The Movie Page -- Deanna Durbin -- December 20, 2020

This woman knew when to take her winnings, leave the table, and retire quietly on the French Riviera.

She left Hollywood at the top of her career and never looked back. 

In 1947 (or thereabouts), she was the highest paid woman in the United States. Not the highest actress in Hollywood; not the highest paid actor in Hollywood; but, the highest paid woman in the United States

[Of course, she was also the highest paid actor in Hollywood, also, just to make that previous statement crystal clear.]

I happened to catch a wonderful little movie, Lady on a Train, last night on TCM. The plot, the story, the editing, the cutting, absolutely atrocious. Even the acting was probably sub-par. I don't know. I was captivated by the ensemble. 

Deanna Durbin. 

The most sought-after actor in 1940's.

First film with Judy Garland, and we know how that turned out. 

She is credited with single-handedly saving Universal Studios from bankruptcy in the late 1930s.

In 1938, at the age of 17, Ms Durbin was awarded the Academy Juvenile Award.

In 1947, she was the highest paid woman in the United States.

In 1949, she retired, left Hollywood, left the US, and moved to France.

She was 27 years old. 

She died in 2013 at the age of 91. 

She granted one interview after she retired, in 1983, to film historian David Shipman. She may have given other interviews, but if you can find a record of them, let me know so I can update her wiki entry.

I'm sure if she had lived to see it, she would have been thrilled to see her material destroyed in the 2008 Universal Studios fire. For the rest of us, truly sad.