...the high sleaze quotient ensures that Adam Had Four Sons remains engrossing enough to warrant a recommendation.

I have to admit that it's embarrassing how did I found this movie... I was checking movies I've seen from Bergman and on data base I found this one. Got it and too late realize that it wasn't the director Bergman's movie but Ingrid Bergman's... it was her second movie in America! It is typical romance movie of that time in which Warner Baxter portrays the wealthy, easy-going patriarch of a family that falls on hard times after the death of his wife and a stock market crash. Recently arrived governess Emilie (played by Bergman) works to keep the family together but the financial loss of Adam Stoddards (Baxter) fortune means that Emilie must return to France. Reversing his fortunes takes several years and after that Adam recalls Emilie to look after it... but there is a twist! One of the sons, David, returns with his new wife, Hester, (played by Susan Hayward), who turns out be a conniving woman who wants to rule the roost... Screenplay was engaging, but I have to say that cinematography was below the average. I liked the acting of all the stars in this movie, while directing could be done by any film student and no one will notice the difference! It's a good material for anyone interested in the film history...