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. Bernard Brown told me that her natural hyper energy and ready smile was really who she wasat least as a young girl. I appreciate your bluntness and think there must have been some real reasons for Deanna to not only give up her career but to leave the US and live the rest of her life in seclusion. (Getty Images), 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. It may be the second to last day of Comic Con, but things are far from slowing down. The comparison with Garbo is, I feel, a false one Garbo didnt want to stop being a movie star, events overtook her, and Garbo played with fame in the years of her retirement the impression one gets with Garbo is that she just didnt really know what to do with herself. But my own two personal favorites are Mad About Music and Spring Parade. Perhaps the columns had nothing whatsoever to do with it. In addition to Peter, her son from her marriage to Mr. David, Ms. Durbin had a daughter, Jessica, from her second marriage. In that 1937 musical comedy Durbin stars as Patricia Cardwell, whose father (Adolphe Menjou) is one of 100 musicians unable to find a job. Here, for example, is a recent quote from Doug Bonner, a filmmaker and Emmy-winning sound designer. No specific details were given. Take a look at that moment on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDHgg1GUNlo. No other. 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. Producer A.C. Lyles, 94, was working at Paramount when Durbin turned into a major, major attraction for Universal., She was a charming and talented lady, he said Wednesday, an amazing star with great talent.. 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. Fans of the Canadian produced series, "Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal" can rejoice. She was 91. Film critic Thomson wrote that she was hopelessly adrift in the role. Her British-born parents moved to California while she was still young, and her singing voice soon had talent scouts knocking at her door. In 1946, Ms. Durbins salary of $323,477 from Universal made her the second-highest-paid woman in America, just $5,000 behind Bette Davis. Deanna Durbin, the movie singing-star, was born in 1921, and apparently still lives in a farmhouse outside Paris. Deanna Durbin, a singer-actress who, as a child star, became one of the biggest box-office . I am reminded of what a magical moment it was when Charlie Chaplin returned to America to receive an honorary Oscar in 1972. Her first movie was Every Sunday, in which she appeared alongside Judy Garland. Durbin passed away "a few days ago", her son Peter H. David told the NYT. Deanna Durbin, a Winnipeg-born screen star of the 1930s and 1940s, has died, according to her son Peter H. David. 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. Actually, Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper accused Deanna and co-star Joseph Cotten of having an affair during this film. Her second marriage, to Felix Jackson, the 43-year-old producer of several of her films, also ended in divorce, after the birth of a daughter. Writing in the Biographical Dictionary of Film, David Thomson said Pasternak appears to have grasped that Durbin was a rarity: a true teenage star, pretty, cheerful, clean and tuneful. David died in 1999. She also was one of the highest paid stars of her time, making a reported $250,000 a year. Her fresh face and clear voice were known around the world. Durbin's husband of almost 50 years, Charles David, died in Paris on March 1, 1999. To my surprise, there was much speculation to be found on whether Durbin and Cotten had had even a brief affair during the filming. Wed 1 May 2013 07.26 EDT. Old Hollywood Glamour. Managed by: Eva Diem: Last Updated: In the 1988 book The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era, Thomas Schatz wrote that the film, which cost $300,000 to produce, was a bargain price for any musical let alone a runaway hit that vaulted an unknown ingenue to stardom., Boosted by Durbins appearances on Eddie Cantors radio show, Three Smart Girls was the studios biggest hit of the year. 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. Early on, Im not sure she was independent in her thinking but more like so sheltered by her studio life that when she had to deal with the real world it was a culture shock for her. Ms. Durbin, who was originally to have ninth billing in Three Smart Girls, became the movies star when studio executives saw the first rushes. I was a young, healthy, full-blooded American and had achieved a certain amount of fame, which of course made it easier. 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. She was 91. As a young teenager, Durbin was mentored by producer Joe Pasternak, who helped her develop the screen persona that worked so well for her and for Universal, where she made all of her feature films. Durbin died on about April 20 in a village outside Paris where she had lived, out of public view, since 1949, family friend Bob Koster of Los Angeles told The Associated Press on Wednesday.. Deanna Durbin was born Edna Mae Durbin on December 4, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Former child star Deanna Durbin has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Brownie felt Nelsons voice had never been captured accurately at MGM and also, they always had to turn him down to compensate for anyone that he sang with. Many of the films were Depression fairy tales in which Ms. Durbin won over or defeated silly rich people with the help of butlers, cooks and chauffeurs, who often risked their jobs to aid her. Those of us who have studied the Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy story can relate to the difficult personal issues that Deanna Durbin might have faced while in her mid-20s. 