deanna durbin interview

On August 22, 1948, Universal-International announced a lawsuit which sought to collect wages the studio had paid Durbin in advance. 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. The couple welcomed a daughter before the couple called it quits in 1949. ", In 1950, she married the producer and director Charles David, with whom she had a son, Peter. In the late 1930s and 1940s, Deanna and Judy, just teenagers, were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood. ". This was a great read! "Beneath The Lights Of Home" being the most requested record. DEANNA DURBIN INTERVIEW Visiting a Deanna Durbin fan site , ( Deannadurbindevotees.com), I was fascinated to read an interview author David Shipman did with Deanna in 1983 at her home in France. [citation needed], In 1983, film historian David Shipman was granted a rare interview by Durbin. She left her hand and footprints in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on February 7, 1938. Deanna was a Hollywood star in every way. William continued, She just became displeased with Hollywood. Universal announced Durbin was to star in They Lived Alone, scheduled to be directed by Koster. Actress/singer Melanie Gall has merged the two stories into one, Ingenue: Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland, and the Golden Age of Hollywood. So sorry about that,I checked again myself and couldnt find the interview. However, film historians seem to agree that in that era Durbin was one of the most beloved actresses in the world. The story needs a far better explanation of why Durbin fled Hollywood. Los Angeles Times 28 Oct 1949: 2. Yoshida, Yukihiko," Jane Barlow and Witaly Osins, ballet teachers who worked in postwar Japan, and their students, Pan-Asian Journal of Sports & Physical Education, Vol.3(Sep), 2012. Interestingly, the lyrics pair her name with her first co-star Judy Garland: "Even a voice that's so disturbin' / Like Judy Garland or Miss Durbin / Can't compare to my pin-up queen". Im referring mostly to what happened in her life after she moved to France. ARGOSY PLANNING 2 'FUGITIVE' FILMS New York Times 9 Nov 1946: 24. Most of these films had been produced by Felix Jackson, whom she married in August 1945; they welcomed their daughter, Jessica Louise, in February 1946. She had one older sister, Edith (later Mrs. Heckman, born in England, died in California). An interesting interview for sure and a shame it is so short. Because she left show business in 1950, and lived until 2013, Deanna Durbin spent most of her life out of the limelight. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. According to the New York Times, Durbin did shed some insight on her departure from Hollywood in a 1958 letter. I suspect that had a lot to do with her decision to just quit.. 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. I couldnt discover why she didnt try. Life and career. ", "This was a great read! ", "An interesting interview for sure and a shame it is so short. These films, produced by frequent collaborator and second husband Felix Jackson, were not as successful; she continued in musical roles until her retirement. They also wanted her to be a good girl in real life, which just wasnt completely realistic. (1941). (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. Singer Deanna Durbin Files Divorce Action: Film Actress Asks Daughter's Custody; Charges Mental Cruelty and Desertion As she grew older, Durbin attempted to tackle more adult roles, including that of a prostitute in the 1944 film Christmas Holiday. Critics slammed her attempts to transition into more mature roles, causing Durbin to become frustrated with the roles she was given. And her movies were feel-good, hopeful films during a dark time in our country. Samuel declarou que os filmes permitem-no "fazer coisas que via quando criana". "And her contract eventually ran out. I've had Paris. Well, of course you do - Dorothy from Oz. With Pasternak producing for Universal, Durbin starred in a succession of successful musical films, including One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937),[5] Mad About Music (1938), That Certain Age (1938), Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939), and First Love (1939)most of which were directed by Henry Koster. [2], Universal Pictures producer Joe Pasternak wished to borrow Garland from MGM, but she was unavailable. Simple theme. Deanna's observations of her life in Hollywood are so revealing and her honesty is welcome. Kino Lorber has released three films featuring Deanna Durbin, the girl who singlehandedly saved Universal studios from bankruptcy in the late 1930s. Andrs de Segurola, who was the vocal coach working with Universal Studioshimself a former Metropolitan Opera singerbelieved that Durbin was a potential opera star. The Shipman interview does suggest that the serene self-confidence of Durbin's characters was consistent with her personality off-screen. It's a Date (1940) Approved | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance 6.4 Rate No other details were given. The new regime discontinued much of Universal's familiar product and scheduled only a few musicals. There were Deanna Durbin dolls and dresses. Its a shame, too, that she wouldnt allow herself to be profiled on Websites. She achieved success as the ideal teenaged daughter in films such as Three Smart Girls (1936), One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937), and It Started with Eve (1941). 