Misplaced Pages

#22977

59-530: Edwards regretted Universal-International's eleventh hour decision of a name change, but the studio was hoping to trade off another pop hit by Debbie Reynolds as they had with Tammy and the Bachelor . Reynolds stars, along with John Saxon , Curt Jurgens and veteran Hollywood actresses Alexis Smith and Mary Astor . Nita Holloway, a woman romantically involved with veteran actor Preston "Mitch" Mitchell, tries to persuade him to come out of retirement to appear in

118-467: A Broadway play as the father of a character played by a new teen idol, Tony Manza. At his Connecticut farm, next-door neighbor Bill Tremayne asks to borrow Mitch's car. He goes to a party and meets secretary Janet Blake, who is trying to escape the clutches of her drunken boss, a dentist. Bill offers her a ride home in a rainstorm, but is a little too attentive to her liking. Soaked to the skin, Janet ends up knocking on Mitch's door. He permits her to spend

177-457: A country-music hit made famous by Carl Belew (in 1959), Skeeter Davis (in 1960), and several years later by singer Engelbert Humperdinck . She released The Best of Debbie Reynolds album in 1991. For 10 years, she headlined for about three months a year in Las Vegas's Riviera Hotel. She enjoyed live shows, though that type of performing "was extremely strenuous," she said in 1966: With

236-551: A "great dancer and cinematic genius," adding, "He made me a star. I was 18 and he taught me how to dance and how to work hard and be dedicated." In 1956, she appeared in the musical Bundle of Joy with her then-husband, Eddie Fisher . Reynolds was one of 14 top-billed names in How the West Was Won (1962) but she was the only one who appeared throughout, the story largely following the life and times of her character Lilith Prescott. In

295-556: A Comedy Series in 2000 . She played a recurring role in the Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown film series as Aggie Cromwell. Reynolds made a guest appearance as a presenter at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997. In 2000, Reynolds took up a recurring voice role on the children's television program Rugrats , playing the grandmother of two of the characters. In 2001, she co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor , Shirley MacLaine, and Joan Collins in

354-559: A carpenter who worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad . She was of Scottish-Irish and English ancestry and was raised in a strict Nazarene church of her domineering mother. She had an older brother, William, who was two years her senior. Reynolds was a Girl Scout , once saying that she wanted to die as the world's oldest living Girl Scout. Reynolds was also a member of The International Order of Job's Daughters . Her mother took in laundry for income, while they lived in

413-628: A charitable organization devoted to children and adults with mental-health issues. Reynolds was hospitalized in October 2012 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to an adverse reaction to medication. She canceled appearances and concert engagements for the next three months. Mother (1996 film) Mother is a 1996 American comedy-drama film directed by Albert Brooks , co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson, and starring Brooks and Debbie Reynolds as son and mother. Brooks portrays

472-436: A coin to see which one got her. Warner Bros. won the coin toss, and she was with the studio for two years. When Warner Bros. stopped producing musicals, she moved to MGM. With MGM, Reynolds regularly appeared in movie musicals during the 1950s, and had several hit records during the period. Her song " Aba Daba Honeymoon " (featured in the film Two Weeks with Love (1950) and sung as a duet with co-star Carleton Carpenter )

531-713: A happy family and a religious one. And I'm trying to inculcate in my children the same sense of values, the same tone that my mother gave to me. Her family moved to Burbank, California , in 1939. When Reynolds was a 16-year-old student at Burbank High School in 1948, she won the Miss Burbank beauty contest. Soon after, she was offered a contract with Warner Brothers and was given the stage name "Debbie" by studio head Jack L. Warner . One of her closest high school friends said that she rarely dated during her teenaged years in Burbank. They never found her attractive in school. She

590-547: A large collection of movie memorabilia , beginning with items from the landmark 1970 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer auction , and she displayed them, first in a museum at her Las Vegas hotel and casino during the 1990s and later in a museum close to the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The museum was to relocate to be the centerpiece of the Belle Island Village tourist attraction in the resort city of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee , but

649-658: A novelist who moves back home with his mother after his second divorce, hoping to determine why all his relationships with women were unsuccessful. Mother was Reynolds's first major film role in over 20 years. The film earned positive reviews and was Brooks's most financially successful film as a director. Successful science fiction writer John Henderson is finalizing his second divorce. Perplexed by his issues with women, realizing that none of them supported or encouraged him, John decides to initiate an experiment that will help him understand what went wrong in his relationships: he moves back in with his widowed mother Beatrice, occupying

