Deanna Durbin film festival at library

Nancy Carson Library will bring a bit of movie nostalgia back to life during September and October as the library hosts a film festival and memorabilia display of Deanna Durbin.

The movies will be shown in the library's Sertoma Room on Tuesdays, Sept. 22 and 29 and Oct. 6 and 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Local old movie buff and collector Bill Harper is sharing items he has amassed through the years on the acclaimed star who began her career in the 1930s and ended a successful run at the ripe old age of 27.

Harper said generally when he mentions Durbin's name, he gets vague nods or, more often, the question, "Who is she?"

Classified as a "child" star, Durbin began her career in her early teens with "Three Smart Girls," released in 1936.

The local fan said with each film Durbin ranked as one of the highest paid women in the world (not just actress). At 27, she was released from her movie contract and she never made another film or sang publicly again. She married movie director Charles Henri David in France, where she still resides.

Durbin's initial appeal, said Harper, was her charm as well as her mature singing voice. Prior to her first film she was featured on the radio show hosted by Eddie Cantor. From that she received thousands of letters and, with the release of the movie, her fan club became the largest in America and later the largest in the world.

Her early films were musical comedies. Her only dramatic role was "Christmas Holiday" with Gene Kelly, considered by many critics as one of the bleakest film noir movies ever produced despite the pair's reputation for light comedy.

Her only color movie was "Can't Help Singing."

When she retired, she chose not to enter any of the lucrative ventures offered her. Harper said there are no published books on her life and few references.

Harper will introduce each movie with highlights from Durbin's career as well as information on which scenes to take particular note of.

The films to be shown are "Three Smart Girls" (1936) on Sept. 22, "It Started with Eve" (1941) on Sept. 29, "Lady on a Train" (1945) on Oct. 6 and "Something in the Wind" (1947) on Oct. 13.