She was independent and a bit controlling in her personal life. Hmm. The former child star, married Charles David, who directed her in the 1945 film "Lady on a Train," in 1951 and together they had one son, Peter. Durbin was born Edna Mae Durbin at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg and was known in her early career as "Winnipegs sweetheart." As far as I could see, or would let myself see, she was a completely happy wife and a very busy hostess. The Durbin unit would go on to make 100 Men and a Girl, Spring Parade, Three Smart Girls Grow Up, First Love and It Started With Eve. Pasternak also produced the Durbin vehicles Mad About Music, That Certain Age, Its a Date and Nice Girl? with other directors. Were they friends with benefits after working together? She retired from the movies at an early age, and has resisted all efforts to bring her back "" including a possible offer to sing in "My Fair Lady.". The camera captured a palpable chemistry between Deanna Durbin and leading man Joseph Cotten. He continues: Of all the Durbin films, this is the one where she registers the most chemistry with her leading man. Her passing affected me deeply, to my surprise. Durbin walked away and never went back, and had a life, a real life, not one based on illusory fame, not one based on chasing the Bitch Goddess. I approached him for an interview since he had worked with Nelson Eddy on Phantom of the Opera. In fact, Brownie received an Oscar nomination for Best Sound Recording for Phantom (but only won for a 1939 film, When Tomorrow Comes). You just cant, even if you try.. 4k followers. In 1938 there was a nationwide search to choose the young man who would give Ms. Durbin her first screen kiss in the movie First Love. (Robert Stack was the actor chosen.) (Getty Images) May 3, 2013 @ Joanne Tew, maceddy Maybe she didnt think the DNA test was that important, she certainly looked like Clark, and perhaps she (and her family) didnt need and money for royalties, if that were in fact still a reality. To my surprise, there was much speculation to be found on whether Durbin and Cotten had had even a brief affair during the filming. It was really a way for the nation to thank Chaplin for his years of entertainment as a artist and to apologize for exiling him during the communist witch-hunt era when he was accused of being a Russian-sympathizer-anti-America villain (this man who had tirelessly raised bonds for the Allies during WWI and had the courage to make an anti-Hitler film in 1940 when everyone was afraid to touch that subject). Yes, I read about the incident with her and Joseph Cotton which Hedda Hopper published. Then during His Butlers Sister, she seemed so happy and relaxed in her performance. Only a handful of child superstars such as Shirley Temple have achieved that, to my knowledge. Deanna Durbin (born Edna Mae Durbin; December 4, 1921 - c. April 20, 2013) was a Canadian singer and actress, who appeared in a number of musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, her singing voice being variously described as being light but full, sweet and unaffected. He badly mismanaged her affairs and after she fired him she learned what had been going on behind her back. No other details were given. One day she telephoned and said: Im reading a piece here that says you once kicked me in the backside. And as an instant Hollywood star with her very first movie, Three Smart Girls, she almost single-handedly fixed the problems of her fretting bosses at Universal, bringing them box-office gold. Did being on location make it easier to carry on their affair? 8:47 am, It breaks my heart to hear Deanna Durbin has passed. Deanna and Felix separated soon after and divorced in 1949. Some men like him are always conveniently married. She made her film debut in the 1936 MGM short Every Sunday, with Judy Garland. No other details were given. Ms. Durbin had remained determinedly out of public view since 1949, when she retired to a village in France with her third husband. Several years ago I wrote to her in France. (Getty Images), /celebs/international/reclusive-hollywood-actress-deanna-durbin-dies-at-91/eventshow/19820944.cms, Capitalising on her fame, Universal cast Durbin in a series of musical movies including "That Certain Age" and "Mad About Music" which made the actress with the sweet soprano voice into one of Hollywood's most popular stars. Durbins survivors include her daughter, Jessica Jackson, and her son, Peter H. David. (Getty Images) Read Less, Reclusive Hollywood actress Deanna Durbin dies at 91. Seems like youve made some very wise observations and in particular, gotten a sense of what Deannas mood was during the making of her films. And that is the way she will be remembered. But her popularity had peaked. Deanna Durbin, a singing child movie star of the 1930s who became one of the world's highest paid actresses before turning her back on stardom, has died at the age of 91. David died in 1999. She was 91. Durbin had previously been married to assistant . Despite her tendency to plumpness (by Hollywood standards), the studio did not starve her and/or put her on dangerous medications as did MGM with Judy Garland. ", Three Smart Girls was nominated for the best picture Oscar in 1937. In 1943, Deanna was offered the ingenue role of Christine in the Technicolor remake of Phantom of the Opera. Her youth at retirement . Her son Peter H. David was quoted as telling The Deanna Durbin Society newsletter that the actress died "a few days ago", thanking her admirers for respecting her privacy. 1930s child star Deanna Durbin has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Read Less, She made her name playing the ideal teenage daughter in "Three Smart Girls" in Read More, She made her name playing the ideal teenage daughter in "Three Smart Girls" in 1936 and in its profitable follow-up the next year, "One Hundred Men and a Girl", which was credited with saving Universal studios from bankruptcy. Her sweet soprano voice made a success of many of the films, and she was credited with saving Universal from bankruptcy in the 1930s. Durbin's death was initially reported by her son, Peter H. David, in the Deanna Durbin. Now that is revealing. I dont think by this time in her career she felt comfortable and nurtured like she had been in the past. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. The Deanna Durbin Society's newsletter announced her death, quoting her son Peter H. David, said the New York Times. However, the public continued to love her light musical comedies. 11, Manitoba, Canada: Death: April 20, 2013 (91) Neauphle-le-Chteau, Yvelines, le-de-France, France Immediate Family: Wife of Charles David and Felix Raphael Jackson Mother of Private and Jessica Louise Jackson. She Movie . Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 - c. April 20, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian actress and singer, who appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. Deanna shunned all attempts to return to the public forum in any manner, though she did provide this 1981 photo of herself via her husband to film historian William K. Everson: Only a few photos were taken of Deanna in recent years by tabloid photographers who caught a rare glimpse of her. He let them go and they drove off. Deanna had a long life so again, I hope she was happy in France. In a newsletter, the Deanna Durbin Society said Ms. Durbin died "a few days ago," quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. It would ruin the . I was an actor. David announced her death through a fan newsletter,. Deanna Durbin with her son Peter David Old Hollywood Glamour Golden Age Of Hollywood Deanna Durbin Musical Film Old Movie Stars Babe Celebrity Families She Movie Judy Garland More information . There could have been so many more years of her beautiful music for the the world to enjoy. In Paris on December 21, 1950, shortly after her 29th birthday, Deanna Durbin married Charles David, the producer-director of both French and American pictures who had guided her through Lady on a Train (1945). She also was one of the highest paid stars of her time, making a reported $250,000 a year. See below for a candid of the two girls on the MGM lot and a shot from that film. Deannas story is an amazing one. Durbin's death was initially reported by her son, Peter H. David, in the Deanna Durbin Society newsletter. This made me immediately think that there definitely was something between them. In a subsequent report, the Associated Press quoted a family friend who said Durbin had died on or about April 20. So if the above indeed was her thinking, such casting and plot revision would have been unworkable for her. Whether you are a singer, actor, writer, painter or any other kind of artist, there is a communication that you share with your audience. I cant sugarcoat what occurred for the sake of being polite. Catebar44 mentions Something in the Wind Durbin never strikes me as being unhappy at all, but seems to be enjoying herself, and is particularly good in the scene at the couturiers salon, especially when she essays You wanna keep your baby looking right much less stiff than she often was in a musical set-piece. Please add an image! The picture scampers along most cheerily, the New York Times said, its gaiety is contagious, its humor infectious. Durbin, fans and film critics noted, held the picture together by winning over viewers with her wholesome, animated charm. She looked very much like Clark Gable (and her mother) and she had the same Gable ears although she had plastic surgery so they wouldnt stick out like Gables did. She was given a special miniature 1938 Academy Award for her significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth.. View their obituary at Legacy.com. The former child