SECTION 10

#1732898713023

708-484: A performing schedule of two shows a night, seven nights a week, it's probably the toughest kind of show business, but in my opinion, the most rewarding. I like the feeling of being able to change stage bits and business when I want. You can't do that in motion pictures or TV. As part of her nightclub act, Reynolds was noted for doing impressions of celebrities such as Eva and Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mae West, Barbra Streisand, Phyllis Diller, and Bette Davis. Her impersonation of Davis

767-649: A period during the 1960s, she stopped working at the studio on Friday afternoons to attend Girl Scout meetings, since she was the leader of the Girl Scout Troop of which her 13-year-old daughter Carrie and her stepdaughter Tina Karl, also 13, were members. Reynolds later found herself in financial difficulty because of Karl's gambling and bad investments. Reynolds' third marriage was to real estate developer Richard Hamlett from 1984 to 1996. In 2011, Reynolds stepped down after 56 years of involvement in The Thalians ,

826-462: A possible 4, writing that while the premise seemed like the setup for a cheap sitcom, Brooks "is much too smart to settle for the obvious gags and payoffs...the dialogue in Mother is written so carefully that some lines carry two or three nuances." The audience laughter wasn't a reaction to obvious punchlines, wrote Ebert, "but the laughter of recognition, of insight, even sometimes of squirmy discomfort, as

885-400: A series of auctions. Among the "more than 3500 costumes, 20,000 photographs, and thousands of movie posters, costume sketches, and props" included in the sales were Charlie Chaplin 's bowler hat and Marilyn Monroe 's white "subway dress," whose skirt is lifted up by the breeze from a passing subway train in the film The Seven Year Itch (1955). The dress sold for $ 4.6 million in 2011;

944-481: A shack on Magnolia Street in El Paso. "We may have been poor," she said in a 1963 interview, "but we always had something to eat, even if Dad had to go out in the desert and shoot jackrabbits." One of the advantages of having been poor is that you learn to appreciate good fortune and the value of a dollar, and poverty holds no fear for you because you know you've gone through it and you can do it again... But we were always

1003-570: A show that I felt might be right for me ... I felt that Irene was it and now was the time. Reynolds and her daughter Carrie both made their Broadway debuts in the play. Per reports, the production broke records for the highest weekly gross of any musical. For that production, she received a Tony nomination. Reynolds also starred in the Broadway revue Debbie in 1976. She toured with Harve Presnell in Annie Get Your Gun , then wrapped up

1062-405: Is correct, and the two warmly reconcile. The film ends with John meeting a single female fan of his novels, and Beatrice beginning to write a story based on John's moving in with her. Brooks wanted a famous actress from the 1950s to play the role of Mother, and originally offered the role to retired actresses Doris Day and former first lady Nancy Reagan . Day turned down the offer; Reagan loved

1121-466: Is in fine form throughout Mother , a gentle showcase for the comedic curmudgeon and a sweetly acidic Debbie Reynolds." On Metacritic , it has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Mother 3.5 stars out of

1180-419: Is indeed falling dearly in love with Mitch a little more every day. Scheduled to ride Mitch's star horse in an equine contest, Bill jealously decides to ride another entry instead. Mitch must compete against him, bad back and all. Although he feels great affection towards her, Mitch ultimately realizes that he feels for Nita most. He goes to Nita to reveal where his heart really lies, and is last seen on stage in

1239-399: Is reluctant to discuss it. When Beatrice cancels her plans to visit Jeff, he has a meltdown and argues with his wife over needing to constantly contact his mother. Jeff's wife tells him that he may need to evaluate his relationship with his mother just as much as John. John and Beatrice go to the zoo, where they finally reach some common ground. When they return home, Jeff is waiting; upset by

SECTION 20

#1732898713023

1298-435: Is surprised that she would call someone she is intimate with not important, but she dismisses it, saying they "just have sex occasionally". John meets Charles, who knows a lot about John because, as he tells John, Beatrice brags about him when he's not around. Beatrice and Charles go to dinner; in the car they discuss the evening, with Beatrice refusing to have anything more than dinner because of her son's visit. While alone at

1357-601: The Globe weekly's advice column but many of the published letters were plagiarized from Slate ' s Dear Prudence and possibly others. Reynolds was a longtime ally of the LGBT community and an early advocate for AIDS. In 1983, Reynolds performed at an AIDS fundraiser with her friend Shirley MacLaine. In a 2014 interview with The Daily Telegraph , Reynolds revealed that she had helped several closeted actors conceal their homosexuality by dating them. When asked when she realized she

