David Sumray Which is maybe why in 1946 Jeanette escaped to the UK on a concert tour and even talked about staying and having her baby there. It may be the second to last day of Comic Con, but things are far from slowing down. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada as Edna Mae Durbin, she was first signed by MGM in 1935. If you have not seen that clip before you can watch it here at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Pl-qvA1X8. Her much older sister, Edith, insisted that her little sisters operatic abilities be nurtured after hearing her sing Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes. From her earnings as a teacher, Edith paid for Edna Maes singing lessons. Poignantly, even Anne Frank, confined to her familys hiding place in Amsterdam during World War II, pasted a movie magazine picture of Durbin on her wall. The third marriage was a success: in 1950, at 28, she married Charles David, the 44-year-old French director of Lady on a Train. After starring in 21 feature films, she retired to a French farmhouse. But she never enjoyed that part of her life. I was happy on the set. Third husband of singer and actress Deanna Durbin. She released more than 50 recordings including Kiss Me Again, My Hero, Annie Laurie, Loves Sweet Song and God Bless America. (Getty Images), /celebs/international/reclusive-hollywood-actress-deanna-durbin-dies-at-91/eventshow/19820949.cms, The actress was born Edna Mae Durbin in Winnipeg, Canada, but moved to California with her British-born parents when she was young. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. We spoke a few times on the phone after that. 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. Spring Parade(at this writing) has never been released on DVD but can be watched on YouTube. I really venture to say that I believe one of the major reasons for Deanna to move to France was to protect her daughter and family from scandal. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Her son, Peter H David, made the announcement in a newsletter to her fans, saying. He indicated that she died "a few days ago," but provided no other details. Brownie had only praise for Nelsons professionalism at Universal and I agreed with him that Nelsons voice was never better recorded on film than in Phantom. But Deanna Durbin -- a world-famous young movie actress during the 1930s and 1940s -- managed to do it right. ETimes is an Entertainment, TV & Lifestyle industry's promotional website and carries advertorials and native advertising. A roamer. It was a couple of months after the filming that she filed for divorce in Oct 1943 which was final by December after she had started filming Christmas Holiday. This article was written by fellow blogger and writer Ed Sum. Throughout her career, she would perform everything from operatic arias to popular songs. 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. I do hope we are able to learn more about what went on with Deannas life. This movie is mostly famous as Deanna Durbin's final film before she retired from show business at the age of 26. It is to return that love that she has given her first interview in so many years. 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. Pat was my source for some information about Gene Raymond including his 1949 arrest. Actually, Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper accused Deanna and co-star Joseph Cotten of having an affair during this film. They may have been impressed with my success. but my fans were the parents, many of whom could not cope with their own youngsters. I was away from home a lot. And Durbins first screen kiss with Robert Stack in the 1939 Cinderella story First Love generated international headlines. Deannas assessment of that marriage: I hibernated all my life, and when I married Vaughn Paul it wasnt any different. According to Brownie, Deannas favorite breakfast was brought to her each day French Fries and ketchup. Villagers in Neauphle reported seeing Durbin from time to time at the post office or dry cleaner but, at her request, maintained a strict code of silence about their famous resident. No other details were given. Ive READ that he would never agree to DNA testing. 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. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. judoo But Deanna Durbin a world-famous young movie actress during the 1930s and 1940s managed to do it right. He was there for her many times when she needed him but there are some actions by Gene that I can never forgive, namely his physical abuse of her (at least early on that we know about) and the verbal abuse and neglect in Jeanettes final days. . Now they will be my treasures. Deanna Durbin, the movie singing-star, was born in 1921, and apparently still lives in a farmhouse outside Paris. Hmm. Strangely enough, in his autobiography immediately after relating the story about Deanna and Hedda Hopper, Joseph Cotten launches right into an admission of his subsequent marital infidelity! May 3, 2013 @ In the early days, I saw the Mac/Eddy films out of sequence, would notice a few things and then ask Blossom and/or others what was going on behind the scenes. Yes, you should treasure her letters. She Movie . I telephoned Hedda. Of course, who knows what I would do if I were in that situation. . No other details were given. (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. David died in 1999. Learn more about merges. She was considered a snob by some people, but I think she just chose her friends carefully.We lived our own lives and were together whenever possible. She is an adorable baby with her bee-stung lips. 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. Strange because I am 68 years old and watched all the old movies on TV when I was growing up, but then Universal held up Deannas movies for so long that I had only seen Lady on A Train, which I loved. joanne tew No comments were ever recorded after that, but I presume they settled into a contented life together. ETimes is an Entertainment, TV & Lifestyle industry's promotional website and carries advertorials and native advertising. She also wanted to branch out into more adult roles. No other details were given. As a final note on daughter Jessica, I was sad to read that she apparently was estranged from her mother in adulthood. She was 91. However, when at age 15 she auditioned to sing the part of Snow White in the Disney animated film, Walt Disney rejected her voice as "too mature. I cant sugarcoat what occurred for the sake of being polite. Durbin had previously been married to assistant . She was responsible for saving Universal Studios even as fellow child star Shirley Temple saved Fox Studios. But it turned into a day of research and reflection about what had really gone on in her life behind the scenes. He did his thing, she did hers. Cotton also mentioned in his book how much he admired Deanna for her character and integrity. Deanna Durbin, the singing starlet with the bubbly personality and the jewel-tone voice whose enormously popular movies were widely credited with saving Universal Pictures from bankruptcy during the Depression, has died. Deanna Durbin, a singing child movie star of the 1930s who became one of the wo Read More, 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 agree that it is very sad that Deanna did not wish to continue her career after her early retirement. In addition to Peter, her son from her marriage to Mr. David, Ms. Durbin had a daughter, Jessica, from her second marriage. Even if they were involved in 1943 the year Deanna divorced her first husband, she did not get pregnant until the spring of 1945. I too, wrote Deanna many times and received in return an autographed photograph which I will always treasure. Edna Mae Durbin was born on Dec. 4, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and grew up in Southern California, where she studied singing. Ms. Durbin, who was originally to have ninth billing in Three Smart Girls, became the movies star when studio executives saw the first rushes. Babe. I dont understand how Gable was happy staying out of Judys life. Durbin's husband of more than 48 years, Charles David, died in Paris on March 1, 1999. On December 21, 1950, Durbin married French director-producer Charles Henri David, who had previously directed her in Lady on a Train. With the technical skill and vocal range of a legitimate lyric soprano, she performed many styles from popular standards to operatic arias. Now that is revealing. Mr. David died in 1999, a few months before their 50th wedding anniversary. Deanna Durbin, the former child actress who was born Edna Mae Durbin in Winnipeg, Canada on December 4, 1921, has passed away at age 91, according to her son, Peter H. David, who said she died "a few days ago." She was 91. And when their acknowledgement comes as a response back to you (hopefully positive) you feel a personal satisfaction, encouragement and appreciation. She died in April in France, said family friend Bob Koster, the son of Henry Koster, who directed Durbin in films early in her career. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. She and I would be in contact about once a year. Vale Deanna Durbin December 4, 1921 - April 20, 2013. She was surrounded by friends whose interests were not in the movies. Like Shirley Temple, Deanna had an early disastrous marriage that failed, to assistant director on her early films, Vaughn Paul. Deanna Durbin. However, the public continued to love her light musical comedies. By Warren Boroson April 30, 2010, 6:22 pm. A year later he obviously felt appeased when Judy Garland became a superstar with The Wizard of Oz (1939). Managed by: Eva Diem: Last Updated: She was a genuine, sweet person and I felt the only reason John Jr would have refused to do a DNA test was that he might have had to share his dads royalties, etc. The other piece of information came from a friend of Pats, a fellow nurse. I did not realize that it was a shotgun marriage until doing a bit of research today. Durbin died on about April 20 Deanna Durbin, a singer-actress who, as a child star, became one of the biggest box-office attractions of the 1930s and 40s has died at the age of 91. 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. She was given the stage name Deana Durbin when she signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1936 at age 14. In essence, these two got married after Deanna learned she was pregnant and they separated six months after the child was born. 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.". It was taken at the Federation of Music Clubs event held at the Hollywood Bowl where these gals won medals for their movie singing. Shirley Temple explains that naivete well, I think, in her autobiography. She had a lovely voice and her parents, then living in Los Angeles, trained her with a vocal coach. Singer -actress Deanna Durbin, who was the highest-paid female star in Hollywood in 1947 but quit the biz the following year at the age of 26, has died, her fan club announced Tuesday. Back home, her sister, sisters husband and their little boy were living with her in her house and had been since Vaughn went off to the Navy. Deanna loves spaghetti and candy and like all youngsters she hates to diet, but now Universal has told her she must reduce. May 3, 2013 @ I had met her during the making of Lydia about two years earlier. The man was Vaughn Paul, an assistant director, whom she had married at 19 in 1941. He called the arm withered. I later read press reports stating that she broke her arm at a young age and it healed incorrectly. 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. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Ms. Durbin, who was originally to have ninth billing in Three Smart Girls, became the movies star when studio executives saw the first rushes. The person I cant forgive, is Clarks son, John. 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.) She is Deanna Durbin - one of the best-loved of all stars. (Getty Images), /celebs/international/reclusive-hollywood-actress-deanna-durbin-dies-at-91/eventshow/19820946.cms, 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. You just cant, even if you try.. Deanna Durbin was a Hollywood legend in her own lifetimeand one hopes that Edna May Durbin David was able to come to peace with the rich professional legacy she leaves behind. Below are two pictures of little Jessica and also a shot from her first birthday. Daughter Jessica Louise was born on February 7, 1946, seven and a half months later. (I cant remember the details of his health issues but I did confirm today that Deannas parents lived in those years in Leisure Village (Laguna Hills Village). 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. 