"MY SISTER EILEEN" ROSALIND RUSSELL, BRIAN AHERNE SATURDAY 8:00 P.M. EASTERN TCM

Oznell · ‎11-08-2014

8:00 p.m. Eastern-- "My Sister Eileen" Rosalind Russell, Janet Blair, Brian Aherne

Not to be confused with the later Fifties version with Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh and Jack Lemmon. This is a madcap romp that owes something to classic screwball comedy.

Rosalind Russell is the "serious" intellectual sister, a reporter for a Columbus, Ohio newspaper. Janet Blair is the "glamorous" one, aspiring to an acting career. They make some rather comedic missteps in Ohio, which make them decide hastily to try their luck in New York, where they secure a dank, Greenwich village apartment, and meet a variety of characters and potential suitors.

New York offers even wider scope for the kookiness that always accompanies these sisters. We get an amusing look at what it might be like for young women pursuing challenging careers in the Forties in the big city.

I adore Rosalind Russell. Interestingly, she was frequently cast as a reporter or writer. She has a quality of intelligence and self-awareness, along with that wry, knockabout humor, that makes her a natural in these roles. Those qualities also serve her in her guise as the sister who is not considered a beauty, but is valued for her brains. (Although it stretches credulity to think of the radiant Russell as a non-beauty.) She won an Oscar nomination for this part. Enjoyable Saturday night movie.

ETA: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/332826/My-Sister-Eileen-Movie-Cilp-Cold-Hard-Facts.html