User reviews

Perky June Allyson and lovely Gloria DeHaven are two vaudevillians given a chance to open their own canteen for military personnel by a mysterious benefactor. The very thin plot revolves around this simple premise and at over two hours running time it becomes very stretched indeed. However, as this is an MGM movie, there is much to enjoy thanks to the plethora of studio talent involved. The highlights for me were gorgeous Virginia O'Brien doing her usual 'deadpan' number, June Allyson's terrific 'Young Man With A Horn', beautiful Lena Horne singing 'Paper Doll' and who could resist Jimmy Durante performing 'Inka Dinka Doo'? The production is lavish with huge sets, hundreds of extras and fabulous costumes. The bizarre dream sequence is quite eye-popping and even includes a fashion parade with some truly beautiful models. Quite an extravaganza!

Saw this delightful musical, filled with great performers: James, Durante, Cugat, Iturbi, and many others, when I was eleven while in New York with my mother in 1944, and never saw it again until today 14 Feb, 2006 in TCM... easy going plot, well articulated with good acting, fine music and mainly everlasting songs... All in all, just great fun all the way... the fine start of June Allyson brilliant career...

What a great feeling to live back those far gone days when even though in war, America was united as ever, with natural sorrow and hardships, but full of dreams, commitment, proud of itself, with high hopes for a better world... Made me nostalgic? Yes indeed!

...because...I dunno... there were just bad signs everywhere. An MGM musical in black and white? I was afraid of even more of "the Nazis are eeeeeevil" pronouncements that get overdone in WWII films. Believe me, I get that they were evil. And plus I have just never gotten the allure of June Allyson and that husky voice.

But I was on Christmas break and it was part of a Turner Classic Movies tribute to those in the film industry who died in 2016 - in this case Gloria DeHaven - so I thought I'd give it a whirl. This one pleasantly surprised me.

In a way the title does give the paper thin plot away - one sailor (Van Johnson as swabbie John Dyckman Brown III) in love with one of two girl performers (DeHaven and Allyson as the Deyo sisters, Jean and Patsy respectively). Complications ensue. But the fun is in the journey not the destination.

There are some possible dark sides to this film. It starts out with Jean as an infant and Patsy a toddler watching over her backstage while mom and dad perform in vaudeville. A few years pass and now Jean is the toddler and dad is performing alone. It is said "mom made the big time" but you wonder - did mom run out on dad and her daughters? Is mom actually dead and dad just doesn't want to tell them? You're never told.

The scene skips to present day - 1944 - and the girls are a sister act in a night club and then run a canteen for soldiers out of their apartment after that. But those childhood years of Patsy watching Jean have taken their toll, because now Patsy watches Jean like a hawk, making sure she doesn't take up with the wrong man while she doesn't seem to have time for a man at all. Is this a residue of what happened as children? Does Patsy not want Jean or herself to end up like mom? Again, nothing deep is ever said, but you have to wonder.

And then somebody starts sending orchids to Jean. This alone has Patsy watching the nightclub audience wondering which one is the secret admirer. But when this (probably) same anonymous person gives them an old abandoned warehouse so they can enlarge their canteen - what they thought was a secret wish - and supplies all of the food and manpower to transform it, Patsy really goes into PI mode because now she is afraid some rich guy is out to make Jean a sadder but wiser girl. And the misunderstandings just go from there.

In the meantime there is plenty of great music from Harry James,Jose Iturbi and orchestra, Lena Horne, Xavier Cugat and orchestra, and even Gracie Allen comes over from Paramount for a comical bit - minus George. Jimmy Durante performs here, but he also has a bit of drama and tragedy that figures into the plot - he's living like a hermit in the warehouse when the girls take possession - and he really surprised me with his dramatic range.

Then there are those weird outfits Allyson and DeHaven wear. A couple of times one is wearing what appears to be the top to a dress with a particular pattern and the other is wearing the skirt. Is this some visual way of saying that one is pretty on the inside while the other is pretty on the outside? Jean is LOOKING for a rich guy and is pretty naïve yet mercenary, so Patsy has reason to worry. Meanwhile Patsy is not at all interested in the trappings of wealth. Or maybe I'm reading way too much into what was just meant to be some MGM musical fluff.

