4k followers. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. 8:47 am, It breaks my heart to hear Deanna Durbin has passed. In 1938 there was a nationwide search to choose the young man who would give Ms. Durbin her first screen kiss in the movie First Love. (Robert Stack was the actor chosen.) Yes, I said. Deanna always would say that she isnt the person she played on the screen, that she was another person apart from who she really was. Then during His Butlers Sister, she seemed so happy and relaxed in her performance. After an actors agent saw 14-year-old Edna Mae sing in a neighborhood show, she was quickly signed to MGM for $56 a week. Learn more about merges. Her pictures after the baby was born beginning with Something in the Wind revealed an unhappy Deanna who became more mechanical in her roles. Her last film was 1948s Up in Central Park, and she left film-making in 1949, turning down roles in Bing Crosbys Topo' the Morning and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court at Paramount studios. She was 91. Durbin later wryly called her image that of Little Miss Fix-It Who Bursts Into Song. Often, they were in the light classical or classical vein, such as Alleluia (Mozart) or Brindisi (Verdi), both sung in 100 Men and a Girl, one of her most popular films. The Deanna Durbin Society, based in England, did not report a date or cause of death. Ms. Durbin had remained determinedly out of public view since 1949, when she retired to a village in France with her third husband. The character I was forced into had little or nothing in common with myself or with other youth of my generation, for that matter. Her son Peter H. David was quoted as telling The Deanna Durbin Society newsletter that the actress died "a few days ago", thanking her admirers for respecting her privacy. Jeanette & Nelson by Sharon Rich, R.I.P. I have many CDs of her recordings, and also her movies on DVD and VHS. She made her name playing the ideal teenage daughter in "Three Smart Girls" in 1936 and in its profitable follow-up the next year, "One Hundred Men and a Girl", which was credited with saving Universal studios from bankruptcy. ", Three Smart Girls was nominated for the best picture Oscar in 1937. No other details were given. I made pictures, I made love, and I made martinis. Yes, you should treasure her letters. Cause of death was not disclosed. Below, Joseph Cotten. Now that is revealing. She was 91. Durbin's death was initially reported by her son, Peter H. David, in the Deanna Durbin. (Getty Images) In his autobiography, Easy the Hard Way, Mr. Pasternak who would eventually move to MGM and build the careers of two other coloratura sopranos, Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell said that stardom was always a matter of chemistry between the public and the player and that no one could take credit for discovering Deanna Durbin. But, like many young stars, Durbin struggled to make the transition from sprightly teen singer to more serious actress with a broader range. Then he writes a paragraph that I dont fully understand; was he just angry at Hedda Hopper who next morning reported the supposed studio tryst? Deanna Durbin was one of those rare few child/teenaged stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood who walked away from the madness and after some early marital missteps, found a satisfying, somewhat normal personal life as a result. She was 91. In a newsletter, the Deanna Durbin Society said Ms. Durbin died a few days ago, quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. But my own two personal favorites are Mad About Music and Spring Parade. In movie after movie Ms. Durbins character found a way to help the struggling grown-ups in her life: reuniting her divorced parents, persuading the conductor Leopold Stokowski to help her out-of-work musician father, cajoling a stranger into becoming her father for a day. Durbin tried to transition into a more sophisticated movie persona by taking roles in The Amazing Mrs. Holliday, about refugee children from China and mysteries Lady on a Train and Christmas Holiday. She was independent and a bit controlling in her personal life. So if the above indeed was her thinking, such casting and plot revision would have been unworkable for her. Mr. David died in 1999, a few months before their 50th wedding anniversary. A roamer. She also wanted to branch out into more adult roles. On April 30, 2013, a newsletter published by the Deanna Durbin Society reported that Durbin died "a few days ago", quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. The person I cant forgive, is Clarks son, John. Nevertheless, I like you, have done some research on Deanna and came to the same conclusion regarding her shotgun wedding to Felix who even looks like a trapped man in their wedding picture. She released more than 50 recordings including Kiss Me Again, My Hero, Annie Laurie, Loves Sweet Song and God Bless America. No other details were given. Plus this handful of stars just mentioned had that