User Reviews

I first saw "My Sister Eileen" years ago as a kid. In the early 90's, I saw the film at a tribute to Betty Garrett at which she was present to answer questions. I found her to be a wonderful person full of humor and warm remembrances of her co-stars and experience in Hollywood. She talked candidly about the blacklist that kept her and husband Larry Parks out of films for several years until she made this film, but did not show any signs of bitterness over the experience. What a wonderful lady!

Anyway, the film still holds up 46 years later as a fresh and entertaining remake of the Rosalind Russell film of the 40's which I have yet to see. Russell had done the Broadway musical version, "Wonderful Town", which was also done as a TV special some time during the 50's as well. Since Leonard Bernstein was not willing to let his music go without a huge price, Columbia instead hired Jule Styne to write the music. I have seen the TV version of "Wonderful Town" which is enjoyable, but this film brings the story to life in color and with beautiful location footage of New York's Greenwich Village. Shots of the surrounding area including the famous Washington Square make this a must for lovers of the Big Apple. Having visited Greenwich Village several times in the past couple years, I was amazed by how much it has NOT changed! This aspect alone makes "My Sister Eileen" seem as fresh today as it was during its initial release.

As Eileen, Janet Leigh is perky and lovable, but it is Betty Garrett who steals the scene as Ruth with her wonderfully likable personality. The not-so-plain jane, Garrett is a struggling writer who comes to New York from Ohio with her pretty sister (Leigh) whom all the boys go gaga over, making Ruth feel unattractive. Before you know it, Eileen has the attentions of sweet Bob Fosse and scoundral Tommy Rall, while Ruth finds herself attracted to publisher Jack Lemmon. In only his third year in Hollywood films, Lemmon had proved himself to be a versitile actor. This was one of three musical remakes he did at Columbia during the mid 50's. The other two were "Three For the Show" (a remake of "Too Many Husbands") and "You Can't Run Away From It" (a remake of "It Happened One Night"). He sings one song ("It's Bigger Than You or Me"), and doesn't do too badly!

Then, there are two other characters who fit into the storyline: shyster landlord Kurt Kasznar, and athlete neighbor Dick York (of "Bewitched" fame). Kasznar, Rall, and Fosse had all appeared together in MGM's "Kiss Me Kate". Rall and Fosse's rival dance shows the potential of the future Broadway legend Fosse who went onto create the dances in such memorable musicals as "Pippin" and "Chicago" (as well as direct several classic musical films). Fosse's creative touch is clearly visible here.

The musical highlight is the "Give Me a Band" number with a tipsy Garrett leading Leigh, Rall, and Fosse in a dance number with invisible musical instruments. The other songs are hardly classics, but in this film, that just doesn't matter; the shear magic of New York's Greenwich Village and the wonderful stars make this an all-time classic.

In comparing this to "Wonderful Town", I can say listening to the Original Broadway Cast and viewing the video of the TV special, I would like to have seen Bernstein's songs in the film as compared to Jule Styne's. The production number of "Christopher Street" (which is not even mentioned in this film) is ironic considering that 15 years after it was written, Christopher Street would become part of another legend: the Stonewall riots for Gay and Lesbian rights. Then, there are two other production numbers lead by Russell: "Swing" and "Conga", which is done in "My Sister Eileen" as a non-sung dance number. Eileen, as played by Edie Adams, comes off as unknowingly selfish, while Leigh's Eileen is a seemingly goody-goody miss perfect. Russell and Garrett are both perfect as Eileen, and I am glad that Garrett had the chance to play the part which Russell had already done on film the decade before.

This is one of those properties which yield incredible mileage in a relatively short time-span. It started life as a series of short stories about two sisters from Ohio. The stories became a film which in turn became a Broadway musical and when Columbia ran into trouble securing the rights to the Broadway musical they simply made their own smaller scale musical and tapped Jule Styne for the music and Leo Robin for the lyrics, both more than able to stand comparison with Lennie Bernstein and Comden and Green, arguably the most overrated lyricists of the forties and fifties. Janet Leigh struggles to reach ho-hum as the (on paper) irrestible Eileen whilst Betty Garrett leaves Leigh dead in the water. It remains a pleasant enough movie for one viewing.

I caught this film on one of those new retro TV channels that are popping up right and left, and was immediately drawn in by the look of the film. There's something about the film stock of the 1940s to 1960s that is just gorgeous. The film was pretty obviously shot on a lot for NYC, but that helps make the lighting perfect.

The film is bit scattered about what it wants to be, although it is clearly a musical about two sisters, one gorgeous ingénue, another a much older spinster-to-be.

It's Singing in the Rain meets Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, except without anywhere near the amount of greatness of those two films.

The trajectory of the romances is oh-so-predictable, and about half the musical numbers are maudlin and unwanted. The conga-line number is fun towards the end, so yeah, if you are on the fence about musicals, I guarantee you will turn this one off.

Janet Leigh is strong, but pedestrian as the hot sister. Betty Garrett is incessantly a downer, and it's a real stretch to think that Jack Lemmon would fall for her, especially when he's seen escorting assorted gorgeous Manhattan models around earlier.

Yes, Jack Lemmon is in it, as is Dick York, as an uncharacteristic athletic protector, but he fits it well. Bob Fosse is even in here, unrecognizable as the super-straight love interest for Janet Leigh. Jack Lemmon perks interest, particularly looking young and sharp here, but his character isn't given much to do, which is a serious waste.

I blame whoever produced and wrote this film for its failure to be a lasting classic, because it isn't. However, it's not a bad film, but for the high Hollywood standards of the time, the plot and interest level of this picture somehow slipped past, and it's pretty much phoned in.

That said, its top-notch production values, occasionally impressive dance numbers (including Fosse) make it watchable (if you're kind of paying attention to something else.)

"Singin' in the Rain" seems to be everyone's favorite musical and I can understand why. It's undemanding, funny, has great songs, a fine book, and superlative dancing. But "My Sister Eileen" must be right up there in the second rank.

Bob Fosse has never been better, and Tommy Ralls gets a lot of screen time. Fosse was a great dancer. The "airplane" number that Gene Kelly does in "An American in Paris" is done here by Fosse but at a furious rate, as if he were a jet compared to Kelly's propeller-drive C 47. Not to put Kelly down. He oozed charm and I love the guy, but his terpsichorean accomplishments were a shade below those of dancers like Fosse and Astaire.

In this movie -- whose plot is out-dated, a couple of young girls come to the Village to be stars and run into odd characters -- Fosse has never been better on screen. He had a good number in "Kiss Me Kate," but there wasn't enough of him. Here he does a "competition ballet" with Tommy Ralls that boggles the mind. I won't even try to describe it. At the end, both do a back flip, something Fosse always had trouble with. And it's all done to music that has no tune. It's just an ongoing riff.

That's one of the problems with the film itself. The numbers aren't that good. "Singin' in the Rain" had songs that had passed the threshold and become standards. Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown. The songs in "My Sister Eileen" are tied closely to events in the plot but they aren't memorable. The story itself is dated. Greenwich Village is not what it was in 1954, when people left their windows open and you could sleep on the benches in Washington Square, as I know all too well.

But, plot aside, back to Fosse's choreography. Nothing that Kelly or Astaire did -- with the very notable exception of Donald O'Connor's famous "Make 'em Laugh" -- is as hilarious as Fosse's choreography on the band stand. It would take too long to describe it so I'll not try to do it.

Neither Janet Leigh nor Betty Garrett had much in the way of musical training but they hold up their end of the deal quite well. The dialog isn't as keen as it seems to think it is but it has its felicities. Betty Garret is trying to talk Fosse out of being so shy in his pursuit of Eileen. Garret: "Faint heart never won fair lady." Fosse: "You mean I should just take the bit in my teeth?" Garret: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Fosse (in a discouraged tone): "That's easier said than done."

If you like musical comedies, and especially if you appreciate Bob Fosse, you will enjoy this. Poor Fosse. One of his girlfriends mentioned him in the same breath as Michael Baryshnikov, and Fosse looked down and blushed with humiliation. I don't know why.

What a combination of amazing talent! Jule Styne (future composer of "Gypsy" and "Funny Girl") and Leo Robin (Styne's collaborator on "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes") wrote the songs, the early Fosse choreography is exceptional (LOVE the dance duel with him and Tommy Rall), Blake Edwards co-wrote the screenplay, and Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh are incredibly appealing. Lots of similarities to "On The Town" (possibly why they chose to start fresh and not do the Bernstein-Comden-Green version "Wonderful Town"?) Anyway, this is a delight for anyone who loves a good old fashioned 1950's Hollywood musical.