Two Sisters from Boston (1946) watch online HD

Being a great fan of Lauritz Melchior, I was extremely delighted to be able to see the few movies he made in 40's last night on TCM. The four times he sings in the picture were, for me, extreme highlights, especially when he sang 'Morgenlich leuchtend im rosigem Schein'.

June Allyson was a delight and the act she did in the night club, left me laughing. Alot was based on her innocence and it worked great.

Kathryn Grayson was also a delight and the film was very clearly made to showcase her and Melchior. But even so, she did come out in glorious voice and made her and Allyson's characters people to care about.

Jimmy Durante was also a great treat as the club manager and hood, using like phraise: 'I don't know nothin' alot to make people do what he wanted.

To finalise this comment, for me it was Lauritz Melchior who steeled the show every time he was on the screen, but the story was good with a happy ending where everyone had what they wanted.

This is not the type of movie I would usually tune in to, but with the Turner Classic Movie channel as a new addition to my cable line up, I thought I'd give it a try. It turned out to be a fairly entertaining little number, showcasing Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson as runaways from Boston society and all its' hoity toity poofery. Throw in Jimmy Durante as a saloon owner in the Bowery, and you get a funny, fast paced musical comedy, that throws in a bit of opera just to maintain a proper snob level.

In the story, the Boston Chandler's receive dubious word of Abigail in New York City where she's top billed as High 'C' Suzie, a dance hall girl at The Golden Rooster. It's supposed to be a quick job to raise money for opera lessons, but you know how things go. Sister Martha (Allyson) attempts to set Abigail/Suzie on the right path, but all bets are pretty much off when Spike Merango (Durante) weaves his way into various scenarios to protect his headline girl. Spike's forte is feigning past associations with various influential characters in the story, and dismantling their composure with an oft repeated "I don't know nothing'". He gets more results by not knowing anything than anyone I've ever seen.

If you're an opera fan, you'll know of Lauritz Melchior, famous Danish opera star who made his mark at the Metropolitan Opera and became a character player for MGM in his later years. He gets to sing quite often in the story, though he manages to get upstaged by his pet dog once, who impersonates the RCA Victor canine in a funny scene. In case you're wondering, he sings quite well for this layman's ear.

Peter Lawford provides a bit of a romantic element in the story as he becomes smitten first with Abigail and then Martha. His character isn't fully fleshed out, with most of his time attempting to evade the prim and proper eyes of his upper crust parents (Thurston Hall and Nella Walker). Part of the story's fun comes from the mistaken notion that his father keeps a mistress, though that angle plays out pretty quickly.

Besides being entertaining, I found the film to be educational too, or at least I was intrigued enough to follow up on something. When it was mentioned twice that Aunt Harriet ran off with the hurdy gurdy man, I began wondering whether Donovan made that whole thing up or if there really is such a thing. It turns out that a hurdy gurdy is a musical instrument dating back to twelfth century Europe correctly known as a 'vielle'. It's a stringed instrument that also has a keyboard and a wooden wheel to make music, which sounds like a cross between a fiddle and a bagpipe, with a kazoo like sound keeping time.

Can you imagine that? And all the while as I watched the movie, I thought the hurdy gurdy man might be somebody like Jimmy Durante.

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.

Two Sisters From Boston is one of those comedies that will probably have less and less appeal since the coming generations might not know about the peculiar foibles of Boston, that were still operating in some quarters in 1946. The story is set at the turn of the last century in the time of what could be labeled George Apley's Boston.

Scandal is about to break when it is discovered that one of the Chandler sisters, Kathryn Grayson, is discovered to be the notorious High C Susie who headlines at a Bowery nightclub. The explanation is real simple, Kathryn's uncle Harry Hayden has been real stingy even though he's financing her voice lessons, the money for living just isn't there, so Kathryn is singing for her supper. In most places even in 1900 that would raise no problems, but not in Boston where coincidentally enough Hayden's running for mayor.

In rushes the other Chandler sister, June Allyson, to help save the family honor. In the process her little schemes manage to involve the family with Peter Lawford and his parents who are opera patrons, tenor Lauritz Melchior and Bowery theater entertainer Jimmy Durante. This film must have been a bit of nostalgia for Durante, it was at clubs like these where High C Susie headlines that Durante got his start during this same period.

Peter Lawford plays his part like a young George Apley in training. It might have been interesting casting if instead of Thurston Hall to play his part they could have gotten Ronald Colman albeit for a small role.

Both Grayson and Allyson get show their respective styles as singers and Lauritz Melchior is fine as the egotistical Wagnerian tenor. His was a limited casting potential so Melchior only made a few films over at MGM. The score written by Sammy Fain and Ralph Freed provided no big hits, but managed to accommodate Grayson, Allyson, Melchior, and Durante an eclectic group of singers if there ever was one.

Enjoy Two Sisters From Boston while you can while jokes about Boston's puritanical standards are still understood.

"Two Sisters from Boston" (1946) is an amusing mix of romance, comedy, and music. MGM's Pasternak unit skillfully hedged its bets by offering opera (Wagner and Liszt are represented, but in English), music hall ribaldry, and plenty of "cheesecake" -- i.e., feminine legs on display.

Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson play two Boston sisters from an upright Back Bay family. The family isn't poor, but the paterfamilias (a suitably dour Henry Hayden) is notoriously stingy. One of the sisters -- Abigail, played by Miss Grayson -- is allowed to go to New York to study opera. But her skinflint uncle doesn't give her enough expense money to pay her rent, so Abby takes a part-time job in a Bowery saloon, where she stars as "High C" Susie, singing with Spike (Jimmy Durante) in low-comedy skits.

Word gets out, and the outraged Bostonians travel south to New York to check out the rumors for themselves. There, the younger sister Martha (June Allyson) confronts Lawrence Patterson Jr. (Peter Lawford), son of the opera impresario, and demands to know what's happened to her sister. Lawrence Jr. is clueless, but he is instantly smitten with Martha, and from that point on he makes it his business to see that her sister Abigail gets an opera audition.

There is a lot of sly humor involved -- Jimmy Durante, in probably the best role of his career, covers for both Abigail and Martha in between hilarious bits on the stage of his Bowery auditorium. Ben Blue, who early in the film shows up at the saloon and heckles Durante during his act, turns out to be a staid butler at the Patterson mansion. Durante recognizes him and discovers that he has amnesia except when he is drunk. In a hilarious scene, Blue slowly gets in his cups, then blurts out to the startled Patterson family: "She's High C Susie! She's the Belle of the Bowery!" and points directly at Abigail, who's about to audition for the opera. But Martha is standing right next to Abby, and she declares to the shocked gathering that SHE, not Abigail, is the true "Belle of the Bowery." Now she has to prove it.

All this, plus at least three operatic arias by the great Danish baritone Lauritz Melchior, and a happy operatic debut by young Abigail. Lawrence Jr. attends Martha's game attempt to substitute for the Belle of the Bowery, sees through the artifice, and falls deeply in love with her. At the end, Abigail is seen singing gloriously on stage in full operatic regalia, while Lawrence Jr. and Martha are nuzzling in the box seats.

And a great time was had by all.

Dan Navarro -- [email protected]

Jimmy Durante was a comedic force of nature. He stole almost every scene he appeared in, putting those around him in the shade. And Lauritz Melchior also turned out to be a great natural comedian. (Who would have thunk it? The great Wagnerian tenor of his generation, not a great actor in those roles from all reports, turned out to be a naturally funny guy on screen.) So, I had great hopes for this movie.

But they were dashed. The two really have only one good scene together.

Instead, the majority of this movie is devoted to June Allyson, who went on to do much better things, and Kathryn Grayson, whom I have never liked, saddled with an awful script. (Even though she is very closely miked, the last scene of the movie, in which we hear Grayson singing with Melchior, sounds like a duet between a lion and a shrill mouse.)

The result: a really forgettable movie.

If only MGM had seen the comedic potential of Melchior and Durante together in the same movie.

Nice turn of the century film where Kathryn Grayson comes to N.Y. to sing in a joint. Her presence there threatens a scandal in her native Boston as her uncle is the Republican candidate for mayor of the town.

He comes with his wife to investigate and the fun starts. June Allyson is her sister and Jimmy Durante, the owner of the place where Grayson is singing. To save Grayson, Durante arranges for her to sing at the opera with the established Lauritz Melchior.

Peter Lawford, falls for Allyson but thinks that Grayson is having an affair with his father.

The picture becomes funny at times but needed technicolor to brighten it up.

Ben Blue is funny as a drunken waiter and Melchior shows some comedic gift here.

A pleasant film capturing the turn of the century musical traditions in America.

Here's a film that's a pleasure to view and hear. All departments work together, as does the talented cast, to make this a fun-filled experience.

Jimmy Durante ties the various comedic elements together with spunk and verve. Katheryn Grayson sings her operatic selections beautifully, yet it's her skill in the honky-tonk numbers that surprises and delights. Likewise June Allyson works smoothly on several levels, as does Peter Lawford.

The musical team has skillfully crafted operatic arias and montages for Lauriz Melchoir that shows off his glorious heldentenor marvelously. The entire production is fun-filled and thoroughly pleasant. It may seem like a modest effort, but there's a lot of solid craftsmanship at its core.

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

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

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.

A little on the predictable side but a lot of fun. Lots of misunderstandings and confusion but it all works out in the end. Kathryn Grayson shows a side of herself (no pun intended) that is not seen in her other films. She has a flair for comedy and does a good job as a Bowery singer as well as an Opera star. June Allyson shows that she can handle anything they throw at her as well. No really memorable songs (though I did like "G'wan Home Yer Mudder's Callin'"). Lauritz Melchior is in full voice and Jimmy Durante seemed to be having a lot of fun with his role. I just watched it again on TCM and it was as much fun as when I originally saw it.

From 1946, "Two Sisters from Boston" stars Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson as -- well, two sisters from Boston at the turn of the century. Grayson is Abigail Chandler, who wants to make it as an opera singer in New York, but winds up singing with Spike (Jimmy Durante) in a burlesque house. When Martha (Allyson) comes to visit with their parents, Abigail claims that she's singing at the opera house, and they buy tickets.

Spike is an old hand at getting into places. He intimates to the staff that she is the girlfriend of a big patron, Patterson, and gets her into the chorus. Abigail incurs Olstrum's wrath when she keeps interpolating high notes during his aria.

Peter Lawford is Patterson's son Lawrence and is terribly upset when he thinks his father is having an affair with Abigail. That's straightened out, and Lawrence becomes interested in Martha. Now, how to keep his upper crust family from knowing that Abigail is High C Susie in a Burlesque house?

Sweet film, heartwarming, with Jimmy Durante hilarious as he pretends past scandalous associations with well-known people to get into places and get favors. June Allyson is delightful with her relaxed comedy that came out of her character. Peter Lawford - I can never get over how handsome he was. Kathryn Grayson had a very pretty voice though a screechy top and was charming as Abigail.

I just don't understand how anyone hired her for roles that absolutely, positively did not fit that fluttery light soprano: Apparently she performed La Boheme, La Traviata, and Madama Butterfly on the opera stage. No idea what they were thinking. She should have been singing Don Pasquale, Daughter of the Regiment, Mignon. As bad as Jeanette McDonald singing Tosca.

In this film, the studio took concertos for violin, etc., and turned them into classical music rather than having actual operas. The exception was in some of Lauritz Melchior's music. With the end of World War II before this movie began filming, he was able to sing Wagner once again. He was one of the greatest heldentenors who ever lived, and his specialty was in Wagnerian roles. Here he knocks your socks off with a sequence from Lohengrin and Preislied from Der Meistersinger. Magnificent.

The best sequence was Melchior's recording session where his dog sat in front of the megaphone-shaped phonograph in an exact replication of the RCA logo, and someone said, "His master's voice." Fabulous.

Fun movie. I wish they'd used some real operas, though, instead of "Marie Antoinette" which was really Violin Concerto in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

High-C Susie! that's hilarious. and it's Abigail Chandler's stage name when she gets on stage to do her burlesky. Keep an eye out for Jimmy Durante doing his awesome shtick. He was a pro fer sure. fun to watch Durante work fun word-play into a song. When Abby's sister comes for a visit from back home, she tries to keep her from finding out the truth about her on stage performances. Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson co-star as sisters in this musical from MGM. Peter Lawford is in here as Lawrence Patterson. and Grady Sutton and Barbara Billingsly are in here as party extras, according to imdb. It's okay... it travels the line between comedy and serious period piece, and mostly succeeds. a funny number where she gets down to her bloomers and sings "after the show". i was never a big fan of either June Allyson or Peter Lawford, but if you turn down to high octave arias, the story is pretty good. I'll give this one an "okay". shows occasionally on Turner Classics.

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.

Too much time in TWO SISTERS FROM BOSTON is given to the shenanigans of Jimmy Durante and the robust singing of Lauritz Melchior. Very little actually in the way of significant musical interludes for Miss Grayson, which is a shame. Added to that, the plot is a rambling one which goes all over the map in providing subplots about mistaken identity, etc.

Production values are fine, but it's clear that MGM missed an opportunity to film this one in color, what with the costumes and settings so lavishly displayed. The turn of the century atmosphere is convincingly handled. Peter Lawford and June Allyson are teamed romantically (as usual), and Grayson does finally get her chance to do some operatic singing for the story's finale.

Nevertheless, it's a disappointing showcase for her vocally, even if the role itself provides some singing and dancing. June Allyson is given more opportunities to shine, but it's not one of her best roles either.

Summing up: A disappointing trifle.

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.