indefinable quality and personal charisma that just radiated from the big screen and set them apart from other contemporaries. Managed by: Eva Diem: Last Updated: David died in 1999, a few months before their 50th wedding anniversary. I had met her during the making of Lydia about two years earlier. In addition to Peter, her son from her marriage to David, Ms. Durbin had a daughter, Jessica, from her second marriage. She made five more films after that, ending her career in 1948 with For the Love of Mary, in which she portrayed a White House switchboard operator juggling the attentions of three men. It was really a way for the nation to thank Chaplin for his years of entertainment as a artist and to apologize for exiling him during the communist witch-hunt era when he was accused of being a Russian-sympathizer-anti-America villain (this man who had tirelessly raised bonds for the Allies during WWI and had the courage to make an anti-Hitler film in 1940 when everyone was afraid to touch that subject). Frankly, I dont know how Loretta Young could live with herself lying to her daughter Judy all those years about being her birth mother and also about Clark Gable being the father. Was Cotton the one love in her life? They had a son together, Peter, and Deanna dropped out of show business altogether, never to return. (And as an author I speak from experience.). But what brought me to tears while watching that broadcast was the audience response. The only warm thing in my igloo was my temper. In 1938, Durbin and another young star, Mickey Rooney, were recognized at the Academy Awards for bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth.. Deanna reportedly did not want to vocally be compared to Jeanette MacDonald and she also didnt want to viewed as a Deanna Durbin and Nelson Eddy team. In fact, both movies and TV are in great supply the Saturday of the show. According to Brownie, Deannas favorite breakfast was brought to her each day French Fries and ketchup. Ms. Durbin, who was originally to have ninth billing in Three Smart Girls, became the movies star when studio executives saw the first rushes. I dont think by this time in her career she felt comfortable and nurtured like she had been in the past. Deanna Durbin with her son Peter David. Deanna Durbin, the movie singing-star, was born in 1921, and apparently still lives in a farmhouse outside Paris. Sign In Follow Go to TOI Home Photos Movies Celebs Web Stories Fashion Beauty Pageants Awards Events TV Sports News moreli moreli moreli Bollywood Throughout her career, she would perform everything from operatic arias to popular songs. They sort of adopted me as their perfect daughter., In the letter, which was excerpted in some newspapers, she also wrote: I was never happy making pictures. Daughter Jessica Louise was born on February 7, 1946, seven and a half months later. . She was discovered by an MGM casting director searching Los Angeles singing schools for someone to portray the opera star Ernestine Schumann-Heink as a child. I cant sugarcoat what occurred for the sake of being polite. (Getty Images) George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 - May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor, and politician. Others might have used such a disability as a reason for failure in Hollywood but not Deanna Durbin. (Durbin was on her way to the divorce court during the filming of Hers to Hold. Similarly, in 2006 Shirley Temple had such a moment when she received the SAG Life Achievement Award. Durbin's death was initially reported by her son, Peter H. David, in the Deanna Durbin Society newsletter. The marriage lasted two years. Nevertheless, she seemed happy and carefree during the filming of Cant Help Singing. Durbin's death was initially reported by her son, Peter H. David, in the Deanna Durbin Society newsletter. Unfortunately, Loretta didnt have the luxury of reading endless articles and hearing thousands of experts giving advice about raising children, the importance of knowing their birth parents, hearing what effect something like this could have on a child, probably never heard or saw examples that showed the results of secrets like this, etc. He writes: Perhaps reading, and rereading Heddas aggravating and obviously titillating remarks about my infidelity had an unconscious effect on my behavior. She is Deanna Durbin - one of the best-loved of all stars. ETimes is an Entertainment, TV & Lifestyle industry's promotional website and carries advertorials and native advertising. The obituary was featured in Legacy on May 2, 2013. Universal finally turned on her, suing her for her prepaid wages. We were on a first name basis. (Getty Images), Capitalising on her fame, Universal cast Durbin in a series of musical movies including "That Certain Age" and "Mad About Music" which made the actress with the sweet soprano voice into one of Hollywood's most popular stars. She replied that I was wrong, and went on with an earful of trite reasonsfree speech, duty to the reading public, etc. I