Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds remembered for screen roles and hit songs

AS the world mourns the loss of Debbie Reynolds, the Singin’ in the Rain star has been immortalised in her inspiring screen performances.

THESE are the roles Debbie Reynolds will be remembered by: from films to music, broadway and recently, sit-com appearances.

TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE (1950)

This musical is said to have marked the first time American film audiences fell for with Reynolds. She played one of two New York sisters who find romance when their family heads upstate on holiday. Her cheery, wide-eyed performance of the song Aba Daba Honeymoon with Carleton Carpenter was her big star-making moment. The pair travelled around the US, visiting cinemas, to promote the film.

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)

Reynolds was just 17 when she took the female lead in what is considered one of the greatest films of all time.

The musical is set in the 1920s, when Hollywood transitioned from silent films to the “talkies”. Reynolds is Kathy, the aspiring actress who bumps into big star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and gets her big break dubbing the work of silent screen star Lina Lamont, who hasn’t really got the voice for this bold new era in film.

Unlike the multi-talented Kelly and Donald O’Connor, Reynolds wasn’t a dancer before she worked on the film.

Teenage Reynolds and co-star Gene Kelly in their wet-weather gear for Singin’ in the Rain. Picture: Supplied

“I had to learn all of that in six months, and I had never danced before,” she told NPR in 2013. “So I had to keep up with the boys.”

She called Fred Astaire “the sweetest man” for reaching out to her one day during filming when she was “crying under the piano on one of my breaks, my feet were killing me and my back was like it was broken”. Astaire invited her to join him at his rehearsal, where his hard work taught her “even the greats find it hard to be really excellent”.

TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR (1957)

Reynolds had a No.1 single in 1957 thanks to this film, sharing the charts with the likes of Paul Anka, Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke. These days, it doesn’t seem quite right that her love song Tammy was sung towards Leslie Nielsen — better known in latter years for his spoof comedies.

THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN (1964)

Reynolds was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in this musical comedy as a poor country girl who leaves home, chasing the lure of bright city lights. The story is based on the life of a woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic.

The old fashioned voice over on the trailer for the rags to riches tale declares: “Debbie Reynolds give one of the most fabulous performances in screen history as ... vital, joyful Molly, America’s how to succeed girl.”

Reynolds likes on a piano while promoting a Broadway revival of The Unsinkable Molly Brown in New York in 1982. Picture: AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File

The production is reported to have been initially been chasing Shirley MacLaine for the role. Director Charles Walters is said to have requested Reynolds decline the studio’s offer to star in the film. When she asked why, he told her she was too short. Reynolds’ response apparently came: “Well, just how short is the part?” And that was that.

Reynolds named her 2013 memoir Unsinkable, in honour of what is said to have been her favourite film.

WILL & GRACE (1999-2006)

Reynolds appeared in 10 episodes of the groundbreaking sitcom across its eight season run, playing Grace’s all-singing, all-nagging mother Bobbi Adler — a wannabe diva whose life on the stage was nowhere near as successful as she imagined. Her “told you so” dance, used to rub in her daughter’s many failings, became one of the show’s cult catchphrases.

Debra Messing, who played Grace, wrote of Reynolds’ passing: “For 8 years she was my mom. She was pure energy & light when she came on stage. She was loving, and bawdy, and playful — a consummate pro ... I lost my mom a few years ago. She loved that Debbie was my TV mom. I hope they find each other and hug and kiss.”

Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra. Debbie Reynolds knew the real Liberace, and played his mother in the HBO film. Picture: HBO

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA (2013)

Reynolds played Liberace’s mother in this HBO film that starred Michael Douglas as the flamboyant performer and Matt Damon as his lover. Reynolds actually knew the real-life Frances Liberace, and requested a prosthetic nose to match her old acquaintance’s look.

Her only complaint with the film? Too much sex. “Just close your eyes at some scenes that are kinda sexy,” she advised.

Originally published as Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds remembered for screen roles and hit songs