The Gay Sisters (1942)

Three wealthy orphans attempt to defend their ownership of their family's property, but financial and romantic problems set in.

Director:

Irving Rapper

Writers:

Lenore J. Coffee (screenplay) (as Lenore Coffee), Stephen Longstreet (novel)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Fiona Gaylord
George Brent	...	Charles Barclay
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Evelyn Gaylord
Donald Crisp	...	Ralph Pedloch
Gig Young	...	Gig Young
Nancy Coleman	...	Susie Gaylord
Gene Lockhart	...	Herschell Gibbon
Larry Simms	...	Austin
Donald Woods	...	Penn Sutherland Gaylord
Grant Mitchell	...	Gilbert Wheeler
William T. Orr	...	Dick Tone
Anne Revere	...	Miss Ida Orner
Helene Thimig	...	Saskia (as Helen Thimig)
George Lessey	...	Judge Barrows
Charles Waldron	...	Mr. Van Rennseler (as Charles D. Waldron)

Storyline

Fiona, Evelyn and Susanna are sisters. Their mother dies on the Lusitania, their father is killed in France, they must manage their Fifth Avenue mansion by themselves. Fiona marries Charles Barclay in order to get an inheritance and he begins a campaign to obtain the mansion to level it for real estate development. She vows that this will never happen.

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Plot Keywords:

real estate | inheritance | manhattan new york city | sister sister relationship | male female relationship | 

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Taglines:

They lived in the house that SCANDAL built!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Três Herdeiras

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Byron Barr took his character's name, Gig Young, as his screen name.

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Quotes

Susie Gaylord: I've always wanted to be kissed in the park.

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Connections

Version of Lux Video Theatre: The Gay Sisters (1956)

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Soundtracks

Yankee Doodle
(ca. 1755) (uncredited)
Traditional music of English origin
In the score when war is declared

User Reviews

"What I want, I take, and what I take, I love."

The three Gaylord sisters (Barbara Stanwyck, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Nancy Coleman), lose their parents at an early age and fight to keep their family mansion. George Brent plays the guy after the mansion and when you find out why your eyes will roll so hard they'll fall out of your head. Stanwyck is feisty to the point of obnoxiousness and Brent is a prick. He's also a rapist, if I interpreted one crucial scene correctly. Very disappointing melodrama with a plot that's much ado about nothing. Inappropriate moments of humor don't help. Protracted opening with Donald Woods as the father who goes on and on about the family legacy and what it means to be a Gaylord has next to nothing to do with the rest of the movie. One little bit of interesting trivia: actor (and future murderer) Gig Young took his stage name from the character he plays in this movie. Before this he went by his real name of Byron Barr.