THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY

MOVIE INFORMATION:
Universal Studios – 1943
1 Hour, 38 Minutes
Black & White

MAIN CREDITS:
Producer…Bill Manning
Director…Bill Manning
Screenplay…Frank Ryan
Music…Charles Previn

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Ruth Kirke…Deanna Durbin
Tom Holliday…Edmond O’Brien
Timothy Blake…Barry Fitzgerald
Henderson…Arthur Treacher
Commodore Holliday…Harry Davenport
Edgar…Grant Mitchell
Karen…Frieda Inescort
Louise…Elisabeth Risdon
Ferguson…Jonathan Hale
Uncle Donald…Frank Hamilton

MOVIE SYNOPSIS:
Ruth Kirke and eight orphaned children are sailing to San Francisco from China. Ruth is the daughter of a missionary and their original vessel, which was commanded by Commodore Holliday, was destroyed by a torpedo. Upon their arrival in the USA, Ruth is informed that the children will only be allowed to stay if a $500 bond for each child is posted. Ruth and the Commodore’s assistant, Timothy Blake then go to the Holliday mansion to see if they can get the $4000 that is needed. The Holliday Family aren’t very receptive to Ruth’s request until Timothy invents a story that she is the widow of the late Commodore. Since Ruth is now the legal widow, they post the bonds and the children come to live in the mansion. When the Tom Holliday arrives, he is suspicious of Ruth’s story about her marriage to the Commodore, but then believes her when he sees the eight children. Ruth tells him her story about how she grew up at her father’s mission school in China. Both her father and mother had died of a fever when she was only ten. One day, years later, the Chinese Army are camping nearby and the Japanese Air Force bomb the mission. Ruth’s uncle is killed in the attack and she departs with some of the children for Calcutta. Ruth’s story is interrupted by the baby crying, so she sings him to sleep. Tom then asks her to tell him about the Commodore’s last voyage. Timothy overhears the conversation and makes noises like a crying child to get her out of a tight spot. That night, Ruth talks to the Hollidays again who still believe that she married the Commodore only for his money. Unexpectedly, the press arrive. They take pictures of Ruth and want to hear her story. Overcome by guilt, she tries to sneak the children out of the house early the next morning, but is spotted by Tom who stops her. Ruth confesses to Tom that she never married the Commodore much to his surprise. She then continues her story. Ruth’s journey had taken her and the children to the ocean. With the help of Timothy, Ruth sneaks the children onboard a vessel which she believes is bound for Calcutta. After they have set sail, the Commodore discovers them onboard and tells Ruth that the ship is actually heading for San Francisco. Despite being angry, he agrees to do his best to help the children. That night the ship is sunk by a torpedo, but Ruth, Timothy and eight of nine children are safe in a lifeboat. Ruth thus ends her story. The next night, Tom tells Ruth that when the children receive their permits she must leave the house. When the permits finally arrive, Ruth asks Timothy to buy her a railroad ticket to Philadelphia. He buys the ticket and then tells Tom that she is leaving. At the station, as Ruth is waiting for her train, Tom rushes in and after much confusion convinces her to come back with him. Soon afterwards, a China War Relief Ball is held at the Holliday mansion. Unknown to all present, Commodore Holliday is in the crowd along with the missing ninth child. He announces his presence and everyone is shocked. The Commodore plays along with the ruse that he is married to Ruth, but changes his mind when he finds out that she is in love with Tom. The Commodore happily announces the new wedding plans and that he will take care of the children.

The opening scene shows Ruth Kirke (Deanna Durbin) and the children sailing for San Francisco.

Ruth recalls how Japanese aircraft bombed the mission school.

After the bombing, Ruth and the children flee to safety.

Ruth gives a gorgeous performance of Mighty Like A Rose written by Frank Stanton & Ethelbert Nevin.

Ruth and Tom Holliday (Edmond O'Brien) chat after the children have gone to bed.



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The Old Refrain written by Alice Mattullath & Fritz Kreisler is beautifully sung by Ruth.

Ruth gives the audience an amazing rendition of Vissi D'Arte from Puccin's TOSCA.



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Ruth and Tom speak to a very much alive Commodore Holliday (Harry Davenport).



