'Four Daughters' film series

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Daughters Courageous was made as a stand-alone film, and its characters do not appear in any other film. However, it has much in common with the "Four Daughters" film series of that era, with the same director, largely the same cast (including the Lane sisters) and many similarities in subject matter. The series consists of 1938's Four Daughters, the 1939 film Four Wives, and 1941's Four Mothers.

Reception

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Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times called the film " a thoroughly pleasant entertainment—howbeit reminiscent—with a thoroughly pleasant cast to grace it."[1] Variety wrote: "Few of the situations can stand up under too close scrutiny, but the flavor of the film as a whole is entertaining, amusing, and occasionally emotional."[2] Harrison's Reports called it "Good entertainment ... Although it is not as impressive as 'Four Daughters,' it nevertheless holds one's attention well, since one is in sympathy with all the characters."[3] Film Daily called it "A production with a high voltage of sentimental of romantic appeal" with a "super-duper" cast.[4] John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote that Garfield added "a touch of color or adventuresome liveliness" to help along the story, but found "a quantity of bungalow patter that wears one down at times" and "a slight dullness" to the picture.[5]

Home media

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Warner Archive released the film on DVD on August 1, 2011. The film was also released by Warner Archive in the "Four Daughters Movie Series Collection".

References

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  1. ^ Nugent, Frank S. (June 24, 1939). "Movie Review – Daughters Courageous". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  2. ^ "Film Reviews". Variety. New York: Variety, Inc. June 21, 1939. p. 16.
  3. ^ "Daughters Courageous". Harrison's Reports. New York: Harrison's Reports, Inc.: 103 July 1, 1939.
  4. ^ "Reviews". Film Daily. New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.: 6 June 16, 1939.
  5. ^ Mosher, John (June 24, 1939). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. New York: F-R Publishing Corp. p. 80.
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