Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland were both stars on the rise when they were cast in the short film "Every Sunday." In those days, actors were placed in "short subject" films so that studios could gauge their popularity with the public without having to invest in them prematurely, according to The Guardian.

It was the start of Garland's career — she was only 14 years old — and she was anxious to find work with MGM, who hadn't assigned her any substantial projects, according to Gerald Clarke's "Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland." Durbin, a budding singer whose project at MGM was recently canceled, had nothing to do, and her career was in limbo, just like Garland's. Both were under contract with MGM, but general expectation believed the studio would only keep one, per Slate.

In a de-facto screen test, the two actresses were placed together in "Every Sunday." In the end, MGM executive Louis B. Mayer favored Garland's performance over Durbin's, and Garland won, per The Guardian. She received two different movie offers as a result of her well-received short film: Universal Studios' "Three Smart Girls" and 20th Century Fox's "Pigskin Parade." She was the first choice for both projects, and when she landed with "Pigskin Parade," Universal was left with their second choice, Durbin. But Durbin, not Garland, would receive immediate public praise. With her future uncertain, Garland once complained, "I've been in show business ten years and Deanna's a star, and I'm nothing!" (via "Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland").

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