by Marilyn Justine

Created on: April 19, 2009   Last Updated: April 20, 2009

Imagine being able to retire at the ripe old age of 27. No more running for the 8.30am train for another daily grind at the office, wishing every Monday morning was Friday afternoon and working all year for a fortnight in Tenerife.

Well, that's exactly what movie legend Deanna Durbin did. After making 21 films in Hollywood, and becoming the highest paid female star of the period, she decided, at the age of 27, to turn her back on the glamorous but fickle world of the movies for a life of oblivion and couldn't have been happier.

However, before you wonder why someone would chose to leave behind a glamorous life in pictures, vast amounts of money and an adoring public, let me add that she started the daily grind of rigorous training at the tender age of 14.

Even as a young child she had a mature and deeply controlled soprano voice, which won her a legion of fans. She was a young, fresh-faced innocent in contrast to the bombshells and sirens Hollywood had previously offered.

Indeed, Deanna Durbin was a breath of fresh air, but until now she has remained a figure of Hollywood folklore. Disputes over the copyright of all her films means that they have been unavailable to the public since their original cinematic releases between 1936 and 1948. Copyright laws also meant that no television channels have been able to show her movies.

That is, until a few months ago. Just in time for Christmas, three DVD box sets of her films were released for the first time ever. This has allowed the new generation of film fans to discover a cinematic gem, and the older generation, who grew up with Deanna, to relive their youth.

Although her films have never been available to the public, it hasn't stopped her legion of fans from trading stories and holding meetings over the years to celebrate the talents and warmth of the former child star, thanks to the Deanna Durbin Society. Deanna may have retired in 1948 but she is still dedicated to her many fans, keeping in touch with them through the Society's newsletter.

Deanna Durbin was born Edna Mae Durbin on December 4th 1921, surprisingly to British parents and even more surprisingly in Winnipeg, Canada, since Durbin personifies the stereotypical wholesome All-American girl. However, when Edna was still a baby, her family moved to California.

At the age of ten Edna started taking singing lessons, partially funded by her older sister Edith, a schoolteacher. Edna had dreams of becoming an opera singer and her films certainly prove she had the talent.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>