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. I was so thrilled when she sent me a picture with her autograph. By Reuters May 1, 2013 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. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada as Edna Mae Durbin, she was first signed by MGM in 1935. Its no coincidence that the most popular film stars of that era were singers: Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Deanna Durbin, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, etc. Alias confirmed: Nelson and Jeanette Randall?! . She smiles, too much of a realist to be surprised. She was 91. You just cant, even if you try.. In his autobiography, Easy the Hard Way, Mr. Pasternak who would eventually move to MGM and build the careers of two other coloratura sopranos, Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell said that stardom was always a matter of chemistry between the public and the player and that no one could take credit for discovering Deanna Durbin. 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. The two moved to France and had a son. Today I did some research about the 1943 film that Deanna made with Joseph Cotten. 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. I personally think she was acting like a woman in love in Cant Help Singing and Lady on a Train. The guard at the gate, in all honesty, cannot be faulted for being suspicious. They had a son together, Peter, and Deanna dropped out of show business altogether, never to return. The announcement of her death was made by her son, Peter H. David, in her official fan newsletter. He writes: Perhaps reading, and rereading Heddas aggravating and obviously titillating remarks about my infidelity had an unconscious effect on my behavior. I was sheltered, everyone thought for me, and at the age of 19 I stepped from that cloistered girlhood into a marriage that gave me the same sort of protection. In 1947, she was the highest paid star in Hollywood, known for movies such as Three Smart Girls, Spring Parade and Mad about Music. I hope their life together was more than just contented. Thats where I would place the Jeanette Gene marriage, for the most part. I did not realize that it was a shotgun marriage until doing a bit of research today. Despite her bitterness in later years about her studio years, Deanna Durbins films brought great joy to the worldwide movie audiences in the Depression years. Was there a blow up and there could have been regarding the published affair with Cotton. 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. her son Peter H. David said in a fan club newsletter published on Tuesday, April . At age 23, Durbin received good reviews for Lady on a Train, a 1945 comedy-murder mystery directed by Charles David, who five years later became her third husband. From 1936 to 1942, Ms. Durbin was everyones intrepid kid sister or spunky daughter, a wholesome, radiant, can-do girl who in a series of wildly popular films was always fixing the problems of unhappy adults. Unlike Greta Garbo, whose mystique remained basically intact following her Deanna Durbin dies at 91: One of the top stars of Hollywoods studio era (photo: Deanna Durbin in Ill Be Yours) According to Hollywood lore, teen star Deanna Durbin saved Universal Pictures from Deanna Durbin, a star whose songs and smile made her one of the biggest box office draws of Hollywoods Golden Age with fans that included Winston Churchill, has died. Now they will be my treasures. In the afternoon there was always a break for tea and sandwiches. Deanna Durbin was one of those rare few child/teenaged stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood who walked away from the madness and after some early marital missteps, found a satisfying, somewhat normal personal life as a result. This was the final installment in the Three Smart Girls series, originally titled Three Smart Girls Join Up but released into theaters as Hers to Hold. No other details were given. According to Pat, her friend had nursed Deannas father at some point in his final years or days. 'Winnipeg's sweetheart' actress Deana Durbin dies | CBC News Loaded. Unfortunately, Lorettas daughter, Judy, has passed away. And, if this Deanna Durbin Joseph Cotten affair didnt take off in 1943, what about later on? There was estrangement between mother and daughter because of Lorettas refusal to be honest with Judy about her parentage till near the end of her life. The actress' son, Peter H. David, was quoted. Or who exactly was he angry with and why? I assure her that many people who asked me to convey messages of affection were not even born when she quit movies. Joanne, that is awesome that you corresponded with her. In the mid to late 1940s Pat lived in the Los Angeles area with her mother, who was dating a Hollywood undercover vice squad policeman. They were best buds and socialized together well. Below are two pictures of little Jessica and also a shot from her first birthday. Read Less, Capitalising on her fame, Universal cast Durbin in a series of musical movies i Read More, 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. According to Pats friend, Deannas father told her that Joseph Cotten was the father of his granddaughter, Deannas first child. 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