I'd recommend this one. It was released right before D-Day, so things were looking optimistic on the homefront for the first time in a long time and the mood of this film rather goes along with that. It's almost an early "welcome back" film for all of the guys and gals in the service at the time.

This slight musical comedy from 1944 was a blockbuster of its year. Its one of those Stage door canteen where G.I.s are entertained by hit musicians of their including the popular band and orchestra leader Harry James and Xavier Cugat. The big hit "Young man with a horn" is featured prominently. The songs are lovely and generally feel orchestrated and operatic as this is a Joe Pasternak production. Like a Bruckheimer, a Selznick, a Freed or a Ross Hunter, you know a Pasternak when you see it. That is, slight plots with certain scenes that are written and play better than the whole movie and make you wish they were in another movie. There is usually a love plot involving dueling sisters, mother and daughter, or jealous daughters to their dads. The actresses are pretty and young. The songs, hits of their day but taken out of their time and the situations, they lack the oomph for classic appreciation unlike the movies of Arthur Freed. Take note, there is a dream sequence in this movie that is begging for one of those Freed musical numbers but instead we get Jimmy Durante shenanigans that lifts the weight from the scene. Thorpe, the journeyman director at MGM who made a lot of hits, directs in his usual flat and placid style that gets the job done and not much more. If only Pasternak aimed higher, varied the formula a little, he could have been a champion, not just a contender.

With the basic plot element taken from Great Expectations, the two girls of the title try throughout most of the Two Girls And A Sailor to figure out what did they do to become the benefactors of such incredible generosity by person or persons unknown.

June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven are the singing Devo Sisters who come from an old vaudeville family and who now sing and dance for money and then after the show hold their own informal cabaret at home. In 1944 there wasn't anything one didn't do for the service men and women.

One night they mention about that they'd really like to get a hold of an old warehouse down the street to open a really swanky nightclub/serviceman's center and the next thing you know there is Donald Meek knocking on their door with a deed in hand, signed over to them by a mysterious benefactor. And after that every time they need to pay a bill for construction, Meek's there with the money.

In between all this are a whole bunch of musical and comedy acts with songs from a variety of sources. Two Girls And A Sailor got an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and if there's nothing terribly original in taking the plot from Great Expectations, the really creative part of the script was getting all that talent in and not disturbing the story too much.

This wartime musical was MGM's launching pad for Van Johnson where he was given billing over the title. He's the sailor in the title. In fact the film was a showcase for Allyson, DeHaven, and Johnson all of whom were among the newer stars in MGM's shimmering firmament.

The film also featured one of the best of the swing era bands led by Harry James featuring one of the best singers from the Forties, Helen Forrest. Latin American music has periodically invaded mainstream America from the Tango to the Macarena and here it's represented by Xavier Cugat with Carlos Ramirez and Lina Romay doing the vocals. Comedy is supplied in ample measure by both Jimmy Durante and Gracie Allen. Durante had a featured part as an old vaudevillian that the girls remember from their childhood who is actually living in the warehouse they are gifted with. I only wish MGM had the sense to put him and Gracie Allen in a scene together.

Gracie was put in a scene however with Jose Iturbi. Louis B. Mayer always considered himself a bit more highbrow than the other Hollywood moguls, hiring opera and concert performers. Still having Jose Iturbi and his equally talented sister Amparo playing double piano is always a treat in any film.

As for who the benefactor is, the identity shall remain nameless. It's not an escaped convict like in Great Expectations. But take a look at the character names the cast has and remember the times and I think you can figure it out. Actually a mammoth size clue is given almost at the beginning of the film. But see the film for the clue and the identity.

