Something in the Wind (1947) User Reviews

Deanna Durbin and Donald O'Connor make this one work. Check out O'Connor's "I Love a Mystery" routine

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 27 January 2008]

When Mary Collins strides out utterly confident on stage to sing, I had a momentary flashback to Ethel Merman in 1959 striding down the theater aisle and calling, "Sing out, Louise, sing out!" Mary Collins, I mean Deanna Durbin at 26, was a supremely confident actress and singer, and there are a few times when you wouldn't want to get in her way. Balancing that are things Merman didn't have...a warm personality, a lovely face, a smile that could win you over and a voice that wouldn't break your eardrums. Merman was an amazing, one-of-a-kind performer; so was Deanna Durbin. What they share is a perfect confidence in their talent.

With Something in the Wind, audiences were watching a romantic comedy with songs featuring a mature young woman they'd been in love with since she was 15. Alone among the child stars of the Thirties, Deanna Durbin grew up on screen while maintaining her stardom, her poise and her box office clout. Here, as Mary Collins, she's a disc jockey who discovers that her aunt who raised her, also named Mary Collins, had been receiving regular checks from a wealthy industrialist. They had once been in love but the marriage plans had been broken up by his family. The whole thing was platonic, but when the old man died his will stated that the financial arrangements must continue. But now the young scion of the family, Donald Read (John Dall), wants to stop the arrangement and pay Mary Collins off. He wants no scandal. He thinks our Mary has been his grandfather's friend. He doesn't realize our Mary has an aunt with the same name. Mary doesn't know what he's talking about but is furious at the implication. Donald is a prig and engaged to a well-bred socialite. His grandmother is a woman who believes breeding is all. His younger brother, Charlie (Donald O'Connor), is much more unconventional. After our Mary is kidnapped and at first kept at the Read family mansion until she agrees to the arrangement, we are in for over an hour of romantic mix- ups, complicated machinations, a perfect lawyer (blind and deaf), six songs by Durbin, three songs and comedy routines by O'Connor, and then true love finding a way. What does the movie add up to? For firm Deanna Durbin fans, a delight. For those who simply like her a lot, a mixed bag.

On the plus side are Durbin and O'Connor. One almost wishes they'd been the happy couple at the end. Durbin sings everything from a bit of Verdi to a down-and-dirty "You want to keep your baby lookin' right, doncha, Daddy?" Her personality shines through. She's funny and sincere. O'Connor is O'Connor and he's great. He has one number, "I Love a Mystery," which is almost a rehearsal for his "Make 'Em Laugh" routine in Singin' in the Rain. The songs, by Johnny Green and Leo Robin, are just fine, with two better than just fine numbers, "The Turntable Song" and "Something in the Wind." And one unexpected and stylishly handled bit features a cameo by Jan Peerce, the great American tenor who had a long career at the Met, as a singing jailer. Durbin is in the jail. It's not long before before they're sharing a duet from Il Trovatore and arguing about who stepped on whose obbligato.

But the movie begins to get tedious when the Mary Collins mix-up is finally discovered, love between Mary and Donald emerges and serious complications concerning proper family breeding sets in. Most problematic is John Dall as Donald Read, the stuffy hero who learns to love. Dall always seemed to me to be not only a limited actor but a man who, just as Lawrence Harvey always seemed genuinely unlikeable, always seemed genuinely artificial. He was unnerving as the artificially sincere killer-for-thrills in Rope a year later, but here he creates a big hole in the movie. He simply isn't interesting enough or strong enough to compete in the comedy or romance departments with Durbin.

A surprisingly deft comedy by Deanna Durbin.

[itsmits · 8/10 · 5 December 2006]

I recently purchased this DVD as part of a six movie pack. I wished to review "Something In The Wind" because I had focused on Donald O'Connor too much. I was pleased to note that Deanna Durbin was an accomplished light comedy actress in addition to her vocal talents. The ease with which she performed her first song in this movie as a disc jockey is an excellent example of her innate acting ability.

The role played by John Dall seemed too far removed from his role in "The Corn Is Green". There seemed to be little chemistry between Durbin and Dall.

