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.
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.