This movie was made in the years when life was turmoil, when Europe was at war and the US military was more than visible. Consequently the plot twists and turns but you know it will turn out happy. I was enthralled by the movie. Lots of humor and sisterly love draw you into the plot. The mystery of who will end up with whom keeps you riveted. But most of all June Allyson and Van Johnson together, in their 1940's lovemaking way, make this one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

Love musicals, and also have seen comedy and romance done very well individually and together. Whether in musicals or not. MGM made many classics, too numerous to list in this review, and the 40s was a good decade for them. The cast here boasts of many very talented actors and singers, so there was a lot about 'Two Girls and a Sailor' that made me want to see it after being in my slowly decreasing watchlist for so long.

'Two Girls and a Sailor' on the most part is enjoyable fun and very charming, very difficult to dislike it. Not MGM at its best or among the best of the decade, the cast have all done better things too. That is not trying to knock 'Two Girls and a Sailor', as there is much to like about it and it does a lot of things well. As well as being enjoyable, charming and upbeat, it is also very well made and it in no way disgraces the cast or anybody involved. It combines musical, comedy and romance, and does all three on the most pretty well individually and balances the three without feeling disjointed or muddled, not always the case with films that try to mix more than one genre.

Not perfect by all means. The story is very thin, and too thin for the (to me) overlong running time. Some of the film feels very over-stretched, which made for some draggy interludes a little reliant on coincidence, and about 15-20 minutes could have been trimmed easily, which would have tightened things up.

Richard Thorpe's direction could have at times been more inspired in the non-musical numbers, it is fully competent as always if at times on the too ordinary side.

However, there is so much to enjoy. The production values are truly top notch, all big and lavish without being overly-glossy, the black and white still looks lovely. Have nothing to fault the songs for, they were big hits at the time and no wonder, they fit beautifully in the film, don't bloat it and are outstanding songs in their own right. Made me feel happy and upbeat. Similarly the way they are performed is practically pitch-perfect, one cannot go wrong with Harry James, Lena Horne and Jimmy Durante, particular standouts of the all round fantastic contributions. Virginia O'Brien is amusingly deadpan as well. All of them are choreographed with great energy and none of them were choreographed in a way that felt overblown or drawn out. Plus that deliciously strange dream sequence, won't be forgetting that in a hurry.

It is the musical aspect that comes off the best. The comedy does amuse though, and it is not the vulgar kind of comedy thank goodness, and the romance is sweet and charming, just wish that in the non-musical numbers there was a little more bounce. The script is spirited and doesn't become cheesy or limp. The pace is uneven, but a lot of the time it comes to life and gives 'Two Girls and a Sailor' enormous charm. The cast are the main selling point and they and the musical numbers are the best thing about 'Two Girls and a Sailor'. June Allyson and Gloria De Haven are endearingly perky, while Van Johnson does the boy-next-door thing with appeal, though he has relatively little to do. James, Horne, Durante and O'Brien shine in their sequences in particular, but as said the film is a feast of talent in their element.

On the whole, good fun and very likeable. Could have been better though. 7/10

Extremely long World War II story about "Two Girls and a Sailor" (portrayed by June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, and Van Johnson). The threesome from the customary "love triangle" - will Sailor Johnson choose pert June Allyson or sexy Gloria DeHaven? The film would be more accurately titled, "Two Girls, a Sailor, and a Variety Show" because the singing sisters aren't just shown at work - every act in their musical revue is shown. It's like a Musical spliced with a Variety Show; and, it clocks in at over two hours without ever becoming anything more than low average.

June Allyson, Jimmy Durante, Harry James, and Gracie Allen have fine moments; and, it's nice to see "Inka Dinka Doo" and all of the other 1944 era acts preserved on film.

***** Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) Richard Thorpe ~ June Allyson, Van Johnson, Gloria DeHaven

This was one of my grandmother's favorite films and she bought it when it came out on video. I have watched it so many times, I am afraid that the tape is going to fall apart. I hope that it becomes available on DVD soon! The characters are interesting and the story is touching. The songs, costumes, and dance numbers are unforgettable. The array of stars in this film makes it fun to watch to see who's coming up next. I want my children and grandchildren to be able to watch it as well. It is family tradition for myself, my sister, and my grandmother to watch it together.If you can find this video somewhere, I definitely recommend it!

