Deanna Durbin Forum
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| It can be argued that Deanna, as actress, was the best pure singing voice ever put to the silver screen. Her early retirement at 27 foreclosed any chances to see it at it's full power. She was wonderfully adept at light comedy, comparable to the best of the era. Her charisma was such that starting with her second full film she was the above the title star (usually solo) in every film in which she appeared. Unfortunately many of her scripts relied SOLELY on her considerable charms and vocal ability and while usually pleasant enough failed to make full use of her potential as an actress. Not only was she the first Hollywood "Teen Idol" she was the first child actress to carry her popularity into young adult roles. Her success prompted a whole slew of imitators but she exuded a special mix of directness, freshness and sensuality that made her unique. Unfortunately there was an ambivalence on the part of critics, public and studio on whether or not they really wanted their favorite girl to fully grow up and move into genuine adult roles. Flagging box office receipts and a lack of compelling roles combined with personal problems and a general dislike of the Hollywood lifestyle eventually prompted Deanna to call it quits. We will never know what a mature Deanna might have produced but the 21 films she did leave us are a unique bit of Hollywood as enjoyable and uplifting now as they were 70 years ago. Comment on this... |
