Three Smart Girls
US (1936): Comedy/Musical
Universal wasted no time in exploiting 14-year-old Deanna Durbin's star power; after screening the dailies from her feature debut, Three Smart Girls, studio execs expanded Durbin's supporting role and doubled the budget. Their investment paid off: this breezy comedy-musical, about a young singer determined to reunite her parents, earned a then-extraordinary $2 million and three Oscar® nominations. Durbin's charm, good songs, and a solid supporting cast (including Alice Brady, Mischa Auer, and Charles Winninger) make Girls a delight many decades later. It's also a notch above the affable sequel, Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939). Henry Koster directs both films. (Amazon.com)
3 nominations
· Best Picture 1936: Joe Pasternak, producer (Universal) w. Charles R. Rogers
· Writing (Original Story) 1936: Adele Commandini
· Sound Recording 1936: Homer G. Tasker