Friday, Sept. 9, 2005 | 3:36 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
Sept. 10-11, 2005
What: "A Musical Evening with Debbie Reynolds."
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sept. 18.
Where: Suncoast Showroom.
Tickets: $39.95.
Information: 636-7075.
Debbie Reynolds has been a part of the American entertainment psyche for 57 years -- in films and television, on Broadway and in nightclubs and showrooms around the country.
Along the way, the 73-year-old star has owned a Las Vegas casino (which today is the Greek Isles), has survived three failed marriages and is working on creating a show-business museum filled with memorabilia she has collected during her illustrious career.
The career for the El Paso, Texas, native began at the age of 16. Her family had moved to Burbank, Calif., where she won a "Miss Burbank" contest in 1948 and received a contract from Warner Bros.
After a series of appearances in minor movies for Warner and MGM, in 1951 she was cast opposite Gene Kelley in the classic "Singin' in the Rain," the film that launched her career.
She was one of the most popular film actresses of the '50s and early '60s, appearing in such films as "The Tender Trap" with Frank Sinatra in 1955; "The Catered Affair" with Bette Davis in 1956; "Bundle of Joy" with Eddie Fisher (1956); and "Tammy and the Bachelor" with Leslie Nielsen (1957).
Two of her more popular films were "How the West was Won" (1962) and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" (1964).
In 1956 Reynolds and Fisher were married, but the marriage collapsed in 1958 after a public scandal in which Fisher had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor, whose husband, Mike Todd, had been killed in a plane crash.
When Reynolds' film career began to decline, she focused on television and performing in clubs and showrooms -- becoming one of the most popular entertainers in Las Vegas.
Her film career was revived in the '90s with roles in Albert Brooks' "Mother" and in "In & Out" (1997), "Halloween Town" (1998) and "Zack and Reba" (1998).
She has a recurring role in the hit sitcom "Will and Grace," which has been on NBC since 1999 and is beginning its final season.
In 2000 she was the voice of Lulu Pickles in "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" and in 2001 she appeared in "These Old Broads."
During a recent telephone interview from her home in Los Angeles, the tireless entertainer talked about her breathtaking career:
Las Vegas Sun: What have you been up to?
Debbie Reynolds: I just returned from a month off. It's the first vacation I've taken in 19 or 20 years. I thought I deserved it.
Las Vegas Sun: What did you do?
DR: I traveled. We had a wonderful time in Europe, especially France.
Sun: Did you go alone?
DR: I went with friends. My girlfriend offered me the opportunity. She had this yacht and a barge and invited me to go along with her and Ruth Buzzi and husband, Ruta Lee and her husband -- a lot of fun people. We were like kids. We had a lot of good times.
Sun: Do you always travel for vacation when you aren't traveling for business?
DR: When I'm off I usually like to be home and relax and fix the house and fiddle around. I work on my act -- I still do showbiz kind of things. I've been in the business 57 years now, and I'm used to working with my music and rehearsing. I'm just a workaholic.
I don't go fishing or play golf. I keep my nose to the grindstone.
Sun: You don't have any activities outside of the business?
DR: I like bowling with my granddaughter.
Sun: I suppose if you love your work, it isn't really work.
DR: That's true. It all depends on where your heart is and what you love doing. I like the activity and the fun of show business. It's still exciting, it's what I love.
Sun: What are you doing these days besides touring?
DR: Next week, just before coming to Vegas, I will shoot an episode of "Will and Grace." I have a recurring role, the lead lady's mother, Sonny, who's kind of a bit like me. I play a show business mother who never got into show business -- kind of a kooky lady, a little wild, a lot of fun. The series is great fun to do, with the live audience.
Sun: Have you been in any other series?
DR: In the '70s I had "The Debbie Reynolds Show." We shot 13 segments and then I quit. I had problems with the sponsor, who had promised me they wouldn't advertise cigarettes. They had a lot of different products they could have advertised, but this was in the days before advertising cigarettes had been banned.
When the season started, they advertised their cigarettes. To me, that was a breach of contract and I quit.
In my day we didn't really know smoking was going to kill you, so everybody smoked. I smoked. It's not east to quit, once you started. So I didn't want to be one of those promoting smoking.
Sun: Have you starred in any other series since that show ended?
DR: I haven't done one on a regular basis since then. I've been busy working clubs and theaters all over. I love live performing. That's what I do.
Sun: You used to own a home in Vegas. Do you still?
DR: I still have a condo there. Sometimes I just come in for a week and stay in my home. I just go see shows.
Sun: What is your opinion of entertainment in Las Vegas today?
DR: I miss seeing individual performers. Everything is Cirque du Soleil. They're brilliant, but I just wish every hotel didn't have them.
Sun: Who do you like?
DR: I go to see performers like Gladys Knight, the Checkmates, Sonny King, Elton John. Steve and Eydie. Robert Goulet. I go see Bette Midler when she's in town. I loved Siegfried & Roy.
Sun: How much time do you spend on the road now?
DR: I'm on the road 40 weeks a year. That figures out to be about three states a week. You fly, you perform, you fly to the next engagement. That's the way it is. I have a huge following in Florida and around Phoenix in arenas around retirement centers.
Sun: That's a pretty busy schedule. Do you have anything going on besides touring right now?
DR: I'm working on opening my show business museum in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., not too far from Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park).
I had the museum at my casino in Las Vegas, but when it went bankrupt (in 1998) and I lost the building, I stored all my stuff.
We were going to build a museum in Hollywood, but the company that was going to do it went bankrupt and then we got a call from these people in Tennessee who offered to build us a museum.
We also had a call from the Liberace Museum, but they didn't have enough room. So we are going to be in Pigeon Forge -- as part of a huge development that will be opened there.
I've been working on this feverishly for the past two years. They're going to build a $25 million building for the museum.
It will take about a year. The ground has been broken. The land is ready.
Actually, I wanted to put the museum in Las Vegas, but there were no takers.
I don't have anything in the works. I haven't been offered any movies lately. I was going to do play in New York with Joan Collins but then I realized I didn't want to do eight shows a week for however long. It's too hard.
Sun: You keep up a pretty hectic pace. Do you have any time for dating?
DR: I have a few male friends, but not a lot. I don't do too well in the men department.
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