Donald O'Connor was polished as usual but then he had been in movies for over a decade by this time having debuted with Bing Crosby and Fred MacMurray in "Sing You Sinners". It was interesting to realize that the zany short routine he did for Deanna was the groundwork for his 'Make 'Em Laugh' routine in "Singing In The Rain".

Although the impact of "100 Men And A Girl" was never realized again, Deanna Durbin left an enjoyable body of work in her career in Hollywood. There were five or so as a young teen-ager beginning with "Three Smart Girls", "100 Men And A Girl", "Mad About You", "That Certain Age" and Three Smart Girls Grow Up".

With the advent of "First Love" (her'first screen kiss')and pairing with Bob Stack, she began to leave the adolescent stage. Her subsequent movies showed that she had acting ability in addition to her juvenile charm and appealing voice. She did not experience the awkward stage of Shirley Temple and graduated smoothly into adult roles. She may not have been another Irene Dunne nor Rosalind Russell but her comedy was enjoyable and her vocalization always pleasant albeit somewhat schmaltzy to some.

The Williams Bros received billing in this movie but it would be difficult to pick out which one was Andy.

For those not fortunate enough to have grown up in the Deanna Durbin 'saves Univeral Studio' era, this movie is one fine example of how she did it. Light but very entertaining.

Deanna Looks Better Than Ever!!!

[kidboots · 8/10 · 8 December 2011]

"Something in the Wind" was a big hit in Australia - my mother, who just loved Deanna Durbin, had a few of the songs in sheet music and often sang them around the house. It proves that even at the end of her career, while she did have a couple of misses, she did retire at the top. Universal had allowed her to grow up gracefully and being a teenager when she was discovered, she didn't experience any of those "awkward years" so common to almost every child star.

The problem for Deanna, who wore a very becoming upswept hairdo in "Something in the Wind", was that she was often eclipsed by her co star, lively, full of beans performer Donald O'Connor. A definite Deanna memory for me, is of her draped across her "disc jockey" desk singing "The Turntable Song" - "round and round and round and round the turntable goes". That is the first scene - Durbin plays Mary Collins, a D.J. who is kidnapped by Donald Reid (John Dall) a wealthy, pompous young heir who thinks Mary was a mistress of his late grandfather's!! As if Deanna could be that!!! Margaret Wycherley - she of the often Machiavellan roles ie Ma Jarrett in "White Heat", plays true to form as Grandma Reid, the instigator while Jean Adair plays Aunt Mary, the real recipient of the legacy. Before she is kidnapped she gets to audition (of course) with "Happy Go Lucky and Free".

Once kidnapped, Mary plays it to the hilt - trying to take those stuffed shirts down a peg or two, she mentions a "baby" and agrees to settle for a million!!! The family had tentatively offered $5,000 in hush money. The younger brother, Charles (Donald O'Connor) sides with her instantly and sings of his fondness for thrillers in "I Love a Mystery" which is very reminiscent of his "Make 'Em Laugh" from "Singin' in the Rain". Charles is also in love with Donald's fiancé, Clarissa (Helena Carter - whatever happened to her, she scored in "Invaders From Mars" and then nothing), in spite of her pretentiousness and Mary agrees to help him by pretending to fall in love with Donald. Pretend doesn't last long as to the strain of the beautiful "Something in the Wind" they really do fall in love.

It wouldn't be a Deanna Durbin movie without an opera excerpt - this time she duets Miserere from "Ill Trovatore" with a policeman (Jan Peerce, star of the Metropolitan Opera). The film ends with a reprise of the movie's songs performed by Durbin and O'Connor (who seems to get most of the finale time) for that new fangled medium (at the time) - television!!! Director Irving Pichell does an Alfred Hitchcock when he appears early on in the movie as a tone deaf mechanic.

Breezy romantic comedy worth watching for Deanna's songs...

[Doylenf · 22 October 2002]

Deanna Durbin was at the peak of her vocal abilities on screen by the time she made SOMETHING IN THE WIND and fortunately she has some pleasant and frequent musical interludes sprinkled throughout what is essentially a feeble plot.

She's once again up to her neck in a plot relying heavily on mistaken identity and pretending to be someone she's not. Her leading men are Donald O'Connor and John Dall, the latter being her love interest in a somewhat wooden performance. O'Connor tends to over exert himself in some rambunctious musical numbers while Deanna not only sings some lively numbers but also joins Jan Peerce, tenor of the Metropolitan Opera, for an operatic aria.

Obviously the film was designed to give Deanna a new and more glamorous look and wardrobe and some popular melodies to sing rather than the usual operatic or semi-classical numbers. Unfortunately, the plot is no more adult than her "little Miss Fix-it" fluff earlier in her career. But she looks wonderful and is in extremely good voice for all of her vocals. A pleasant and diverting experience for true Deanna Durbin fans.

The wind blew the wrong way for a DD-DO romance, but DD sings up a storm, while DO 'Loves a Mystery'

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 7 February 2013]

If you can ignore the melodramatic script which looks like it was drafted by a distracted 5 year old, and concentrate on the music, Deanna's acting, and Don O'Connor's notable "I Love a Mystery" performance, we might give this film a passing grade. Be forewarned that I have not seen any other films starring Deannna(DD), whereas I have seen most of Don's (DO) starring or costarring films. Thus, my comparisons with other films will be confined to those relating to DO, and I think I have some interesting insights in that regard.

In his many Universal films during WWII, DO, in addition to his standard dance and comedy partner Peggy Ryan, was nearly always paired with one of several noted young operatic-styled soprano singers. They were signed mainly to replace a younger DD or to provide some leverage in negotiating with DD. Nearly always this songstress also served as DO's main romantic interest in the film. By the time DO returned to Universal from WWII service, all 3 of these singers, along with Peggy, had left Universal. Thus, Universal had to find a new costar for DO. To fit the previous pattern, DD was the obvious choice, although older. However, there are several differences in this film. There was no one to provide DO with a comedic dancing and skit costar. Thus, DO had to rely pretty much on himself to do his standard clownish dancing and skits: the result being his "I Love a Mystery" performance. Secondly, DD didn't end up his romantic partner, probably because he was a few years younger at 22. From my viewpoint, they should have been paired romantically regardless. The on again-off again romantic dalliance of DD with character Don Read(John Dall) never is convincing, nor especially interesting.

I would like to comment on the full significance of DO's "I Love a Mystery" performance, in regard to 2 later MGM films he costarred in. Several reviewers have noted the similarity of the couch segment of this performance with part of his classic "Make 'Em Laugh" solo performance in "Singing in the Rain". But, I can see more. The latter routine did not have the theme of murder mysteries. However, in his '53 film "I Love Melvin", with Debbie Reynolds, he again has an extensive comedic skit with the same theme, that strongly resembles the non-dancing portions of "I Love a Mystery". Also,the dancing portions of the latter strongly resembles the scene in that film where DO and Debbie dance and cavort around the living room and on the furniture. Just, DD is minimally involved in the present performance. Obviously, we are missing some major features of "Make 'Em Laugh" in "I Love a Mystery". But, we can find some of them elsewhere!. The cloth dummy he cavorted with can be found in the previous "Top Man". His terminal plunge through a papery wall after dancing around is seen in his '48 "Feudin', 'Fussin', and A-Fightin'". Even the melody was essentially stolen from Cole Porter, as performed by Gene Kelly and Judy Garland in the "Be a Clown" performance in "The Pirate". Thus, "Make 'Em Laugh" can be viewed as a remake of "Be a Clown", using essentially the same tune with different lyrics, based largely upon modified pieces of several of Don's previous routines.

Since I'm running short on space, I will simply agree with most previous reviewers that DD did a great job with her several songs and her dramatic and comedic acting, and looks great.

Now, the negatives: As I mentioned, the last minute romantic switcheroo so common in musicals of this era seemed to pair the wrong people. How did DO end up with Dall's former squeeze, model Charissa, with no prior indication of her interest in such?? And just how does DO fit into this Read family crisis over DD(as younger Mary Collins)? In contradiction to the clear statement that DO's character(Charlie Read) is a 3rd cousin to Don Read, several previous reviewers state that DO was Don's younger brother. This is understandable, since DO has the same last name and always seems to be around Don and his grandmother. However, he sides with DD in her conflict with the Reads because he's not part of the wealthy Reads. And how does DO, a mere poor cousin of the rich Reads, obtain the vital financial records to the exclusion of the others that implicate DD as an imposter of her aunt? And where are the parents of Charlie Read(DO), Don Read, and Mary Collins(DD)in this extended family crisis?? Are the younger set all orphans? Except for DD and maybe DO, the main characters are all faceless one-dimensional cardboard characters the audience has little reason to care about. Jean Adair, as DD's aunt(great aunt?) of the same name, whom she lives with, being 74y.o, was at age 54 the 'young' never married fiancé of recently deceased grandpa Read! And why don't the Reads check out DD's claim that she had a baby with grandpa Read? Any why don't the Reads continue to pay Mary Collins a living sum rather than the $ 1 million extortion settlement alternative she demands? And how does Uncle Charlie get DD put in jail when he doesn't yet know she's a fraud? I could go on, but I'm out of space. Yes, it's mostly kind of fun anyway. Ha!Ha!.

Currently viewable at You Tube

Deanna Durbin is her grown up self in Something in the Wind

[tavm · 7/10 · 3 January 2016]

After seeing her Three Smart Girls on the same DVD, I watched the other of Deanna Durbin's movies on it-this one, Something in the Wind. Made more than a decade after the previous one I mentioned, Ms. Durbin is no longer a young teen here but quite an alluring adult. She sings both her familiar opera songs and some more contemporary music of the time to fine effect. One of her costars is Donald O'Connor, just out of the military and doing his funny enough shticks-some of which may be familiar to modern viewers if they've seen Singin' in the Rain. Another of Ms. Durbin's costars one may be familiar with here is Charles Winninger-who I just watched play her father in TSG-playing Donald's Uncle Chester. No, she doesn't end up with Donald but the leading man named John Dall. Don't really want to reveal the plot which isn't really all that believable, just turn your brain off and enjoy Something in the Wind.

A movie that will surprise you

[richard-1787 · 7/10 · 3 October 2010]

Those who know DD from her "little Miss fixit" movies of the 1930s will be very surprised by this film. She is now an adult, styled very much to look like an even more attractive Gale Storm, and she turns out to be both a very fine actress in romantic comedy and, low and behold, one very sexy singer. Her performance of "Thank you Daddy" is right up there with Rita Hayworth's classic Gilda performance. Frankly, she is far more interesting in this movie, at least to an adult male, than she was in those cute 1930s movies.

Donald O'Conner is also VERY good in this movie. "I love a mystery" is, indeed, a harbinger of what he will do, that much better, in Singing in the Rain. It's not at that level, but it's very good.

The character actors and actresses all deliver fine performances.

And Jan Peerce as the jail keep is not to be missed. I grew up on his recordings, when he and Tucker were the two great American tenors. Believe me folks, he was indeed great, the equal of any of his European contemporaries. He does the "Miserere" with DD here, and it's good. Interestingly, she does not take the alternate high note in the last repeat, as was customary in those days and as Kitty Carlile (sp?) does in A Night at the Opera (and Rosa Ponselle does in her recording with Caruso). It's great to have a chance to see Peerce again "live."

The weak elements here are the male romantic lead, as noted by other reviewers, who is a dud, and the music. If this had had a score as memorable as some of Judy Garland's movies of the same era, it would be as memorable as those. DD does a remarkable job with what she's given, but in terms of music, she isn't given much.

I like the teenage DD movies. They're fun. But this shows that DD was better as an adult than as a child star, and that's staying a lot.

------------------------------

I watched this again tonight, and really enjoyed it. Durbin really is more interesting as an adult than as a child star. And she really does a bang-up job of "Thank you Daddy." On second viewing, it's less Rita Hayworth in Gilda than Mary Martin in one of her "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" numbers.

The things that keep this from being a great movie have been pointed out by others: the script is weak, the music, though it several times comes close to being memorable, never really is; and the leading man has no chemistry at all. Durbin does a great job with mediocre material, as does O'Connor, but that won't make a silk purse out of a piglet's ear.

Dopey plot and dull screenplay, but music and dance save this film

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 30 August 2022]

Most of the reviewers before mine here have nailed this film, with little difference in most ratings. It is really a bad plot with an even worse screenplay. That is for the story with the young Mary Collins getting kidnapped by the descendants of the wealthy Read patriarch who recently died. The comedy writers must have been on strike, because silly and dopey plots at times have been saved by at least some witty and funny dialog. But this film's script is dull as well as dumb.

