AllMovie

Deanna Durbin fans will be delighted with Spring Parade, which though set in an unfamiliar territory (Vienna) for Durbin, is still an extremely typical vehicle for the singer-actress. Those who are not fans of the young lady in question will probably not find Parade any more to their liking than any of her other films, but even they might concede that this outing is particularly charming. It's so light that the entire thing threatens to float away, a dangerous thing for most films. But Parade's lightness suits it perfectly, for it's a tasty little soufflé of a film. It's all foolishness, of course, with one of those plots which bear no resemblance to reality at all, and some will legitimately have a gripe with this. It's also hard to argue that some of the dialogue is a bit too coy at times, a trifle corny at others. But fortunately, whenever the dialogue gets a bit too much or the plot seems to have escaped reality for too long, Durbin opens her mouth in song, and everything is forgiven. The star is in excellent voice, looks smashing and brings her pleasing personality to the front at every opportunity. She gets excellent support from the always pleasing S.Z. Sakall, and Robert Cummings adds as much zest as is possible to his shopworn role. Throw in some winning songs, lovely cinematography and some nifty sets, and the result is a nice bet for those in the mood for something totally frivolous.