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. Several years ago I wrote to her in France. Cotton was the Southern smooth talking gentleman type, and as his book reveals, he knew how to maneuver around the women in his life. Bernard Brown had similar praise for and enjoyed recording Deanna Durbin during her movie career and he also received Oscar nominations for four of her films: That Certain Age, Spring Parade, His Butlers Sister and Lady on a Train. As an ardent Deanna Durbin fan I found your article informative and enjoyed it immensely. Below, a rare photo signed with her real name: Edna May Durbin. 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.. (Nelson Eddy was one of the guests who sang at this event.). According to Pats friend, Deannas father told her that Joseph Cotten was the father of his granddaughter, Deannas first child. I dont think that Durbin lived in seclusion after she moved to France she lived privately, and theres a big difference. You cant hide that kind of light under a bushel, he wrote. A nostalgic journey to the past to relive the golden days of entertainment! Unfortunately, Lorettas daughter, Judy, has passed away. 'Winnipeg's sweetheart' actress Deana Durbin dies | CBC News Loaded. In fact, he told me that he built an entire new recording booth and setup for Nelsons first (and ultimately last) Universal movie. Deanna Durbin, a Winnipeg-born screen star of the 1930s and 1940s, has died, according to her son Peter H. David. I hated being in a goldfish bowl, she said. She was 91. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images), 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. Ive gained weight. The exact date and cause of death were unspecified, though the son of former Universal director Henry Koster, who guided Durbin in some of her biggest hits, said she died around April 20. The man was Vaughn Paul, an assistant director, whom she had married at 19 in 1941. In the 1944 film noir Christmas Holiday, she played an unhappy honky-tonk singer opposite Gene Kelly, but the movie was seen as a disappointment. At MGM, Durbin and another young future star, Judy Garland, made an 11-minute film together called Every Sunday, which served as an audition for each of them. See below for a candid of the two girls on the MGM lot and a shot from that film. I hope their life together was more than just contented. Thats where I would place the Jeanette Gene marriage, for the most part. I am reminded of what a magical moment it was when Charlie Chaplin returned to America to receive an honorary Oscar in 1972. I had no intention of leaving her or in any way of hurting her, but I became unfaithful. Wondering why Deanna retired so young, I read about some problems she had in 1946 with her brother-in-law who had been her business manager. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. Brownie told me a still little-known fact in the 1970s, that Deanna had a handicap with her left arm, which permanently hung at a slight angle. When she slaps John Dalls face and says Im insanely jealous, one gets a glimpse of the very sophisticated comedy actress she could have been. 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 . No other details were given. Could it be her disregard for the proper way she was brought up? I could never believe that my contemporaries were my fans. Later the Durbin franchise was kept going by other producers and directors including director William A. Seiter and producer Felix Jackson, who became her second husband in 1945. (The year of this incident was not specified.) He writes: Perhaps reading, and rereading Heddas aggravating and obviously titillating remarks about my infidelity had an unconscious effect on my behavior. Her MGM career ended suddenly, however, when Schumann-Heink, who was to play herself as an adult in the movie about her life, died at 75 and the studio did not pick up Ms. Durbins option. (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. Critics responded negatively to her attempts to be an adult on screen, as a prostitute in love with a killer in Robert Siodmaks bleak film noir Christmas Holiday (1944) and as a debutante mixed up in a murder plot in Lady on a Train (1945.). It wasnt Vaughns fault or my fault that we failed to make a go of our marriage. They may have been impressed with my success. but my fans were the parents, many of whom could not cope with their own youngsters. When my first marriage failed, everyone said that I could never divorce. She did seem to know that Its only a film Read Less, Her son Peter H. David was quoted as telling The Deanna Durbin Society newslett Read More, 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. 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. Mind you she married him in December 1950 and their son was born June 21st 1951. Heres an excerpt from the New York Times obituary: 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 public view 64 years ago, has died, a fan club announced on Tuesday. Celebrity Families. I was so puzzled by that last scene where she appears in two different dresses years later I read that she couldnt decide which one she liked best, so she wore both. She was given a special miniature 1938 Academy Award for her significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth.. A very sad Mayday for ussad but inevitable news. Durbin's death was initially reported by her son, Peter H. David, in the Deanna Durbin Society newsletter. First, she told me that her mothers boyfriend, the cop, had also discussed with them the time he caught a couple carrying on in a parked car one night on Mulholland Drive. But my own two personal favorites are Mad About Music and Spring Parade. Deanna and Felix separated soon after and divorced in 1949. 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. Wow. Deanna had a long life so again, I hope she was happy in France. Of course not, I said. The star's son, Peter H. David, confirmed to the Deanna Durbin Society she passed away "a few days ago," the fan . Her son Peter H. David told the Deanna Durbin Society newsletter that his mother had died several days ago, but did not give further details and thanked her fans for respecting her privacy. I was almost afraid to mention what Deannas father had said about Joseph Cotten as I had no idea of whether this was common knowledge or even hinted at in earlier times. Her husband is Charles David (21 December 1950 - 1 March 1999) ( his death) ( 1 child), Felix Jackson (13 June 1945 - 8 November 1950) ( divorced) ( 1 child), Vaughn Paul (18 April 1941 - 14 December 1943) ( divorced . Boy, this sure sounds very familiar, doesnt it? 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.
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