d120421 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Blood Moon Productions has announced the forthcoming publication of a biography of Deanna by Australian journalist Alexander McRobbie. Here's the blurb on the book for anyone who may be interested: The Deanna Durbin Story, by Alexander McRobbie. In the early 1930s, Deanna Durbin was the world's most famous teenager?the Canadian songbird with a voice that simultaneously charmed Mussolini, Sir Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, Hitler, and FDR. Each of them, amazingly, defined her as his favorite Hollywood singer. For four years she was the world?s highest-paid female entertainer. In the late 1930s, actor Robert Donat claimed, ?Cinema?s five greatest performers include Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy?and Deanna Durbin.? In 1940, during Britain?s darkest hour, when an invasion of England from Nazi Germany appeared imminent, Lord Rothermere in The Daily Mail declared (amazingly) ?What England needs now is more Deanna Durbin movies.? Later, Mussolini pleaded with Durbin to use her influence with FDR to avoid American intervention in World War II. Durbin refused. Now, at last, Deanna Durbin?s saga is unveiled by the well-respected Australian journalist Alexander McRobbie. Compiled with love and respect over a period of more than 40 years, it?s the first major insight into the life of one of Hollywood?s least-understood, least-celebrated major stars. Available around August of 2006. Note the "early 1930s" misprint. As Deanna's first film didn't go into wide release until January 1937, she obviously couldn't have been a film star in the early 1930s. Since Deanna has said on prior occasionas that she doesn't wish to have a biography done on her life, it will be interesting to see how she reacts to this one, if at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackBurley Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Thanks for the news; and you're right: that time discrepancy is odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d120421 Posted June 27, 2006 Author Share Posted June 27, 2006 Well, I imagine it's just a misprint on the publicist's part, though it's odd that they let the release go into print without correcting it. Still, the book sounds like it will be an interesting "read," in any case. She certainly had some impressive admirers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreivierteltakt1985 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Awesome!!! I can't wait. Is it going to be mass produced or do we need to have a special order placed to get Deanna's bio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d120421 Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Hi dreivierteltakt1985: As far as I know, the biography will be generally available, though the only internet site I've seen it listed on to date is Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com). There isn't a picture, but it lists a September 2006 release date. I think the price for the book was $26.98, but it's been a while since I checked the site, so that may be inaccurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leobertucelli Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 And just what is so noteable about her life? Her cllaim to fame was she shared her first on screen kiss with Wiliam Holden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackBurley Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 "Her claim to fame was she shared her first on screen kiss with Wiliam Holden." Um, I think you mean Robert Stack. It's true, she didn't invent a frequency-hopping system to help submarines avoid torpedo hits or become ambassador to Ghana or Czechoslovakia; but she was immensely popular and became the highest paid woman in the U.S. Her fans ranged from Anne Frank to Mussolini. How she dealt with this level of fame might make an interesting read. She supposedly inspired Joseph Cotten's battle with Hedda Hopper. And since she walked away "from it all" at age 27, some people might be intrigued with what someone of such stature does with the remainder of her decades... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreivierteltakt1985 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 does anyone know if this is an authorized biography? it would be interesting to know that the very private deanna gave her blessings to mcrobbie to write about her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d120421 Posted August 5, 2006 Author Share Posted August 5, 2006 As far as I know, it's not an authorized biography, and Deanna has not given her blessing to it. However, I have heard that Mr. McRobbie has sent Deanna copies of the various drafts he's produced of the book in its' various stages, so she is aware of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarboManiac Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Nice going, Jack. You never cease to impress me. And, I am sure she did more with the remainder of her decades than Garbo! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts