My Sister Eileen (1942)

While the plot of a pair of sisters who move to the big city to pursue their respective careers might seem more aptly described simply as a situation comedy (how many TV Sitcoms can you name with this exact same premise?) moments in the film get crazy enough with the literal parade of eccentrics (particularly with the chase and following apartment invasion by a troop of sex-crazed, non-English speaking, Portuguese Merchant Marines) that by the end it’s difficult to argue it is not a Screwball Comedy.

A publishing deadline and a last-minute cast change prove professionally disastrous to Ruth Sherwood (Rosalind Russell, as the dour and cynical ‘frumpy’ sister with a do that would be recycled in Blade Runner (1982) some decades later) a small-town critic and Eileen (Janet Blair) her (supposedly more attractive, but clueless) blonde, actress sister and they must leave their hometown in shame.

The curse might turn out to be a blessing in disguise when it provides them with the necessary excuse to seek greener pastures against their father's wishes.

High real estate costs in the big city force the sisters into taking a still-not-quite so cheap basement apartment where subway blasting goes on till midnight, and where their privacy gets constantly, endlessly invaded by street lighting, random drunks, a rude cop, neighbors and their in-laws, their Greek landlord (who's also a writer and artist,) a previous 'psychic' tenant and her clients, dogs chasing cats, street sweeper irrigation, etc.

In the meantime, they both have a hard time getting a job with the 'promised' free month of rent quickly coming to an end.

Lots of racy innuendo that these ladies might be up to no good (starting with the cop who out-and-out tells them they are unwanted in his beat.) This is later reinforced with the supposed palm-reading ex-tenant (is she supposed to be a prostitute?) and then, a scene with the father where someone expresses disbelief about the nature of their actual relationship.

Also with Brian Aherne, George Tobias, Allyn Joslyn & Grant Mitchell.

Hold out till the last second for a neat surprise.