Mixed

James Durbin once presented Ada a platinum wedding ring to replace her original gold ring. Ada then used the gold from her old ring and made two rings - one for Deanna and one for Edith. Deanna's ring was set with a zircon and 6 diamonds.

On 17 March, 1938, Deanna Durbin visited Washington:

As usual, her fans were out in force to see their favourite actress as she went from from one Washington site to another.

A police escort saved Deanna's beauitful bright green outfit from over enthusiastic souvenir hunters. Her hand was working overtime signing autographs until someone put a stop to it.

Deanna was also greeted by newspaper theatre critics at a dinner at the Mayflower Hotel.

From Union Station, the blue-eyed star was driven through milling throngs to Capitol Hill. There again she upset routine and posed for pictures with a number of smiling Senators.

Then she was greeted by Vice President Garner and stopped all Legislative proceedings by appearing on both the Senate and House floors.

"What do you think of your Washington recpetion?" Deanna was asked.

She gulped twice and blinked. "It's fine, I guess."

On more than one occasion during the tour of important places, her car was stalled by crowds of admirers who flocked around, climbed on the running boards and pressed their noses against the windows.

At the White House, Marvin McIntyre, Secretary to the President, escorted her on a trip of inspection. Although she had little to say, Deanna showed unmistakable evidence of a youngster receiving the thrill of her life.

Here is a photo of Deanna Durbin meeting Senator Allen Ellender, Senator Hattie Caraway, Senator Carl Hatch, Senator Edwin Johnson, and Senator William McAdoo:

In 1947 when Los Angeles planned its Music Festival in the Hollywood Bowl, Deanna helped with the training of some of the children who were involved.

This is a photo of Deanna helping Jesus Martinez (piano), Maria Lopez, and Harry Tichnor:

After LADY ON A TRAIN, it was planned for Deanna Durbin to be in a movie called MERRY MERRY MARRIAGE. The movie had a French slant to it and was about a girl who left her husband immediatly after her marriage. But Deanna's next movie turned out to be BECAUSE OF HIM.

One of Deanna Durbin's stand-ins was Betty Harrison. She worked in many of Deanna's movies. As time went on, Betty was forced to wear shoes with four inch high souls because Deanna had out-grown her!!

Betty married in 1940, and then went under the name of Mrs. Fred Reinecke.

In early 1937, Deanna Durbin received the Sreen Actors Guild Award for her wonderful performance in THREE SMART GIRLS!!!



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Deanna Durbin certainly thrust Universal into bigger theatres being a first contract player that could, and on a repeated basis. It got to where lines formed for whatever she did, and according to Fortune magazine, Universal was for a first time able to increase percentage demands for first-runs from a maximum twenty-five to thirty-five percent of paid admissions.

Deanna Durbin's favourite stage performers were Helen Hayes, Gertrude Lawrence, and Katharine Cornell.

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Deanna loved to dance the Waltz and the Foxtrot. She also tried the Lambeth Walk.



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In 1941, John R. Stannage and Raymond G. Hill of the British branch of the Deanna Durbin Devotees started a publication called Universal Outlook which was filled with information about Deanna Durbin. The magazine lasted for only six editions because of WW2.

Here is a message from Deanna Durbin from the first edition:

"Dear friends everywhere. It is with greatest pleasure that I send you greetings and best wishes. The Universal Outlook promises to be a most interesting magazine, and our heartiest thanks go to James R. Stannage and Raymond G. Hill for undertaking such a publication. Through the Outlook's pages we may expect to become better acquainted, and from its contacts, better friends. I wish it were possible to meet each one of you, so that I might more adequately express my appreciation and thanks for the pleasure which your letters, cards, and gifts have given me. Loyal friends mean much more than you can ever know. Your encouragement and helpful criticisms keep me constantly striving to do my best, and letters from you are always welcome. I am very happy to have had this opportunity of sending a greeting to you. On your behalf as well as my own, I wish to extend our best wishes to the Outlook's Editors. May their every effort meet with the greatest possible success. Sincerely your friend, Deanna Durbin."

