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

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.

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.

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.