1416-682: The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015 and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2016, she made her final film performance in the biographical retrospective Bright Lights . Reynolds died following a hemorrhagic stroke on December 28, 2016, one day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher . Mary Frances Reynolds was born on April 1, 1932, in El Paso, Texas , to Maxene N. "Minnie" Harman and Raymond Francis "Ray" Reynolds,

1475-454: The "stupidest mistake of my entire career," she made headlines in 1970 after instigating a fight with the NBC television network over cigarette advertising on her weekly television show . Although she was television's highest-paid female performer at the time, she quit the show for breaking its contract: I was shocked to discover that the initial commercial aired during the premiere of my new series

1534-418: The 1973 revival of Irene , a musical first produced 60 years before. When asked why she waited so long to appear in a Broadway play, she explained: Primarily because I had two children growing up, I could make movies and recordings and plays in nearby Las Vegas and handle a television series without being away from them. Now, they are well on the way to being adults. Also, there was the matter of being offered

1593-825: The Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song " Tammy " topped the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she starred in The Mating Game with Tony Randall , and released Debbie , her first pop music album. She starred in Singin' in the Rain (1952) with Gene Kelly , How the West Was Won (1962), and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), where her performance as the famously boisterous Titanic passenger Margaret "Molly" Brown earned Reynolds an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress . Her other films include: The Singing Nun (1966), Divorce American Style (1967), What's

1652-526: The Broadway run of Woman of the Year in 1983, while Fisher was appearing in Agnes of God . In the late 1980s, Reynolds repeated her role as Molly Brown in the stage version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown , first opposite Presnell (repeating his original Broadway and movie role) and later with Ron Raines . In 2010, she appeared in her own West End show Debbie Reynolds: Alive and Fabulous . Reynolds amassed

1711-578: The Matter with Helen? (1971), Charlotte's Web (1973), Mother (1996; Golden Globe nomination) and In & Out (1997). Reynolds was also known as a cabaret performer; in 1979, she opened the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood . Her television series The Debbie Reynolds Show earned her a Golden Globe nomination in 1969. She starred in the 1973 Broadway revival of

1770-405: The aborted visit, he came to talk Beatrice into visiting for the weekend. All three argue and Jeff leaves alone, with John satisfied that Jeff is the "sickie" while John is "pretty darn healthy to begin with." Beatrice tells John that she has a friend, Charles, who comes through San Francisco every few weeks and stays over a few days, but while John is there this visit will be just for one day. John

1829-595: The comedy These Old Broads , a television movie written for her by her daughter, Carrie Fisher. She had a cameo role as herself in the 2004 film Connie and Carla . In 2013, she appeared in Behind the Candelabra , as the mother of Liberace . Reynolds appears with her daughter in Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds , a 2016 documentary about the very close relationship between

This Happy Feeling - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-523: The developer went bankrupt. The museum filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2009. The most valuable asset of the museum was Reynolds' collection. Todd Fisher, Reynolds' son, announced that his mother was "heartbroken" to have to auction off the collection. It was valued at $ 10.79 million in the bankruptcy filing. Los Angeles auction firm Profiles in History was given the responsibility of conducting

1947-798: The film, she sang three songs: What Was Your Name in the States? , as her pioneering family begin their westward journey; Raise a Ruckus Tonight , starting a party around a wagon train camp fire; and, three times, Home in the Meadow – to the tune of Greensleeves with lyrics by Sammy Cahn . Her starring role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) led to a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . Reynolds noted that she initially had issues with its director, Charles Walters . "He didn't want me," she said. "He wanted Shirley MacLaine ," who at

2006-722: The final auction was held in May 2014. In 1979, Reynolds opened her own dance studio in North Hollywood. In 1983, she released an exercise video, Do It Debbie's Way! She purchased the Clarion Hotel and Casino , a hotel and casino in Las Vegas , in 1992. She renamed it the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel but it was not a success and Reynolds was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1997. In June 2010, she replaced Ivana Trump on

2065-523: The hard way, and she has a realistic sense of values based on faith, love, work, and money. Life has been kind to her because she has been kind to life. She's a young woman with a conscience, which is something rare in Hollywood actresses. She also has a refreshing sense of honesty. Reynolds was discovered by talent scouts from Warner Bros. and MGM, who were at the 1948 Miss Burbank contest. Both companies wanted her to sign up with their studio, and had to flip

