Deanna Durbin

[Flanders]

Deanna Durbin obituary
Child star with a powerful singing voice who played the perfect girl next door in Hollywood films of the 30s and 40s
Michael Freedland
The Guardian, Wednesday 1 May 2013 07.26 EDT

Deanna Durbin obituary | Film | The Guardian

Operas sang in foreign languages held no fascination for me when I was a little kid. Two things gave me an interest in grand opera; Deanna Durbin’s voice and melody:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB2OTEcRhBs&feature=player_detailpage]Deanna Durbin - Un Bel Di - YouTube[/ame]​

Younger Americans may not know Deanna because there were no stories, no public appearances, and no scandals about her, after she walked away from Hollywood in 1950. She simply aged gracefully far from the limelight.

Here’s a bit of trivia that might interest some.

At the height of Deanna’s fame she was a bigger star than Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Janette McDonald & Nelson Eddy, Bette Davis, and all the rest of them put together.

Mario Lanza so loved her voice he begged her to do a picture with him.

Deanna Durbin single-handedly saved Universal Pictures from bankruptcy.

In 1938 there was a nationwide hunt to find the lucky guy who would give Deanna Durbin her first screen kiss. Robert Stack was the winner. American moviegoers were interested in those things back then.

All in all Deanna Durbin was one of a kind. That’s saying a lot in any era.

 

[Connery]

Begin The Beguine by Deanna Durbin - from the 1943 film "Hers To Hold"






R.I.P. Deanna Durbin

 

[Flanders]

Begin The Beguine by Deanna Durbin - from the 1943 film "Hers To Hold"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr1zs0wFEgU

R.I.P. Deanna Durbin

To Connery: Fabulous. Thanks for posting a nice reminder that Deanna’s voice always sounded great no matter the music. I could listen to her sing all day long. Doubly so when I’m looking at her in Youtube movie clips.

Popular tunes aside, only emotional cripples can listen to Deanna singing One Fine Day (Un Bel Di) without choking up. I must have been 6 or 7 years old when I first heard it. I wanted to cry without understanding why. Many years later I came to understand why.

 

[boedicca]

RIP Deanna.

Our culture has significantly declined over the years compared to her era.

 

[Flanders]

Here’s a humorous anecdote that defines Deanna and Judy Garland:

Some Came Running: Deanna Durbin, 1920-2013