Deanna Durbin & Charles Winninger

Charles Winniger and Deanna Durbin in their first role together

As if on a parallel track with Judy Garland’s career, Deanna Durbin’s movie career also put Charles Winninger in four films with her. And like the Judy Garland/Charles Winninger on-screen relationships, Ms. Durbin and Mr. Winninger played to typical cross-generational, blood-related scenarios. Three of their films were from the series where Deanna played the role of Penny Craig to Mr. Winninger’s role as her father: Three Smart Girls (1936), Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939), and Hers to Hold (1943). In the first two of the series, Deanna played the kid sister always on the fringe of romance; the third and final outing of the series matures her character and propells her into the romantic lead opposite Joseph Cotton.

In Something in the Wind (1947), Deanna’s character is not that of a blood relative to the character Charles Winninger plays, but he plays uncle to Deanna’s love interest, keeping their screen relationship, to some degree, in the family.

Charles Winniger and Deanna Durbin in their last role together