could see the wariness in Naughty Marietta and the closeness of Sweethearts and so forth. Brownie had only praise for Nelsons professionalism at Universal and I agreed with him that Nelsons voice was never better recorded on film than in Phantom. It may be the second to last day of Comic Con, but things are far from slowing down. But she gave it all up in 1949, at age 27, saying she had never been happy as a movie star. He was the screenwriter on her earlier films and produced her movies in the mid 1940s. They may have been impressed with my success. but my fans were the parents, many of whom could not cope with their own youngsters. She was a huge box-office star for a short period of time.. Or even true, for that matter. Times staff writer Valerie J. Nelson contributed to this report. Music is universal, uplifting and transcends language and cultural barriers. They may have been impressed with my success. but my fans were the parents, many of whom could not cope with their own youngsters. Joanne Tew, maceddy In the afternoon there was always a break for tea and sandwiches. You just cant, even if you try.. Now, this brings me to another interview I did in the 1980s with one of our club members, a retired Navy nurse, Pat Hudson. Like Shirley Temple, Deanna had an early disastrous marriage that failed, to assistant director on her early films, Vaughn Paul. But her popularity had peaked. My wife retired from the film world when we married, David told The Times in 1982. I dont think that Durbin lived in seclusion after she moved to France she lived privately, and theres a big difference. Eventually I watched both their solo and team films all in order to see the ebb and flow of their energies and relationship. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. However, the public continued to love her light musical comedies. In Nice Girl, she was experiencing first love and looked a little scared anticipating marriage. On April 30, 2013, a newsletter published by the Deanna Durbin Society reported that Durbin died "in the past few days", quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. Her fresh face and clear voice were known around the world. She like so many other young classical singers of her generation looked to Jeanette MacDonald as a trailblazer and inspiration. She was 91. Musical Film. Ms. Durbin was quickly handed to Joe Pasternak, who produced her first 10 movies, and to Henry Koster, who directed six of them: Three Smart Girls, One Hundred Men and a Girl, Three Smart Girls Grow Up, First Love, Spring Parade and It Started With Eve.. One day she telephoned and said: Im reading a piece here that says you once kicked me in the backside. At 25, Durbin was the second highest-paid woman in America behind her fellow actress Bette Davis, according to the New York Times, and her fan club ranked as the world's largest during her active years. When my first marriage failed, everyone said that I could never divorce. Hedda was sitting in a cane-bottomed chair, and contact was positive enough to disturb the flower garden on top of one of the outrageous hats for which she was renowned. As soon as she could, she gave it up.. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Brownie felt Nelsons voice had never been captured accurately at MGM and also, they always had to turn him down to compensate for anyone that he sang with. If she is overweight she should take off the extra poundage and with a calorie diet well balanced that wont injure her health. Poignantly, even Anne Frank, confined to her familys hiding place in Amsterdam during World War II, pasted a movie magazine picture of Durbin on her wall. One of Hollywood's Deanna Durbin has died, aged 91. David announced her death through a fan newsletter, saying she died a few days ago. Thats why it was such a shock to learn the actual timeline of her marriage to Felix Jackson and her pregnancy during that time. It was a shotgun wedding and appears, in retrospect, to be more about ensuring her child was born legitimate rather than for love. She broke into the movies in 1936, aged 14, when she appeared in "Every Sunday" with Judy Garland, according to her biography on the IMDb film website. Durbin had previously been married to assistant . Audience Relations, CBC P.O. As a final note on daughter Jessica, I was sad to read that she apparently was estranged from her mother in adulthood. Whether you are a singer, actor, writer, painter or any other kind of artist, there is a communication that you share with your audience. The French born David married Deanna in 1950 and Deanna chose to leave America and settle in France. She argued with her fans that I am not the angelic creature that I seemingly represent. Nelson was far more blunt: I personify a wonderful, nostalgic era for so many people all they want from me is Shortnin Bread and Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life. Im trapped in their thirties! Both Jeanette and Nelson felt restrained by their screen images and were unable to