Deanna Durbin Dies at 91 (Read the Last Interview)


Deanna Durbin David 1921 -2013

Deanna Durbin David, screen star of the 1930s and 1940s, has died.  In a newsletter for The Deanna Durbin Society, who mentioned the death on Tuesday(April 30, 2013), her son, Peter H. David, announced that the megastar died "a few days ago."

After worldwide success as a film and music star, Durbin retired from show business in 1949  to live in seclusion with her family in France. She was last to known to live in an apartment in Paris.

Durbin's movie characters often have a "can do" spirit. Her best known films include the comedy, It Started with Eve and the melodrama Christmas Holiday with Gene Kelly.

Read Deanna Durbin's Last Interview. It's here on Java's Journey.

Fan Sites for Deanna Durbin


Tributes to Deanna Durbin
  • Classic Forever - I saw her tribute first and wondered why she was writing in the past tense. Now I know. The blogger posts a personalized autographed photo from Deanna Durbin.



  • Emmy-Winning screenwriter, Robert Avrech, notes that Deanna Durbin was a symbol of a time of hope and liberty in Hollywood. He recalls seeing a picture of Ms. Durbin on the wall in Anne Frank's hideout.

  • Self-Styled Siren gives a detailed tribute, including discussing specific Deanna Durbin films. The Siren states that in It Started with Eve, Durbin had greater rapport with Charles Laughton than with her love interest, Robert Cummings. I would say she has equal chemistry with both men, but her scenes with Laughton are more endearing.
  • A fan on Facebook posts a letter from Deanna Durbin to him, dated 1994. Ms. Durbin mentions that she does not have a secretary, which makes responding to everyone difficult. She hopes everyone understands. How gracious! The more I read of Ms. Durbin the more I like her.
  • Jim Lane's Cinedrome discusses America's Canadian Sweetheart. He mentions something I've never noticed in all these years- an anagram of the star's birth name, Edna, hidden in her stage name, Deanna. 




Updated as the tributes roll out.

4 Comments:

  1. Thanks so much for reposting the interview!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved her, she was my favorite actress/actor Have all of her films, every single one of them.

    I taped movies from PBS and TV Ontario, the rest I purchased in various states, some on used VHS, some on DVD, I have them all on DVD now

    My faves are.... Three Smart Girls, Three Smart Girls grow up, First Love, The Amazing Mrs Holiday, His Butlers Sister, It Started with Eve, Mad About Music, 100 man and a girl etc etc

    I love them all , all the Franchot Tone Pictures, Charles lawton, the great cast of characters she had around her, her favorite butlers and even the original Geeves is in I believe 3 films...Arthur Treacher, but I love the butler she had in First love that was her/a butler in so many of the films

    The supporting cast were all wonderful, purrs and personality,the girdle man, my nick names for them, Charles Catlett, I think is one

    Was hoping out of respect that TCM would go out of their way to show all her films on a special day, or atleast a good half dozen of her VERY best

    God Bless Deanna Durbin, may she be in the arms of Jesus

    I can be reached at argofan1@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awwww..what a shame...such an icon of a wonderful era now passed.

    ReplyDelete

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