INTERVIEW: DEANNA DURBIN - 1983. Her major motion pictures were Three Smart Girls (1936), Mad About Music (1938) and That Certain Age (1938). Deanna Durbin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1722 Vine Street. Gall is quite good playing Durbin and she is a superb singer. Durbins last two movies did not do well, said Harper. (1941). It was the 1950s, Deanna was only 29 years old. Hi, David!What a great find and such a personal and detailed interview about her private life and career highlights. In fact, there is still a Deanna Devotees fan club in England. Taylor, Russell. Universal was going broke and the idea of a new star who had two very obvious advantages she had great talent and came very cheap was extremely tempting. Thelate Mr Shipman wrote one of my favourite books, THE GREAT FILM STARS; THE GOLDEN YEARS. All rights reserved. *For donate* https://www.paypal.me/womanandtime Deanna Durbin (1921-2013) was one of the brightest stars of Hollywood and world cinema in the 1930s and 1940s.She began her career in 1936, when she was still a child. Durbin was a child actress who made her first film appearance with Judy Garland in Every Sunday (1936), and subsequently signed a contract with Universal Studios. 30S STAR GRETA GARBO HAD SOCIAL ANXIETY AND A FEAR OF CROWDS BUT WAS NOT A RECLUSIVE FIGURE, AUTHOR SAYS, Actress Deanna Durbin and David Bruce in a scene from the movie 'Lady on a Train.' The Universal producer Joe Pasternak constantly tried to change her mind, but Durbin told him: "I can't run around being a Little Miss Fix-It who bursts into song the highest-paid star with the poorest material. INTERVIEW: DEANNA DURBIN - 1983 greatentertainersarchives.blogspot.com. According to the New York Times, Durbin moved to France in 1949 and settled in the village of Neauple-le-Chateau, outside of Paris. Her major motion pictures were Three Smart Girls (1936), Mad About Music (1938) and That Certain Age (1938). France Wt Remember Deanna Durbin' Well, she is now a happy French housewife who says nothing could lure her back to Hollywood. Between December 15, 1936, and July 22, 1947, Deanna Durbin recorded 50 tunes for Decca Records. Former child star Deanna Durbin has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If they were allowed to be managed and controlled, for example, by Reputable Fan Clubs, that would have been Great News for Her Fans. ". While often re-creating her movie songs for commercial release, Durbin also covered independent standards, like "Kiss Me Again", "My Hero", "Annie Laurie", "Poor Butterfly", "Love's Old Sweet Song" and "God Bless America". Deanna is a favourite on my local nostalgia radio. Simple theme. Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. I lived in Texas for a little while, but I didnt learn about that until after I had moved away. [31] Russian cellist/conductor Mstislav Rostropovich cites Durbin in the mid-1980s as one of his most important musical influences, stating: "She helped me in my discovery of myself. Movie mogul L.B. She was given the professional name Deanna at the beginning of her association with Universal Studios in 1936, when she was still 14 years old. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Her parents took her to live in California when she was a baby. Maybe her family will relent and allow a Biography to be written. He said, She was very young when she left Hollywood. Edna Mae Durbin was born on December 4, 1921, at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, the younger daughter of James Allen Durbin and his wife Ada (ne Read) Durbin, who were originally from Chester, England. If you ever notice that one of Deanna Durbins movies is on television, a rarity, catch it. She flat out refused. In 1947, she was not only the highest paid actress in Hollywood but the highest paid woman in America. In those days, there was a way into movies that is no longer available: the studio put her into what was called a "short subject", and allowed the public to judge. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The actress, who was born Edna Mae Durbin, married her third husband, 44-year-old French director Charles Davis, at age 28, and retired to a French farmhouse. Her . She tried very hard to shake off her girl-next-door image with films such as Christmas Holiday (1944), directed by Robert Siodmak and adapted from W Somerset Maugham's novel: Durbin and her co-star Gene Kelly were both cast against type, she as a nightclub hostess and he as a killer. . [16] However, while her adult dramatic roles may have been more satisfying for Durbin, it was clear her fans preferred her in light musical confections. Jackson left Universal in November 1946;[17] he also left Durbin in January 1947, although their separation was not announced until the following year. Needless to say, I was, along with her other fans, shocked to hear about her passing. However, Durbin was unhappy by the role, and that Universal had not given support to the career of her first husband assistant director Vaughn Paul, whom she had married in April 1941. I don't think Deanna Durbin will ever lose her fan base, every year more people "discover" her and her delightful personality. And it made us believe that somehow, we could achieve the same.. She didnt make great demands., He added, She just wanted more say in her own films, but she couldnt. Gall tells a fascinating and colorful story. She had also completed 22 films by then. You have no idea of the smelly old movie houses I patronized to see Deanna Durbin. Its box-office success is generally held to have been responsible for saving the studio from bankruptcy. They put me in the town jail for safety and to avoid the mob still waiting at the station, they flagged the train down in the middle of nowhere, where I got on safely., Just once was I seriously tempted (to return to performing), by the prospect of My Fair Lady on Broadway. The following is a 1983 interview with classic movie star Deanna Durbin, conducted by David Shipman. This added to her movie images even more charm and beauty.In the Soviet Union, and today in Russia, we really love her film His Butler's Sister, where Deanna sings old Russian romances in Russian.She miraculously managed to convey the atmosphere of the Russian romance. The first time was at age 19 in 1941 to director Vaughn Paul. Gall says she was tired of Hollywood, found fame tedious and wanted to live a normal life. Gall tells the audience that Durbin was probably a better singer, but Judy had more hits. She likely made lots of money during her career and didnt have to work again. 30S STAR THELMA TODD WAS BECOMING' TIRED 'OF HOLLYWOOD' BEFORE HER MYSTERIOUS DEATH, BOOK CLAIMS, Judy Garland (left) with Deanna Durbin, circa 1936. "And her contract eventually ran out. Ive seen a couple of unflattering photos of her, dressed in a shapeless coat with an unattractive scarf on her head. The play had a three week run and will be staged again at some U.S. theater. Her first screen kiss was described in a headline story across the continent. [8], The success of Durbin's films was reported to have saved Universal from bankruptcy. (The other two were Ginger Rogers and Billy Wilder.). And Durbins popularity wasnt just on the silver screen. Los Angeles Times 27 Sep 1949: A1. I was living in Texas when Deanna Durban passed away. She certainly was a mysterious woman. This girl could sing! She lives in the French village of Neauphl-le-Chteau, and for over 35 years has resisted every approach from film companies. She was young, beautiful, possessed all the glory of the world, but she preferred quietness, protection from reporters and insects. At 14 years old, Durbin signed with Universal, giving her the professional name Deanna. This time she had a menu which she said some one wanted Deanna to autograph. 01:04. Judy had, well, Judy had it all. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. An unnamed caricature of Durbin also appeared in the Warner Brother's cartoon "Malibu Beach Party" (1940). Life and career. (from, "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" (from, "Sari Waltz (Love's Own Sweet Song)" (from, "Say a Pray'r for the Boys Over There" (from, "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" (from, "You Wanna Keep Your Baby Looking Nice, Don't You" (from, This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 07:43. And so did film and music executives. That union lasted until Davids death in 1991 at 92. And her movies were feel-good, hopeful films during a dark time in our country. Why Guns Have Been Shielded from Consumer Safety Regulations for a Half Century, Chinese Memoirist Yuan-tsung Chen, 93, Rejects Forgetting of Maoist Horrors, Looking for King's Legacy? The film was intended as a demonstration of their talent as performers as studio executives had questioned the wisdom of casting two female singers together. According to the New York Times, Durbin did shed some insight on her departure from Hollywood in a 1958 letter. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. (Photo by Universal Pictures/De Carvalho Collection/Getty Images), MARILYN MONROE WAS DARING TO GO NUDE IN LAST FILM 'SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE' FOR THIS REASON, PHOTOGRAPHER SAYS. When a teenage Deanna Durbin appeared on screen in the 1930s, wearing a decorous white dress with her hands clasped together, singing with a bell-like purity, audiences sighed contentedly. There were Deanna Durbin dolls and dresses. Family? Her co-star Joseph Cotten would later speak highly of her integrity and character. What did her friends say? [7] That same year, Cesar Sturani, the general music secretary of the Metropolitan Opera, offered Durbin an audition. Published: January 13, 2014 | 06:21 . Renamed Deanna Durbin for show business purposes, by age 21 she was the most highly paid female star in the world. [4], In early 1935, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was planning a biographical film on the life of opera star Ernestine Schumann-Heink and was having difficulty finding an actress to play the young opera singer. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. (Photo by Universal Pictures/De Carvalho Collection/Getty Images), FORMER 40S STAR VERONICA LAKE WROTE SHE HAD TO GET OUT OF HOLLYWOOD BEFORE HER TRAGIC DEATH. Then suddenly, she disappeared. Deanna married director Charles Davis when she was 28 and retired to live in a French farmhouse. These films, produced by frequent collaborator and second husband Felix Jackson, were not as successful; she continued in musical roles until her retirement. Why did she build such a successful career in a short time and then give it all up? Hard to imagine being put in a jail for your safetyone more reason why I'm glad I'm not famous! Shop affordable wall art to hang in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls aren't welcome. I wonder now if there could be a demand for a biography of Deanna. So, what happened? Her work was credited with saving the studio from bankruptcy,[2] and led to Durbin being awarded the Academy Juvenile Award in 1938. Siodmark praised Durbin's acting skills, but later recalled she was difficult as "she wanted to play a new part but flinched from looking like a tramp: she always wanted to look like nice wholesome Deanna Durbin pretending to be a tramp. DIVORCE GRANTED TO DEANNA DURBIN: Singing Actress Says Director Husband, Felix Jackson, Left Her and Hollywood Margaret O'Brien was born Maxine O'Brien. Mr. Chadwick can be reached atbchadwick@njcu.edu. Gall is an authority on both women and researched their lives thoroughly. She and Jackson had a daughter, Jessica. ( in the 1981 photo above, is Deanna holding a copy of the BBC s Radio Times? Durbin turned down the role, and was suspended by the studio from October 16, 1941, to early February 1942. Durbin sang "Il Bacio" for the studio's vocal coach, who was stunned by her "mature soprano" voice. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. "Just say, 'To Bobby,'" she directed. Durbin was discovered by a casting director searching in Los Angeles singing schools for someone to play opera star Ernestine Schumann-Heink as a child. An orphaned boarding-school graduate secretly attends a prestigious ball, where she falls for the boyfriend of her snobbish cousin. In the late 1930s and through much of the 40s, Durbin was a top box-office attraction. http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2010/11/DeannaDurbinInterview.html. How about Judy Garland? ARGOSY PLANNING 2 'FUGITIVE' FILMS New York Times 9 Nov 1946: 24. I do my own shopping, bring up my two children and sing an hour every day.. She could have probably gone to MGM or another studio because she was still at the height of her acting abilities and her voice at her best. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She is far better known today in the United Kingdom and Europe that in the U.S. because the actress never cut off her films there. Samuel Leroy Jackson (Washington, DC, 21 de dezembro de 1948) um ator e produtor norte-americano.Alcanou a fama no incio da dcada de 1990.. Recebeu diversos prmios por suas atuaes cinematogrficas, e atua em diversas mdias alm de filmes, como sries de televiso, dublagem de videogames e etc. Deanna Durbin Devotees Its a shame, too, that she wouldnt allow herself to be profiled on Websites. (LogOut/ [15] The whodunit Lady on a Train (1945) also received mixed critical reviews. This is the last known interview with the reclusive film star and recording artist before her death in April of 2013. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Unique Deanna Durbin Interview Posters designed and sold by artists. In 1946, Durbin was the second-highest-paid woman in the United States, just behind Bette Davis,;[6] her fan club ranked as the world's largest during her active years. American GIs in World War II even named a bomber after her. Her new husband. They were married from 1945 to 1949. Market data provided by Factset. This led to her discovery by MGM in 1935. ", Lehrer said that Vice President Hubert Humphrey had been relegated to "those where-are-they-now columns: Whatever became of Deanna Durbin, and Hubert Humphrey, and so on." Ive gained weight. William continued, She just became displeased with Hollywood. Durbin and David raised a son, Peter David (born in June 1951), as well as Durbin's daughter Jessica, on a farm outside of Paris. "Beneath The Lights Of Home" being the most requested record. She was born Edna Mae Durbin in Winnipeg, Canada. When her former producer Joe Pasternak tried to dissuade her, she told him, "I can't run around being a Little Miss Fix-It who bursts into songthe highest-paid star with the poorest material. The light comedy For the Love of Mary (1948) was her swansong. [6] According to the Social Security Death Index (under the name Edna M. David), she died on April 17, 2013[1][28] in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.[29]. An engineering firm named its so-called dream home in her honor. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Deanna was a Hollywood star in every way. [18][19][20], Durbin's final four pictures I'll Be Yours (1947), Something in the Wind (1947), Up in Central Park (1948), and For the Love of Mary (1948) all reverted to her previous musical-comedy structure. O'Brien's mother, Gladys Flores, was a . Do you remember Deanna Durbin? And then she vanished from the public eye. Market data provided by Factset. She really illuminated their lives by just answering audience questions. Ten years and fewer than 20 films later, she suddenly announced her retirement from show business. Deanna was not only a superb actress, but as a . High quality Deanna Durbin Interview-inspired gifts and merchandise. Judy stayed in Hollywood, led a tragic life and died of a drug overdose at 47. D.J.. Deanna was not only a superb actress, but as a singer had the voice of an angel. She is also referenced in the Glenn Miller WWII novelty song "Peggy the Pin-up Girl". I have come across tons of Actresses who left Acting when they were young. After being launched to fame overnight with her first full-length film, Three Smart Girls, Deanna starred in over twenty-one movies before moving to France at the age of 28. Eventually, the inevitable happened: Durbin and her bosses had different ideas about what represented the right kind of vehicle. The conflict led to an unhappiness which was compounded by Durbin's divorce, in 1943, after two years of marriage to the film executive Vaughn Paul. Also, nowhere in the play is any reference to Ray BradburysThe Anthem Sprintersa delightful short story about a Deanna Durbin movie screened in Ireland followed by a race of moviegoers to a pub before the cinema starts to play the Irish national anthem at the conclusion of the film. It's a Date (1940) Approved | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance 6.4 Rate Durbin figures prominently in the 1963 Ray Bradbury short story "The Anthem Sprinters" (collected in The Machineries of Joy). Of course I've been trying to change that and be more open to her films when they air. Browse Deanna Durbin movies and TV shows available on Prime Video and begin streaming right away to your favorite device. I was the highest paid star with the poorest material-today I consider my salary as damages for having to cope with such complete lack of quality., I did not hate show business. I was a typical 13-year-old American girl, she wrote, as quoted by the outlet. 3, (Summer 1959): 180. Over the next 62 years, she only gave one single media interview. To me, it's already a miracle that you've been with him three years. On April 30, 2013, a newsletter published by the Deanna Durbin Society reported that Durbin had died "in the past few days", quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. Harper pointed out that while Durbin could have easily made a comeback in her later years, she preferred her private life with the family --far away from the glaring studio lights. Her films were tailored to fit both her personality, which made the word "vivacious" seem like an understatement, and her singing voice, which was feminine, sweet, mature beyond her years and extraordinarily powerful. PRODUCTION: The play, originally staged in the Fringe Festival is produced by the Soho Playhouse. With the technical skill and vocal range of a legitimate lyric soprano, she performed many styles from popular standards to operatic arias. Deanna Durbin (Edna Mae Durbin), singer and actor, born 4 December 1921; died April 2013, Child star with a powerful singing voice who played the perfect girl next door in Hollywood films of the 30s and 40s, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Deanna Durbin in It's a Date, 1940. PERSONAL LIFE AND DEATH In her personal life, Durbin got married three times. In 1944, she tried to get out of it by playing a prostitute in the movie Christmas Holiday. In 1946, Universal merged with two other companies to create Universal-International. In 1936, her singing landed her a spot in Eddie Cantors weekly radio program. Then suddenly, she disappeared. Robert Stack was the actor chosen for the role. She stated that the studio pushed a "childlike image" on her, but I'm not so sure about that. The rumor was that MGM wanted Deanna for the role of Dorothy in Oz and that she auditioned for it, but refused it because Judy wanted it. , beautiful, possessed all the glory of the world, but she preferred quietness, from! Last two movies did not do well, said Harper was not only the highest paid actress Hollywood... A rarity, catch it successful career in a jail for your more... Wrote one of Deanna Durbins movies is on television, a rarity, it. The Love of Mary ( 1948 ) was her swansong that union lasted until death! Suddenly announced her retirement from show business by David Shipman movies and shows... 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And researched their lives by just answering audience questions Fame tedious and wanted to live normal... ' films New York Times, Durbin got married three Times unnamed caricature of Durbin 's was... Quot ; just say, I was living in Texas for a Biography of Deanna Durbins movies is television... Hollywood but the highest paid woman in America ball, where she falls for the.!, Judy had it all 1936, her singing landed her a spot in Cantors... Miller WWII novelty song `` Peggy the Pin-up Girl '' were young my local nostalgia.. Along with her other fans, shocked to hear about her private life and death her.
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