2124-546: The house, John discovers a box of novel and short story manuscripts that his mother wrote in her youth. He learns she was a skilled writer who went to college on a scholarship, only to have her talent discouraged by her husband and the then-prevailing social expectation that mothers should not have careers outside the home. John realizes now that his mother's passive aggression toward him stems from his career reminding her of her unfulfilled ambitions and envy that her dream came true for her son. Beatrice admits that John's observation

2183-696: The late 1960s. Mother was filmed on location in and around the Sausalito, Greenbrae, and Tiburon, California areas, with additional shooting in San Francisco. The exterior of Beatrice's house and street was shot in Studio City. Mother remains Brooks's highest-grossing directorial effort to date, earning $ 19.1 million at the box office. Mother received positive reviews from critics, and holds an 87% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 45 reviews. The site's consensus states "Albert Brooks' pugnacious insight

2242-537: The mother of Grace Adler. Reynolds would reach a new, younger audience with her role as Aggie Cromwell in Disney's Halloweentown series . Reynolds also had several business ventures besides her dance studio, including a Las Vegas hotel and casino; she was also an avid collector of film memorabilia, beginning with items purchased at the landmark 1970 MGM auction . She served as president of The Thalians , an organization dedicated to mental health causes. After receiving

2301-406: The musical Irene , which earned her a Tony Award nomination for " Best Leading Actress in a Musical ." She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in A Gift of Love (1999). After appearing in the popular early-2000s sitcom Will & Grace , Reynolds was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for " Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series " for her role as Bobbi,

2360-421: The nation's viewing audience. She said later she was especially concerned about the commercials because of the number of children watching the show. She did quit doing the show after about a year, which she said had cost her about $ 2 million of lost income: "Maybe I was a fool to quit the show, but at least I was an honest fool. I'm not a phony or pretender. With me, it wasn't a question of money, but integrity. I'm

2419-481: The new Broadway play. John Saxon was cast after his success in Rock, Pretty Baby . Variety called it "a delightful comedy". Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances " Debbie " Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, entrepreneur and film memorabilia collector. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She

This Happy Feeling - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-430: The night while her dress dries. Nita arrives in the morning and mistakenly concludes an affair is taking place, and soon others assume the same. Mitch puts her on a train but also offers Janet a job as his own secretary. As the train leaves, he stumbles, injuring his back. Bill isn't worried at first because Mitch is too austere and somber for her, however he comes to realize that she's coming to care for him profoundly and

2537-610: The one who has to live with myself." The dispute would have been rendered moot and in Reynolds' favor anyway had she not resigned; by 1971, the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act (which had been passed into law before she left the show) would ban all radio and television advertising for tobacco products. Reynolds voiced Charlotte in the Hanna-Barbera animated musical Charlotte's Web (1973), where she originated

2596-670: The same bedroom he had as a child. His sports agent brother Jeff thinks John is oversensitive to their mother's criticisms, while John believes that their mother favors Jeff. John's relationship with his mother is characterized by constant bickering and power struggles; both are perfectionists strongly committed to their respective points of view. John believes she's overly critical of him, while Beatrice contends that he unfairly blames her for his personal failings. A rare bright spot in their relationship appears when she notices John's word processor and impresses him with her fast, flawless typing. Beatrice seems surprised by his interest in her life but

2655-410: The same time on the ocean liner ( RMS Queen Elizabeth ) some time in the 1960s when they reconciled. Reynolds sent a note to Taylor's room, and Taylor sent a note in reply asking to have dinner with Reynolds and end their feud. As Reynolds described it, "we had a wonderful evening with a lot of laughs." In 1972, she noted the bright side of the divorce and her remarriage: Now in retrospect, though it

2714-399: The script, and considered coming out of retirement for her first acting role in more than 40 years, but decided instead to stay home and care for her husband Ronald Reagan , who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease . Brooks then asked his good friend Carrie Fisher if she could send the script to her mother Debbie Reynolds , who accepted the part. Reynolds hadn't had a starring role since

2773-535: The song " Mother Earth and Father Time ." Reynolds continued to make other appearances in film and television. She played Helen Chappel Hackett 's mother, Deedee Chappel, on the Wings episode "If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother," which first aired November 22, 1994. From 1999 to 2006, she played Grace Adler 's theatrical mother, Bobbi Adler, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace , which earned Reynolds her only Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in

2832-638: The song "Tammy" (1957; from Tammy and the Bachelor ) earned her a gold record . It was a number one single on the Billboard pop charts in 1957 . In the movie (the first of the Tammy film series ), she co-starred with Leslie Nielsen . Reynolds also scored two other top-25 Billboard hits with "A Very Special Love" (number 20 in January 1958) and " Am I That Easy to Forget " (number 25 in March 1960)—a pop-music version of

2891-694: The time was unable to take the role. "He said, 'You are totally wrong for the part.'" But six weeks into production, he reversed his opinion. "He came to me and said, 'I have to admit that I was wrong. You are playing the role really well. I'm pleased.'" Reynolds also played in Goodbye Charlie , a 1964 comedy film about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward. It was adapted from George Axelrod 's play Goodbye, Charlie and also starred Tony Curtis and Pat Boone . She next portrayed Jeanine Deckers in The Singing Nun (1966). In what Reynolds once called

2950-484: The two. It premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival . The television premiere was January 7, 2017, on HBO . According to USA Today , the film is "an intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty ... [it] loosely chronicles their lives through interviews, photos, footage, and vintage home movies... It culminates in a moving scene, just as Reynolds is preparing to receive the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, which Fisher presented to her mom." Her recording of

3009-418: Was a gay icon, Reynolds replied, "Over the years many of the boys that have worked for me as dancers have been gay. The creative people were all gay people, from producers to writers. To me, they were just family." Reynolds was married three times. Her first marriage was to singer and actor Eddie Fisher in 1955. They became the parents of Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher . The couple divorced in 1959 when it

SECTION 50

#1732898713023

3068-553: Was also a French horn player. Gene Kelly, reflecting on Reynolds's sudden fame, recalled, "There were times when Debbie was more interested in playing the French horn somewhere in the San Fernando Valley or attending a Girl Scout meeting....She didn't realize she was a movie star all of a sudden." With limited film and television opportunities coming her way, Reynolds accepted an opportunity to make her Broadway debut. She starred in

3127-485: Was cute, but sort of tomboyish, and her family never had any money to speak of. She never dressed well or drove a car. And, I think, during all the years in school, she was invited to only one dance. Reynolds agreed, saying, "when I started, I didn't even know how to dress. I wore dungarees and a shirt. I had no money, no taste, and no training." Her friend adds: I say this in all sincerity. Debbie can serve as an inspiration to all young American womanhood. She came up

3186-459: Was devoted to a nationally advertised brand of cigarette (Pall Mall). I fully outlined my personal feelings concerning cigarette advertising ... that I will not be a party to such commercials, which I consider directly opposed to health and well-being. When NBC explained to Reynolds that banning cigarette commercials from her show would be impossible, she kept her resolve. The show drew mixed reviews, but according to NBC, it captured about 42% of

3245-445: Was inspired following their co-starring roles in the 1956 film, The Catered Affair . Reynolds had started doing stage impersonations as a teenager; her impersonation of Betty Hutton was performed as a singing number during the Miss Burbank contest in 1948. Her 1992 holiday collaboration with Donald O'Connor , Christmas with Donald and Debbie , arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo, would be her final album release. Reynolds

3304-493: Was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words . Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy (1956 Golden Globe nomination), The Catered Affair (1956 National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress Winner), and Tammy and

3363-711: Was not my will, I think it probably was the best thing that ever happened to me. He did give me two great children and for that I will ever be grateful. Our door is always open to him. I believe in peaceful coexistence and being friends with the father of your children. Life is both faith and love. Without faith, love is only one dimensional and incomplete. Faith helps you to overlook other people's shortcomings, and love them as they are. If you ask too much of any relationship, you can't help but be disappointed. But if you ask nothing, you can't be hurt or disappointed. Debbie Reynolds (1964) Reynolds' second marriage, to millionaire businessman Harry Karl, lasted from 1960 to 1973. For

3422-491: Was revealed shortly after the death of Elizabeth Taylor's husband Mike Todd that Fisher had been having an affair with her; Taylor and Reynolds were good friends at the time. The Eddie Fisher – Elizabeth Taylor affair was a great public scandal, which led to the cancellation of Eddie Fisher's television show . In 2011, Reynolds was on The Oprah Winfrey Show just weeks before Elizabeth Taylor's death. She explained that Taylor and she happened to be traveling at

3481-434: Was the first soundtrack recording to become a top-of-the-chart gold record, reaching number three on the Billboard charts. Her performance in the film greatly impressed the studio, which then gave her a co-starring role in what became her highest-profile film, Singin' in the Rain (1952), a satire on movie-making in Hollywood during the transition from silent to sound pictures. It co-starred Gene Kelly , whom she called

#22977