My Sister Eileen (1942)

My Sister Eileen is stagy, stodgy and stale but Rosalind Russell is a revelation yet again as the unsung, untried and inexperienced writer from Ohio who moves to New York with her blond sibling. A mundane type of hilarity ensues but Russell's mannerisms, delivery and double takes are classic film comedy. Russell is ably supported by a cast that includes Janet Blair and Elizabeth Mrs. Trumbull Patterson so it's unfortunate the story just has no spark or relevance.

• Read 3 Lines About My Sister Eileen, the 1955 screen musical.
• Read a write-up of the various stage and screen versions of the source newspaper column, My Sister Eileen - a precursor to Sex And The City?

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