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In 1936, she auditioned to provide the vocals for Snow White in Disney's animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but was rejected by Walt Disney, who said the 15-year-old Durbin's voice was "too old" for the part. But like with many child stars, Durbin eventually yearned for more. An engineering firm named its so-called dream home in her honor. Im sure that she was happy. . 17 Oct 1941: 27. [27], Durbin's husband of almost 50 years, Charles David, died in Paris on March 1, 1999. 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. Deanna Durbin was a child star in the 30s. [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. I also enjoyed the company of my fellow actors, the leading men who were so much older, like Herbert Marshall, Melvyn Douglas, Franchot Tone, Walter Pidgeon, Joseph Cotten, Vincent Price and Robert Cummings. Durbin gained popularity during the Depression and was . Charles David died in 1999. 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France Wt Remember Deanna Durbin' Well, she is now a happy French housewife who says nothing could lure her back to Hollywood. She wanted to take on different materials and pick her own directors. Ive seen a couple of unflattering photos of her, dressed in a shapeless coat with an unattractive scarf on her head. I did not succeed. Staying with him can only wreck your nervous system. Mayer did not think he needed two child stars, so he fired Durbin (the play suggests that might have been accidental and he may have wanted to boot Garland), Durbin, at her new studio, Universal, became famous right away and her first few pictures were so successful that they saved the studio (Deanna starred in21 movies in her storied career). She wanted to take on different materials and pick her own directors. Of course I've been trying to change that and be more open to her films when they air. Durbin's singing is featured in Alistair MacLean's 1955 novel HMS Ulysses, being broadcast over the wartime ship's internal communication system. In 1949, she was released from her contract. Thelate Mr Shipman wrote one of my favourite books, THE GREAT FILM STARS; THE GOLDEN YEARS. [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. "[32] Indian-Bengali film director Satyajit Ray, in his acceptance speech for an Oscar (Honorary Lifetime Achievement) in 1992, mentioned Deanna Durbin as the only one of the three cinema personalities he recalled writing to when young who had acknowledged his fan letter with a reply. In a rare interview, given in 1983 to the film journalist David Shipman, she said: "I did not hate show business. Upon her retirement and divorce from Jackson in 1949, Durbin married producer-director Charles Henri David and moved to a farmhouse near Paris. Why did I give up my career? 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. Judy stayed in Hollywood, led a tragic life and died of a drug overdose at 47. Louis B. Mayer decided to sign both, but by then, Durbin's contract option had lapsed. Durbin, who has died aged 91, was the antithesis of the Hollywood glamour girl which made her the kind of star that teachers liked to offer as an example to their students. It appears she had a quiet but happy life after making movies. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. Encounter with Siodmak Try Guaranteed Income Programs, Affirmative Action Cases May Force Colleges to Rethink Everything, House GOP Invokes Church Committee, but Echoes Earlier McCarthy, Historians of Science: What Exxon Knew About Oil and the Climate, and When, Two Black GI's Deaths Show the Racism in the WWII Military, What Jill Lepore Got RightAnd WrongAbout January 6 Committee, Hamline Administrators Won't Let the Academic Freedom Controversy Die, Hillsdale College's New Strategy in the School Wars Merges Curriculum and Privatization through "Choice", "You Don't Have the Votes": The House Speaker Fight Echoes 1839, My First Trip to Russia 30 Years Ago Is a Cautionary Tale Now. You can't hide that kind of light under a bushel. She and Jackson had a daughter, Jessica. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Raised in California, she was signed to a contract with MGM at 13, and a year later was hired by a competing studio, Universal Pictures. Show biz buddies? He also teaches writing at New Jersey City University. I don't think Deanna Durbin will ever lose her fan base, every year more people "discover" her and her delightful personality. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), 40S STAR ROSALIND RUSSELL REFUSED TO PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO CARY GRANT IN HIS GIRL FRIDAY, BOOK SAYS, She just became displeased with Hollywood, said Harper. Jackson left Universal in November 1946;[17] he also left Durbin in January 1947, although their separation was not announced until the following year. Her work was credited with saving the studio from bankruptcy,[2] and led to Durbin being awarded the Academy Juvenile Award in 1938. Durbins last two movies did not do well, said Harper. Deanna Durbin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1722 Vine Street. Shop affordable wall art to hang in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls aren't welcome. And thanks for the javabeanrush link. Deanna married director Charles Davis when she was 28 and retired to live in a French farmhouse. I liked the people with whom I worked and after the nervousness of the first day, I felt completely at ease in front of the camera. Her new husband Charles David promised to give her that. I loved to sing. ), Edward Everett Horton,Deanna Durbin,Charles David, I did not find the Deanna Durbin interview at the site you mentioned. ( in the 1981 photo above, is Deanna holding a copy of the BBC s Radio Times? Here is the full interview of Deanna Durbin with Wallace Beery in 1935, which she concludes by singing "One Night of Love" (the other version I have posted is a digital remastering). Durbin had an older sister named Edith, who recognized Deanna's musical talents at an early age and helped Deanna to take singing lessons at Ralph Thomas Academy. Deanna was not only a superb actress, but as a . Her last acting credit was in For The Love of Mary in 1948. By the time she was 18 her income was $250,000 a year. How about Judy Garland? I also enjoyed the company of my fellow actors What I did find difficult was that this acquired maturity had to be hidden under the childlike personality my films and publicity projected on me.". She turned down his offer because she felt she needed more singing lessons. Citizenship Restored To 221 Living Overseas", "Deanna Durbin, Plucky Movie Star of the Depression Era, Is Dead at 91", "Suspension of Deanna Durbin Causes Hollywood Sensation", "Singer-Actress Deanna Durbin Dead at 91", "Extrait de l'acte de dcs d'Edna May Durbin", "Richard Brautigan "Part 9 of Trout Fishing in America" poetry archive plagiarist.com", "Deanna Durbin's Star Shone Brightest in the World's Darkest Hour", "Deanna Durbin Appeals For Donations, 1940/07/01 (1940)", Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deanna_Durbin&oldid=1123349300, Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States, CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes), Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017, Articles needing additional references from December 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2021, TCMDb name template using numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by Henry Koster, Produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by Norman Taurog, Produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by Edward Ludwig, Produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by William A. Seiter, Produced and directed by Bruce Manning (replacing Jean Renoir), Produced by Felix Jackson, directed by Frank Ryan, Produced by Felix Jackson, directed by Frank Borzage, Produced by Felix Jackson, directed by Robert Siodmak, Produced by Felix Jackson, directed by Charles David, Produced by Felix Jackson, directed by Richard Wallace, Produced by Felix Jackson, directed by William A Seiter, Produced by Joseph Sistrom, directed by Irving Pichel, Produced by Karl Tunberg, directed by William A. Seiter, (final film role) Produced by Robert Arthur directed by Frederick de Cordova, "Filles de Cadiz" ("The Maids of Cadiz") (from, "Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?" Edna Mae's time in Canada, however, was brief. An engineering firm named its so-called dream home in her honor. Durbin's son, Peter H. David, was quoted in the "Deanna Durbin Society" newsletter saying his mother had passed away several days ago, but he did not provide any other details about her death. TYRONE POWERS DAUGHTER SAYS 30S HOLLYWOOD IDOL WAS A DEVOTED FATHER BEFORE HIS TRAGIC DEATH: I FELT SAFE, Canadian actress and singer Deanna Durbin (1921-2013) wearing a black sleeveless dress in a publicity shot once used for the cover of the magazine Yank, The Army Weekly, 1944, United States. This led to her discovery by MGM in 1935. I tried to create the very best in my music, to try to recreate, to approach her purity. Gall is quite good playing Durbin and she is a superb singer. 