star, married Charles David, who directed her in the 1945 film "Lady on a Train," in 1951 and together they had one son, Peter. The guard at the gate, in all honesty, cannot be faulted for being suspicious. I was so thrilled when she sent me a picture with her autograph. Universal picked her up and after two films there, Three Smart Girls (1936) and 100 Men and a Girl (1937), Deanna was an overnight international movie star. Although I think she would have liked us to be together, she thought separations were unharmful. (And as an author I speak from experience.). Deanna Durbin, who as a plucky child movie star with a sweet soprano voice charmed American audiences during the Depression and saved Universal Pictures from bankruptcy before she vanished from. Like Jeanette and Nelson, off-screen she was kind and genuine; also like them, she suffered personal trials and tribulations in her Hollywood years that changed the course of her life. I began writing this obituary many hours ago when I woke to the news of Deannas passing. Her last film was 1948s Up in Central Park, and she left film-making in 1949, turning down roles in Bing Crosbys Topo' the Morning and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court at Paramount studios. Her son. But because of his past history of becoming involved with (and usually marrying) women much younger than himself, the court ordered him to pay child support. In that 1937 musical comedy Durbin stars as Patricia Cardwell, whose father (Adolphe Menjou) is one of 100 musicians unable to find a job. [Cotten further explained that he got his revenge at a dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel for the US Vice President.] His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel and X-Factor. (Getty Images), /celebs/international/reclusive-hollywood-actress-deanna-durbin-dies-at-91/eventshow/19820950.cms, Her son Peter H. David was quoted as telling The Deanna Durbin Society newsletter that the actress died "a few days ago", thanking her admirers for respecting her privacy. She is an adorable baby with her bee-stung lips. She was 91. She was discovered by an MGM casting director searching Los Angeles singing schools for someone to portray the opera star Ernestine Schumann-Heink as a child. Hedda was sitting in a cane-bottomed chair, and contact was positive enough to disturb the flower garden on top of one of the outrageous hats for which she was renowned. Hedda Hopper couldnt openly discuss it so she did the next best thing, had a picture taken of herself sitting at ailing Jeanettes bedside, with the caption stating that Hedda heard that Jeanette was going to have a baby Jeanette just laughed and said she wished it was true but it wasnt. 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.. Shirley Temple explains that naivete well, I think, in her autobiography. In fact, he told me that he built an entire new recording booth and setup for Nelsons first (and ultimately last) Universal movie. In a newsletter, the Deanna Durbin Society said Ms. Durbin died a few days ago, quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. Canadian singer and actress Deanna Durbin, who enjoyed a short but successful career as a Universal contract star from 1936 to 1948, has died. I have not watched them in chronological order for decades but as with the Jeanette and Nelson films, theres much to notice aside from just their acting when one does that. Durbin later wryly called her image that of Little Miss Fix-It Who Bursts Into Song. Often, they were in the light classical or classical vein, such as Alleluia (Mozart) or Brindisi (Verdi), both sung in 100 Men and a Girl, one of her most popular films. No other details . Jeanette & Nelson by Sharon Rich, R.I.P. At 25, Durbin was the second highest-paid woman in America behind her fellow actress Bette Davis, according to the New York Times, and her fan club ranked as the world's largest during her active years. What I particularly like about Durbins voice is its range, and her ability to adapt her voice to the song hearing her sing, for instance, You wanna keep your baby looking right, or, better yet, Spring will be a little late this year, one couldnt imagine that this woman could sing grand opera so many opera singers have tried to sing popular songs and always sound like an opera singer singing a popular song, but not Durbin. In looking at the older photo of her from the 1980s, one can see that kindness in her. Who was Deanna Durbin? According to Pats friend, Deannas father told her that Joseph Cotten was the father of his granddaughter, Deannas first child. I agree that it is very sad that Deanna did not wish to continue her career after her early retirement. Deanna reportedly did not want to vocally be compared to Jeanette MacDonald and she also didnt want to viewed as a Deanna Durbin and Nelson Eddy team. 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