Sexylocher Masterful Movie

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

mark.waltz In 1936, Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin were not even aware that they were soon to be two of the most popular singing voices in the nation, paired in this MGM short which was a stepping stone and screen-test for rising talents. While Garland would only make one feature that year (on loan to 20th Century Fox for "Pigskin Parade"), Durbin went on to create quite a sensation at the then "B" studio Universal (mainly known for their horror movies), causing Louis B. Mayer to have a coronary. He preferred Durbin's opera style voice to Judy's swing sound, but time would prove him wrong as Judy rose to be MGM's greatest female star in the 1940's. According to Lorna Luft, Garland joked about Durbin's being stolen by the monster movie making studio, claiming that she had a uni-brow, which is disproven here.Both are lovely young ladies of different types, going from door to door to advertise their Sunday afternoon concert in the park. The people they greet aren't very welcoming, but once the concert starts, people are rushing in, the camera moving in fast motion to show the townsfolk rushing to the park to hear the two singers perform. Durbin has a pleasant personality (as evidenced in her 13 year stay at Universal), but her voice may grate on some nerves. Yet, when she starts performing in harmony with Garland on "The Americana", you can see why these two voices sounded so great together. It's a fun short that shows why these two stars went onto greater things at separate studios and why, indeed, the best was yet to come.

Neil Doyle 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.

Michael_Elliott Every Sunday (1936) *** (out of 4) Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin star in this MGM short about two girls who try and save a "concert in the park" series. If you're a fan of the two actresses then you'll certainly want to check this film out, which features the girls doing two duets. Both the songs are pretty good and the film moves just fine.If you're interested in seeing this title then keep your eyes on Turner Classic Movies as they show this a couple times each year. It's usually shown after a Garland film.

Snow Leopard 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.