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Two Girls and a Sailor

Play trailer Poster for Two Girls and a Sailor Released Apr 24, 1944 2h 4m Musical Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
After a successful nightclub performance, singer Patsy (June Allyson) and her gold digger sister Jean (Gloria DeHaven) hold a private show for servicemen, after which both become smitten with a sailor named Johnny (Van Johnson). Unexpectedly, Patsy and Jean receive a huge anonymous donation, which they use to refashion an abandoned warehouse into a canteen. As they continue working on their new business, they try to determine who their benefactor was, all the while competing for Johnny's love.

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Bosley Crowther New York Times On the veriest thread of a story, it spins melody, humor, whimsey and romance with a cast of engaging performers. Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Sara Hamilton Photoplay Really we couldn't be more enthusiastic about this movie that earns its right to be labeled "entertainment." Nov 24, 2020 Full Review William R. Weaver Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald) Production by Joseph Pasternak is superlative on all counts, and direction by Richard Thorpe as smooth as satin. Nov 23, 2020 Full Review P.S. Harrison Harrison's Reports Not only does the picture offer delightful entertainment, but it presents a captivating personality, June Allyson, whose charm should win everyone who sees her. Nov 20, 2020 Full Review Elena de la Torre Cine-Mundial [A] straightforward and interesting... movie. [Full review in Spanish] Sep 17, 2019 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Pedestrian but pleasing MGM second tier musical starring Van Johnson and June Allyson. Rated: 3/5 Oct 16, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (13) audience reviews
Steve D The story is as thin as paper. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review Audience Member The best movie song ever sung: Inka Dinka Doo! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member this turned out to be a real star-studded movie, with the likes of the Harry James and Xavier Cugat Orchestras, not to mention the beloved Jimmy Durante, sort of acting out his ouvre... what was striking, though, was the absolutely absence in this movie packed with servicemen at the most excruciating part of World War II, of any mention of the overseas horrors... propaganda in the finest sense Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member MGM takes a standard wartime musical convention (putting on a show for the soldiers) and adds its customary dollop of gloss; June Allyson sings "Young Man with a Horn" with Harry James & His Orchestra, Lena Horne croons "Paper Doll" and Gracie Allen performs "Concerto for One Finger." Very entertaining. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member cheery WWII musical to keep that morale on the homefront up up up! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Once upon a time, people went to the theater and didn't care too much when they arrived. An usher would guide them to empty seats with a flashlight...and they would just wait until the film started over again to catch the part they missed. Of course, they usually had newsreels, coming attractions and shorts to watch, along with a 2nd feature...but as soon as they recognized a scene they have already watched - they would just get up and leave. It's where the phrase: "This is where we came in..." came from. I mention that because TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR has such a lightweight plot that you can view it at any point and not really miss too much. The film is more a showcase for some of the popular musical stars of the time that the plot seems more like window dressing. This is definitely a film to steer one's mind away from WWII, if only for a moment. It stars June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven and Van Johnson as the title characters. The young Van Johnson was a very popular heartthrob at the time (2nd only to Frank Sinatra) and would have been a big draw to the female crowd. June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven never looked more beautiful than they do in this...and would have been the draw to the male crowd. There are also a bevy of beauties in this that would have been very popular with the soldiers and sailor watching this: Lena Horne sings "Paper Doll". Virginia O'Brien (yum) sings "Take It Easy". Gloria DeHaven sings "My Mother Told Me" and June Allyson sings "The Young Man With A Horn" - referring to bandleader Harry James...which segues into a nifty jitterbug dance with a sad-faced soldier. A very young-looking Ava Gardner is easily recognizable as an extra (uncredited). Adding a latin flavor is bandleader Xavier Cugat and singer Lina Romay (who looks kinda like Salma Hayek, if ya ask me). Jimmy Durante plays a former vaudevillian and adds comic relief (here he performs his signature number "Inka Dinka Doo"...as does Gracie Allen doing a comedic "piece" on the piano. Scanning the credits in IMDb - I was surprised to see that Buster Keaton had a part in this too - but his scenes were cut...hmmmm. The film has the style and glitz of the MGM imprimatur but isn't as well remembered... serving more as a time capsule for the music and comedic style of the war years. 7 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Two Girls and a Sailor

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a successful nightclub performance, singer Patsy (June Allyson) and her gold digger sister Jean (Gloria DeHaven) hold a private show for servicemen, after which both become smitten with a sailor named Johnny (Van Johnson). Unexpectedly, Patsy and Jean receive a huge anonymous donation, which they use to refashion an abandoned warehouse into a canteen. As they continue working on their new business, they try to determine who their benefactor was, all the while competing for Johnny's love.
Director
Richard Thorpe
Producer
Joe Pasternak
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Musical, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 24, 1944, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 21, 2009
Runtime
2h 4m