''The Dolly Sisters'' is a 1945 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

about the

Dolly Sisters Rosie Dolly (October 24, 1892 – February 1, 1970) and Jenny Dolly (October 24, 1892 – June 1, 1941), known professionally as The Dolly Sisters, were Hungarian-American identical twin dancers, singers and actresses, popular in vaudeville an ...

, identical twins who became famous as entertainers on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

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 Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

as Jenny,

June Haver June Haver (born Beverly June Stovenour, June 10, 1926 – July 4, 2005) 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 achie ...

as Rosie and John Payne as Harry Fox.

Plot

In 1904, Uncle Latsie comes to New York from

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

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 Folies () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Folies is situated on the D329 road, some southeast of Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern ...

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.

Cast

Reception

The film was nominated for the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

's 2006 list

AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals is a list of the top musicals in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute at the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Holl ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolly Sisters, The 1945 films 1940s biographical films 1940s musical drama films 1945 romantic drama films 20th Century Fox films American biographical films American romantic musical films American romantic drama films Biographical films about entertainers 1940s English-language films Films directed by Irving Cummings Films about twin sisters Films set in the 1910s Films set in the 1920s American musical drama films 1940s American films