Sisters Jean (Gloria DeHaven) and Patsy Deyo (June Allyson) grew up in vaudeville. As children, they befriend performer Billy "Junior" Kipp (Jimmy Durante). As young women, they are a performing team. The girls invite a bunch of service men over to their place. Jean tells Johnny (Van Johnson) that the sisters dream of entertaining the tropes in a nearby "haunted" warehouse. Suddenly, somebody gives the girls the keys to the building. Everything just shows up out of the blue and nobody knows the identity of their rich benefactor.

That's a lot of guys in their apartment. Don't worry. This is strictly PG material. It's wartime and these soldiers are all honorable gentlemen. They may stare but everybody keep their hand to themselves. This is as white bread as the sandwiches they make in the kitchen. The songs are fun for that era. Besides Jimmy Durante, there are a few other names. Jimmy delivers the heart while the girls deliver the cuteness. It's all light escapist fun when the real world outside is so very harsh.

In 1943, United Artists brought out "Stage Door Cantee"--a film about the Broadway facility run by the actors to make the soldiers passing through the city feel welcome and at home. The following year, Warner Brothers brought out "Hollywood Canteen"--pretty much the same sort of film but with screen actors. It also saw MGM's entry into this sort of patriotic song and dance extravaganza, "Two Girls and a Sailor". This time, instead of Hollywood or Broadway stars, this USO-like place was created by state performers of all sorts--more the Vaudeville types. However, being MGM, the performers are often just MGM contract players--along with several top band leaders and, inexplicably, Gracie Allen (without her husband, George Burns). And, like these two other films, this one was very shallow on plot and mostly came off like a talent show. And, too often, the emphasis was on showing these acts instead of creating an enjoyable story. So, despite a nice starring cast (June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Van Johnson and Jimmy Durante) and a lot of unusual stars it's a bit of a bore...too long in music, too short on everything else.

By the way, of the three films, the first, "Stage Door Canteen" is the best. And, after you've seen that one, you can pretty much imagine what the other two are like.

I was nine in 1944, living in Cincinnati during WWII when this movie came to RKO Royal Theatre.I saw it twice then. Later, when we had moved back to Tennessee, I saw it again the Roxy Theatre in Clarksville, Tenn. About 1995 I read that "Two Girls And A Sailor" was released on VHS,I rushed to have my video store order me a copy. Now I have it, and watch it every couple of months. It's almost like being 9 years old again ! (And I'm still mad about June Allyson !)

The two girls are sisters, Patsy (June Allyson) and Jean (Gloria DeHaven), who both have eyes for the same sailor, John (Van Johnson). That's the plot that ties things together, but this film features as many musical performances as the studio could put into the plot, and those are reason enough for watching.

All three leads are new screen stars, and it is fun to see them so early in their careers. I found DeHaven to be a revelation.

In addition to the vocalizing of the two sisters, the studio saw fit to include plenty of its talented acts in support, like the orchestras of Xavier Cugat and Harry James, Gracie Allen, Lena Horne, Jose Iturbi, and Jimmy Durante. The big band performances, in particular, are very strong.

In addition to all the musical numbers there is even a fashion show, thanks to a clever dream sequence. Unfortunately, this film is not in color.

This is two movies, yes two movies in one. It's a completely uninteresting movie about two young women who are both more or less in love with Van Johnson and try to run a canteen for service men during World War II.

And it's a variety show, full of stars doing what they do well, if not always what they do best.

The first story goes on forever and is really uninteresting.

A lot of the variety show acts are good, but because this movie runs way too long, the variety numbers aren't as much fun as they might be. Near the end Lena Horne sings, very beautifully, *Paper Doll" - which is a strange number for a woman to sing. I would have enjoyed it more if I weren't hoping the movie would end soon. The same with José Iturbi and his sister playing the *Ritual Fire Dance*.

If you can watch this on DVD and skip from variety act to variety act, I'd definitely recommend it. If it's on TCM and you have to sit through all of it to see the good stuff, I'd have reservations.

