Deanna Durbin

Deanna Durbin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1722 Vine St. Betty Furness has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution Motion Pictures, and to Television. David died in Paris on March 1, 1999. During her illness she stated that she wanted nothing more than to be able to work, but her health continued to deteriorate until her death in New York from stomach cancer. Since then she has resisted all offers to perform and has refused to be interviewed, steadfastly asserting her right to privacy. She had always expressed throughout her life that her philosophy was to never turn down a job, and she stated that it was this attitude that had allowed her to progress through such an unconventional series of professions. The couple moved to Paris, France with Durbin stating she would never return to show business. Her dismissal was widely publicised and controversial and was viewed by many of Furness' supporters as ageism.

She retired from public life in 1950, after her marriage to Charles David, who had directed her in Lady On A Train. She continued working for The Today Show until she was released from her contract in 1992. By the late 1940s Durbin had tried to assume a more sophisticated film persona in such films as the whodunnit Lady On A Train (1945), but the public preferred her as the sweet and wholesome adolescent she had come to represent. In 1990 she was diagnosed with cancer. Her second marriage, to Felix Jackson, a writer, in 1945, produced her only child, Jessica Jackson, and ended in divorce in 1949. In 1977 her program Buyline: Betty Furness won the Peabody Award. She married an actor, Vaughn Paul, in 1941 and they were divorced in 1943. In 1976 she began an association with The Today Show filling in as anchor, and providing regular reports.

In 1939 she received a special Academy Juvenile Award, along with Mickey Rooney. Signed by WNBC in New York, Furness reported on consumer issues, and specifically targeted examples of consumer fraud. Durbin was quickly signed to a contract with Universal Studios and the huge success of her films were reported to have saved the studio from bankruptcy. She headed the Consumer Affairs Departments of both New York City, and New York State from the late 1960s before returning to television. Hollywood legend has recorded that he instructed his staff to "drop the fat one" and that they had dismissed Durbin, misunderstanding that Mayer had in fact intended to terminate the contract of Garland. During her tenure she silenced her critics by applying herself studiously to her role and learning the issues relating to consumer rights. Mayer felt he did not need two young female singers under contract. She accepted the assignment and continued in this role until the end of the Johnson administration in 1969.

Durbin was released from her contract shortly thereafter as studio executive Louis B. In 1967 President Lyndon Baines Johnson, aware of her work for the Democrats contacted Furness and offered her a position as Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs. She made her first film Three Smart Girls in 1936. During this time she worked on radio, and also on behalf of the Democratic Party. Changing her name to Deanna Durbin at the commencement of her career, Durbin signed a contract with MGM Studios in 1936 and made her first film appearance in a screen test with another contractee, Judy Garland. She then attempted to move into a less commercialized role in television but found herself too closely associated with advertising to be taken seriously. Deanna Durbin (born Edna Mae Durbin on December 4, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) was a popular singer and actress in Hollywood films. In 1953 she appeared in her own television series Meet Betty Furness which was sponsored by Westinghouse and she remained a spokesperson for the company until 1960.

They offered her a contract to promote their products and she subsequently became closely associated with them. She filled in for an actor to promote Westinghouse products during the advertisement break, and impressed the company with her easy and professional manner. In 1948 she was performing in the television series Studio One which was broadcast live. By the end of the decade she had appeared in over forty films, but during the 1940s found it difficult to secure acting roles.

Among her film successes were Magnificent Obsession (1935) and the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Swing Time (1936). Over the next few years she appeared in several RKO films, and became a popular actress. Her first film role was as the "Thirteenth Woman" in the 1932 film Thirteen Women but her scenes were deleted before the film's release. Born in New York, New York, Furness began her professional career as a model before being signed to a film contract by RKO Studios.

Elizabeth Mary Furness, better known as Betty Furness (January 3, 1916–April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate and current affairs commentator.