Debbie Reynolds
Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds
Friday, June 13, 2008 at 7:00PM
Legends Theater
For over six decades, our lives have been enriched by the talents of singer, dancer and actress known as Debbie Reynolds. Hollywood Legend, Debbie Reynolds, regularly appeared in movie musicals, most notably Singin’ in the Rain, during the 1950s and chalked up several hit records despite an only intermittent career as a recording artist. Her song “Aba Daba Honeymoon” (featured in the 1950 film Two Weeks With Love as a duet with Carleton Carpenter) was a top 3 hit in 1951. She is also remembered for her smash recording of the theme song “Tammy” which earned her a gold record and was the best-selling single by a female vocalist in 1957 and was number one for 5 weeks on the Billboard pop charts. Reynolds also scored two additional top 25 Billboard hits with “A Very Special Love” in 1958 and 1960s “Am I That Easy To Forget,” a pop version of Skeeter Davis’ country hit.
During the 1950s, Reynolds also starred in numerous movies, such as Bundle of Joy (1956), with her then husband, Eddie Fisher, recorded hit songs (most notably “Tammy” from her 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor, playing opposite Leslie Nielsen, the first of the series of Tammy movies), and headlined in major Las Vegas showrooms. Her starring role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) led to an Oscar nomination, but she lost to Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. She played Jeanine Deckers in The Singing Nun.
She is still making appearances in film and television, one of the few actors from MGM’s “golden age of film” who are still active in filmmaking. From 1999 to its 2006 finale, she played the recurring role of Grace’s ditzy mother Bobbi Adler on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. She also plays a recurring role in the DCOM TV movie series Halloweentown as Aggie Cromwell. Reynolds also made a guest appearance as a presenter at the 69th Annual Academy Awards.
Reynolds has several CDs on the market of both vintage performances and later recordings.
Awards and nominations
Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress following her performance in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), a Golden Globe for The Debbie Reynolds Show on television (1970), a Golden Globe for the motion picture Mother (1996), and a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for In & Out (1997). In 1997 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy.
Reynolds’ foot and hand prints are preserved at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard. In November 2006, Reynolds received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Chapman University in Orange, California.
On May 17, 2007, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Nevada, Reno, where she had contributed for many years to the film studies program. In her acceptance speech, she referred to the University as “Nevada...Arizona”.
Debbie Reynolds’ grip on the America heart is one that will transcend generations. She is, and will always truly be America’s Sweetheart.
