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Helen Deutsch (March 21, 1906 – March 15, 1992) was an Americanscreenwriter, journalist, and songwriter.
Deutsch was born inNew York City and graduated fromBarnard College. She began her career by managing theProvincetown Players. She then wrote theater reviews forThe New York Herald-Tribune andThe New York Times, as well as working in the press department of theTheatre Guild.
Her first screenplay was forThe Seventh Cross (1944), based onAnna Seghers's 1942novel of the same name. She adaptedEnid Bagnold's novel,National Velvet into a screenplay that becamea famous film (1944) starringElizabeth Taylor.[1] After writing a few films (Golden Earrings (1947),The Loves of Carmen (1948) andShockproof (1949) ) forParamount andColumbia Pictures, she spent the greater part of her career working forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
There, she wrote the screenplays for such films asKing Solomon's Mines (1950),Kim (1950),It's a Big Country (1951),Plymouth Adventure (1952),Lili (1953),Flame and the Flesh (1954),The Glass Slipper (1955),I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955),Forever, Darling (1956) andThe Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964).
Her last screenplay was for20th Century Fox'sValley of the Dolls (1967).
Deutsch got the idea forLili from aPaul Gallico short story, and castLeslie Caron after seeing the rushes forAn American in Paris.[2]
As part of her work forLili, Deutsch wrote the lyric of the songHi-Lili, Hi-Lo, which has been a popular bittersweet ballad for cabaret singers ever since. Branislau Kaper composed the music for it and the song was sung byLeslie Caron on the movie soundtrack.
In 1961, theBroadway version of the musicalCarnival! was based onLili and starredAnna Maria Alberghetti. Deutsch attempted to write the libretto, but was replaced by Michael Stewart. The show was nominated for two Tony awards.
Deutsch was nominated for theAcademy Award for the screenplay ofLili, which also won her aGolden Globe Award.
Shortly after Deutsch's Barnard graduation, she was asked to write something to recite on a radio show to be aired just two days later in honor of the late actressJane Cowl. Overnight, Deutsch wrote "The White Magnolia Tree." She then forgot about the poem. In 1957, she was commissioned by NBC-TV to provide a poem to be recited by Helen Hayes for the 50th anniversary celebration of General Motors. She got out her old poem, and Helen Hayes recited it with such tenderness that within a week thousands of people had requested a copy of the poem. General Motors provided it in booklet form. Helen Hayes herself made a 45 rpm of the poem and sent out hundreds of copies. It was released in Australia as His Master's Voice catalogue EA 52001.
In Australia, the Helen Hayes version was superseded whenGay Kayler (Gay Kahler) recorded her version of The White Magnolia Tree with a lush 32-piece orchestral backing. This became Gay's signature tune and remained in EMI and Reader's Digest catalogues (appearing on theFamily Favourites box set) for more than 33 years.
Helen Deutsch died in New York City of natural causes.
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