Melanie Gall - Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland, and the Golden Age of Hollywood

As a performer and a music historian, I have researched, written, and toured shows on a variety of topics: from the lost knitting songs of WWI and WWII to the lives and music of Vera Lynn, Nol Coward, Edith Piaf, and Jacques Brel. I had always wanted to do a show about Deanna Durbin, but when the time came to write the script, I was surprised to find that no biographies of Deanna existed. Instead, my research included watching her movies, poring over archived scrapbooks, searching newspaper databases, and ordering fan letters and movie magazines online. The more I uncovered about Deanna, the more I felt there needed to be a book written about her life, to tell her story and preserve her legacy.

I hope this book will give modern readers a glimpse of what it was like to grow up, live, and work in the world of Old Hollywood. Although my initial intention was to research and write exclusively about Deanna, I quickly discovered that it would be impossible to do this without including a fair amount about Judy Garland, a fellow ingnue whose life and career were inextricably interwoven with Deannas, and that their stories couldnt be properly told without bringing in the other players who created and steered their careers.

So, in the end, this book tells many stories. But primarily, it is the biography of Deanna Durbin that I was hoping to find when I began researching my show Ingnue. I am so proud and honored to share her story after so long, as Deannas singular talent and the love her movies inspired deserve to be remembered.

Id first like to thank my agent, Alice Martell, for taking a chance on this book, and to editors Rick Rinehart and Melissa McClellan from Lyons Press for working tirelessly to get it out into the world.

I would also like to thank:

My mum, Karen Gall, for her editing skills and advice throughout (even when I didnt want to hear it!) and my late father, Gerald Gall, whose books on the Canadian Legal System made me want to be a writer someday, too.

Im so grateful to Jem Rolls for spending a good chunk of his pandemic beach exile in Gokarna, India, reading and editing the manuscript, to Allison K Williams for her generous guidance. Id also like to thank my fellow Triumverate members: Eden Ballantine and Shelby Bond, as well as Bennett Paster, Monique Salazar, Simon Caine, and Winona Richardson for their advice and support throughout.

A special thanks to Hisato Mastsuyama for being so generous with his collection of Durbiana, including most of the photographs in this book. To Barry Berkman, Tina Kazan, and Chrisstache Ross for their photography and photo editing skills. Also thanks to Jeffrey Macklis, whose generous hosting allowed me to complete my in-person NYC research just before the pandemic hit.

Also, thank you to fellow creatives Keith Alessi, Erika Conway, Suzanne Bachner, Bob Brader, and Bremmer Duthie for the encouragement and artistic inspiration.

Thanks to Wendy Gall and Amelia and Isadora Sharfstein, my own Three Smart Girls. And finally, my wee bird Colette, because writing a book is a lot more funalbeit sometimes perilouswith a tame sparrow napping on the keys and pecking at anything that moves.

B OOKS

Atkins, Irene Khan. Henry Koster. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1978.

Basinger, Jeanine. The Star Machine. New York: Knopf, 2008.

Blanchard, Jim. Winnipeg 1912. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2005.

Boller, Paul, and Ronald Davis. Hollywood Anecdotes. New York: Morrow, 1987.

Brautigan, Richard. Trout Fishing in America. Berkeley, CA: Four Seasons Foundation: 1967.

Clarke, Gerald. Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland. New York: Random House, 2000.

Davis, Ronald. Just Making Movies. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.

Hautzig, Esther. The Endless Steppe. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1985.

Heisenfelt, Kathryn. Deanna Durbin and the Adventure of Blue Valley. Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing Company, 1941.

. Deanna Durbin and the Feather of Flame. Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing Company, 1941.

Hunter, Beatrice Thurman. As Ever, Booky. Toronto: Scholastic Canada, 1985.

Lejeune, Caroline Alice. Chestnuts in Her Lap, 19361946. London: Phoenix House, 1947. Print.

Malcolm, Janet. Reading Chekhov: A Critical Journey. New York: Random House, 2002.

Melnick, Jeffrey. A Right to Sing the Blues: African Americans, Jews, and American PopularSong. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Mesyats, Vadim. A Guest in the Homeland. Northfield, NJ: Talisman House, 1997.

Monti, Carlotta. W. C. Fields and Me. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1976.

Pasnak, Kristine. Edna Mae and the Child Star. Ottawa, ON: Carleton University, 2003.

Pasternak, Joe. Easy the Hard Way. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons, 1956.

Rees, David. The Exeter Blitz. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1978.

Shipman, David. Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend. New York: Hyperion, 1993.

Weinstein, David. The Eddie Cantor Story: Jewish Life in Performing and Politics. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2017.

Zei, Alki. Petros War. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972.

Zierold, Norman. The Child Stars. New York: Coward McCann, 1985.

M OVIES

Armstrong, Samuel, codirector. Fantasia. Walt Disney Productions, 1940.

Berkeley, Busby, director. Babes on Broadway. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1941.

Borzage, Frank, director. His Butlers Sister. Universal Pictures, 1943.

Butler, David, director. Pigskin Parade. 20th Century-Fox, 1936.

Capra, Frank, director. You Cant Take It with You. Columbia Pictures, 1938.

Chaplin, Charlie, director. The Kid. Charles Chaplin Productions, 1921.

Cukor, George, director. A Star Is Born. Warner Bros., 1954.

David, Charles Henri, director. Lady on a Train. Universal Pictures, 1945.

De Cordova, Fred, director. For the Love of Mary. Universal-International, 1948.

Del Ruth, Roy, director. Broadway Melody of 1938. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1937.

Edison, Thomas, director. Widow at the Races. Edison Studios, 1917.

Feist, Felix E., director. Every Sunday. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1936.

Fleming, Victor, director. The Wizard of Oz. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939.

Green, Alfred E., and Jack Pickford, directors. Little Lord Fauntleroy. United Artists, 1921.

Griffith, D. W., director. Orphans of the Storm. United Artists, 1921.

Hand, David, supervising director. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt Disney Productions, 1937.

Julian, Rubert, director. The Phantom of the Opera. Universal Pictures, 1925.

Koster, Henry, director. First Love. Universal Pictures, 1939.

, director. It Started with Eve. Universal Pictures, 1941.

, director. One Hundred Men and a Girl. Universal Pictures, 1937.

, director. The Rage of Paris. Universal Pictures, 1938.

, director. Spring Parade. Universal Pictures, 1940.

, director. Three Smart Girls. Universal Pictures, 1936.

, director. Three Smart Girls Grow Up. Universal Pictures, 1939.

Kosterlitz, Hermann (Henry Koster), director. Das Abenteuer der Thea Roland. Georg Witt-Film, 1932.

, director. Das hliche Mdchen. Avanti-Tonfilm, GmbH, 1933.

, director. Frhjahrsparade. Universal Pictures, 1934.

, director. Kleine Mutti. Universal Pictures, 1935.

Lamont, Charles, and Ray Nazarro, directors. Baby Burlesks. Universal Pictures, 19311933.

Lang, Walter, director.