My Sister Eileen (1942)

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, while Eileen hopes to succeed on the stage. The two ... See full summary »

Director:

Alexander Hall

Writers:

Joseph Fields (screenplay), Jerome Chodorov (screenplay),

Stars:

Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, Janet Blair

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview:
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)

Storyline

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, while Eileen hopes to succeed on the stage. The two end up living in a dismal basement apartment in Greenwich Village, where a parade of odd characters are constantly breezing in and out. The women also meet up with magazine editor Bob Baker, who takes a personal interest in helping both with their career plans.

---

Plot Keywords:

ohio | female protagonist | manhattan new york city | greenwich village manhattan new york city | sister sister relationship | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ma soeur est capricieuse

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play, "My Sister Eileen," opened on December 26, 1940 at the Biltmore Theatre. The Broadway production, directed by George S. Kaufman, adapted for the stage from Ruth McKinney's book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov. The production featured Shirley Booth as Ruth and Jo Ann Sayers as Eileen, with Richard Quine as the soda jerk Frank Lippincott. (He reprises his role in the 1942 film.) The play moved three times, and closed on January 16, 1943, after a run of 864 performances. In 1952, Fields and Chodorovand adapted "My Sister Eileen" into the musical, "Wonderful Town," with music by Leonard Bernstein. The Broadway production of "Wonderful Town" opened at the Winter Garden Theater in New York on February 25, 1953 and ran for 559 performances. In 1955, Columbia Pictures made a separate musical of My Sister Eileen, starring Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, and Jack Lemmon, and directed by Richard Quine. My Sister Eileen also became a short-lived TV comedy series starring Elaine Stritch and Shirley Bonne.

---

Goofs

When Bob puts Ruth in the taxicab outside of the police station, the shadow of the boom mic can be seen moving across the hood of the cab.

---

Quotes

'The Wreck' Loomis: [holding an iron] Which way do you want the pleats turned?
Ruth Sherwood: Toward Mecca.

---

Connections

Remade as My Sister Eileen (1955)

---

Soundtracks

"Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech"
Sung by Gordon Jones

User Reviews

The Sherwood Sisters Take New York

Rosalind Russell got her first trip to the Oscars via her performance as the sensible Ruth Sherwood who wants a career as a writer, but has to worry about looking after that other sibling of her's who moved with her to New York from Columbus, Ohio, My Sister Eileen.

Imagine if you will a story where the heroine's wise and wisecracking best friend is the lead character and you've got My Sister Eileen. In most films Russell's character would be played by Eve Arden, but here what makes the film original is that the normal supporting role is the lead. As good a job as Russell does, I kind of wish Harry Cohn had thought of Arden for the lead.

The Sherwood sisters move from Columbus to make their mark in the big city and in one respect New York hasn't changed. Housing is pretty tough to come by and the sisters have to settle for a basement apartment in Greenwich Village. The apartment is owned by George Tobias, part time artist, and full time lech. But with Janet Blair as Eileen, he's just one of many.

Most of the action takes place in the Sherwood apartment where people just seem to come and go like it was Grand Central Station. Russell's wit and intelligence might scare off some people, she interests Brian Aherne however who works at a magazine she's trying to land a job with.

As for Blair she wants to be an actress and her obvious charm and naive sex appeal have the men swarming around her. This part was Janet Blair's first big break on screen and made her career.

Rosalind Russell in getting a nomination for Best Actress got the only Oscar recognition the film received. Roz was up against one tough field. Her's was the only comedy performance in a field that included such heavy dramas as Katharine Hepburn in Keeper Of The Flame, Bette Davis in Now Voyager, and Teresa Wright in Pride Of The Yankees. The winner due to the times as well as her acting was Greer Garson for Mrs. Miniver. Given the war, I don't think any of these other ladies had a chance.

In her memoirs Rosalind Russell said that Ruth Sherwood was the first of her career woman roles, parts by the way she loved to play. I think she might have forgotten Hildy Johnson from His Girl Friday, but it's possible she thought of Hildy as an anti-career woman because what she wanted to do was leave the newspaper business and marry Ralph Bellamy. Ruth Sherwood on the other hand wants to get a career going.

My Sister Eileen is a timeless classic, it could probably be remade today with few enough changes. Russell in fact did it on Broadway in the musical Wonderful Town. She may have failed an Oscar, but she got a Tony Award for the part.

Can't you see Jessica Simpson as Eileen Sherwood? I wonder why no one's thought of it.