It's too bad, because those were the days before Universal was a major studio, and it really did owe its survival to Deanna Durbin. As others have noted, had the studio provided quality scripts and roles for Durbin, she likely would not have walked away from Hollywood and a film career in her late 20s. And movie fans of the 20th century and beyond could have had some more memorable movies - perhaps musicals, to enjoy.

But, even as weak and poor as the plot was, this film didn't flop at the box office. Durbin considered it a dud, and while it wasn't a big hit, fans still turned out for the musical show. And that's truly what saves this film and even earns it a high mark from me - at 7, because of the very good song and dance numbers. Durbin sings several songs, including her hit tune, "Round 'n Round 'n Round" (the Turntable Song), and Donald O'Connor gives a dazzling performance of "I Love a Mystery." For as good as Durbin's singing is with popular music, the routine that helps put this film over just for its musical showcase is the duet she sings with Metropolitan Opera singer and star Jan Peerce - an aria from "Il Travatore."

I am one of those fans who enjoys the good and great musicals of the past. And, I too would like to have seen more films with Deanna Durbin. She not only had a superb voice, but she was a very good actress, especially in comedy. It's a stretch to rate this movie a 7 for the plot and screenplay overall, but the music and dance are exceptional for a musical revue film, and the stars are deserving at least.

Here are some lines that show the level of comedy in this goofy plot

Orchestra leader at the Fashion Show, after a fanfare, announces "And now for our new collection of evening gowns. These gowns are designed to ensure that large amounts of money change hands. The fainthearted are advised not to look."

Mary Collins, "Why, you old crook." Uncle Chester Read, "Heh, at your service, my dear."

Mary Collins, "Would you swindle your own flesh and blood?" Uncle Chester, "It's ever so more simple than swindling strangers."

There's Something About Mary

[lugonian · 8/10 · 2 January 2016]

SOMETHING IN THE WIND (Universal-International, 1947), directed by Irving Pichel, is not a disaster hurricane or tornado movie, but a light-hearted musical-comedy starring the once-popular Deanna Durbin in one of her final film roles before closing her chapter in movie making by 1948. Considering a handful of "Wind" movie titles, consisting of THE WIND (1928), WOMEN IN THE WIND (1939), REAP THE WILD WIND (1942), VOICE IN THE WIND (1944), and the most famous wind of all, GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), SOMETHING IN THE WIND is simply a song title tagged to an ordinary story quite common during the screwball genre of the 1930s. Following weak comedy attempts of BECAUSE OF HIM (1946) and I'LL BE YOURS (1947), Durbin's latest installment is actually one of her better efforts, especially with the assistance Donald O'Connor.

Abandoning her shoulder-length hairstyle for a more mature 1940s style appearance, Deanna Durbin plays Mary Collins, a singing disc-jockey for WFOB Radio Station. After finishing her daily program, Mary is approached by the angry and upset Donald Read (John Dall), a rich, stuck-up snob identifying himself as grandson to the late Henry Read. Unaware of his purpose, she finds he wants her to sign a cash settlement to cease any further financial means she's been receiving for many years. Accused of being this old man's mistress, Mary, not liking this young man's tactics, storms out of the station. Once home where she lives with her Aunt Mary (Jean Adair), Mary soon learns it's her aunt, who, many years ago, had worked as governess for the Reads where she met and fell in love with Henry. Because the Read family disapproved of their relationship due to social standings, the engagement was broken, with Henry marrying another. Because of his engagement to socialite, Clarissa Prentice (Helena Carter), and hoping to avoid any scandal connected with the family name, Donald gets Charlie (Donald O'Connor), his third cousin, to go to the radio station and abduct Mary. Once inside the Read estate, Mary, knowing the situation to be mistaken identity, is unable to convince other family members, consisting of Grandma Read (Margaret Wycherly) and Uncle Chester (Charles Winninger) she's not the Mary Collins in question, decides to go on with her masquerade and accept the payoff settlement of a million dollars to support her and Henry's "child." As Mary and Donald plot against each other, one of the family members discovers Mary's deception and plots against her.

