Ruth and her beautiful sister Eileen come to New York's Greenwich Village looking for "fame, fortune and a 'For Rent' sign on Barrow Street". They find an apartment, but fame and fortune are a lot more elusive. Ruth gets the attention of playboy publisher Bob Baker when she submits a story about her gorgeous sister Eileen. She tries to keep his attention by convincing him that she and the gorgeous, man-getting Eileen are one and the same person.
Stunts
The entire apartment building literally tilts sideways. Practical effects legend.
Direction
Richard Quine balancing screwball farce with genuinely sweet sister moments.
Acting
Betty Garrett's motor-mouth desperation is comedy gold; Lemmon's smarmy charm.
Director
Richard Quine
Janet Leigh
Eileen Sherwood
Jack Lemmon
Bob Baker
Betty Garrett
Ruth Sherwood
Bob Fosse
Frank Lippincott
Kurt Kasznar
'Papa' Appopolous
Dick York
Ted Loomis
Lucy Marlow
Helen
Barbara Brown
Helen's Mother
Tommy Rall
Chick Clark
Queenie Smith
Alice (uncredited)
Horace McMahon
Police Officer Lonigan
Henry Slate
Second Drunk
Hal March
Pete - First Drunk
Franklyn Farnum
Pedestrian (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell
Headwaiter (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Ruth McKenney's semi-autobiographical stories that also spawned a 1940 screwball comedy and a 1943 Broadway musical — Hollywood really milked this sister dynamic.
This is peak 'Annie Get Your Gun' era Betty Garrett, fresh off being blacklisted from MGM for communist-adjacent activities — her frantic energy here feels almost defiant.
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