The Wonderful Life of Debbie Reynolds

she would talk about her mother incessantly. They were each other's best friend. It breaks my heart, especially for her daughter Billie, that Carrie is gone. I always imagine we would have her on this program, perhaps with her mother, but that never came to pass. But right now we like to rebroadcast our interview with Hollywood legend, the late Debbie Reynolds. It's rare when a movie comes along and inspires a whole generation of actors, singers, and directors. Singing

in the Rain is one of those movies. It also transformed the lives of its stars. Debbie Reynolds was just a twenty year old actress under contract at MGM, but after her performance in that iconic film, Debbie Reynolds was destined to become a star. Some of the highlights of her career include Tammy and Tammy and The Bachelor, with a song that reached number one on the Billboard Charts, I have a Cottonwoods whispering a ball Jimmy jem Jemmy Love.

Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown and received a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in the musical Irene. Over twenty years later, Reynolds played Albert Brooks mother in his film entitled Mother. This is My Son the Other one is he staying with me for a while. Debbie and I celebrated our birthdays earlier this month, just two days apart. We share an astrological sign aries, I'm still living. Isn't

that extraordinary? Well? I couldn't believe it without my birthday came again. It just was, and there were the world and eighty one. I said, hold it. I didn't want to be eighty. How did we get to eighty one? And Debbie Reynolds has stayed busy unlike a lot of her contemporaries. My friends, a lot of them just gave up because there weren't any good rules and everything they read was sort of a moron and that was depressing to a lot of them. So the opportunities just dried up.

They just walked a way and everything just wound up to be like nothing, you know, And so they took up different hobbies. Some of them example teachers. Agnes Moorehead was one of my best girlfriends, and she was a great act that's really great, and she had a lot of students at her house come over and she taught acting. She taught acting, and she taught singing. She taught impressions

to California, California on Roxbury. Right across the street was Jimmy Stewart and Lucille Ball and everybody was on that one street. It was like, let's have a party every night. George Burns and Eddie Candor lived on one block, so I would drive over there because that street was more fun than my phone. No, I'm gonna mention certain people, and not for the obvious reasons, but I you remained

friends with Elizabeth Taylor until she died. Why do you think she stopped working, and why do you think she stopped taking care of it? That had to stop more, and she became quite ill. She wouldn't have ever quit working. All Elizabeth love to work, Yes she did, and she was a very good actress. We did a picture Carrie wrote, My daughter carry these Old Broads. It was called and as Sherley McClain, Joan Collins and Elizabeth and myself made

this movie. We made a movie was called These Old Broads that carrying This movie, Well, maybe you're one of the lucky ones. It was a cute movie. Was you know, four old broads that gave up was what you're talking about. They gave up working and you know, just kind of dillied around with the rest of the movie. You Elizabeth Taylor, j Collins, and Shirley McClain. It was funny. Well, we had a lot of fun working together. That Joan never lets you watch her makeup, and she hides in her

trailer and all her makeup. But we all kind of quite an operation. Well it is an operation for all of us. At a certain point when you look in the mirror and everything has moved someplace else, and all you broads, shall we say, came these four broads came from an era when everything was just was at its height. It's kind of heightened doing your hair and your makeup and your costumes and everything. It's not is everything is

super important and everything is done for you. When we were into contract, most of us, Shirley McClain and Elizabeth they were at MGM, and everything was done for us, you know, the makeup, the hair, It sent cars for us. We were very spoiled. We didn't kind of know what to do when they dropped everybody, like when television came in and remember what year around there was the end of the studio system kind of died as you get into the fifties. It is slowly died a death. You know.

