Known as the first film teenager, Deanna Durbin was one of the most popular actresses of the 1930s and 1940s. From starring alongside legends like Judy Garland to playing the lead role in classic film musicals, her rise to fame seemed almost like fantasy. But her life behind the scenes was anything but glamorous. Though Durbin was a princess to the public, she was a puppet to film studios and producers and a punching bag for critics and gossip columnists. At the end of her twelve-year career, her only wish was to be forgotten. Impossible.
This book pays tribute to Deanna Durbin by detailing her life and career in the context of her time and appraises her film work from both a contemporaneous and a modern view. It includes a short biography, an in-depth discussion of her films, and an extensive filmography and bibliography of her work. Readers will discover the true identity behind the people’s Cinderella and how Durbin’s career opened Hollywood’s studio gates to a generation of adolescent performers.

Writer Barry Lowe lives in Malta.

Barry Lowe
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 238
Bibliographic Info: 89 photos, filmography, discography, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8533-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5175-0
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Introduction: The People’s Cinderella 5

 1. Edna Mae to Deanna: Every Sunday 7

 2. Two Smart Men and a Girl: Three Smart Girls 16

 3. One Hundred Men and Deanna: One Hundred Men and a Girl 28

 4. Daddy Issues: Mad About Music 36

 5. That Certain Age 44

 6. Growing Pains: Three Smart Girls Grow Up 53

 7. Cinderella’s First Kiss: First Love 60

 8. Ready for Romance: It’s a Date 68

 9. Love at Last: Spring Parade, Nice Girl? 75

10. It Started with Eve 89

11. Suspension 95

12. At Your Service 97

13. Universal’s Rules of the Game: The Amazing Mrs. Holliday 100

14. A Fine Romance: Hers to Hold 107

15. Everybody Ought to Have a Maid: His Butler’s Sister 115

16. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Christmas Holiday 119

17. Deanna in Glorious Technicolor: Can’t Help Singing 128

18. Murder, She Says: Lady on a Train 134

19. The Second Time Around: Because of Him, I’ll Be Yours 141

20. Turning the Tables: Something in the Wind 152

21. The Trouble with Deanna: Up in Central Park, For the Love of Mary 158

22. ­Happy-Go-Lucky and Free 168

Filmography 171

Song List 209

Radio 212

Recordings 220

Bibliography 223

Index 227