break free in their personal lives. Ms. Durbin had remained determinedly out of public view since 1949, when she retired to a village in France with her third husband. In the mid to late 1940s Pat lived in the Los Angeles area with her mother, who was dating a Hollywood undercover vice squad policeman. You could see the fond childhood memories reflecting on their faces as the camera panned around. I telephoned Hedda. She was 91. It wasnt Vaughns fault or my fault that we failed to make a go of our marriage. Remembering sisters Jeanette MacDonald and Blossom Rock today. Wondering why Deanna retired so young, I read about some problems she had in 1946 with her brother-in-law who had been her business manager. A year later he obviously felt appeased when Judy Garland became a superstar with The Wizard of Oz (1939). And Durbins first screen kiss with Robert Stack in the 1939 Cinderella story First Love generated international headlines. And that is the way she will be remembered. In fact, Brownie received an Oscar nomination for Best Sound Recording for Phantom (but only won for a 1939 film, When Tomorrow Comes). She was 91. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. (Getty Images) See more of : Deanna Durbin 04 / 6 Read Less, Durbin shared a special Juvenile Award with Mickey Rooney at the 1938 Oscars fo Read More, Durbin shared a special Juvenile Award with Mickey Rooney at the 1938 Oscars for their "significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth". Joanne, that is awesome that you corresponded with her. Others had always attended to the grunge work of life. Mind you she married him in December 1950 and their son was born June 21st 1951. She had a lovely voice and her parents, then living in Los Angeles, trained her with a vocal coach. Her first movie was Every Sunday, in which she appeared alongside Judy Garland. Deanna Durbin was born Edna Mae Durbin on December 4, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Would you like me to deny it, dear? she asked. Read Less, She made her name playing the ideal teenage daughter in "Three Smart Girls" in Read More, She made her name playing the ideal teenage daughter in "Three Smart Girls" in 1936 and in its profitable follow-up the next year, "One Hundred Men and a Girl", which was credited with saving Universal studios from bankruptcy. Actually, Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper accused Deanna and co-star Joseph Cotten of having an affair during this film. Her MGM career ended suddenly, however, when Schumann-Heink, who was to play herself as an adult in the movie about her life, died at 75 and the studio did not pick up Ms. Durbins option. Her next husband would be this films producer.) 1:28 am. Deanna Durbin with her son Peter David Old Hollywood Glamour Golden Age Of Hollywood Deanna Durbin Musical Film Old Movie Stars Babe Celebrity Families She Movie Judy Garland More information . In that 1937 musical comedy Durbin stars as Patricia Cardwell, whose father (Adolphe Menjou) is one of 100 musicians unable to find a job. In fact that night when she was supposed to have the tryst with Cotton, she had earlier driven Vaughn to his ship. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. I think if an autobiography does not appear now, that Deanna Durbins life would make a fantastic book. In fact, he told me that he built an entire new recording booth and setup for Nelsons first (and ultimately last) Universal movie. The following year Deanna married producer/director Charles David (he directed her in 1945's excellent Lady on a Train) and moved with him to France. Canadian singer and actress Deanna Durbin, who enjoyed a short but successful career as a Universal contract star from 1936 to 1948, has died. She was given the stage name Deana Durbin when she signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1936 at age 14. Despite her tendency to plumpness (by Hollywood standards), the studio did not starve her and/or put her on dangerous medications as did MGM with Judy Garland. 1946) and son Peter David (born on June 20, 1951). No other details . Cotton was the Southern smooth talking gentleman type, and as his book reveals, he knew how to maneuver around the women in his life. I learned from reading your books to watch Jeanette and Nelson during each picture in which you would describe what was going on in their relationship. Deannas story is an amazing one. She could not have been allowed by Universal to have a child out of wedlock as the scandal would destroy her film career. I was away from home a lot. That Jackson would just leave Deanna six months after baby Jessicas birth and walk away from his without even fighting for joint custody well, that was very telling. Deanna Durbin. Dresses, dolls, ski suits and hats were marketed in her name. Please add an image! After all secrets do leak out. Bernard Brown told me that her natural hyper energy and ready smile was really who she wasat least as a young girl. Maybe its no wonder, then, that she was relieved