Deanna Durbin's Big Night at the 1938 Academy Awards

The 11th Annual Academy Awards took place in Los Angeles on Thursday February 23, 1939 in the dining room of the Biltmore Hotel, which is still there today but of course no longer hosts the ceremonies.The dining room, The Biltmore Bowl, was one of the hottest dining rooms and nightclubs in LA at the time.Below is a photo of what the Oscar ceremony looked like at the time (the photo is on a wall in the hotel today).Deanna arrives at the hotel with...

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For the Love of Mary (1948)

Originally posted on the blog Java's Journey For the Love of Mary (1948) is a light RomCom which follows Mary Peppertree (Deanna Durbin), a White House switchboard operator who takes her job very seriously and is on familiar terms with people in all three branches of government, including the President of the United States (who personally wants to make sure that Mary gets married to someone... anyone, it seems, so he arranges her dates). David...

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Deanna in color

I discovered some amazing colorizations by Megg on the Deviant Art website. Megg granted me permission to display some of her work on the blog. Doesn't Deanna look amazing in color?! Deanna Durbin Colorized 2 by ~ajax1946 on deviantART Be sure to use the links above to check out Megg's other work on Deviant Art and request prints of your favorites! Posted with permission from the art...

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Ronald Reagan was almost cast in a Deanna Durbin movie

As I was reading the book Reagan: A Life in Letters (Free Press, 2003), a compilation of hundreds of Ronald Reagan's letters sent throughout his lifetime, I was surprised to come across one letter related to Deanna.Here is how the editors of book preface the letter (my notes in blue):Joe Pasternak, a producer of 83 movies, wrote Reagan that Universal Pictures once vetoed his decision to cast Reagan in a Deanna Durbin movie. Durbin had starred in...

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Photos inspire Durbin movie scene

click to enlargeIn an article dubbed "Speaking of Pictures," from February 19, 1940, Life Magazine argues that movies should be more complex and realistic. The magazine showcases its preference with a number of movie stills which were directly influenced by life in general and Life Magazine photos in particular. The article displays the movie stills next to their candid inspiration.One of the film frames is taken from the Deanna Durbin vehicle, It's...

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