This highly underrated drama has seemed to have lost its way along with the many court documents filed in the case of the Gaylord family. Whuile the story seems to wallow in the melodramatic structure of soap operas, it is interesting, not only for its outstanding leading lady (Barbara Stanwyck) but its view of the family traditions of honor and the sometimes seemingly hypocritical lives of those in the public eye. This could be influenced by any number of celebrity poor little rich girls, from Barbara Hutton to Doris Duke, with the Gaylord family obviously influential in New York society like the wealthy Astors were around the same time.
Young Ms. Gaylord (Mary Thomas) is first seen with her widowed father who is going off to fight in World War I, and the strength of her character dissolves when she realizes her legacy. As 25 years go by, she turns into a force to be reckoned with. Stanwyck, one of the greatest powerhouses of the golden age of Hollywood, delivers a performance that covers all emotions-toughness, vulnerability, humor, and even sexiness. Once again, she is paired with George Brent, the man making claims against the estate. Geraldine Fitzgerald and Nancy Coleman give strong performances as her sisters, with the wonderful Donald Crisp in great support as the family retainer. A great deal of the detail is shown with everything that wealthy families like this go through in estate court, creating law books based on their probate case, and being utilized by law students in their studies. While the narrative gets a bit overwrought by sudden revelations that pop up out of nowhere, it is unique in its storytelling even if at times it does seem to be rambling all over the place.
Overshadowed possibly because of Warner Brothers' two other soap operas of 1942 ("Now Voyager" and "King's Row"), "The Gay Sisters" is certainly better than their other "sister soap", "In This Our Life", in which Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland played two sisters, one irredeemably bad and the other oh-so-sweetly good. Each of the sisters has their own distinctive personality, although it is made very clear who is boss when Barbara Stanwyck is on screen.
The music department and photography of the Warner Brothers production team made sure that every detail was outstanding, and the artistic look of the film is breathtaking. The storyline is romantic and filled with conflict. It is certainly no different than what producer Ross Hunter and director Douglas Sirk would do with the series of soaps they made at Universal with such leading ladies as Stanwyck, Jane Wyman, Lana Turner and Susan Hayward. The film is also noteworthy as the major debut of Gig Young who liked his on-screen character's name so much that he utilized it for his professional name.
Young Ms. Gaylord (Mary Thomas) is first seen with her widowed father who is going off to fight in World War I, and the strength of her character dissolves when she realizes her legacy. As 25 years go by, she turns into a force to be reckoned with. Stanwyck, one of the greatest powerhouses of the golden age of Hollywood, delivers a performance that covers all emotions-toughness, vulnerability, humor, and even sexiness. Once again, she is paired with George Brent, the man making claims against the estate. Geraldine Fitzgerald and Nancy Coleman give strong performances as her sisters, with the wonderful Donald Crisp in great support as the family retainer. A great deal of the detail is shown with everything that wealthy families like this go through in estate court, creating law books based on their probate case, and being utilized by law students in their studies. While the narrative gets a bit overwrought by sudden revelations that pop up out of nowhere, it is unique in its storytelling even if at times it does seem to be rambling all over the place.
Overshadowed possibly because of Warner Brothers' two other soap operas of 1942 ("Now Voyager" and "King's Row"), "The Gay Sisters" is certainly better than their other "sister soap", "In This Our Life", in which Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland played two sisters, one irredeemably bad and the other oh-so-sweetly good. Each of the sisters has their own distinctive personality, although it is made very clear who is boss when Barbara Stanwyck is on screen.
The music department and photography of the Warner Brothers production team made sure that every detail was outstanding, and the artistic look of the film is breathtaking. The storyline is romantic and filled with conflict. It is certainly no different than what producer Ross Hunter and director Douglas Sirk would do with the series of soaps they made at Universal with such leading ladies as Stanwyck, Jane Wyman, Lana Turner and Susan Hayward. The film is also noteworthy as the major debut of Gig Young who liked his on-screen character's name so much that he utilized it for his professional name.