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The original director of THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY was Jean Renoir (1894-1979) who was the son of the famous French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Universal Studios contracted Jean Renoir to make a movie with Deanna Durbin because a change was required to move away from the stereotyped image of the "nice young girl" that Deanna played in her last ten movies. Universal made Bruce Manning the producer. Bruce had worked on many Deanna Durbin scripts and he also admired Jean Renoir. For THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY there was no script - just the start of a story line and some vaguely sketched generalities. On the first day of shooting the writers only had a few pages of script. In the following weeks the production limped along. It came to a point that Deanna wasn't able to visualize her character and act accordingly. After over a month of shooting, Jean and Bruce realized they were heading for a disaster. Shooting was stopped. Bruce said he would ask the front office to shelve the movie and start afresh. He then suggested an idea to Jean. He sketched an adaptation of Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW transposed to a present day Texas gas station. It's owner would have two daughters, the shrew played by Deanna. Jean agreed and shared Bruce's enthusiasm and the two excited writers went to work. But the next day Jean told Deanna he didn't think he could go on with the new movie as he was suffering from an old war wound and was in great pain. That made it possible for him to walk out of his contract with Universal. Deanna felt terribly upset because not even in Hollywood does a captain abandon a sinking ship. Shortly after it was found that Jean was concluding certain commitments with RKO for a movie on the French resistance with Charles Laughton, titled THIS LAND IS MINE. The studio decided to finish the movie as well as possible. Since this was the only film that writer/producer Bruce Manning ever (in part) officially directed, he pulled off a near miraculous salvage job. The seams in the patchwork don't show, and the basic flaws of the movie are in its construction - or lack of it. For the only time in a Deanna Durbin movie, the songs are interpolated whenever it seems time for one - almost like a commercial - instead of coming logically out of plot development. It looks as though Jean had no interest in songs at all, and kept putting the musical elements off until later, with the result that footage and continuity just left no logical spots for the songs. As for the Deanna character, it is sensible, mature, and definitely more restrained than in the earlier formula - but that very restraint gave Deanna no chance to do the kind of things that fans expected (some of which could have been retained, cunningly, even with a new image). The cantankerous character played by Harry Davenport in the earlier portions of the movie undergoes a total change of image for the climax, allowing for a quick and tidy wrap-up when the loose ends threatened to get out of control. And despite his lack of commitment for the movie - there still can be seen recognizable Jean Renoir elements. Although he understood technique thoroughly, he used it unobtrusively, never calling attention to cuts or camera movements. THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY is probably (in a relative sense since the story is somewhat artificial) the most realistic and certainly the least glossy (in terms of production techniques) of all the Deanna Durbin movies.

In 1954, Jean Renoir said the following: "I met Deanna Durbin and liked her very much. I had all the Durbin pictures run through for me and those made by Koster were certainly the best. However, I had no gift for that style, and THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY was rightly finished by people who know the job better."

Jean Renoir also said this about Deanna Durbin: "A remarkable actress and a wonderful comrade."



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Deanna Durbin poses with some of the cast during the filming of THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY:

Deanna Durbin on the set of THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY:

This is a photo of Deanna Durbin having her wedding ring covered by a larger ring:



Deanna's left hand:

Only one little mistake in THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY:

When Tom shakes hands with one of the children on the staircase he puts both hands into his pockets, but the next camera shot has only one of his hands in a pocket.

MEMORABLE LINES:

Ruth says to Tom, "I was very happy, and when I told the children, they were happy, too. Getting into the United States was like getting into Heaven."

During the filming of THE AMAZING MRS HOLIDAY, the film crew played a trick on Deanna. She had to do a scene where she sits on the side of the bed and puts her feet into bedroom slippers. The crew had stuffed crackly paper in the toes. Deanna thought it was a bug and her scream was so loud that almost all of Hollywood could hear it.

Deanna Durbin and Edmond O'Brien go for a walk during the production of THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY.

One of the best scenes in THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY is when Ruth and Tom are putting the children to bed.

During the filming, one little 5-year-old was getting a bit tired of having to lie in bed so long.

Deanna Durbin and Edmond O'Brien were shooting a tender scene over the tiny baby’s crib, and every time they got right into the tenderest part of it there would come a distinct razzberry from the direction of the little boy.

After he had ruined two takes Edmond turned to him and solemnly said, "Listen, chum, you’re supposed to be a child actor, not a critic."

Deanna Durbin and Bruce Manning chat during a break in production of THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY: