Deanna Durbin: Passing of a Real Star

I was surprised to hear that Deanna Durbin, the girl with the golden voice who saved Universal from bankruptcy in the 1930s, passed away in April. She was 91 years old.

Deanna starred in her first film with Universal in 1936 and made 21 films in 12 years. She left Hollywood in 1948, moved to France (where she lived until her death), and never made another film after that. Deanna had many offers to return to Hollywood through the years, including offers to star in the MGM films, Kiss Me Kate and The Student Prince, and Deanna was Alan Jay Lerner's first choice to play Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady on Broadway (the part went to Julie Andrews). I'm sure many fans were disappointed that Deanna left show business so completely, but I'm sure Deanna was happy in the life she chose.

I feel a Deanna Durbin marathon coming on. Don't be surprised to see future posts on my favorite Deanna Durbin films.

Click here to read a previous post about Deanna.