Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)

A sailor helps two sisters start up a service canteen. The sailor soon becomes taken with gorgeous sister Jean, unaware that her sibling Patsy is also in love with him.

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Richard Connell (original screen play), Gladys Lehman (original screen play)

Stars:

Van Johnson, June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Van Johnson	...	John Dyckman Brown III
June Allyson	...	Patsy Deyo
Gloria DeHaven	...	Jean Deyo
José Iturbi	...	Jose Iturbi
Gracie Allen	...	Concerto Number
Jimmy Durante	...	Billy Kipp
Tom Drake	...	Frank Miller
Lena Horne	...	Lena Horne
Henry Stephenson	...	John Dyckman Brown I
Henry O'Neill	...	John Dyckman Brown II
Ben Blue	...	Ben
Carlos Ramírez	...	Carlos Ramirez (as Carlos Ramirez)
Frank Sully	...	Private Adams
Albert Coates	...	Albert
Donald Meek	...	Mr. Nizby

Storyline

A sailor helps two sisters start up a service canteen. The sailor soon becomes taken with gorgeous sister Jean, unaware that her sibling Patsy is also in love with him.

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Plot Keywords:

sailor | sister sister relationship | skeleton | dream sequence | warehouse | 

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Genres:

Musical | Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Two Sisters and a Sailor

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frank Sully is listed in cast position #9 in the first set of cast credits, but is omitted in the second set of credits later. Hence the opening set is used first, and completed with the remaining members in the second set not yet used.

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Quotes

Jean Deyo: If you understood, then you'd understand.

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Connections

Featured in Greedy (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Inka Dinka Doo"
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Jimmy Durante
Lyrics by Ben Ryan
Performed by Jimmy Durante
Also played by Harry James and His Music Makers

User Reviews

Doing Their Bit For The Men In Uniform

With the basic plot element taken from Great Expectations, the two girls of the title try throughout most of the Two Girls And A Sailor to figure out what did they do to become the benefactors of such incredible generosity by person or persons unknown.

June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven are the singing Devo Sisters who come from an old vaudeville family and who now sing and dance for money and then after the show hold their own informal cabaret at home. In 1944 there wasn't anything one didn't do for the service men and women.

One night they mention about that they'd really like to get a hold of an old warehouse down the street to open a really swanky nightclub/serviceman's center and the next thing you know there is Donald Meek knocking on their door with a deed in hand, signed over to them by a mysterious benefactor. And after that every time they need to pay a bill for construction, Meek's there with the money.

In between all this are a whole bunch of musical and comedy acts with songs from a variety of sources. Two Girls And A Sailor got an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and if there's nothing terribly original in taking the plot from Great Expectations, the really creative part of the script was getting all that talent in and not disturbing the story too much.

This wartime musical was MGM's launching pad for Van Johnson where he was given billing over the title. He's the sailor in the title. In fact the film was a showcase for Allyson, DeHaven, and Johnson all of whom were among the newer stars in MGM's shimmering firmament.

The film also featured one of the best of the swing era bands led by Harry James featuring one of the best singers from the Forties, Helen Forrest. Latin American music has periodically invaded mainstream America from the Tango to the Macarena and here it's represented by Xavier Cugat with Carlos Ramirez and Lina Romay doing the vocals. Comedy is supplied in ample measure by both Jimmy Durante and Gracie Allen. Durante had a featured part as an old vaudevillian that the girls remember from their childhood who is actually living in the warehouse they are gifted with. I only wish MGM had the sense to put him and Gracie Allen in a scene together.

Gracie was put in a scene however with Jose Iturbi. Louis B. Mayer always considered himself a bit more highbrow than the other Hollywood moguls, hiring opera and concert performers. Still having Jose Iturbi and his equally talented sister Amparo playing double piano is always a treat in any film.

As for who the benefactor is, the identity shall remain nameless. It's not an escaped convict like in Great Expectations. But take a look at the character names the cast has and remember the times and I think you can figure it out. Actually a mammoth size clue is given almost at the beginning of the film. But see the film for the clue and the identity.