With Music and Lyrics by Johnny Green and Leo Robin, the motion picture soundtrack is as follows: "The Turntable Song," "Happy-Go-Lucky and Free" (both sung by Deanna Durbin); "I Love a Mystery" (sung and performed by Donald O'Connor); "Don't You, Daddy?" (sung by Durbin during fashion show); "The Turntable Song" (sung by The Four Williams Brothers and Donald O'Connor); "Something in the Wind," "It's Only Love" (both sung by Durbin); "Miserere" from Guiseppe Verdi's IL TROVADORE (sung and performed by Durbin and Jan Peerce, Star of the Metropolitan Opera Company); "Happy-Go-Lucky and Free" and "Something in the Wind" (reprises). Though the songs are forgettable, they're agreeably pleasant. Aside from Durbin's singing, Donald O'Connor highlights with his "I Love a Mystery" number, a somewhat forerunner to his antics to "Make 'Em Laugh" from "Singin' in the Rain" (MGM, 1952), which displays his ability in bot showmanship and comedy. Opera singer Jan Peerce, in a rare screen appearance, cast as a policeman, provides some fine moments singing opposite Durbin in jail. Other cast members include: Jacqueline De Wit (The Saleslady); William Ching (Master of Ceremonies); Chester Clute, Hal K. Dawson, Frank Wilcox, among others.

A couple interesting aspects about SOMETHING IN THE WIND is a look back at early television production provided towards the film's end, and the casting of dramatic actor, John Dall. Dall, on loan from Warner Brothers, best known for his rare screen work of THE CORN IS GREEN (1945), ROPE (1948) and GUN CRAZY (United Artists, 1949), seems uncomfortable in his role, especially when comedy is concerned. A loan-out from MGM's Peter Lawford might have been sufficient, but Dall does his best to make his character believable.

Scarcely shown on television, especially public television where it was commonly shown in the 1980s, SOMETHING IN THE WIND is pleasant, breezy89 minute entertainment, even without the wind. Distributed to home video in 1998, it's currently available on DVD with Durbin's feature film debut, THREE SMART GIRLS (1936), also featuring Charles Winninger, on its flip side. (***)

so save a studio from bankruptcy, and this is what you get

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 6 November 2012]

Is it any wonder that Deanna Durbin, with the world at her feet, couldn't wait to get out of movies? "Something in the Wind" is one of her last films, for good reason: a paper-thin plot, only saved by the presence of Durbin, Donald O'Connor, and opera megastar Jan Peerce.

Durbin plays Mary Collins, a young woman with a radio show. She's approached by the Read family - the patriarch, Henry, has just died and the family is under the impression that Mary was getting an allowance from him. Henry wanted to continue the allowance; the family is hoping to settle with her. Actually, it's not Mary at all, but her grandmother (Jean Adair); at first, Mary doesn't know that. She rebuffs Donald Read (John Dall); she is then kidnapped by Donald and his cousin Charlie (O'Connor), as the family is desperate to have her sign the agreement. Complications ensue.

Durbin's first song in the film was a hit (her last in fact), "The Turntable Song" and throughout the film, every note that comes out of her mouth is pure gold. O'Connor performs "I Love a Mystery," which foreshadows "Make 'Em Laugh." The highlight of the film is Jan Peerce as Tony the cop, who sings the Miserere from Il Trovatore with Durbin. It is glorious. It's not a role she ever would have sung in opera, but they are both wonderful. The Williams Brothers also do a number - someone wrote on this site that they couldn't find Andy. He was the first one on the left.

Durbin sings several Johnny Green songs: "You Wanna Keep Your Baby Lookin' Right" "Something in the Wind," "It's Only Love," and of course, "The Turntable Song." Though the stars manage to pull this thing off, one would think that Universal would have gone to any lengths to get material that matched Durbin's enormous talent. In the only interview she's given since leaving show business, she told the interviewer that her last four films were duds and that she was very unhappy. One can't blame her. And it wasn't just Universal's loss; it is all of ours.

This One Is Downwind

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 22 October 2011]

Few I suspect at Universal Studios thought that Something In The Wind would be one of Deanna Durbin's last films. If they thought that they might have taken more care with her material.

