Customer Reviews

My Sister Eileen

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most folks will pay attention to this film becuase it's an early piece by choreographer Bob Fosse -- but it is a fun bit of froth that easily stands on its own. An absolutely delightful musical comedy, starring Betty Garrett as a smart smalltown girl determined to make it in New York City. She moves there with her with her glamourous, ditzy sister Eileen, whose good looks open more doors than do Garrett's brains and moxie. A nice film about struggling to get ahead in the Big Apple, with a script that takes its time and several exuberently goofy dance numbers, gleefully choreographed by a young Bob Fosse, who also plays one of the sister's avid suitors. The penultimate dance scene is side-splittingly hilarious, featuring a swarm of recently disembarked Cuban sailors on the prowl for American women, who form an inexhaustable conga line that snakes chaotically through the gal's tiny apartment. Thoroughly entertaining... a great, lighthearted film with some fabulous acting and bright, winning performances by all involved.

MY SISTER EILEEN was Columbia's answer when they could not secure the film rights to WONDERFUL TOWN, the hugely-successful Broadway musical version of Ruth McKenney's "Eileen Stories". Columbia had previously filmed MY SISTER EILEEN to acclaim in 1942 with Rosalind Russell as Ruth and Janet Blair as Eileen. Roz later wowed Broadway when she made her musical Ruth debut in WONDERFUL TOWN in 1953 (playing the role again for a TV version of the tuner in 1957). This musical version of MY SISTER EILEEN features a score that cannot even compare with that for WONDERFUL TOWN (despite the music by Jule Styne - `Mr Broadway Overture' himself).

Betty Garrett is good casting for the role of plain-speaking Ruth, and Janet Leigh makes the role of flirty Eileen her own. Jack Lemmon plays Ruth's boss Bob Baker (he has a charming musical style) whilst Bob Fosse and Tommy Rall play two suitors competing for Eileen's hand. Dick York (of `Bewitched' fame) plays the girls' helpful footballing-neighbour Wreck and Kurt Kasznar plays the double-talking landlord Appopolous to perfection. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The DVD presents a great new anamorphic print of the film. Extras consist of the original trailer plus trailers of other classic Columbia releases.

Music by Jule Styne, a superb dance "duel" with Tommy Rall & Bob Fosse (who appeared together earlier in Kiss Me Kate) make this a sadly overlooked musical.

What a great movie! It is refreshing to see so much energy brought to the silver screen. The casting makes this movie! It has something for everyone: dancing, singing, funny misunderstandings, apartment problems and much more. This movie provides the entire family with good clean entertainment which is almost extinct in today's Hollywood. Jack Lemmon is wonderful opposite Betty Garrett. Janet Leigh also does a superb job as the sister with everything!

I saw this movie when I was a teenager and going to the movies was a big thing for me then-----what I remember best about it was the terrific dancing----and, of course, who could ever get tired of looking at Janet Leigh---seeing it again enables one to look at it more closely and realize how really enjoyable it is.

A great cast with Jack Lemon and Betty Garrett doing a great job together and Bob Fosse showing why he is among the greatest dancers of our time.

During the 1940s-50s, MGM may have led the way when it came to movie musicals, but Columbia certainly turned out a few classic tuners also, such as COVER GIRL, YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER, PAL JOEY and this delightful 1955 release, adapted from the popular stage play by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov.

Richard Quine directed the comedy about two Ohio girls who come to New York. Eileen (Janet Leigh), the beauty who is always attracting men, wants to become an actress, while Ruth (Betty Garrett), the more practical one, hopes to make it as a writer.

The girls move into a Greenwich Village basement apartment that has no curtains, no hot water and sits over a spot where they are blasting for the New York subway. Then, they go out to seek their fortunes.

Jack Lemmon, Bob Fosse, who choreographed the film, Tommy Rall and the Brazilian Navy play the men in the sisters' lives, while Dick York, Lucy Marlow and Kurt Kasznar are among their neighbors.

The Jule Styne-Leo Robin songs are charming, as is the cast, particularly Ms. Garrett, one of the most under-appreciated musical performers of her day. Her numbers are a high point in the picture, as is an energetic dance number performed by Mr. Fosse and Mr. Rall.

© Michael B. Druxman

I just watched this movie again and it was just as good as before! I had seen the original, non-musical, version starring Rosalind Russell so I watched the movie having an idea as how it would turn out. It was very close to the original with some slight changes...Which really weren't bad at all (They made Frank Lippencott a much more likeable character.) I must say, I really can't decide which I like better! The songs are cute and the dancing, well the dancing is great! We have Tommy Rall and Bob Fosse together again! And the acting was really good also. I might fast forward Jack Lemmon's one song for the younger set..they probably wouldn't get it, but I don't like it anyways. Really the only squabble I have is Wreck's missing song! In the Ros Russell movie he had a song he would sing to himself, "I'm a rambling wreck from Georgia tech and a heck of an engineer..." I think..I might be wrong on the lyrics, but either way it was cute!

loved this movie. i am not a jack lemmon fan but it was cute and funny and its now part of my collection

This is a fun movie that wears well and is still enjoyable over the years.