Interview
By David Furnish In the fickle world of entertainment, Debbie Reynolds is a survivor. The quintessential girl next door, she sang, danced, and acted her way through such films as Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) until Hollywood tired of her clean looks and naive demeanor. Now, after more than two decades without a serious film role, she makes a sparkling comeback in Albert Brooks’ intimate comedy Mother. DAVID FURNISH: After being away from movies for so long, what was your first day like back on the set when you made Mother? DEBBIE REYNOLDS: I...
Read MoreDebbie Does Vegas
By Richard Corliss To love Las Vegas is to be a size freak. Every new hotel is the biggest, every new show the most expensive, every glitzy costume the most faaaabulous! And then there’s Debbie. To the owner and star of the Debbie Reynolds Hotel/Casino/Hollywood Movie Museum, smaller is better. It’s also all she could afford. Reynolds bought and spruced up the 200-room Paddlewheel Hotel for just $10 million, which is valet-tip money to Steve Wynn. Debbie makes do with her own perky energy. And makes more of less. “Welcome to my new little theater!” she tells...
Read MoreBox Office Darling
By Jon Whitcomb Cosmopolitan Mary Frances had pale golden brown hair, big blue eyes and the personality of a tom-boy. Her ambition was to be a gym teacher. On Saturdays, she twirled a nimble baton with the Burbank, California, high school band. In the school orchestra, she was assigned to the french horn. With other boy-shy sixteen year olds, she belonged to the NN Club (NN stood for Non-Neckers). Boys, the club felt, were only good for baseball. The nearest Mary Frances ever came to a party dress was a black taffeta donated by a neighbor, made more youthful by her mother’s...
Read MoreSpend the Day With Debbie
By Earle HawleyPublished in Photoplay Magazine From the pretty, brown-eyed blonde receptionist at the MGM administration building next to the studio lot in Culver City, we picked up our gate pass to see Debbie Reynolds. Ever since last September, when Eddie Fisher walked out of her life, Debbie has done the most natural, most instinctive thing she could do. She threw herself into her work. It seemed ironic, I thought, as I walked toward the Publicity building, past Casting, Production, Costumes, Properties, that her work was playing a lightheaded, gay story of love, romance, dating,...
Read MoreGood Scout
Published in Photoplay Magazine Ever since she won a Burbank beauty contest (and subsequently landed a Metro movie pact) Debbie Reynolds has been actively “working at” stardom. And though she’d admittedly rather be out twirling a baton or playing football with local huskies, she still plugs away at singing and dancing lessons to keep on her toes. Debbie’s abounding energy spills over into private life, too. A Girl Scout ever since she was ten, she was once camp bugler, still finds the time to sell Girl Scout cookies during their annual campaign. The Burbank Girl...
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