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The Dolly Sisters

  • 19451945
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
785
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Betty Grable, Reginald Gardiner, June Haver, Frank Latimore, John Payne, and S.Z. Sakall in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • Musical
Two sisters from Hungary become famous entertainers in the early 1900s. Fictionalized biography with lots of songs.Two sisters from Hungary become famous entertainers in the early 1900s. Fictionalized biography with lots of songs.Two sisters from Hungary become famous entertainers in the early 1900s. Fictionalized biography with lots of songs.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
785
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Irving Cummings
  • Writers
    • John Francis Larkin(original screenplay)
    • Marian Spitzer(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Betty Grable
    • John Payne
    • June Haver
Top credits
  • Director
    • Irving Cummings
  • Writers
    • John Francis Larkin(original screenplay)
    • Marian Spitzer(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Betty Grable
    • John Payne
    • June Haver
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 26User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos53

    Betty Grable, Reginald Gardiner, June Haver, and John Payne in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and John Payne in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable, June Haver, and S.Z. Sakall in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable, June Haver, William Newell, and John Payne in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable, June Haver, and John Payne in The Dolly Sisters (1945)
    Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Betty Grable
    Betty Grable
    • Yansci 'Jenny' Dollyas Yansci 'Jenny' Dolly
    John Payne
    John Payne
    • Harry Foxas Harry Fox
    June Haver
    June Haver
    • Roszika 'Rosie' Dollyas Roszika 'Rosie' Dolly
    S.Z. Sakall
    S.Z. Sakall
    • Uncle Latsie Dollyas Uncle Latsie Dolly
    Reginald Gardiner
    Reginald Gardiner
    • Tony, Duke of Breckas Tony, Duke of Breck
    Frank Latimore
    Frank Latimore
    • Irving Netcheras Irving Netcher
    Gene Sheldon
    Gene Sheldon
    • Professor Winnupas Professor Winnup
    Sig Ruman
    Sig Ruman
    • Ignatz Tsimmisas Ignatz Tsimmis
    Trudy Marshall
    Trudy Marshall
    • Lenora Baldwinas Lenora Baldwin
    Fred Aldrich
    Fred Aldrich
    • Soldieras Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Lester Allen
    Lester Allen
    • Morrie Kenoas Morrie Keno
    • (uncredited)
    Herbert Ashley
    • Fieldsas Fields
    • (uncredited)
    Nino Bellini
    • French Actoras French Actor
    • (uncredited)
    Brooks Benedict
    Brooks Benedict
    • Party Guestas Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Trude Berliner
    Trude Berliner
    • German Actressas German Actress
    • (uncredited)
    Edward Biby
    Edward Biby
    • Party Guestas Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Lulu Mae Bohrman
    • Party Guestas Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Borden
    Eddie Borden
    • Man on Busas Man on Bus
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Irving Cummings
    • Writers
      • John Francis Larkin(original screenplay)
      • Marian Spitzer(original screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In 1904, Uncle Latsie comes to New York from Hungary with two little nieces, 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. Singer Harry Fox, whom they meet en route, schemes to get them an audition with the great Hammerstein; but their resulting success takes them far out of Harry's league. Lots of songs with a little story. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
    • timeframe 1900s
    • vaudeville
    • show business
    • reference to theda bara
    • world war one
    • 12 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • They're Beautiful...They're Glamorous...They're Scandalous...
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
      • Musical
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In one of the early songs, the lyrics mention the Fox Trot. This dance was named after the real-life Harry Fox, a Vaudeville star credited with inventing the dance.
    • Connections
      Featured in Biography: Betty Grable: Behind the Pin-up (1995)

    User reviews26

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Sumptuous Fox musical
    Betty Grable and June Haver are "The Dolly Sisters" in this 1945 film also starring John Payne, S.Z. Sakall and Reginald Gardner. Grable enjoyed an unparalleled run - 10 years in a row - in the Hollywood top ten box office, from 1941 to 1951, yet when Turner Classic Movies published their Unforgettable Leading Ladies of the Studio Era book, Grable was left out. For anyone who believes - erroneously - that Turner Classic Movies has any interest in film history, she was left out - just as Tyrone Power was left out of the leading men book - because TCM doesn't own their films.

    Not realizing that for a huge audience later on, it wouldn't exist, 20th Century Fox spared no expense for this lavish color musical about two real-life Hungarian sisters (actually brunettes) who were big entertainers in the beginning of the century. The story focuses on Jenny Dolly (Grable) primarily and her romance and marriage to Ziegfeld performer Harry Fox (inventor of the "fox trot"), played by John Payne, and how World War I and career separations destroyed their marriage.

    Grable and Haver look just like sisters and are marvelous together, wearing gorgeous costumes and looking fabulous and radiant throughout. Both bring a lot of energy to their roles. Payne does a good job as Harry, singing and acting well. A versatile actor, he could not only appear in musicals where he did his own singing, but he did plenty of drama and was also a hunk. He was invaluable to Fox during the war years.

    This is a very entertaining film, but it's a shame that a film on the true story of the Dolly Sisters has never been made. Jenny and Fox were divorced in 1921. She was indeed involved in a car accident with an ex-boyfriend in 1933 and had to sell her jewels to pay for many surgeries, but unlike the film, she never really recovered. She never reconciled with Fox and in 1941, she hung herself. Rosie did marry a Chicago businessman; she attempted suicide in 1962, though it failed, and she died in 1970. The two women were huge gamblers, only hinted at in the film, and made a fortune: They won $850,000 in one season at Deauville and one evening in Cannes, Jenny won 4 million francs, which she converted to a collection of jewelry, and then went on to win another 11 million more francs.

    I suppose during World War II, no one would have been interested in such a downer, so it's just as well that we have this film, which gives us vibrant entertainment in the best 20th Century Fox tradition.
    helpful•15
    0
    • blanche-2
    • Dec 26, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 7, 1946 (Sweden)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dolly Sisters
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 4, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,510,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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