Turned on the TV and found a TCM movie from 1944 I have not seen before (which is rare). Two Girls and a Sailor World War II "soldier's canteen" type movie with a hell of a cast, and many of the young male character actors you see in many of the wartime movies. You recognize the faces but not the names. Great music, Harry James and Xazier Cugat and James plays a small part. June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven and that ever-present WWII actor, Van Johnson. AND Jimmy Durante! AND Gracie Allen! AND dozens of entertaining parts by famous singers and dancers and musicians of the time. It's a smorgasbord of the very best of the entertainment industry during the war (AND a far cry from the GARBAGE today). Every now and then I get lucky and find a real gem! Sad to realize that virtually ALL of the folks in this movie have joined Bob Hope and others, over the rainbow. The Greatest Generation is fading fast. Gloria DeHaven died just last summer at age 91. If you missed the TCM broadcast, it's free on the Internet!

TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (1944) is mindless fluff featuring a string of guest stars and musical acts, meant to cheer audiences up while WWII raged on overseas.

In the tradition of many other wartime musicals, the film is almost like sitting through a concert. A simple plot serves as an excuse for a parade of musical numbers that aim to entertain the cinema-goers as much as the in-movie club patrons. It's pure escapism. Throw in some romance, some comedy, and a dash of patriotism and you have a very pleasant movie indeed.

And TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR is a very pleasant movie. Fluff, yes, but it's fun. June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven play showbiz sisters who sing at a nightclub and entertain servicemen at their apartment. Thanks to the generosity of a mysterious admirer, the girls are able to open their own canteen to put on shows for the men in uniform. But what happens when both sisters start falling for the same guy (Navy sailor Van Johnson)?

Both actresses are charming and do a nice job. Gloria DeHaven is very beautiful, but it is June Allyson as the protective older sister who wins us over. I've never considered myself much of a June Allyson fan, but she certainly was talented and her performance here (singing, dancing, acting, comedy) is great.

Jimmy Durante provides solid comic relief and even sings his hit "Inka Dinka Doo". Van Johnson plays an all-American good guy, a sailor who happens to be a multi-millionaire. Tom Drake is Johnson's rival for DeHaven's affections, an Army sergeant who's really kind of a jerk.

MGM showcases many of its top musical acts throughout the film, including popular trumpeter and bandleader Harry James, the exotic Xavier Cugat Orchestra, jazz vocalist Lena Horne, deadpan singer Virginia O'Brien, the singing Wilde Twins (sisters Lee and Lyn), and piano maestro Jose Iturbi. Even Gracie Allen shows up for a comedic piano number.

Thinly plotted musicals aren't always my thing, but there's something very likable about this production. Allyson, DeHaven, Johnson, Durante, and Henry Stephenson (as Johnson's grandfather) are all great. The musical acts serve as a 1940s time capsule. The story is sweet and innocent. Just sit back and be entertained.

Charming Van Johnson plays a sailor caught between two sisters (played by June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven) to the rumba rhythms of Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra. This wartime film is another glimpse into what it took to keep "the boys" inspired. Among the song treats are "Sweet and Lovely," "A Tisket a Tasket," "Granada," "Charmaine" performed by Harry James and His Music Makers, "Paper Doll" performed in a cameo by Lena Horne," Inka Dinka Doo" by Jimmy Durante, and "Ritual Fire Dance" played on the piano by José Iturbi. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

June Allyson and Gloria Dehaven were born in a trunk, and now they do a sister act. It being wartime, every night after the show, they gather all the servicemen they can find and take them to their apartment for a party, and dream about converting the decrepit warehouse across the alley into a club for boys in uniform. What should happen after they rope in sergeant Tom Drake and sailor Van Johnson -- in his first starring role -- but that they are given the property anonymously.

It's produced by Joe Pasternak, so it's not a Freed unit musical, but a kitchen sink musical, in which all the musical and variety talent under contract to MGM is gathered up and given starring turns amidst the featherweight plot; the list includes Jimmy Durante, Jose Iturbi, Gracie Allen, Lena Horne, Harry James, Xavier Cugat... a variety show connected by a story, and Pasternak's standard for this period. With direction by Richard Thorpe, the shot must have been efficiently run, and it was apparently another money-spinner for MGM.