My Sister Eileen *** (1942, Rosalind Russell, Janet Blair, Brian Aherne) – Classic Movie Review 7261

Director Alexander Hall’s 1942 comedy My Sister Eileen stars Rosalind Russell and Janet Blair as Ohio country girls Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, who have adventures in New York where from their basement apartment they have a worm’s eye view of Greenwich Village’s colourful characters.

My Sister Eileen is by turns snappy and soapy, with bright performances and equally bright handling that inject as much zip as the project requires. Blair amuses as Eileen, but the show is stolen by the wonderfully exuberant Russell as her sister Ruth. Russell was Oscar nominated as Best Actress. She was nominated for four Oscars, including also for Sister Kenny (1946) Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) and Auntie Mame (1958), but never won.

A musical version followed in 1955, also called My Sister Eileen, and on Broadway it appeared as the stage show Wonderful Town. Russell gained an Oscar nomination.

Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov’s screenplay is based on Ruth McKinney’s New Yorker stories and a play version by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov.

Also in the cast are Brian Aherne, Allyn Joslyn, George Tobias, Elizabeth Patterson, June Havoc, Grant Mitchell, Richard Quine, Donald McBride, Gordon Jones, Jeff Donnell, Clyde Fillmore, Minna Phillips, Frank Sully, Charles La Torre, Danny Mummert, Almira Sessions, Kirk Alyn, George Adrian, Tom Lincir, Ann Doran, Bob Kelland, Forrest Tucker, The Three Stooges, Walter Sande, Pat Lane, Ralph Dunn and Arnold Stang.

It is on Icons of Screwball Comedy 1 [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import]. 

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7261

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