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Deanna Durbin dies
Jimmy Connors
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91 years old .... I was watching a film of hers a few weeks ago on YouTube. What a beautiful voice she had.
RIP
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22364605
91 years old .... I was watching a film of hers a few weeks ago on YouTube. What a beautiful voice she had.
RIP
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22364605
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Deanna retired aged just 27, and seemed to have had a happy and fulfilling life, she also outlived Judy by 44 years, not bad going.
RIP.
She did indeed...After two marriages broke down and producers wanting to shoe box her into the same roles she decided enough was enough met and wed Henri David and moved to France.
She apparently continued to sing for her family and friends and despite being offered millions of pounds over the years to make concert appearances and films (they were particularly interested in pairing her with Mario Lanza) resisted ALL attempts to do so...how different from todays called "celebs"
Having said that never forgot her fans and remember had it not been for her films Universal studios would have gone bust in the 1930s
RIP Deanna ..x:)
IIRC she kept Universal profitable so they could make Abbott and Costello films.
Sad news, I enjoyed her films and thought her singing was lovely.
Thankfully, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, and Leslie Caron are still with us, as is the amazing Marge Champion at 93, and the fabulous swimmer, Esther Williams at 91.
Fantastic voice, and it seems like she had a very happy retirement, so RIP Miss Durbin.
So, she wasn't all good, then.
She was still one of the best, despite that criminal behaviour.
Deanna was lovely, I saw all her films in a BBC2 Saturday afternoon season when I was a child. Lovely that she had such a long happy life after her retirement.
Actually it was Hedda Hopper whom Joseph Cotten pulled a chair from under her at a social event after she published a story of Joseph & Deanna committing an extramartial affair together in her gossip column. Joseph kept pulling the chair several times as she attempted to sit down.
Also it was Spencer Tracy who actually kicked Hedda's rear-end at a Hollywood nightclub after she did a similiar thing by hinting that Spencer & Katharine Hepburn were more than just friends in her gossip column.
There are Jimmy.:)
A couple more ...Her first screen kiss was from Robert Stack (Elliot Ness from the tv show The Untouchables)and just to prove her popularity ..many cinemas block booked seven of her films together in a promotion called Seven Happy Days With Deanna Durbin showing one a night and packing cinemas out....:Dwe are talking 2500 seater venues not the mini screens we have today...How many "stars" could do that now??
Both Louella and Hopper wrote very malicious colums, but for once Hopper told the truth about Tracy/Hepburn. They had a very long ongoing affair which lasted until he died. I read somewhere he and his wife were RC so he couldn't/wouldn't divorce his wife.
But that aside I'm very sad to hear that Deanna has died. As has been said she had a beautiful voice.
Just to echo this, really - she was an absolutely massive star in her time, and so loved, yet she's very much a movie footnote today... and I have to admit, that if you'd asked me last week, I'd have said she was already dead, too.
But, she had a fabulous voice, and brought genuine happiness to a lot of people in a short time, including my Mum RIP Deanna.
My late mother loved her voice & in fact tried to sing like her & entertained my Dad's mates with her singing at RAF Henlow during WW2.
Deanna was equal in popularity to Vera Lynn in those difficult times.
My Fav titles?
"When april sings", from the very rare film: Spring Parade
&
"There will aways be an England" from Nice girl.
Yes, rest in peace Deanna - not only a great singer, but one who "Did her bit" in her own way, to help rid the world of evil dictators, such as Hitler.
Cyril, 'Spring Parade' is on YT in its entirety. I watched it a few weeks ago with my youngest (who loved it too)
It's a wonderful film, with wonderful performances.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT32OjDYX5Q
Quote:
For some utterly stupid reason, a legal one as usual - the "Rights" to this film were lost - the only reason this copy, a 16mm one exists, it was presented to Deanna's parents & "Somehow" a fan obtained access to it, made a copy - a quite good one - that you are now watching! I'm sure a good 35mm copy or even a positive master, still exists in Universal's archive.
It should be properly released on DVD for all of Edna mae's many fans - worldwide to enjoy.
Meanwhile, a link to America & Always be an England is here:http://www.youtube.com/user/ddurbinfan