jeffhaller125
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.
TheLittleSongbird
There may be some aspects story-wise that are in the predictable side. However Two Sisters From Boston more than makes up for that in its sense of fun and spirit, not to mention that it is very heart-warming(especially at the end). The film is lovely to look at, with beautiful photography and appealing costumes and sets. The music is just as delightful, I may have heard more memorable songs elsewhere but they are still well-written and catchy. Including well-known operatic arias, especially Walther's Prize Song from Wagner's Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg, was a nice touch. The script is very funny and wonderfully sly, with Jimmy Durante getting the best lines. Two other scenes stood out, the audio joke with the dog(looking exactly like the RCA Victor Logo) in the Prize Song recording scene and Peter Lawford reviving June Allyson with gin. And I got the sense that with the acting everybody seemed to be having fun. Peter Lawford and Kathryn Grayson are charming in their performances, and Jimmy Durante makes the most out of his role, which is just as sly and as enjoyable as his dialogue. But my favourites were June Allyson(for me one of her better performances and films) whose innocence and unforced comic timing really shone, and Lauritz Melchior, who will delight any opera fan with his large, ringing and never tired voice which is used to great effect in the Prize Song.(he has often been criticised for lack of musicianship but there have been times where he has shown he has it(the 1931 version of the Meistersinger Quintet with Elisabeth Schumann as Eva and Friederich Schorr as Hans Sachs) and regardless I always find him exciting to listen to) All in all, a truly lovely film and very difficult not to like. 9/10 Bethany Cox
wes-connors
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
mallad
June Allyson takes full advantage of the chance to show off her comic talent in this charming film set in turn-of-the- century New York. Kathryn Grayson, who was at the time a bigger star, is in fine voice. Lauritz Melchior and Jimmy Durante make substantial contributions to the fun. It's the first time June Allyson and Peter Lawford were paired, and he is delightful. But it is June's film, and one of her best during her MGM years. Unfortunately, it wasn't filmed in technicolor.
AD
