"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."
