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.

If you are a Judy Garland fan, like myself, you must see this film. As the movie trivia states, this was a short put together by MGM in deciding which young actress should be signed to contract with the motion picture company.According to "Get Happy" a Garland biography written by Gerald Clarke, Judy was aware that this film was made solely for the purpose of choosing Deanna or Judy to sign to contract with MGM. Judy was also made painfully aware by Louis B. Mayer and her own mother that Deanna Durbin had been classically trained as an operatic singer (Judy couldn't even read music), was thinner, and "prettier." Struggling with these pressures, Judy still managed to win the contract with her obvious acting superiority, and viewers falling for her pop genre singing and American sweetheart style.Any Judy fan must see this, her first film for MGM. It is an important part of Judy's beginnings and to understand where she started as a singer and actress. Her novice vulnerability is apparent, which makes her all the more charming. "Every Sunday" is available for viewing in the special features menu of the "For Me and My Gal" DVD release. Again, I urge every Judy Garland fan, aficionado and historian to see "Every Sunday." It's only 11 minutes long, but in these 11 minutes we see what Ms. Judy Garland started as, and the beauty little 13 year-old MGM wanted to change (or mangle is more like it.)

Canthony is correct that this little short is just an excuse to hear a very young Judy Garland (fourteen years old!) singing with a slightly older (by one year) Deanna Durbin. But I must disagree with everything else he or she said, including the running time -- which is only about ten minutes, not twenty (a single-reeler).The song is not her best, obviously; but it's enjoyable and definitely worth the ten minutes to watch on Turner. The duet with Durbin is quite interesting: two conflicting styles that nevertheless dovetail reasonably well.The short is just a throwaway, but it's nowhere near as bad as the other reviewer made it out to be. Honestly, I enjoyed it.Dafydd ab Hugh

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.