This is a photo of Deanna Durbin with Edward Maher and Lester Grady who were the editors of Liberty and Silver Screen magazines:

Deanna Durbin got a tremendous thrill when she saw the New York stage production of CAVALCADE written by Noel Coward.

The play opened in London on 6 September, 1931 and had 405 performances. Una O'Connor, Irene Browne, and Merle Tottenham originated their movie roles in the play.



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Deanna Durbin enjoyed the gramophone recording of Meet The Sun Halfway sung by Bing Crosby from the movie IF I HAD MY WAY.



INTERESTING NOTE: Bing Crosby was keen in co-starring with Deanna Durbin in both TOP OF THE MORNING and A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT. Deanna's role in the latter went to Rhonda Flemming, who later recalled that her Hollywood career began when an agent approached her because of her resemblance to Deanna!

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One of Deanna Durbin's favourite swing musicians was the great Dick Jurgens.

She would never get tired of listening to him playing Cecilia on the radio.



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In early 1941, Deanna Durbin was returning to Los Angeles from a trip out east. Deanna stopped at El Paso because she was a guest of the Texas College of Mines Chi Omega Sorority. At Union Depot Station, a terrified Deanna was mobbed by a 5000 strong crowd and her mother suffered two broken ribs during the crush! Deanna was taken to the local police station for her own protection. Yet a bigger crowd was waiting for Deanna at the railway station for her homeward journey, so instead, the police organized for her to board the California-bound train at Ysleta. As she was waiting for the train to arrive, Deanna looked up into the night sky and said, "It's so quiet and peaceful here - I wish I could get out and enjoy the stars more often." Just before boarding the train, Deanna shook hands with the local group in a friendly fashion thanking each person individually. "I'm sorry I missed that quale dinner in Juarez," she said, "You know my stop in El Paso certainly has been an unusual one!"



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Deanna added the art of needlepoint (petit point) to her many accomplishments.



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Deanna Durbin with Bob and Dolores Hope:



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Deanna Durbin and Anne Shirley chat backstage at a Jeanette MacDonald concert:



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Deanna Durbin with Hollywood photographer Gene Lester:

Deanna Durbin with Betty Mitchell and Kay Hardy:

This is a November 1937 photo of Deanna Durbin with Freddie Bartholomew:



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Deanna Durbin & Peggy Ryan:







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We can only guess what triggered Deanna Durbin to bite her nails. Before Deanna became famous, her father wasn't in the best of health and money was short. It could be that as a child those family difficulties played on Deanna's mind causing her to worry about home life.





Nail biting or chronic onychophagia is the act of biting the cuticle, the soft tissue around the nail or the nail itself. It occurs in 28 to 33 percent of children ages 7-10 years old, 44 percent of adolescents, 19 to 29 percent of young adults, and five percent of older adults according to a study.

Another study says it is common in 45 – 60 percent of children aged eight to 11 and tends to peak between the ages of 10 and 18.

This irritating habit is more common in boys than girls, and can be seen during periods of nervousness, stress, hunger, boredom or lack of activities.

Most of the time, it is harmless habit that children eventually outgrow. In both children and adults, however, nail biting usually occurs unconsciously when the person is doing something else like reading a book.

Nail biting is often seen as a common reaction to stress. A child or even an adult uses nail biting as a coping mechanism to relieve pent-up emotions. It is considered a habitual condition, a common reaction to stress.

Basically, nail biting is a rational substitution of one problem for another. In many instances nail biting is used as a tension reliever. Any kind of disharmony as a result of friends, family, work or school can trigger the habit.

Deanna Durbin saw her very first fall of snow when she visited Boston in 1936.

A letter written by Deanna Durbin stating she was writing an autobiography: