Must See Movie...

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Producer: Joe Pasternak. A Henry Koster Production. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. Copyright 26 February 1946 by Loew's Inc. New York opening at the Capitol: 6 June 1946. U.S. release: April 1946. U.K. release: 24 June 1946. Australian release: 17 October 1946. 10,229 feet. 113 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Two Boston girls go to New York to find song and/or romance. NOTES: One of the top 36 boxoffice attractions in U.S.-Canadian cinemas for 1945-46.COMMENT: Bright and breezy musical especially in its first half before the plot gets too involved with grand opera and the aristocratic Lawfords. Mr Durante is in top form and has some really funny dialogue and made-to-order patter songs. The climax, an imaginary opera Marie Antoinette, obviously designed to utilize Adrian costumes from the Norma Shearer film, does not otherwise impress, especially as it is played straight when earlier on the whole notion of grand opera is gently ridiculed. Miss Grayson's voice as usual is poorly recorded. Melchior is hammy even when playing straight, Miss Allyson is much as usual. It is Mr Durante and the movie's supporting players that are its real joy. Harry Hayden in particular is given some delightfully stinging additional dialogue by James O'Hanlon and Harry Crane. Koster's direction is more lively than usual. Surtees has given it a nice period atmosphere and flavor with unusual-for-a-musical film noir lighting. Dance director Jack Donohue is at his best in the zesty Bowery numbers.

I saw this movie for the first time about 40 years ago and loved it. It came on TCM today and I was afraid I was going to be disappointed. NOT AT ALL!!! If anything it is even better than I remembered. The script is really tight; no loose ends. Silly? Of course, but what wonderful silliness. And there is some pretty clever humor. Some serious laughs. The songs for it are pretty bad, but how much fun it was when MGM took classical music and used it as opera arias. Melchior is astounding in that the voice is so huge and so sweet and his diction in English, impeccable. Durante is lovable even when he gets a bit annoying. And Grayson really had a beauty that is unlike anyone else's; her singing style is a matter of taste. But as is often the case, June Allyson steals the show just by being herself. Her soubrette number near the end is adorable and in its own way very, very sweet! This is what they used to call a family musical. Thank God for Turner Classic Movies.

Kathryn Grayson is an aspiring opera star and, trying to make it to the top, spends time and makes money in something like a burlesque show. (But, she keeps her clothes on, of course). I believe it's in Chicago. Her family is a prominent one, that's been part of the upper crust in Boston for generations now, which includes sister June Allyson, who is unhappy. When word gets back to the family that their daughter is in with the wrong crowd and not studying and/or performing in opera, they hightail it there and try to get her to leave. That is just the beginning.Costarring Jimmy Durante (who's great), Peter Lawford, and Lauritz Melchior as an opera star, this is a very funny and satisfying film, despite its relatively quiet and under-praised existence in the world of musical comedies. The only complaint I have is that, while Miss Grayson has a beautiful voice, she is never given any particularly great songs to sing, other than in the opera at the end of the movie.And, Miss Allyson has never been funnier. With her trying to be so proper all the time and going back and forth between fainting and being slightly intoxicated and hiccuping, she was hilarious. It seems more like June's movie than Kathryn's. And, there's a misunderstanding about the sisters to boot. If you want to have a good time with June and Kathryn, then this is for you.

I found two highlights in "Two Sisters from Boston". The first involves the dog of the big opera star (played by Lauritz Melchior). It sits ever so quietly during the opera star's songs, which I thought were poorly dubbed in this movie. No matter how loud (and gets very loud!) the opera star sings, the dog quietly shows no reaction. However, later on, one of the star's performances is recorded, and played. Suddenly, the dog jumps up and does a dead-on impression of the RCA Victor logo - someone comments, "His Master's Voice!" That was very well done.Second, there is a scene where Peter Lawford revives a fainted June Allyson with gin. Smart man! Ms. Allyson steals the film from "pretty" star Kathryn Grayson. Jimmy Durante is entertaining; he also uses the bottle to revive Allyson. Allyson's comic performance is fresh and natural; later comic roles seem more forced and unnatural. Unfortunately, the movie gets too far off Allyson. I really didn't care about the other characters, and they sucked up a lot of screen time.You might have to be a big opera fan (or fan of Mr. Melchior) to thoroughly enjoy this movie. **** Two Sisters from Boston (1946) Henry Koster ~ June Allyson, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante