Here you have a film that has two female leads, mo male lead, one male romantic interest (Peter Lawford) who is not top billed, and it's set at the.turn of the 20th Century. Not the usual recipe for a successful 1940s film. And yet according to MGM records, it was a hit and It Happened in Brooklyn, starring Frank Sinatra and Grayson with Lawford, made the following year with a contemporary, even timely story and three great songs, was not. And yet I liked Two Sisters. It was well produced, had a good supporting cast, and there was an effort to reflect the period. A thing that impressed me was that the girls in the chorus at the saloon where Grayson is performing were not displaying 1940w sexy legs and rehearsall shows but were covered up, which made sense for a story set in 1900. Grayson displayed more comic timing than usual and, in addition to her usual singing of classical music, seemed at home with the saloon numbers. And her scene in which she breaks out of the ensemble to sing high notes to impress her family in the audience was well done--she even got to take a bow--and made me laugh. Lauritz Melchior seemed more relaxed than usual, perhaps enjoying, as Grayson seemed to, the chance at broader comedy. And Jimmy Durante, always funny, had a more substantial part than MGM usually have him. It is not a well known film, which is sad. It is worth a look.
Review of Two Sisters from Boston