Teaming Deanna with Donald O'Connor another one of their juvenile mainstays was probably inevitable. Both O'Connor and Deanna are served well by the songs obviously written both in mind. Deanna's Turntable Song sold a few records back in the day and O'Connor's I Love A Mystery song and routine are well suited to his talents. But the highlight is an aria from Il Trovatore that Durbin sings with Jan Peerce of the Metropolitan Opera playing an opera singing cop.

The plot is truly a silly one. Older brother John Dall comes marching into Deanna's radio studio all full of himself demanding that she cease and desist demands for payments that his grandfather has been paying regularly to her. In fact grandfather was making payments to Durbin's aunt Jean Adair and a cursory examination of the records would show that the payments started before Durbin was born. But no one said Dall was too bright.

In any event this stupid error becomes the basis for the rest of the film causing complications for Dall, Durbin and O'Connor playing Dall's younger brother. Dall also has a fiancé played by Helena Carter who takes a dim view of it all as does his grandmother Margaret Wycherly.

Others besides Durbin and O'Connor fans might like Something In The Wind. But both have done better work than this.

How could they do this to her?

[dpharrington · 8/10 · 21 August 2012]

If you love Deanna -- and if you don't, what are you doing here? -- you must be dismayed at the dreck Universal threw at her, she who had saved them from bankruptcy and was still the best box-office draw in the country, even with atrocious scripts like this.

The moral is that rich people, however undeserving, get to do whatever they like. For them kidnapping a young woman is everyday business, and keeping her from a major career opportunity through a false arrest is amusing, as she is not in the same species as those rich people, however undeserving (total change at the end is thoroughly unconvincing); and that Universal does not owe even a halfway-decent script to its finest star. Ever.

Oh, and I left out the worst part: This movie makes her fall in love with John Dall -- the dragging-her-kicking-and-screaming part must have been cut out. I reckon Dall is okay for Peggy Cummins, who's mostly interested in his marksmanship. But for Deanna? Look, in his unlovability, this guy is to the 40s what Lawrence Harvey was to the 60s. Inevitably, the chemistry between them here is strictly H2S.

Oh, but I gave it an 8, did I? Well, 6.5 is for Deanna, who has half a dozen great performances of mostly mediocre songs, and manages to remain chipper despite all the indignities, and the other 1.5 for Donald O'Connor, whose hair is too big but still shows off his inimitable brand of comic dancing. I did not deduct for the script.

Too much singing and a thin plot make this a slight film from start to finish.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 13 June 2014]

Deanna Durbin was a HUGE star in the 1930s-40s--and for a while she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. However, today most folks probably haven't heard of her. This is because Miss Durbin walked away from her film career when she was in her 20s and going strong-- apparently because she got bored with films and the very formulaic films they put her in over the years. This sort of problem is pretty obvious in "Something in the Wind"--a film where Durbin did quite well but the writing of the film was clearly well below her. Little did Universal Studios realize that in giving her crap scripts like this, they were also pushing their big money-maker out the studio door!

The film begins with Mary Collins (Durbin) leaving work at the radio station when an obnoxious and ill-informed lawyer accosts her and tries to get her to sign some release. She has no idea WHAT he's talking about and finds his comments insulting. However, when she gets home, she learns from the aunt that the lawyer mistook Mary for the aunt--who is also named Mary! It seems that long ago, Aunt Mary was involved with some rich guy but he dumped her and married another woman to please his snobby family. Apparently out of feelings of guilt, the old man had been sending Aunt Mary checks...and the man's family ASSUMED that the money was hush money!

Here is where it starts to get a tad dumb. Because Mary wouldn't talk with the lawyer, the family has her kidnapped and they once again ask young Mary to take some sort of settlement to shut up and go away forever in order to 'preserve the family name'. Out of anger, she lies- -telling them that she had the old man's baby!! Now, she insists they give her a million bucks! She has no intention to take the money--she just wants to make the jerks sweat.

Contrived? Yup! But it gets much worse--as the handsome son inexplicably and very, very, very quickly falls in love with Mary (Durbin--not the old lady!). In addition, there is tons of music and dancing--so much so that it really looks like padding since the plot is so thin. So why does it still manage to get a 5? Well, Durbin, when not singing, is very funny and proves she was simply too good for this tripe.