to give up her career and move to France with Charles David, with whom she found lasting happiness. According to Pat, her friend had nursed Deannas father at some point in his final years or days. Deanna Durbin, a singing child movie star of the 1930s who became one of the wo Read More, Deanna Durbin, a singing child movie star of the 1930s who became one of the world's highest paid actresses before turning her back on stardom, has died at the age of 91. He went over to bust them only to discover that the culprits were Joseph Cotten and Deanna Durbin. I dont remember any such thing ever happening, do you? I laughed. It would ruin the image, she told Robert Shipman in Films and Filming magazine in 1983. In 1945, Durbin made "Lady on a Train" directed by Charles David, whom she married five years later. Didnt know how to write checks or balance a bank account, that sort of thing. Babe. The former child star, married Charles David, who directed her in the 1945 film "Lady on a Train," in 1951 and together they had one son, Peter. And, if this Deanna Durbin Joseph Cotten affair didnt take off in 1943, what about later on? Her son Peter H. David was quoted as telling The Deanna Durbin Society newsletter that the actress died "a few days ago", thanking her admirers for respecting her privacy. This movie was a major shift where she displayed some raw emotion. And as an instant Hollywood star with her very first movie, Three Smart Girls, she almost single-handedly fixed the problems of her fretting bosses at Universal, bringing them box-office gold. According to the New York Times, Durbin did shed some insight on her . Whatever she means, we know she was a fantastic singer and a beautiful woman. By Stuart Mitchner. [Note the spelling of her middle name: May.]. We were both working on the same film, and our bungalows were just a few buildings apart. Durbins survivors include her daughter, Jessica Jackson, and her son, Peter H. David. She, of course, works her magic and by the end of the 84-minute film, all happily join together to make music under the direction of legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski, who plays himself. (Getty Images), /celebs/international/reclusive-hollywood-actress-deanna-durbin-dies-at-91/eventshow/19820944.cms, Capitalising on her fame, Universal cast Durbin in a series of musical movies including "That Certain Age" and "Mad About Music" which made the actress with the sweet soprano voice into one of Hollywood's most popular stars. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. No comments were ever recorded after that, but I presume they settled into a contented life together. I do my own shopping, bring up my two children and sing an hour every day.. How could anybody really think that I was going to spend the rest of my life with a man I found I didnt love, just for the sake of an image?. Her passing affected me deeply, to my surprise. Lenore did not want to fly, sail, or even travel by train, and whenever she could avoid these modes of transportation she stayed home. I really venture to say that I believe one of the major reasons for Deanna to move to France was to protect her daughter and family from scandal. Pasternak, a Hungarian immigrant, produced 10 of them. In Deannas films, she was the main draw and the leading men were secondary. Her son Peter H.. Ms. Durbin had remained determinedly out of public view since 1949, when she retired to a village in France with her third husband. Durbin rarely gave interviews but did send reporters a letter in 1958, in which she said she was "never happy making pictures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Pl-qvA1X8, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDHgg1GUNlo, Save the date! Brownie told me a still little-known fact in the 1970s, that Deanna had a handicap with her left arm, which permanently hung at a slight angle. By Warren Boroson April 30, 2010, 6:22 pm. (Getty Images) Read Less, Reclusive Hollywood actress Deanna Durbin dies at 91. Former child star Deanna Durbin has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In movie after movie Ms. Durbins character found a way to help the struggling grown-ups in her life: reuniting her divorced parents, persuading the conductor Leopold Stokowski to help her out-of-work musician father, cajoling a stranger into becoming her father for a day. Wed 1 May 2013 07.26 EDT. magda reardon. I too, wrote Deanna many times and received in return an autographed photograph which I will always treasure. This was the final installment in the Three Smart Girls series, originally titled Three Smart Girls Join Up but released into theaters as Hers to Hold. In his autobiography, Easy the Hard Way, Mr. Pasternak who would eventually move to MGM and build the careers of two other coloratura sopranos, Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell said that stardom was always a matter of chemistry between the public and the player and that no one could take credit for discovering Deanna Durbin. From 1936 