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. 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. She stated that the studio pushed a "childlike image" on her, but I'm not so sure about that. And it made us believe that somehow, we could achieve the same.. (LogOut/ Gall is an authority on both women and researched their lives thoroughly. 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. 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. Durbin appeared in a number of musical films in the 1930s and 1940s singing standards as well as operatic arias. Her new husband. The play should be subtitled Show Biz History 101. Deanna Durbin was a child starin the '30s. This time she had a menu which she said some one wanted Deanna to autograph. . I was happy on the set. Legal Statement. She used that name in 1941, when she appeared in a WWII civil defense film and made a minor appearance in her first feature film, after which she became a contract player with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which changed her first name and cast her in the title role of the film Journey for Margaret. The girl who one day would be known as "Winnipeg's Sweetheart" was born at Grace Hospital on December 4, 1921, as Edna Mae Durbin. "Just say, 'To Bobby,'" she directed. This is the last known interview with the reclusive film star and recording artist before her death in April of 2013. And Durbins popularity wasnt just on the silver screen. or redistributed. All rights reserved. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It may have been a shock to Deannas Fans that she left her Career so young never to return, but she wasnt in a boat by herself. Her films resonated with audiences of all ages. I know Durbin has an enormous fan base but I've just never gotten into her films. Her first two marriages had failed, and before she married her third husband, director Charles David, she set one condition: he had to promise that she could have what she yearned for - "the life of nobody". Deanna fled the bright lights and cameras at age 29, stunning the world, moved to a farm house in France, became a recluse and never appeared in another film. If she did have any regrets we will probably never know because very little is written about her life, once she retired. Lets hope we get a well researched biography. Harper hopes his book will celebrate Durbins films in Hollywood, as well as introduce her to movie buffs discovering her work for the first time. In 1941, Durbin starred in It Started with Eve (1941), her last film with Pasternak and director Henry Koster. The film, combined with her appearance on Eddie Cantor's radio show in 1936, announced her as a new star. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Los Angeles Times 27 Sep 1949: A1. Piano and musical arrangements: Bennett Paster, Graphic Design: Christache Ross. 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. Maybe her family will relent and allow a Biography to be written. According to the New York Times, Durbin did shed some insight on her departure from Hollywood in a 1958 letter. What did her friends say? Impressive money could be made, too. I loved thembut I had my ticket to Paris in my pocket and anyway, Julie Andrews was great and so was Audrey Hepburn in the film.. 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". I do my own shopping, bring up my two children and sing an hour every day.. American GIs in World War II even named a bomber after her. [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. Also in the interview, she steadfastly asserted her right to privacy, something she maintained until the end of her life, declining to be profiled on websites. Her talk with me was her first interview since . Its always a shock when hearing about such news. She fled to Europe and completely turned her back to Hollywood., RELATED: 16 Old Hollywood Bombshells: See Photos Then And Now. It was still in an embryonic state just a few songs completed when Alan Jay Lerner came to my home to play them for me. The New York Times's reviewer noted a "plot which leaks at every pore" but praised "the young-girlish magic which [Durbin] is able to evoke with her pretty personality and her phenomenal vocal cords". Chanson, Comedy/Novelty Music, Educational, Field Recording, Film Score/Soundtrack, Interview/Dialogue, Minstrel, Monolog, Music Hall, Musical/Original Cast, Natural Sounds, Poetry, Prayers/Sermons, Radio Play/Show, Schlager, Special Effects . I do hope so. What I did find difficult was that this acquired maturity had to be hidden under the childlike personality my films and publicity projected on me., I hated being in a goldfish bowl. "Great post, very interesting too! What makes Deanna Durbin's story different is that she was never comfortable with adulation. Universal cast Durbin in a film called Three Smart Girls (1936), about a trio of plucky sisters determined to reunite their estranged parents. She granted only one interview since 1949 to film historian David Shipman in 1983. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If they were allowed to be managed and controlled, for example, by Reputable Fan Clubs, that would have been Great News for Her Fans. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! I don't think Deanna Durbin will ever lose her fan base, every year more people "discover" her and her delightful personality. ", 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." Lady on a Train (1945), another film noir, also dealt with murder, but Universal did not think that changing Durbin's personality represented good business. Dann Cahn on actress Deanna Durbin "saving" Universal Studios in the 1930s, Editorial Calendar and Production Schedule, Television Academy Throwback: Peter Potter, The Power of TV: Reshaping Breast Cancer Narratives, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, Foundation to Present "The Power of TV: Reshaping Breast Cancer Narratives", Television Academy Taps Toni Magon as Senior Director, Talent and Industry Relations, Emerging Media Programming Peer Group Governors Elected. My mother and I were once mobbed in Texas: the police lost control of the crowd and my mother suffered two broken ribs from people trying to reach me. She was due to play the diva as a child, but the film was never made. Her major motion pictures were Three Smart Girls (1936), Mad About Music (1938) and That Certain Age (1938). You have no idea of the smelly old movie houses I patronized to see Deanna Durbin. And then she vanished from the public eye. Breakdown Silences KFI [19][20], On December 21, 1950, Durbin married French director-producer Charles Henri David, who had previously directed her in Lady on a Train. Do you remember actress Deanna Durbin? Deanna was a Hollywood star in every way. [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]. INTERVIEW: DEANNA DURBIN - 1983. ", "David, thanks for reprinting this fascinating interview. I loved to sing. "[14] Although the film received mixed reviews, Durbin later called it her "only really good film". [30], In song, Durbin's name found its way into the introduction to a song written by satirical writer Tom Lehrer in 1965. 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. (LogOut/ 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. Former child star Deanna Durbin has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gall carries the play well, but you really need a richer story and more nuance about Judys life. You would think that maybe in the 60s or 70s, she could have received a lifetime achievement award or something for her work, he said. She actually grew up in the Los Angeles area, where her father, formerly a Canadian Pacific railway blacksmith, set up shop shortly after her birth. Durbin continued her push to establish herself as a more dramatic actress with the film noir Christmas Holiday (1944), directed by Robert Siodmak and co-starring Gene Kelly. Ten years and fewer than 20 films later, she suddenly announced her retirement from show business. All rights reserved. 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. The whole interview can be read at DeannaDurbindevotees.com. William Harper recently wrote a biography on Deanna called Deanna Durbin A Hollywood Fairy Tale The Legend of Edna Mae and answers some of our questions. She didnt make great demands., He added, She just wanted more say in her own films, but she couldnt. She was young, beautiful, possessed all the glory of the world, but she preferred quietness, protection from reporters and insects. No exclamation point. Of course, I'm very fond of him in my own way. [3] At the age of one, Edna Mae was singing children's songs. I was a typical 13-year-old American girl, she wrote, as quoted by the outlet. Additionally, she was no fan of interviews and other promotional elements the job called for. In It's a Date (1940), Kay Francis and Durbin played mother-and-daughter actors. Deanna is a favourite on my local nostalgia radio. [15] The whodunit Lady on a Train (1945) also received mixed critical reviews. Others say she hated the studio system of dictatorial control of a performers life and thought her life was over at 29, as it was for many actresses, and hated never being cast in very serious roles (the directors always had her singing something somewhere in the script). Deannas observations of her life in Hollywood are so revealing and her honesty is welcome. Her seclusion is incomplete. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. Judy had, well, Judy had it all. She stated that the studio pushed a "childlike image" on her, but I'm not so sure about that. Unlike Judy Garland, she seemed to be very mature in the films that she made, even as a young teenager.

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