1940
In 1940 there were at least three films and one radio broadcast.
In 1939 they had filmed High School, which was released on 26th January 1940. The Brian Sisters sing the School Song, but were stifled by the film's director and were not only required to sing it with no expression, but also with bad notes, “to fit the expectations of school singing”. Sadly this makes the girls look incompetent, which they were definitely not! Indeed, to sing this poorly must have been a considerable strain for them. They had a bad deal. But at least it helped pay the bills...
In Tin Pan Alley they appeared briefly in America, I Love You, helping, after The Roberts Brothers, to lift it into a lively song.
The girls' performance was excellent. Overall, the film is very good.
The Brian Sisters were filming this in the week finishing on October 25th
Music In My Heart is one of those films that you either like or don't. The girls liven up the end of Punchinello, an amazingly dreary song to the organ-grinders monkey, Punchinello (actually he 'played' a piano-accordion, not a barrel-organ). If it hadn't been for The Brian Sisters' lively appearance, this song might have died the death (a bit like America, I Love You above).
We have a radio broadcast from 1940 - The Brian Sisters sang as 'The Trio' in the Lux Radio Theater broadcast of Love Affair. This time Irene Dunne actually sang the first part of the song (she didn't sing it in the film) and handed over to 'The Trio' for the second part, which they sang with perfect diction - well done. This is a very calm, tuneful song and the radio performance is superb. The broadcast was repeated in 1942, but we'll only count it once!
Also, in 1940, the Brian Sisters broadcast on radio in a weekly program, Dick Roselle and the Brian Sisters, a 15-minute program of six tunes, three of which were sung by the girls. This program continued into 1941.
As well as these appearances, the girls' school noted in September 1940 that
“Entertaining at the Pomona Fair recently were those triple song birds, the Brians. And very nice too, I hear”.