The Dolly Sisters | |
---|---|
Directed by | Irving Cummings |
Written by | John Francis Larkin Marian Spitzer |
Produced by | George Jessel |
Starring | Betty Grable June Haver John Payne |
Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
Edited by | Barbara McLean |
Music by | Alfred Newman Cyril J. Mockridge Charles E. Henderson David Buttolph |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 114 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $4 million (US/ Canada rentals) [2] [3] [4] |
The Dolly Sisters is a 1945 American Technicolor biographical film about the Dolly Sisters, identical twins who became famous as entertainers on Broadway and in Europe in the early years of the 20th century as Jennie and Rosie Dolly (Yansci and Roszika Deutsch), Hungarian-born entertainers. It starred Betty Grable as Jenny, June Haver as Rosie and John Payne as Harry Fox.
In 1904, Uncle Latsie comes to New York from Hungary with two little nieces, Jenny and Rosie who immediately take to cafe dancing. In 1912, they're still at it, but to pay Uncle's card debts they decide to go into vaudeville. They meet another up-and-coming act, singer Harry Fox. Jenny falls in love with him.
Harry struggles while the sisters' fame rises. Rosie is distrustful but Jenny dates him anyway. Harry sings to Jenny the latest song he has composed. A producer hears it and gives him the break he's been waiting for. Jenny and Harry get married but, just as success comes to Harry, war in Europe breaks out and he enlists.
Rosie persuades Jenny to take an engagement with the Folies Bergere in Paris. As they tour Europe and achieve more success and admirers, the war ends. Harry asks her to come home but Rosie asks her to stay with the show. Harry insinuates there should be a divorce. The Dolly sisters continue their tour of Europe, where Jenny takes to gambling and dates one of her wealthy suitors.
Rosie is secretly engaged to her American boyfriend Irving Netcher, who owns department stores. Now she plans to leave the act but Jenny overhears this and decides to accept a marriage proposal. As they drive away from a party, Jenny is overwhelmed by memories of Harry and ends up crashing the car. Harry, who just got engaged to Leonora Baldwin, shows his concern. After several months of recovering in a French hospital, Jenny returns to New York. During a benefit show, she and Rosie reunite as Dolly Sisters. Harry, who also performs, introduces Leonora, who realizes that Harry still loves Jenny and leaves the theater during Harry's act. On stage, Jenny and Rosie both join Harry to finish his number.
The film was nominated for the American Film Institute's 2006 list AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals. [5]
Elizabeth Ruth Grable was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model and singer.
June Haver was an American film actress, singer and dancer. Once groomed by 20th Century Fox to be "the next Betty Grable," Haver appeared in a string of musicals, but she never achieved Grable's popularity. Haver's second husband was the actor Fred MacMurray, whom she married after she retired from showbusiness.
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Rosie Dolly and Jenny Dolly, known professionally as The Dolly Sisters, were Hungarian-American identical twin dancers, singers and actresses, popular in vaudeville and theatre during the 1910s and 1920s. Both sisters also appeared in two silent films.
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Irving Cummings was an American movie actor and director.
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