La soeur de son valet

"His Butler's Sister" is a delightful comedy with delayed romance and music. Deanna Durbin gets to play her actress role with a light comedy very well, instead of getting into singing right away. That's part of the plot in this story of brother and sister reuniting after many years. Pat O'Brien's Martin Murphy doesn't know that she is "the Deanna Durbin voice" when his sister, Ann Carter, mentions that she sings. And the whole plot is built around foiling any occasion for her to do her thing. Because he thinks she is just another of the countless female voices that can sing but that don't stand out.

And, it's because the male lead, Franchot Tone's Charles Gerard, is a major musical writer and director. And, he's just too worn out and needs rest from having listened to so many voices audition during the day. So, brother Martin, Gerard's butler, does everything to keep wannabe singing starlets away from his apartment. And that means keeping Ann mum.

The film cleverly draws audience members into the frustration, and we want to yell to Martin and Charles, "Let her sing!" When a movie arouses that kind of reaction in an audience, one knows it is very good at what it set out to do. Because that just holds us to the story, with anticipation and wonder when the time will come when our heroine nails it with big brother and the man who has her heart.

This aspect is a real hoot because Gerard's apartment has twin baby grand pianos set as to accommodate a duet. Then, a later scene has a flash into his bedroom in which another baby grand is sitting. So, for someone in the business of making music and musicals Gerard only once later in the film goes near the keyboards, and Ann does so just once as well.

A wonderful aspect of this film is the considerable supporting cast Universal was able to assemble. I can only think of two top butler actors who are missing from this cast -- E.E. Horton and Eric Blore. But leading off the gentlemen's gentlemen here is Alan Mowbray. Others include Akim Tamiroff, Sig Arno, and Roscoe Karns.

The prologue script on the screen before the story commences reminds one that this film is smack dab in the middle of World War II. It gives a humorous statement that all of the otherwise rationed items seen in this picture (food, clothing, etc.) are not real, but fake or props that look like the real thing - so that the ration cart wouldn't be upset. Just about everything during the war was rationed - food, clothing, gasoline, tires, etc.

A scene later in the film is a very sly insertion by Universal to cleverly prove the assertion of the prologue. The neighboring butlers and male guests are waiting on Ann as she is eating in the kitchen. Gerard's eccentric producer, Mortimer Kalb (played by Walter Catlett) tells Sanderson (Russell Hicks) to get Ann a cup of coffee. Sanderson goes to the coffee urn and pours the cup of coffee. He nearly collides with one of the butlers and then hands the cup and saucer to Mortimer who fumbles it and nearly spills the whole thing on Ann. But not a drop spills out. And, as Mortimer juggles it back onto the saucer, the camera shows that it is clearly a prop - a plastic cup that appears to be full of coffee, but that is itself part of the plastic prop. This is such an obvious thing, that most in the audience probably think, as I did, that the studio goofed and should have re-shot the scene. But then, when one remembers the funny prologue that none of the ration things in this film are real, the little stroke of genius and wit in that scene becomes apparent.

Most people should enjoy this breezy comedy and Deanna's songs. Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Martin Murphy, "Even if you are my sister, it's the best job I've ever had and I'm gonna protect it. You know, I've been working for a something like this for years. Wonderful quarters. Swell food. Nice clothes. Not too much work. No worry. And a boss that likes my brand of liquor and cigars."

Martin Murphy, "No sir, a job like this is thicker than blood. And sister or no sister, I'm not gonna lose it."

Martin Murphy, "Remember boys, we are all gentlemen's gentlemen."

"His Butler's Sister" is a frustrating story. Much of the story is very good, there is an excellent supporting cast and Deanna Durbin sings an amazingly different version of "Nessun Dorma"...but the writing is confusing and uneven. It's a shame, as the film easily could have been so much better.

Ann (Durbin) is headed to New York City to see her brother, Martin (Pat O'Brien). She is surprised when she sees him, as it's been many years* and he's NOT the successful man she thought he'd be. Instead, he's a butler for a successful song writer/producer....just the man Ann wants to meet because she has ambitions of being a professional singer. But Martin convinces her NOT to try auditioning for his boss (Franchot Tone), as MANY women try this and he is the gate keeper. But Martin's behaviors are very inconsistent...especially after Ann and his boss fall in love. At this point, the film is terribly confusing, though thankfully it soon ends on a high note.

Hearing Durbin sing "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot" by Puccini is a treat. It's a song written for tenors and I have never heard a woman singing it...let alone a soprano. But with Durbin's powerful voice, she manages to hit all the notes and this piece alone make the film worth your time. As for the story, well, it's weak and confusing...but the actors make it pleasant regardless.





*Casting O'Brien as Durbin's brother was a poor choice. He was 22 years older than her...and he definitely looked this much older...perhaps more.

This film is really lovely.

Deanna is in top form, so pretty too here!

The ending always makes me cry no matter how many times I've watched the film!

How nice now to be able to watch it on DVD sixty-four years after it came out and be captivated all over again just like all the butlers in the film were! Everything about it seems just right with lots of nice touches.

I recently bought the DVD Collection of all Deanna's movies but I have only ever seen two others. One of the others is "Can't Help Singing!"

Another very happy experience (in colour!)

Thank you glorious Deanna! Victor (London) 15-5-2007

Coming after the grave "stage door canteen" ,which ,in spite of funny scenes ,dealt about soldiers about to go to war,"his butler's sister" is some kind of comic relief.Deanna Durbin is a very good-looking actress and songstress -even if ,like me,her style is not your cup of tea-and watching Franchot Tone at work is always a joy to me.Anyway they do not appear in what is for me the funniest of the whole movie :girls mistaking a salesman for a composer and discovering that what he sells is not what they were expecting.

The movie features several songs ,the last one being some kind of communication as it was the case in other Borzage works such as "I'll always love you" or " smiling through" ,though in a lighter way.

As someone who's not a fan of opera, I actually find Deanna Durbin enjoyable having liked her previously in Can't Help Singing among a few of her other movies I can't remember by title right now and in her debut with Judy Garland in the short Every Sunday. In addition to her singing voice on many tunes like "Nessun Dorma" at the end, Ms. Durbin also displays some wonderful humorous touches that matches the veteran comic supporting cast of male butlers that follow her around. I was even enjoying the not-too-compelling-story at least until Franchot Tone-whose character was seeing another woman-seemed to be starting an affair with Deanna. Ms. Durbin isn't the only one who performs, however, since in the beginning when we first see Tone's songwriter character, a couple of women who call themselves the Sunshine Twins (one of whom is Iris Adrian who I knew as the landlady in That Darn Cat-Hayley Mills version) do a funny number called "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?" in front of him. So musically and comically, His Butler's Sister was a mostly enjoyable Durbin vehicle.