My Sister Eileen (1942)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Alexander Hall

Writers:

Ruth McKenney (stories)
Joseph Fields (play) ...

Release Date:

24 September 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood move from Ohio to New York in the hopes of building their careers. Ruth wants to get a job as a writer...

Plot Keywords:

Ohio | New York City | Sister Sister Relationship | Greenwich Village New York City | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Rosalind Russell	...	Ruth Sherwood
Brian Aherne	...	Robert Baker
Janet Blair	...	Eileen Sherwood
George Tobias	...	Appopolous
Allyn Joslyn	...	Chic Clark
Grant Mitchell	...	Walter Sherwood
Gordon Jones	...	'The Wreck' Loomis
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Grandma Sherwood
Richard Quine	...	Frank Lippincott
June Havoc	...	Effie Shelton
Donald MacBride	...	Officer Lonigan
Frank Sully	...	Jenson
Clyde Fillmore	...	Ralph Craven
Jeff Donnell	...	Helen Loomis (as Miss Jeff Donnell)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Almira Sessions	...	Prospective Tenant (scenes deleted)
Forrest Tucker	...	Sandhog (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The Broadway production of "Wonderful Town" opened at the Winter Garden Theater in New York on February 25, 1953 and ran for 559 performances.

Quotes:

Ruth Sherwood: [reading cereal box] Nature's Broom. Gonna have breakfast all day long...
Eileen Sherwood: Oh, but it's good for you. It's roughage.
Ruth Sherwood: I like to vary it with a little smoothage, like a steak!

Movie Connections:

Version of "My Sister Eileen" (1960)

Soundtrack:

Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech

Delightful comedy from B'way stage hit...Russell at her best...

ROSALIND RUSSELL was always at her best in comedies and here she had a role that got her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 1942--and it's easy to see why. She's downright hilarious as the gal from Ohio with writing ambitions and a pretty blonde sister (JANET BLAIR) with a penchant for attracting men and trouble.

All the wacky situations stem from their Greenwich Village basement apartment which seems to have more visitors than Grand Central Station. It's all exaggerated fluff, but it works, thanks to a fine cast and sterling performances.

RICHARD QUINE and GORDON JONES do repeats of their Broadway roles, and DONALD MacBRIDE as a policeman who wants quiet on his route is hilarious. JUNE HAVOC makes a brief appearance as a medium who used to live in the girls' apartment. GEORGE TOBIAS, as the opportunistic landlord with the Greek accent, is at his funniest in a colorful supporting role.

My favorite moment is the conga sequence with Russell and Blair trying to get rid of sailors who don't speak a word of English, creating a disturbance that lands Blair in jail. Janet Blair is pleasant as the blonde bombshell but it's Russell who milks the most out of her role and gets all the laughs. She's terrific.

BRIAN AHERNE does what he can with the role of the talkative editor, but it's not much of a part. Still, he adds a certain debonair charm to the role.

Summing up: Notable chiefly as a terrific vehicle for Russell's unique brand of comic talent.