His Butler's Sister (B&W)

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His Butler's Sister (B&W)

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Date: 2008-06-12
Deanna delights in story of mixed identities
One of Deanna Durbin's best movies of the period, HIS BUTLER'S SISTER (1943) features the adorable songbird in a comedic story of mixed identities and showbusiness dreams. Co-starring with Franchot Tone, one of her most formidable and appealing leading men, Deanna shines brightly here!

Stagestruck teen Ann Carter (Deanna Durbin) gets off the train in New York city, and goes to stay with her rich older brother (Pat O'Brien) in his ritzy mansion. Unbeknownst to Ann, he's actually the butler of young Broadway composer Charles Gerard (Franchot Tone). Desperate to appear on the stage one way or another, Ann plays along with her brother and becomes the new maid, in a bid to kick-start her showbiz career. All manner of hilarious comic hijinks and mixed identities ensue before Ann's musical dreams are realised...and Charles falls head over heels for his butler's sister!

Deanna gets to sing "In the Spirit of the Moment", "When You're Away", and a medley of classical Russian pieces. She closes the film with her own dramatic take on Puccini's "Nessun Dorma". Franchot Tone was one of Durbin's favourite male co-stars; he also shared the screen with her in the enjoyable NICE GIRL? (1941) and BECAUSE OF HIM (1946). Keep an eye out for legendary character actress/comedienne Iris Adrian in the opening scene.

Rating:
Date: 2006-04-23
His Butler's Singer...
...more like it! Deanna gives a lovely performance in a mid war film which is the reason fake food was used as the disclosure at the beginning of the film tells us. This film features the second teaming of Deanna and Franchot Tone which reminds me of his several teamings with Jean Harlow. In fact this film is a nice way to view Franchot ten years after his first teaming with Harlow in 1933's Bombshell. While still handsome, his youthful shine is gone. Deanna on the other hand has her eyebrows experimented on in this film. The thinner the uglier imo. This film was Deanna's truer entry into adulthood before Christmas Holiday and after It Started With Eve. The butler in this film is played by Pat O'Brien and he excels. Its a charming film worth your time if only for one of the best endings in Deanna's short film history. Sweet songs round out this enjoyable film.

Rating:
Date: 2005-09-20
Now Remember, Dead-pan!
His Butler's Sister is the story of a girl (Deanna Durbin) who wants more than anything to become a famous singer. She goes to visit her brother in New York who has just sent her $1000; she assumes he must be rich and living with him might be able to help her meet the right people. When she arrives, she sees that he is not rich at all; he is a butler employed by a rich man who happens to work hiring singers (Franchot Tone). Disappointed but unfazed, the girl decides to move in and serve as the new maid until she can get her employer's attention. Her brother is completely against this, telling her she can in no way sing around their employer because he hates it and will turn her out. The girl quickly gains popularity because of her vibrant personality. She even wins over her boss. In the end, all is well; she succeeds as a singer without his help and lands him on top of everything.

The film opens with a very funny dance number in a train. Two of the women have learned of Tone's characters whereabouts and have planned a routine to show off their nasal voices. Tone himself is funny as the horribly naive employer who bustles around as if nothing strange is happening right outside his bedroom door. The butler is fiercely protective of his little sister and sometimes quite mean to her. The real star of the show is Deanna Durbin, a talented singer with a powerful, slightly annoying operatic voice. Luckily, much of the plot revolves around her not being able to sing. She has a knack for comedy as shown by her dead-pan expression, but she is no knockout beauty with her chubby cheeks and plain-Jane face. Her personality makes up for it though, and she snags several male followers.

This videotape also includes previews for other tapes in the second Deanna Durbin collection and a theatrical trailer for His Butler's Sister, a film with a few laughs, operatic songs, and a mediocre plot.

Rating:
Date: 2005-07-18
Delightful and Charming
This endearing film from director Frank Borzage is filled with the warmth and charm of its star, Deanna Durbin. An original screenplay fashioned for Deanna by Samuel Hoffenstein and Beth Reinhardt and a glossy production from Universal really make this one of Deanna's best films. A great cast which includes Franchot Tone, Pat O'Brien, Akim Tamiroff and Elsa Janssen lend sparkling support to Deanna's joyous performance as Ann Carter.

Ann is on her way from Indiana to New York by train to live with her rich half-brother while she tries to become a broadway musical star. She wants to sing for composer Charles Gerard (Franchot Tone) and just misses her chance when she finds out he is on her train. When her half-brother Martin (Pat O'Brien) turns out to be only a butler, her hopes sink low until she discovers he is the butler in the swanky New York penthouse of you know who!

Martin plays the ponies more than he works but since his main job is keeping away girls who want to sing for Charles Gerard, he has his hands full. It gets even more complicated when Gerard mistakes Ann for the new maid and she is right under Gerard's nose and Martin's feet! Elsa Janssen is wonderful as the housekeeper Severena, who takes a shine to the sweet Ann. She isn't the only one, however, taken with Ann's smile and effervescence.

Some very funny moments are given birth from Ann's effect on every butler in the building. They are all enamored of her and do everything they can to compete for her affections. Akim Tamiroff is foremost of these as Martin's Russian pal Popoff. Ann of course, begins to fall for her boss Gerard who is about to dump his latest work and run off to Maine with his society girlfriend Elizabeth Campbell (Evelyn Ankers).

She finally gets to sing but in an only in the movies mix-up Charles thinks it was the radio. When they do get together she forgets all about the music and the two fall in love. But her brother feels threatened and also thinks Gerard might just be fooling around. This causes Charles to make plans for Maine again, but true love may make him stay.

Tone is excellent as the wealthy but down to earth Gerard and Deanna simply glows in fashions by Adrian. A walk home holding hands and a kiss goodnight are filled with romance and magic, as is this film. There are, of course, some wonderful musical interludes, including "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turnadot" and the beautiful "In the Spirit of the Moment."

This sweet fable of "the day before yesterday" as it calls itself is a must for Deanna's fans and a fine film in its own right. A real gem from the last rose of summer, Deanna Durbin.

Rating:
Date: 2003-05-24
Wonderful Deanna!
This must be the lowest budget movie made starring Deanna Durbin. What's up with the fake food? Where they limited because of the war effort? But as usual, beautiful Deanna with her great voice makes this movie worth watching.

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