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And Then There Were Four

This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Audio/Visual: sound, b&w

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: ERD. - - September 26, 2009
Subject: "And Then There Was Four," was excellent
Yes, this is a dated film, but the script effectively brought out the dangers drivers take when they are not cautious. The direction,acting,and filming was good for 1950. James Stewart's voice was perfect for this narration. The young girl with the big sad eyes starred in an MGM musical number with Gene Kelly in the mid-1940's.

Reviewer: D. Tracy - - September 5, 2007
Subject: A Classic - A timeless message
Watching this brings back so many memories. I used this movie in its 16mm film format for many years teaching defensive driving for my company's drivers. My classes always had great discussions and everyone could always relate to one of the characters. Jimmy Stewart's narration and the suspense of waiting for the climatic scene you know is coming-then the peak and the sudden fall into the abyss of tears by the little girl at the end-these are the things that make this a great classic with a timeless message.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - May 9, 2005
Subject: Ugly kids increase your chances of getting in an accident!
As we start the short, the first thing that pops up is 'Narrated by Jimmy Stewart' which surprised me, but then again you need a voice like Jimmy's to talk about the everyman and how he could get into an accident. The plot basically revolves around a group of 4 unrelated people and how 'one of them won't make it home alive', yes, it's another car safety film. One guy has a hotrod, the other one has poor brakes, etc etc. But actually, this film does hold a lot of suspense until the end to find out who gets 'snuffed'.
The acting here is alright, save for the 'italian family' and the awful kid actors the widower has. The girl is bat ugly and the boy, omg, nearly has a seizure after Mom kisses him goodbye. What's THAT all about?

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - October 29, 2004
Subject: A Minor Violation of a Film
Jimmy Stewart narrates this real weeper of a driverÂs ed film from the 40s. We are introduced to five Âordinary people, one of which will die in a car accident before the day is over. At one point, Stewart apologizes for the next scene, but there is no gore in it, just footage of a burning car. It wouldnÂt be until the 60s that driverÂs ed films would bring up your lunch. Instead, this uses soap opera tactics, dragging out the suspense of finding out which character ends up dead, showing all their family members worrying and twisting their hands. Is it the jerky rich white guy who dies? The teen hot-rodder? The poor-but-lovable ethnic gardener? No, itÂs the one that jerks the most tears. StewartÂs presence makes this more interesting than it might be, but itÂs not nearly as much fun as TomorrowÂs Drivers.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.