Ingenue: Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland, and the Golden Age of Hollywood

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I met Melanie Gall seven years ago when she presented The Sparrow and the Mouse at Fringe. This year, she returned to bring the heavenly singing of Deanna Durbin to Fringe audiences. The play began with the premise that a reporter wanted to interview Deanna because of her association with Judy Garland. She talked about how the two young actresses became friends, because they were about the same age, and also part of the MGM Hollywood Studio System that controlled every aspect of their lives and schooling.

Judy was surprisingly unsure of her singing abilities, but Deanna was certain of her golden operatic voice. In the 1930s, Deanna was a far greater star. A favorite of
Roosevelt, Churchill, even Mussolini, her first kiss made front page
news in the New York Times. The two women were friends and rivals for the duration of their careers, having two very different and distinct singing styles. While Louis B. Mayer was away on a trip, he instructed his people at MGM to
“drop the fat one.” They misunderstood and mistakenly let Deanna go. Soon after Deanna was released by MGM, Universal Studios gave her a
contract on the 13th of June and cast her in the September production of
Three Smart Girls, which became a major smash hit.

One film would skyrocket Judy into American culture and that was The Wizard of Oz. The studio first wanted Shirley Temple, but Darryl Zanuck would not lend her out to MGM. A Hollywood executive wanted to offer the part to Deanna. She was hesitant, since Judy was under contract and also her friend. She turned the role down because the executive disparaged her friend. He asked her to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just to try it on for size. Melanie sang the song with such clarity and sincerity that it was a slice of heaven.

Judy abused drugs and Deanna eventually left the studio system at the age of 27 to try and live a normal life in Europe. Deanna stayed on through the war years since she felt it gave the boys on the front hope. In the final scene, Deanna sang a song she and Judy used to play together when they were wide-eyed and young, being fresh to the Hollywood studio system. She held up a photo of Judy and she at the piano. It was a warm and fitting tribute. If you love the warmth and romance of the Hollywood classics, then this is the show for you.



Tickets are $12 plus the $10 Fringe Button.

Remaining show times are:

5:45 PM

2:00 PM

Whitney Broadway

Posted on by Thor

I decided to learn what I could about the Maitland Art Center‘s Artist’s in Action program. The program reflects the spirit of founder André Smith’s Research Studio and the current mission of the institution. This program provides non-residential studio space to  established or emerging artists for the professional practice and research of fine art. This program is an exciting opportunity to interact with Center’s community of artists and art enthusiasts while working in this uniquely rich and historic environment.

A fixture at the institution for many years, the acclaimed Artist-in-Action program takes place at the historic Maitland Art Center (originally André Smith’s Research Studio). In Smith’s day, famous artists were invited to live and work at the Research Studio in the winter months, including luminaries Milton Avery and Ralston Crawford.

Whitney Broadaway grew up in Sebring, Florida and received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts
with a focus in Printmaking from the University of Central Florida in
2010. During her degree, Broadaway studied printmaking, ceramics, and
the book arts extensively. She has interned with the Museum of Florida
Art and Culture as well as Flying Horse Press. Whitney is currently
the Book Conservator for the Special Collections & University
Archives department of the UCF Libraries. There she is in charge of
conserving and repairing material, as well as coordinating and judging
the annual Book Arts Competition.

Whitney‘s studio at the Arts Center was bright and light filled. Whitney’s recent prints integrate elaborate floral patters similar to work done at the turn of the century. One plate had delicate line work where she had to carve away the areas around the lines which takes amazing patience. As she worked on carving lino plates, she sang along with the tunes on her laptop. I began singing along as well. Pink Floyd began playing and Whitney told me about a video that had the Dark Side of the Moon dubbed over The Wizard of Oz and the music synced perfectly. A huge steel print press stood in the corner of the studio. It once belonged to André Smith so it is a historical relic. It has sat unused for years and Whitney is trying to let the Arts Center committee realize that the press needs to be used so all the working parts are active and lubricated. I felt like a bit of a dinosaur working next to this young artist, so I can identify with the idea that no matter how old you might be you should stay active every day.  I hope the press wheel once again turns to create a new generation of prints.