It was like interesting to watch it was. I didn't realize it was the end, you know, I didn't know that it was that you didn't know what the change meant. Well, I was a young girl, so I didn't And I wasn't an intellectual. I wasn't educated. I'm from Burbankbank and originally from You want to be a gym teacher, that's me, you know what I always aim high get me too. I love Jim. You know I love I wanted to

be a lifeguard son girls. Well yeah, yes, Well I was never that ambitious that I wanted to be a lifeguard, but I wanted to be a gymnast. I wanted to work on the bars and entropedes work. I loved all that stuff. And what's the link for you as a young girl, because you started very young as a young girl in Burbank and you're athletic, no doubt. What's the first thing that happened that says show business to you? Well,

I never thought about me being in show business. I was a fan, and I would go to the movies because my mother left me. But no one else in our church was allowed to go to films because movie stars were all evil creatures, just dreadful. My mother let me go to films. My mother was very religious, very my family said my dad. My father used to say, no, no, no,

I'm not going to go to church with you. I've told you that I'm not going to go because all those good people will be killed if I walked down the roof of fallen And he was always teasing if you don't by asking what church did you go to? Church of the Nazarene, which is like heart shell Baptist, kind of like your mom was a heart She was a Texan. She was a Texan Texan Baptist. She was tough and strict, and there were so many rules, how many kids in the family. Just my brother and I

were in the family. And then my mother discovered what's your brother's name? Bill? And do you know who Bill is? To me, you don't know. Do you know that Billy Reynolds was my makeup artist on nuts Landing for a year? Oh my gosh, was he your brother? Billy wasn't He was my makeup artist. And he's one of the people that helped me survived that experience because those three broads were from the Joan Colins School where they were having

the makeup put on with a trowel every day. They had to have federally funded programs to pay for the makeup for them. Billy Reynolds would turn to me and he'd sit there and say, you know, did you bring a book with you? We're in a bere for a while. These girls are two or three hours in the chair. And then he told me that he was Elvis's makeup artist. And you know that every time he mentioned Elvis. He didn't mention it a lot because he was very shy,

very shy. He mentioned Elvis once or twice and he started to cry. He would turn away from me and hid to say. She said to me, almost was the greatest man I ever worked with. Well, the only used to play. Elvis used to tease him and put snakes down his pants, off corn and pop pop popcorn and put it in his drawers. You know, they used to kid my brother. They used to just pick on them kind of, but he didn't care. My brother was a baseball player, really man's man. He lives men in my

house with me. Will you give him my love? I don't even know if he'll remember me. He does, Oh, he remembers everything. He just doesn't talk about it. You know some men that are like almost reclusive, but not really, because underneath all of that is a great sense of humor. Jore, my brother, I think he helped save my life. The ladies here, by the way, who we work with, made us a cupcake. I see, I know that the candle I just said, the candle just burned my father. Candles

and strawberries and cupcakes. It's our birthday. That has to be nice to us. So it has to be nice to us. They made the cupcake gluten free, but you and I both know the gluten free really is bullshit. Well, I think you're allowed on radio, you know. I always I used to be a disc jockey when I was sixteen years older, was at Warner Brothers. I first went there when I first won this little contest contest in Burbank, California,

where I was raised. So we came from Texas because we were really poor, and my dad wanted us to have a better life, so he moved us to California for he railroad. He worked for the railroad. He repaired underneath the engines. He would repair all kinds of railroad happening there in California. Well, my my dad worked really hard, but I did the most boring job in the whole wide world. I retired him as soon as I came as luck changed in my whole life changed, and I

came into show business. I discovered a whole different world and that people really had fun and people laughed. And our life was rather tedious and hard because we didn't have any money. I mean, my dad made two hundred a month. Now, that's better than nothing, but it's still also advised very little. So our life was a little bit eager. You know, we never had a Christmas tree.

We never had so when the opportunity came along for you to get into the business, and I'm from the same school, actually, I'm wondering where you was enticed by and where you was thrilled by as much about making money to help your family as you were about your own glory. Well, mostly I thought it was a joke that I won this contest, and then all of a sudden, I'm in movies. The silliest thing was the contest. It was a Miss Burbank, were Miss burbank Bank. Don't don't, don't,

don't downplay that. I changed my whole life and made my whole life wonderful and marvelous, travel all over the world and meet all these fabulous, interesting people and see different countries as so I'm very proud to say I was Miss Burbank and had a hole in my bathing suit and there my rear end was hanging out, and I didn't have shoes, high heel shoes, so I had I'm very grateful for stumbling in the show the first step. Yeah.

Then after miss Burbank what happened? They took me to Warner Brothers and made a little screen test and asked me why I wanted to be a movie star. So of course I told him I didn't march. And after they laughed and they said, of course you do, I said no, I don't. I don't really. I mean, this is just fun. You're just this is your kidding around, right. I was very square and my family were very virginal, you know, very go to church Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Are you glad they were square? I'm grateful for that kind of upbringing throughout your career. And I'm not just saying this, I mean I wouldn't waste your time of mind. You know, you're a gorgeous woman, and everybody thinks of you and think of you being three things beautiful and talented, but also being very straight laced. I mean, your career was something where there's a kind of a in the sensuality quote and there's any of a gardener over here.

It's kind of working that whole thing, and then there's you, who you didn't work that whole thing? Did you find that that was something that was because of your childho. I just think that that's the way you're raised. You know, it's what here. What you hear is sinful, and what you hear is not proper for young girls to behave in that manner. So you were pretty strict, you know, I mean you were, and I just grew up that way, So I thought that's the way everybody was until after

three husbands. Now I realized that that is totally wrong concept. We're going to get to that unlucky and love unlucky? What else happens when you're unlucky and love? I just made it up. You just wrote that just for you. Okay, well we should record you later. Good morning, we've danced the whole night through. Good morning, Good morning to you, and you and you and you're good morning, good morning. It's great to stay in Blake. Good morning, good morning to you. What fun you see? I can't sing to

save my life. If you put a gun to my head, said sing. You almost sang on key. When did you know you could sing? When did you know? When you just started singing? Like of the people. So what you're saying you started by doing mimicry. I started mimic Janet McDonald's I've never tried to Derica, she's a soprano, but I would do the alto and ethel Merman, anybody with a big voice, you know, I'd always do their voices because I I enjoy comedy, comedies, everything a Pratfall Stelach,

that's everything to me. I love vaudeville, that's my favorite thing. I enjoy drama. Somebody else doing it, I personally don't want to do it Debbie Reynolds, because it's so serious. It makes me sad, it takes me where it goes, and so I don't accept any parts that are devastating because I don't want to be unhappy in my life. I'll just live my life is that's tough enough, So

I don't need any parts that make me miserable. So when you're at warners and you say to them I don't want to be an actress, and they do the screen test, what happens there that you wind up banking over to MGM. What happened? Well, Jack Warner, here's the boss. So he said, we're not going to do it more musical, So I'll send the kid over to MGM. So they drove me. They sold me like a horse. Well there, donkey. I was sort of stubborn, and I say a donkey.

So I go to MGM, which is LB Mayor, and they're still making musicals like mad because they were the biggest studio of all. Everybody in the world was there, Clark, Gable, Van Johnson, you know, Gear Gars and Lana Turner, ever, every I mean, the doors opened and like all these stars spilled out. It was the only one, the only one that ever really left on her own was Garble. So I won't be alone. I won't will be alone. So we left her alone. She's gone, She's had her car,

she's wed a car and shipped off. She went to New York. She saved a hundred thousand dollars. She went to the bank, she met the president. His name is Slee, Mr Slee, and he's gone now. But I all this story. I love stories. You could call me a gossip. So Garbos with Mr. Shelee with a grand and she asked, don't please, don't help me, don't take care of my money. So Mr Shelee falls in love with Greta Garbo and it takes care of her the rest of her life. She lived in New York City and they used to

go for a walk. Garbo would walk and Mr Shelee didn't like to walk, so he'd drive in the rolls roys of the Dusselburg or whatever it was, beside her while she did her shopping antiquing. And she loved Auntie. Mr Shelee taking care of Greta Garbo or was he taking her? He was taking care of her money. Money. Now what they did on the side of her tea or lunch. I never inquired A good doctors girl from

Texas doesn't tell you know. I didn't want to even think about that, because I just wanted to think about what a romantic situation. The whole thing's a man trailing along in his how with this movie star, and she's walking looking in all the windows, and then he's in a in a car right with the door open, driving along beside her. These stories don't happen anymore. She walked away forever, She walked away forever. She's never made another

film ever. And you show up in an MGM and what happens, Well, what happens is they send me to a meeting. And so they called Jane Kelly in the room and Mr Mayer says, here, Jean, this is a new girl that you're going to have as you're leading lady. And I'm seventeen, and but I'd never danced before, I'd never acted before, nothing, nothing, person, just a girl's scout. So there was a Gene Kelly a movie. So I couldn't believe the whole scene. I mean, I just thought

the whole thing was silly. I really thought it was silly. So Mr Kelly says, can you do a time step? I said, oh, oh yes, I learned that a girl scout cab So he said to do time step. So I did a little awful time step and he said can you do a Maxi Ford? And I said I don't have a car. Well, obviously that was the wrong answer. He looked at Mr Mayor and he said, you're kidding me, boss, And Mr Mays said, now I'm not getting you meeting you. This is this is the leading lady. She's going to

do the part. And that was it. He was stuck with me, poor thing. Can you imagine Jane Gell and these guys I'm assuming, like like many of the actors I know today, they're pretty no nonsense people. When it comes to the quality of their their product, and they're very hard Gene Kelly. Of course when it is the most brilliant dancer. Jean said, all right, I'll take her. I can I can fix her. I can fix it up because she's right for the part, the acting, bar

and but the dancing. My god. It was an interesting time, but I was too young to know about it. Stare taught you too. He helped me. I was trying to learn everything, like with Donald run up the wall and flip backwards you. I was a flip, but you know, I had to learn how. I wanted to learn everything, and then I'd be crying under the piano. One day a pair of legs go by and I'm some crying away and the legs say, who is that under the piano? Who is crying? So I said, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,

it's just me, Debbie. So it was al fred Is Stare. He said, Debbie, get out, get out from underneath. They pulled me out and he said, now you come and watch me with hers. I never allow anybody. He always had a guard at the gate, a security guard. No one was ever allowed. But he let me watch and for maybe over forty minutes and his face turned already just used a cane and a drum after about half an hour in his face turning red, and he's doing

brilliant work. Of course, he looked over at me and says, now, Debbie, I wants you to go back in there, stop crying and be great. In order to be a great dancer, you have to practict, to kill yourself. This is what it takes to be a great dancing. Now, run in there, just running there, shut up and do it and help you. Oh yes, I just felt like I was a big sissy, and I don't like to be a big sissy in

those days or any other day. And then when you you finished the movie, and when it was done, how did you feel, and how did you feel when it was over? I think you you've learned a great deal. Either that or you already quit, because in order to keep up with these great talents, you had to devote yourself totally. I didn't go home. I slept in my dressing room. I wasn't off any days. I didn't take any days off because I practiced more while I was

on Saturday and Sunday. We didn't have a Saturday off. We only had Sunday off and I practice all the time, and I don't think I changed at all. I just learned how to apply myself. And what about people's perception of you? That must have changed. The picture came out what year, I don't remember what year, in nineteen fifty two, something like that. Well, it was not a hit. It was not a hit. It was just a mediocre hit. And then it was discovered, rediscovered through the schools and

the teachers that taught drama and class and lessons. The movie became a hit through school and for teachers, university teachers and all that. Singing in the Rain has remained a hit or became a hit many ten years, fifteen years. But is it safe to say that the girl who's crying under the table by the time the movie comes out of that process is complete. You're a movie star now, correct? Well I was popular. They couldn't believe a young girl had gotten that far and no talent, no no experience,

So I was newsworthy. But in those days we had movie magazines and they'd write all kinds of stories for free, you know, studios would give It was the golden era. So what kind of story did they write about? You then when you're only seventeen, eighteen years old? What did they want to make it up? You know, they'd give a little party. They'd give a party. They had Rock Hudson going out with his secretary. You know Rock didn't want to go out with his secretary. Yes, that's John,

Sam and Joe. What's the next picture you did? After Singing in the Ring? After Singing in the Rain? I did How the West was One? With every star you've ever heard about? The first movie I ever saw in the movie theater in my life ever. It was a wonderful picture. Spencer Tracy narrated the whole thing. Starr You'll never see again. That was Tracy's last appearance and they didn't even go on film and he just narrated it. And John Wayne was in that everybody. It took two

years to make that picture. I started out playing a sixteen year old and ended up a ninety year old, So it felt like my life if there. I worked very hard on that picture, and Henry Hathaway was the director, and he was really tough and very hard on everybody. You know, it's not very kind of actors, but we were all a little bit stupid and employees slow. He thought it was slow. So he I had heard this about him. You know that he was a very tough director.

So when he came over to Fox Studio where I was making another film with Andy Griffith, I said to him, he wanted me to do it the first part of it, how the West was on. I said, will sir, the truth of it is that I've heard really such bad things about you. I don't want to work with you. So I just stared at me. Said, what the is that what he's cussed like crazy? Oh? Yeah, cost He said, what the what you little snot knows it? Little? Oh? Yes?

He attacked you aggressive, He bawled me out. He just said, you have no right to say that I'm boss here, that I cust and all that. I said, well, what are you doing now? For goodness sake, what do you think You're yelling at me, promissary, there are people staring at everything. I said, this is why I would never work for you, because I don't want to be miserable. So I turned it down, and then he wouldn't let

me turn it down. He said, no, you're going to do it, and he talked to the president of Fox and MGM, which owned my contract. They said, I had to do it, so I had to do it. There's a one where I'll be home in the So back then, you signed those contracts and people, I think the the distance that the studio system has now, which we seed it so far for audiences today, they don't understand that notion that you signed a contract and you didn't get to pick the films your him your own. It's like

a bondage, the condentured servitude. That's exactly. How did the picture go with him? Was? He was? He was? He? Well, I went the first section is the one that I was signed for and went on location and he said, all right, walk over there. I said, where am I walking? To sir? You just walk where? I said, pointing to I said, I have to understand where Why am I walking? What am I saying? He said, no, you know, you

just do what I say. I said, this is what I told you that day we had the lunch that you were going to be rude and terrible to work with them. So I'm going to go lie down to rest. He said, no, you're not. You're going to walk over there and you're going to shut out. I said, no, I'm not. I'm going to faint because you've upset me too much. So I fainted, and what happened? I love this. I'm going to do that one. I'm going to do that now. You just pass out when I need a

director like I'm gonna faint. Oh my god, you've upset me. Some boom boom fall Just fall down this let him kick here, It doesn't matter, so lay down. So if you're lane, did hath awake come up and kick you? Did? He kind of poke you with his boot or he poked me? He poked me with seriously, no here his foot. You know he poked me because you wake up? You're silly sum what custing kidding me? I wouldn't open my eyes at all because I was just in my mind. I said, just stay here all day, just say they

can't wake make you wake up. So they put some that chlora what's that stuff under ether under your nose. Yeah, but I didn't still wake up. I just breathed really deeply like yoga. You know, no, I was doing this iron vaded breathing of smelling souls. That's how obstinate you were. I was not going to wake up. He couldn't get me up with the conclusion of this. What happened? Did you? I'm assuming because you're here. You eventually got up. He walked away from and he said, she's faking. I know

she's faking, and I'm gonna kill a little kid. And then he became amused by it because he thought he knew I was faking, but I wasn't going to wake up. He kind of respected you a little bit before back I wasn't going away, and he knew I wouldn't do it. I was a lot like Hathaway, say so, so, how many months did you have to go on this goddamn picture? A year, year and a half. About ten times I was gonna say, how many more faith did you? Did? Your dresser not to laid down a cushion or something.

When you did you wink at her. I would just kind of wink and I'd fall. You know, the same thing happened on Broadway. I was doing a play here called Irene, and they wouldn't give us two more days to rehearsal Gower Champions going nuts. We're not quite ready or ready to open, but we're not quite ready. So I went over to Gary. I said listen, Garret, if we need another two days, I'll get it. He says, you can't get it. They wore they're out of money.

As a no no if I disappear, if I get sick or something happened, if I fall, you know, He said, well how can you do that? I said, watch. I said, okay, let's rehearse that. What first number? So we were the one when I do the flip? So I did, and I said, all right, all right, go ahead, go And Gower is looking a can't relieve what I'm going to do. He doesn't know what I'm going to do. So I ran and run forward to the wings and flip in

the air and crashed down and knocked myself out. But I'm not really out of no, so I opened one eye to Gower and winked at him and went back out. You really aren't this wholesome that Nazarine from Burnbank. You with me? You can fool like trouble day tuble, But no, I just get a very wilful who's a director that you loved? I really loved all the directors. I loved Hathaway too. I became very dear friends and visited together aries aren't you you're an Aries. I'm Aries. I'm born

April Fool's Day. Aries is is very stubborn but very really good person. I mean, I don't think that there's a bad bone in the body other than our temper o that I you're known for your temper. That's not true. But it's not true, right, It's just if you're the press making up things. You know. Oh, the press love to make everything well. Luckily see, I'm not popular in the sense for the press. I see a picture of me going to it says I'm going to hit or

push the photographer. I'm going to help them. They might fold, I'm reaching to help them. Or think the photographers today are terrible when they chase people. Say they didn't do that in my day. Now, I'm so happy I was in a golden era. They keep calling it a show business and we didn't have paparazzie like this. When speaking of which, when you say about being an Aries, and I'm not big on astrology, but people who are areas there, we say they love to bury the hatchet and have

people get along. And even though you can have a bad temper and you can have grudges against people, they don't laugh. You just speak up right. You're kind of rigorously honest if we if you will, But for you, you buried the hatchet with Hathaway and he became a friend. And you're someone that doesn't like to hold a grudge with people. No, I don't, but I'm rather like an elephant. I remember everything. And Debbie Reynolds has had her share

of hatchets to berry. In nine she married singer Eddie Fisher. It was the show business wedding of the year. Four years later, Fisher famously left Reynolds for her best friend, Elizabeth Taylor soon after Taylor's husband was killed in an airplane accident, but years later she patched things up with Elizabeth. They had known each other since they were kids. We

were friends, we went to school together. Elizabeth and I were kids together, and so what happens about our leationship was out of their desire to be together Eddie Fisher and and she sold that you know, when a man wants to go, he wants to go, he goes. I've learned that that certainly. So of course I forgave her years after that because she she forgave her. So marriages two and three were less public, but no less painful

for Reynolds. Now she's sworn off the institution. In a minute, she'll talk about her daughter, Carrie Fisher and their relationship. I'm Alec Baldwin, and you're listening to here's the thing. This is Alec Baldwin. Carrie Fisher's solo show, Wishful Drinking, discusses her battles with substance abuse, manic depression, and being the child of Hollywood royalty. It's poignant and hilarious. Having waited my entire life to get an award for something,

you know, anything, I don't care. All right, fine, not acting, but what about like a tiny one for writing? I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. So she is so funny. Oh, yes, she's brilliant. She's brilliant. The children were really little. I was very worried about

my health. I've been on the road that I was just working like mad in vaudeville, and I was concerned, and the children were very small, and I called up Jeane Dixon, who was a prophet and lived in Washington, and I mean she did, you know, she did with the government and all kinds of and she was. It was the truth. She was sensational. Gave me an appointment and I sat down and she told me exactly what

my children have become and everything that happened. She told me I was married to Harry Carl at the time. She said, when you go home, you're going to have to face the divorce, and he has taken all of your money. When you go home, you will find that out. So you don't know anything about it. I said, well, no, I let him take care of the money. She said, well he is. Carrie was going to be in white robes and sand on a stage. The astrologer Gene Dixon estraller,

just Jane Dixon, who is very world famous. Did she predict Kennedy's assassination as well? She predicted everything is Ken, Robert and Jack Kennedy. Yes, she was very famous. And then she told me Todd would would be a builder and go to architectural school, and they have exactly your son, my son architecturals well, he's a bills. Where does he live. He lives in the valley, all your families all around it. Yes, there are. We all live sort of together because we

adore each other. You wrote in your book that you're unlucky in love? Why were you unlucky in love? What do you mean? Because I'm just too old fashioned? You know. Well, of course I picked the wrong man. But that's because I am easy. You know, I'm easy. I don't ever argue. I mean, you need the money here, you take it? Oh you need that? Well? Do you trust people? Well, I'm very trusting. How is Carrie like you? And how

it was Carrie like Eddie? Can you see the lines that Well, Carrie was born with Eddie as the father, and he was speed So Carrie was born was manic, depressive, bipolar. So she will have that for the rest of her life. And it's a dread disease. From him, Yes, from Eddie, it was very sweet of him. Carrie has an illness that is a severe problem over the whole world, and they do not have any answers for you. She's taking shock of treatments right now. It is a family's pain.

We all have it because we so want carry to be well, and that's what we pray for all the time. And she's so funny. Her daughter is divine and she goes to school here in New York and she's the most beautiful, young, smart, really smart, and uh, she's taking accounting, so I think we'll be all right. Will come to me for about money, and Carrie's going to be fine. She's brilliant and she's a great writer. To carry it from you? From me? What did you get from laughter?

If you could give people laughter, that would be the ideal thing. I know this is going to sound really cliched and kind of silly, but you know, you come from such a great era of movie stardom. Your name means something. When you say someone's name, you kind of go okay. But your name, you say a certain kind of a film. People automatically think, like the big Golden age of Hollywood musicals and you and Kelly and all these movies and Unsinkable Molly Brown and all these great films.

Even though people don't realize that you stopped making films. I wrote this down. You stopped making films by and large and around What's the Matter with Helen in seventy one, and then from nineteen seventy one to six. According to your biography, most of what you do is voiceovers or retrospect the releases, like that's entertainment. You know, you don't work a lot during that period in film. I just do nightclubs. I work theater. I would do a club act for forty two weeks a year every day. Where

would you go? Everywhere? Colorado to the country's sexist, Yes, Australia, England. I did five a day in England. So came a vout a villion for twenty years to make a living for my children. And then and then you go and do the movie with Albert Brooks? Yes I did. How did he convince you to do that movie? No, Carrie called me, she's a mother. I read a script Albert Brooks, who they were very good friends, did, and it's so funny. You have to do it. I said, well, you know,

nobody wants me for movies anymore. Dear, well, mother, I want you to fly up here. I was in Vegas and I owned a little hotel and I had a nightclub, and I was happy as a hog in heaven. So she said, well, no, I don't care, mother, you have to fly. So I flew in and I met Albert and I read a scene for him, and he said to me, you've got it. And I said, what does that mean, Albert? He said, well, you've got it. You you've got the part, I said, Albert, I have to

meet the director. Oh I am the director, Debbie. Oh I didn't know, Albert, I said, because you know I know him since he's a young boy. And then I said, well you have to see the producer. Then, dear, you can't just suddenly hired Debbie. Well, yes I can. I'm the producer. I'm the producer, I'm the director. I wrote it. And yes, you're going to do I said, Albert, you'll get into trouble. He said, no, you really are going to get it now because you're bossing me. So now

you're just like my mother. So you've got the partner shore. Can you eat lamb? Shops? What the hell is a lamb? It's meat? I told you, I don't eat it. That's not a cow. I didn't know if it was the animal. You were siding with the whole it's the whole thing, wasn't cheese. Albert was very sweet. He wanted Doris today, but she just wouldn't do it because she would have

been terrific. But as we all know, Doris doesn't want to go back on the screen, and I didn't want to because I was in Vegas, and I was running my hotel and I was having a lot of trouble with my husband and he wanted to, you know, take over my business and throw me over the balcony. And I was having a lot of problems. But I left and I did the movie Mother, and I'm happy I did. I think he made a lot of films and a lot of TV shows since then. Will and Grace, why

did you play? Well? What do you mean? I played Grace's mother. Were Grace's mom Adler? Her name was Adler, and so as she sang a lot did impressions. It was a lot of fun to do. And the you have you stopped the club actor? You still doing that? You still know I still do my club act. I've been under the weather for about four months, so I've been kind of taking it easy and getting my health. Contestant, you look fantastic. Well, you look gorgeous. You give me

me my birthday party. You look beautiful. Thank you, dear, and I wish you all happened. Is with your new wife and a baby, de camp, your life is all ahead of you. I love my baby so much, and even though they're all grown in your age, practically you know, there's nothing like it. This is so special. I'm really looking forward, you know when I think of you and you being part of that, you know, great era of studio filmmaking. Do you ever watch your stuff that you did?

You have to go back and watch those films you don't bother. Well, some of the films. I watch everybody else's films. Bettie Davis, so I loved her and Katherine Hepburnna. Like when you watch a movie, you watch a movie from back then. Oh, yes, I only watch all movies you don't go to see. You don't exactly, So you don't go see movies today, not really don't, not even screeners from the Academy or DVDs at home. So if someone tells me it's really wonderful, I'll go, Like Titanic,

you'd watch or something. No I did go to see You've been there? No I did that movie. No I I just did a film with It was about Liberaci, Behind the Candelabra, Michael Douglas, Michael Douglas and uh, that'll be out soon. I played Mrs Liberacci because I like to do di election and I knew Mrs Libaracci, and I knew Lee we were working a now very good friend. Yes,

we were really dear friends. And he always called me up after the show and we'd go out together and he said, were white, all white Danby and your jewelry. And then he'd arrived in the limousine with the chauffeur's hat on and he'd drive me. I mean, he was so much fun. I loved Liberacci was great. So I did his mother? Howa Soderberg to work with? Did you like Soderbergh? Oh, he was wonderful. The director was wonderful, great director. I just had a little part, you know,

and she had a little parts. She was The Only thing hard is dialected to be real, and you have to do doone when you're doing the dialect is polish and so you have to talk like really the really one and to be unbelievable. Because I am very good at dialects. I love to do them. You know what. You know what's amazing to me is you still enjoy doing this. You still love this? Yes, even though this

is something that you came into almost accidentally. You know, you won the contest and you went over to Warner Brothers said we want you to be in the movie business. And you laughed when they said that. And yet here you are when you were sixteen years old, and now you're eighty one years old, sixty five years later. You still enjoy doing this, don't you? Absolutely if you're blessed enough to be able to have something to do that you love. Besides marriages, I mean, that's the only thing

that's been a disappointment to me in my life. Honey, you're looking at the man you should have married. Here, it's me here I am. I wouldn't have stolen your money, will you? And I would be home right now watching turn of classic movies, eating popcorn. I'll be giving you a foot, rub. I have a wonderful life, I really do. God bless everybody. I really am very Another thing you have and you don't have to confirm us, but I bet you I know another thing you have, which is

when you meet people you're fans. I bet you they just love you. They're my friends. Are not my fans. You know, everybody I meet, I just feel like I know them sixty five years and they made me, they gave me my work, and they stay by me all these years. You know, I work in Vegas all the time, and I work in Laughlin, which is called is right. Yeah, anywhere there's a job I work. You enjoy doing it live that way? How long is your show? Sure? The whole act of our two hour and a half. An

hour and a half. I do a lot of comedy. Well, I mean I try it to make it funny. Let me end with this. Acting for me is very strange. Now I'm kind of done with it, and I mean I don't think I want to do it much longer. And the world has changed now, as you well know, it's very different. The way is that your phone? I think it is your phone? Where is my isn't that odd? Yeah? Where's my Oh? What you're listening to now is Dedie

Reynolds taking her phone out? It's my it's my son. Yes, I'm calling from the valley, is now taking out all the kuchma on her little Asian. But I don't I can't find you can't find them. Let's find it. There, it is there, it is well And this is this is how my son was born nine pounds three ounces. Took a long time to get it out out. I was nine. Hello, good heavens, that's hard to find. Can you say it again? Hello? Did I get you too late? That's the story of my life, isn't It must be

a man. Well, I'm going to hang up now. I'm visiting with Alec Baldwin. He's a big star. Yes, he's in Broadway, lives in New York. Just got married again, a young girl. They always pick them younger. Yeah, I might as well. That's one thing that hasn't changed. Yeah, then nothing is changed. Now. What I want to say to you is I've been doing this and I wanted to say I'd love to work with you one day. I'd love anytime. I'd love to work with you one day.

If there's a movie and there's a partner for you to play my crazy aunts when you come in, there would be fun to do the crazy ant or the street lady or anybody like that. I like to do characters where I can fain. Debbie Reynolds has a new book, Unsinkable, and she has a huge collection of Hollywood memorabilia that you too can have a piece of. I'm selling it online, so Deynolds. Debbie mill studio store dot com. Debbie Reynolds studio store dot com. You're selling of wonderful things. I'm

gonna go buy something on there. Okay, Charles Javelin's head, how about that? Is any of your underwear for sale online? No, but if you really want it, Babby, I'll give it to you. We're done than branding there by. This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to here's the thing.