Debbie Reynolds
Over the Christmas period, we woke to the very sad news that America's Sweetheart, Debbie Reynolds had passed away, just one day after her daughter, the iconic Star Wars actress, Carrie Fisher.
Debbie was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1932, and began her film career at MGM after she won a beauty contest at the age of just 16.
Whilst still in her teens, and despite not even being a dancer, she landed her most famous role of Gene Kelly’s partner in the 1952 movie Singin’ in the Rain, which was a huge success and catapulted her to super stardom.
In it, she played the role of Kathy Selden, a gutsy wannabe stage actress in Los Angeles who, wearing a skimpy pink flapper’s dress, bursts out of an enormous cake at a Hollywood party. A rather astonished Gene Kelly looks on, playing the smooth star, Don Lockwood, but his amusement soon turns to adoration.
Just watching her in it, alive with fun, with dance, with comedy and romance, is enough to cure any bad mood!
After Singin’ in the Rain, her roles tended to focus on that magic recipe of gutsiness, innocence, the never-say-die spirit of show business, so when her marriage to Eddie Fisher ended with him in the arms of the seductress Elizabeth Taylor, she received the sympathy of the nation as the wronged woman.
Despite being the divorced mother of two small children, she was never more active, and in 1959, was among the top 10 Hollywood box-office stars, appearing in four movies that year.
Joy and I have added several shows to RUSC starring Debbie Reynolds which are listed below. Make sure to check them out!
The Cliff
Martin & Lewis Show
The First Man She Met
God and a Red Scooter
Grand Gesture
Stardust
Howard Miller Show
Hit The Deck
Key Largo (Interval guest appearance)
She really was so good in so many roles, when she was young and even in her twilight years. One modern-day character in particular stands out for me, and that was her performance as Grace Adler's mother 'Bobbi' in 'Will and Grace', for which she won an Emmy award. She was perfectly cast and fantastically funny in every scene she was in.
The Singin’ in the Rain actor, who rose to fame with her youthful exuberance in 1950s musicals, had a prolific and ambitious career and resilience to match, and she will leave a big hole in the heart of Hollywood.
Happy listening my friends,
