my sister eileen the revolt of mamie stover

Sure, Prozac and Zoloft are a miracle of medical science. But for a natural pick-me-up, you can't do much better than My Sister Eileen, a zippy 1955 musical from Columbia with a screenplay from Blake Edwards and cutting-edge choreography by none other than Bob Fosse, who's also one of the co-stars in this story of two Ohio sisters trying their luck on the mean streets of Manhattan. With an emphasis on footwork over catchy songs (although it has a couple of those, to boot), director Richard Quine's film puts plenty of razzle-dazzle on the screen...and a good amount of stars, too!

Arriving from Columbus with dreams of making it big, Ruth Sherwood (Betty Garrett) and her sister Eileen (Janet Leigh) have no job prospects and a quirky apartment full of equally quirky - but encouraging - residents. A natural beauty, Eileen tests the waters as an actress with the help of a local soda jerk (Fosse). Ruth, used to playing second best, attracts the attention of a playboy publisher (Jack Lemmon) who suspects there's more to her than meets the eye.

Although My Sister Eileen never quite reaches an MGM level of musical extravagance, it's all the more charming for its small-scale musical numbers -with snappy, modern dance moves from Fosse and company - and endearing cast of recognizable faces. Jack Lemmon livens things up in a small but pivotal role and Dick York of TV's Bewitched makes for a lovable oaf of a neighbor. But it's Betty Garrett (known best to '70s kids as Edna Babish on Laverne & Shirley), who turns in the most well rounded comic performance...even though she plays second fiddle to Janet Leigh in the credits as well!

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray includes an isolated music track, original theatrical trailer and liner notes. As with most of the company's releases, it goes without saying that the hi-def transfer looks terrific!

The upwardly mobile female was still in fashion a year later. But 1956's The Revolt of Mamie Stover has a much more cynical take on a woman's right to business success. Here, Jane Russell stars as the titular working girl (only her sort of work got her kicked out of San Francisco) hopping a cargo liner to Hawaii in hopes of starting a new life. On board, she hooks up with upper-class writer Jim Blair (Richard Egan) who's too stuffy to continue their relationship on shore. But Mamie finds fame and fortune as a nightclub singer and, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, ambitiously builds a real estate empire to help elevate her social status. Jim finally finds the courage to make a commitment, but Mamie might still be looking for something to prove.

Helmed by the prolific Raoul Walsh, the film's misogyny would be offensive if it didn't make such a good point. Russell makes for an alluringly confident businesswoman, unashamed to use her God-given talents to improve her station in life. But society (and the production code) demands some sort of retribution. It's hard to swallow Egan's macho posturing and pontificating, but his character is not at the center of the story. It's Mamie who walks out of the film with her head held high, ultimately proving the film's often hypocritical point: It's a man's world...because we say so!

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition looks superb and includes an isolated score track, original theatrical trailer and liner notes.