Every Sunday

Instead of making foolish comments praising one over the other (like comparing apples to oranges), fans of JUDY GARLAND and DEANNA DURBIN ought to just sit back and relax while watching this harmless little piece of musical fluff made simply to give audiences a look at two up-and-coming stars of the future.

Durbin's fans are insisting that she was the superior talent with the real singing voice and Garland fans are insisting that even then she was beautiful and sings up a storm on something called "Americana"--which, by the way, Garland does handle with finesse even though it's not even worthy of all her energies.

But both of them perform in a professional manner. Durbin's soprano voice is lovely and there's no reason for someone to complain that this type of voice "should not be coming from a child" of fourteen, instead of giving credit where it's due. It's obvious that she already had lots of vocal training and was already capable of handling operatic material and there's nothing wrong with that.

Judy too is in good voice, even though I personally think the studio could have chosen a more memorable song than "Americana" for her to belt out.

Anyway, together they blend nicely in a simple story about two girls who decide to do something when the local band concert is not attracting enough patrons to the park. They take matters into their own hands and come up with the idea of performing with the band as an added attraction. The stunt works and before you know it, they've attracted a good sized audience.

Audiences in '36 were probably pleased to see two such talented youngsters demonstrating their musical skills in a short film.

In itself, this is a lightweight short feature with a predictable story, but it is well worth seeing as a pleasant part of cinema history. Seeing Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland together so early in their careers is a treat for anyone who has enjoyed their later pictures, and their energy and obvious talent more than make up for any lack of depth in the rest of the movie.

The plot is a simple one, with the two young women devoting themselves to saving a local concert series. What's interesting about it is seeing Durbin and Garland perform, since even at such a young age the difference in their styles is already pronounced. Deanna and Judy were both clearly ready for bigger opportunities.

This kind of feature probably doesn't hold an interest for a wide audience today, but for those who appreciate the classic musicals, it's worth seeing as a piece of movie history.

Every Sunday was basically made as a screen test for MGM execs to choose which prodigy they wanted to contract. Obviously, they chose Garland, and Durbin went on to great success for Universal in "Three Smart Girls".

I love this short film, and although it has no plot, it is interesting to observe the dueling divas sing their hearts out.

We are very fortunate to have such historic pieces of film preserved. Deanna and Judy captured on film at the very beginning of their individual spectacular careers. Two diverse voices blended in a brief eleven minutes. Many other ledgendary performers were filmed at the outset of sound, and these may be the only records in existance of their performances. Living history.

Having previously seen this short on VHS tape with the feature Summer Stock, I just rewatched Every Sunday on the TCM site. It marked the film debut of 15-year-old Deanna Durbin and of 14-year-old Judy Garland outside of her two older sisters. These two teens showcase their musical talents with a solo from Deanna of "Il Bacio", then one from Judy of "Waltz with a Swing" before the two climax with "Americana". The slight plot of this 11-minute film concerns the possible unemployment of Edna's (Durbin's real first name which is the way she's addressed here) grandfather's conducting job at the park because of low attendance. With the two girls' help, you can probably guess what happens from there! Contrasts are marked not only with Garland's and Durbin's musical choice but also with their height, poise, and movement. Despite all that, they perform quite well at the end and it's almost surprising that M-G-M chose Garland while Durbin was already contracted at Universal as this short was made but was briefly allowed back in since her feature debut (Three Smart Girls) was in the early preparing stages. Judy herself would make her first feature (Pigskin Parade) at 20th Century-Fox as M-G-M was deciding what movie she would next star in. That would be Broadway Melody of 1938 where she would perform the show stopping number, "Dear Mr. Gable (You Made Me Love You)". But back to this short, Every Sunday provides a warm and wonderful glimpse of two star singers at the beginning of their legendary careers unaware of what the future holds for them...