"Three Smart Girls" (1936)

The three smart girls of the title are adorable teenage sisters - played by Deanna, Nan Grey and Barbara Read who live in a lovely European lake house with their mother (Nella Walker). One day they read in the newspaper that their estranged father (now living in New York as a prominent investment banker) plans to remarry. So the girls travel across the pond to find him - and break up the relationship with his gold-digging girlfriend (Binnie Barnes) so their parents can be reunited again.

The fun of the movie is watching the girls' crazy schemes. Lots of screwball hijinks.

Co-starring Charles Winninger as the father, Alice Brady, Ray Milland, and Mischa Auer.


For more about Three Smart Girls (1936):
Laura has written a great review of Three Smart Girls on her blog

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100 Men and a Girl (1937)

"I've never seen such a child in all my life!" - Eugene Pallette's producer character says this in reaction to a persistent Deanna Durbin.

In a story that might remind you of her short film "Every Sunday", Deanna wants to start an orchestra for a group of unemployed musicians, including her father, wonderfully played by Adolph Menjou. The chemistry that he and Deanna have is so good that you'll be convinced they are father-daughter.

In perhaps one of her best performances, Deanna stops at nothing to start the orchestra of 100 men, even managing to meet with world-renowned conductor Leopold Stokowski to solicit his help.

It's interesting to note that Stokowski only allowed himself to appear in four motion pictures (as himself of course), the most famous being 1940's Fantasia.

I would think that a film would need to have a really good script in order for him to lend his acting chops, and this movie really is indeed a good one; it's funny and filled with some great musical numbers. Classical music fans will certainly enjoy it. I'm sure Stokowski found Durbin to be a real promising young talent.

Other great comic performances come from Eugene Pallette and Alice Brady as the sponsors of the new orchestra, Mischa Auer as one of the unemployed musicians, and Frank Jenks as a singing taxi driver. His scenes with Deanna in the cab will crack you up.

Needless to say, audiences and critics were really impressed by Deanna and this film. It was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Original Story, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. It won Best Musical Score, beating out Lost Horizon, Way Out West, The Prisoner of Zenda, and In Old Chicago. Most surprisingly, it beat Snow White And the Seven Dwarfs!

And Deanna of course went on to star in 19 more motion pictures...

Laura has a great review of the movie at her blog Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

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"Spring Parade" (1940)

Deanna looking cute in a babuska (head scarf)

In this cute film set in Austria, Deanna plays a farm girl named Ilonka. One day she goes to a carnival and meets a fortune teller who tells her (among other things) that she will find her husband in Vienna; the next day she travels there and is determined to fulfill the prophecies.

Deanna's character is somewhat carefree, and it's not explained whether or not she had any work or family obligatons back in her unprounouncable village home.

Once in Vienna, she lands a job as an assistant in a local bakery run by the always entertaining S.Z. Sakall. Other bakery employees include Anne Gwynne (Jenny) and the baker's young nephews, played by Butch and Buddy (Kenneth Brown and Billy Lenhart), child stars at the time that never became famous as a team. They were prominently featured on posters for the movie (see the poster below). I wonder what happened to them; I couldn't find much to read about them on the internet.

The spring parade of the title refers to a parade of soilders that passes by the bakery every day. One of the soilders (Robert Cummings) flirts with Jenny, but she has her eye on another man (a Count in fact, Count Zorndorf, played by Allyn Joslyn). Deanna becomes smitten with the soilder, and inspires him to compose songs, including "Waltzing in the Clouds", which Deanna sings.

She also sings two other songs: "When April Sings" and "It's Foolish But It's Fun", which is a great song to describe this movie. There are some funny shennegans and a few cases of mistaken identity, including a scene where the baker gets arrested and Deanna has to clear up matters with the Emperor.

Cameo appearances by Samuel S. Hinds, Franklin Pangborn and Mischa Auer, who buys Deanna's goat at the carnival.

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards:

Best Cinematography
Best Sound
Best Score (Charles Previn)
Best Song ("Waltzing in the Clouds")


For more photos from Spring Parade, check out this link which will take you to the gallery on the Deanna Durbin Devotees site.

Read Laura's review here. 

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