Mia sorella Evelina

Abner! Abner! yup, that's George Tobias from "Bewitched" behind the wig and over-sized mustache playing the bushy/pushy artist and landlord in this first film version of "My Sister Eileen". Rosalind Russell and Janel Blair are sisters who come from Ohio to the big city to find fame and fortune in New York. There are some clever lines, mostly given to Russell, but it must be the direction of Alexander Hall holding this back. The Three Stooges make an appearance, and a very flat-line Brian Aherne. He keeps stepping out of the woodwork to tell Ruth (Russell) that her stories will or will not be published. Viewers will recognize Donald MacBride as the neighborhood cop, trying to keep things under control. Gordon Jones is the out of work muscle guy from upstairs, married of course, since we're well into the Hays Code by this time. He always seems to play the wrestler, the truck driver, and people named "Tex". The girls have many adventures, but the Portuguese navy is involved, and for some reason, they put Eileen (Blair) in jail, which doesn't really make sense, but you have to buy into it. It probably made more sense before it was all whitewashed for the audience. The basic story must have good footings, since the film has been remade, and it was even turned into a TV show in the 1960s. Janet Blair, who had the least experience in films at the time, turns in the best acting performance. Interesting note- Frank Quine, who had played Lippincott in the 1942 film version, directed the 1955 remake starring Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, and Betty Garrett. Haven't seen that one yet, but it must have been pretty good, since that one made it to video. and the 1955 version was a musical! one odd connection - the 42 version has George Tobias, and the 1955 version has Dick York, both would end up on the TV show "Bewitched"

Rosalind Russell was one of the finest comediennes in the American movies, and this in a period which saw the likes of Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn and others. Russell was a rarity: though all the others often played dizzy women, in her comedies, Russell always played smart, hard-edged career women (the exception was her first major comedy role, as the catty Sylvia in THE WOMEN).

At a time when HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS is set to open, with its lackadaisical heroine pursuing a writing career as she tries to make sense of her romantic entanglements, it behooves us to remember MY SISTER EILEEN, which (when it was filmed in 1942) is the prototype, as the two Sherwood sisters (Ruth, played by Rosalind Russell, and her younger sister Eileen, played by Janet Blair) come to New York City to try their hands at writing (for Ruth) and acting (for Eileen). The slapstick annoyances, the charmingly maladroit Greenwich Village denizens (part ethnic, part "bohemian"), the stereotypical romantic encounters, all make for a charming entertainment. In the wake of the sexual frankness of HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS, MY SISTER EILEEN might seem dated, but it's a lovely reminder of the wit and the humor of the generation growing up during World War II, when women were (again) finding new possibilities in the workplace, but still had the same problems finding proper dates.

Ruth McKenney's series of autobiographical articles about siblings from Columbus, Ohio relocated to wacky Greenwich Village was initially turned into a play before this movie version (it later went back to the stage as the musical "Wonderful Town", winning a Tony award for Rosalind Russell), and in 1955 was filmed again as "My Sister Eileen" with the songs. Russell appears here as Ruth (the smart, savvy sister who longs to be a writer) and Janet Blair is sister Eileen (the pretty blonde with hopes of becoming an actress). They move into the noisiest hovel in New York, with a steady stream of foot-traffic and neighbors who barge in without knocking. Some of these characters are colorful, though the comic craziness is pitched a little high, and everyone overacts (cheerfully). Russell (who got an Oscar nomination for her dryly bemused performance) sports an awful potato-chip hairstyle which must have been all the rage in 1942; her double takes and facial exaggerations are often very funny, and she plays well off Blair (they take turns playing the jester and the straight-face). Is it ridiculous and over-the-top? Absolutely. But when the results are this friendly, it's useless to complain. **1/2 from ****

Though this appears to have been filmed entirely on a sound stage, the feel of the original stories comes through. This is the Village as it has been as long as I've lived here.

Please note: I was not born when this movie came out. But maybe my mother, a writer, saw it and decided ti was for her. When I was a child we lived a few blocks from where the stories were set. And for the last decades, I have lived maybe three blocks from there. And how it has changed! And how much for the worse: Rich people, high rents and buying (who'd heard of buying an apartment in 1942?!) Noisy clubs ...

Janet Blair is fine as the title character. Rosalind Russell is very good as her sister Ruth. (The real Ruth, who wrote the stories, married Nathanael West and died tragically at a young age.) Russell is sort of like her Sylvia Fowler character in "The Women." But we can see hints of the broad style that was to come and was to sink her by the time of "Auntie Mame." George Tobias is fun as the girls' fast-talking artistic landlord. Without knowing it at the time, I rented my first Manhattan apartment from the man on whom this character was based. That was 30 years later.

Brian Ahern is OK as the male lead. He's a little stuffy, but he's meant to be. In fact, his character is insufferable. Why Ruth is drawn to him is not made clear.

I loved seeing the organ grinder near the end. I remember them on nearby Waverly Place a decade later when I was a small child! This gives a better view of the Village than any other commercial movie I can think of. It's fun and definitely is recommended..

Actually saw the 1955 musical remake first several years ago when my film taste and knowledge was nowhere near as broad and when my reviews and taste were not particularly good at all (or so from personal opinion that is). This is to confess that this was without realising at the time that this 1942 'My Sister Eileen' existed. Absolutely loved that film then, still do and slightly prefer it while enjoying this film very much.

1942's 'My Sister Eileen' is adapted from the Broadway smash, its appeal is unsurprisingly so, there have been stage hits where the appeal is a mystery by personal standards, that opinion just to say has been extremely rare with me and have really tried never to adopt that way of thinking, but not here. 'My Sister Eileen' may not be perfect but much of it is an absolute delight and it is very difficult to be too hard on it. There is a good deal of talent involved, with Rosalind Russell being the biggest name and draw, so it's hard to resist.

Do feel that the pacing is rather rushed and frenetic, and do agree that some of 'My Sister Eileen' does try too hard where it does go a little too over-the-top and become somewhat strident and chaotic.

It does have a silly story, but will be honest in saying that this film is hardly the only, first or last film from the "golden age" to not have the story as a strong suit and sometimes for that reason. Brian Aherne also has very little to work with and gets somewhat lost amidst everything else.

Having said all of this, 'My Sister Eileen' does boast some charming production values that don't look too stage-bound and is nicely photographed. There are a lot of very funny and often hilarious moments in the script and while the story and pace have their short-comings the story stays upbeat and impossible to dislike and even if the film did need a slowing down at least it engaged me and the deliciously kooky characters entertained. Got a lot of fun out of the conga sequence.

That is all thanks to a cast at the top of their game, with a few cast members reprising their roles from the stage and doing a great job at it. In support, Donald MacBride is a big standout. While Janet Blair is every bit Rosalind Russell's equal and the chemistry between them crackles Russell is the reason to see 'My Sister Eileen', her comic timing is just effortless and she is basically a joy to watch.

On the whole, not perfect but with a lot to enjoy. See it for Russell. 7/10