to 1942, Ms. Durbin was everyones intrepid kid sister or spunky daughter, a wholesome, radiant, can-do girl who in a series of wildly popular films was always fixing the problems of unhappy adults. To get back at Hopper for the sex scandal smear, Joseph Cotten allegedly pulled the chair out from her at a party as she was sitting down, causing her to fall flat on her butt.. On April 30, 2013, a newsletter published by the Deanna Durbin Society reported that Durbin died "a few days ago", quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. Although I think she would have liked us to be together, she thought separations were unharmful. The announcement of her death was made by her son, Peter H. David, in her official fan newsletter. Deanna Durbin, one of Hollywood's biggest box-office stars in the 1930s and early '40s, has died aged 91. She looked very much like Clark Gable (and her mother) and she had the same Gable ears although she had plastic surgery so they wouldnt stick out like Gables did. He indicated that she died "a few days ago," but provided no other details. The announcement of her death was made by her Former child star Deanna Durbin has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 8 Comments, God made me a singer, and I just sang. Deanna Durbin. Pat was a Deanna Durbin fan as well as a Mac/Eddy fan and she told me two pieces of information about Deanna Durbin that I thought little about in the ensuing decades. We buried the hatchet and remained friends. The Canadian-born actress was reportedly the second-highest paid actress in America in 1946, bringing in just $5,000 less than Bette Davis, with a salary of $323,477 from Universal, according to the Times. The complete series is available on DVD Falcon 9 is SpaceX's flagship rocket, and a great leap forward for President Obama's plans to diversify the space industry (video of launch below). Strange because I am 68 years old and watched all the old movies on TV when I was growing up, but then Universal held up Deannas movies for so long that I had only seen Lady on A Train, which I loved. On April 30, 2013, a newsletter published by the Deanna Durbin Society reported that Durbin had died "in the past few days", quoting her son, Peter H. David, who thanked her admirers for respecting her privacy. My conscience didnt bother me too much. Nelson Eddy sings Christmas carols for you. It's almost time for WonderCon 2012 to start packing fans into the Anaheim Convention Center, and we have the horror highlights of the three-day event that runs from March 16th-18th right here. Singer -actress Deanna Durbin, who was the highest-paid female star in Hollywood in 1947 but quit the biz the following year at the age of 26, has died, her fan club announced Tuesday. Both stars returned to the studio that particular night, for different reasons. Im sure it was more of a money issue than anything else. Ms. Durbin was quickly handed to Joe Pasternak, who produced her first 10 movies, and to Henry Koster, who directed six of them: Three Smart Girls, One Hundred Men and a Girl, Three Smart Girls Grow Up, First Love, Spring Parade and It Started With Eve.. The marriage lasted two years. Many of the films were Depression fairy tales in which Ms. Durbin won over or defeated silly rich people with the help of butlers, cooks and chauffeurs, who often risked their jobs to aid her. maceddy The man was Vaughn Paul, an assistant director, whom she had married at 19 in 1941. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. He was also found guilty of fathering a child out of wedlock when blood tests proved he was not the father. The source was a newsletter from the British-based Deanna Durbin Society, quoting Durbin's son, Peter H. David. Deanna Durbin, a star whose songs and smile made her one of the biggest box-office draws of Hollywood's Golden Age with fans that included Winston Churchill, has died. She smiles, too much of a realist to be surprised. Below, a rare photo signed with her real name: Edna May Durbin. I like Deanna Durbins first two features, Three Smart Girls and 100 Men and a Girl and most of her other films including her basically non-singing murder mystery Lady on a Train. No other details were given. Deanna loves spaghetti and candy and like all youngsters she hates to diet, but now Universal has told her she must reduce. Deanna Durbin, the singing starlet with the bubbly personality and the jewel-tone voice whose enormously popular movies were widely credited with saving Universal Pictures from bankruptcy during the Depression, has died. So I watch Deannas movies to make sense of what is happening at that time in her personal life. In the 1988 book The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era, Thomas Schatz wrote that the film, which cost $300,000 to produce, was a bargain price for any musical let alone a runaway hit that vaulted an unknown ingenue to stardom., Boosted by Durbins appearances on Eddie Cantors radio show, Three Smart Girls was the studios biggest hit of the year.