Something fun to watch

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 21 March 2022]

SOMETHING IN THE WIND features a grown-up Deanna Durbin, paired with Universal's equally popular Donald O'Connor. It was Mr. O'Connor's first film in two years, as he had been drafted into the military. He gets to do an athletic song-and-dance number, which provides one of the film's highlights. Of course most of the tunes are handled by Miss Durbin whose voice never sounded better.

Durbin plays a disc jockey with her own radio show, and she's looking for a sponsor. When a rich guy (John Dall) comes to the station, she thinks he's interested in supporting her musical program. But there has been some sort of mix-up; he is under the impression she had a baby with his late departed grandfather. Yes, only in a Deanna Durbin flick. The zany premise allows for her to be "kidnapped" by Dall and his cousin (O'Connor) who take her to meet the rest of the family.

At their palatial estate she meets a stern aunt (Margaret Wycherly) whose main concern is keeping the scandal out of the papers. Auntie attempts to buy off the pretty interloper with a million dollar check. Durbin goes along with the situation to teach them all a lesson. There is a nutty uncle played by Charles Winninger, who previously appeared as the father in the Three Smart Girls series. Also, Dall's snooty fiancee (Helena Carter) shows up to complicate things. This occurs during an eventful weekend while the family waits for an attorney to arrive to make the payoff legal.

In the meantime our heroine finds herself falling for Dall, with O'Connor offering to help. There's something in it for him (he wants his cousin's fiancee). We don't have to worry how things will turn out, since everything gets properly sorted in these kinds of pictures. Hijinks, complete with a wacky operatic jailhouse number, give way to romantic tenderness. Plus the family's begun to change for the better. And that's what always happens in a Deanna Durbin picture. Life always seem better by the final fadeout. Probably because she holds the key to everyone's heart.

I Bought the Six Film Package for Aria from Il Trovatore that Durbin Sings with Jan Peerce

[joyinlagunahills · 8/10 · 18 July 2022]

I really did buy the six film package (the Sweetheart Pack) solely for the aria from Il Trovatore that Deanna Durbin sings with Jan Peerce in Something in the Wind. And it was worth it. Durbin's voice was extraordinary. (So was Jan Peerce's but that is another story for another day.) I recall the wonderful soprano Renee Fleming guest hosting on TCM and almost crying as she described Deanna Durbin sending her (Ms. Fleming) flowers. Ms. Fleming could not believe the honor that she felt.

Back to the movie, it is silly, but a fine showcase for Ms. Durbin's considerable talents. She handled the part of a radio DJ who sang during her show, very well. The plot put her into various dilemmas, the best being when she was in jail and Maestro Peerce was the opera singing jailer, and it was fun to watch the twists and turns as her character managed to wriggle free of the various entanglements. Donald O'Connor always gave a fine performance and did here as well.

Cute Deanna Durbin vehicle

[HotToastyRag · 5/10 · 6 January 2019]

Deanna Durbin fans are going to want to check out Something in the Wind. Not only does she get an interesting, entertaining story to sing through, but she looks very pretty with her curly, cropped 'do. She sings the title song as well as several others as she falls in love with John Dall against her better judgment, since they're both trying to swindle each other out of a million dollars. John is engaged to Helena Carter, but his younger brother Donald O'Connor is in love with her and anxious for Deanna to cause trouble. At first, it's just an act, but when they spend more time together and sing together, Deanna and John find their feelings are real.

He doesn't get first billing, or a shot at the leading lady, but Donald O'Connor is given quite the spotlight in this musical comedy. In the ridiculous song "I Love a Mystery" that you think no one in the world could save, Donald O'Connor performs a spastic, manic, rumbling, tumbling, dance routine that gives "Make 'Em Laugh" a run for its money. If you aren't watching it for that, you can catch Donald doing a Cary Grant impersonation for ten seconds, or dancing a comical ballet with women significantly taller and beefier than him, whom he repeatedly drops. It's hard to imagine that scrappy, young kid fighting in WWII just two years earlier, when in this movie he hardly seems old enough to shave.