Unsinkable

by Debbie Reynolds

  Written by Richard L. Breen (screenplay) and Jean Kerr (play)

  The Unsinkable Molly Brown (MGM)

  Released June 11, 1964

  Starring Debbie Reynolds, Harve Presnell, and Ed Begley

  Produced by Lawrence Weingarten

  Directed by Charles Walters

  Written by Helen Deutsch, based on the libretto by Richard Morris

  Goodbye Charlie (20th Century Fox)

  Released November 18, 1964

  Starring Debbie Reynolds, Tony Curtis, Pat Boone, and Walter Matthau

  Produced by David Weisbart

  Directed by Vincente Minnelli

  Written by Harry Kurnitz (screenplay) and George Axelrod (play)

  The Singing Nun (MGM)

  Released March 17, 1966

  Starring Debbie Reynolds, Ricardo Montalban, and Greer Garson

  Produced by John Beck

  Directed by Henry Koster

  Written by John Furia (story and screenplay) and Sally Benson (screenplay)

  Divorce American Style (Columbia)

  Released June 21, 1967

  Starring Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, and Jason Robards

  Produced by Norman Lear

  Directed by Bud Yorkin

  Written by Norman Lear (screenplay) and Robert Kaufman (story)

  How Sweet It Is! (National General)

  Released August 21, 1968

  Starring James Garner, Debbie Reynolds, and Maurice Ronet

  Produced by Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall

  Directed by Jerry Paris

  Written by Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall (screenplay) and Muriel Resnik (novel)

  What’s the Matter with Helen? (United Artists)

  Released June 30, 1971

  Starring Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, and Dennis Weaver

  Produced by George Edwards and Edward S. Feldman

  Directed by Curtis Harrington

  Written by Henry Farrell

  Charlotte’s Web (Paramount)

  Released March 1, 1973

  Starring Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, and Henry Gibson

  Produced by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna

  Directed by Charles A. Nichols and Iwao Takamoto

  Written by Earl Hamner Jr. (story), based on E. B. White’s book

  That’s Entertainment! (MGM)

  Released May 23, 1974

  Starring Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, and all the MGM stars

  Produced by Jack Haley Jr.

  Directed by Jack Haley Jr.

  Written by Jack Haley Jr.

  That’s Entertainment, Part 2 (MGM)

  Released May 16, 1976

  Starring Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and all the MGM stars

  Produced by Saul Chaplin and Daniel Melnick

  Directed by Gene Kelly

  Written by Leonard Gershe

  Kiki’s Delivery Service (Studio Ghibli)

  Released July 29, 1989

  Starring Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by Hayao Miyazaki and Toru Hara

  Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

  Written by Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay) and Eiko Kadono (novel)

  The Bodyguard (Warner Brothers)

  Released November 25, 1992

  Starring Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston, and Gary Kemp

  Produced by Kevin Costner, Lawrence Kasdan, and Jim Wilson

  Directed by Mick Jackson

  Written by Lawrence Kasdan

  Heaven & Earth (Warner Brothers)

  Released December 25, 1993

  Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Joan Chen, and Haing S. Ngor

  Produced by Oliver Stone, Arnon Milchan, A. Kitman Ho, and Mario Kassar

  Directed by Oliver Stone

  Written by Oliver Stone (screenplay), Le Ly Hayslip with James Hayslip (book), and Jay Wurts (book)

  That’s Entertainment! III (MGM)

  Released May 6, 1994

  Starring Gene Kelly, June Allyson, Lena Horne, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by Bud Friedgen, Michael J. Sheridan, and Peter Fitzgerald

  Directed by Bud Friedgen and Michael J. Sheridan

  Written by Bud Friedgen and Michael J. Sheridan

  Mother (Paramount)

  Released December 25, 1996

  Starring Albert Brooks and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by Herb Nanas and Scott Rudin

  Directed by Albert Brooks

  Written by Albert Brooks and Monica Mcgowan Johnson

  Wedding Bell Blues (Cineplex Odeon Films)

  Released June 13, 1997

  Starring Illeana Douglas, Paulina Porizkova, and Julie Warner

  Produced by Ram Bergman, Mike Curb, Dana Lustig, and Carole Curb Nemoy

  Directed by Dana Lustig

  Written by Dana Lustig and Annette Goliti Gutierrez

  In & Out (Paramount)

  Released September 19, 1997

  Starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by G. Mac Brown, Scott Rudin, Suzanne Santry, and Adam Schroeder

  Directed by Frank Oz

  Written by Paul Rudnick

  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Rhino Films/Summit Entertainment)

  Released May 22, 1998

  Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro

  Produced by Patrick Cassavetti, Laila Nabulsi, and Stephen Nemeth

  Directed by Terry Gilliam

  Written by Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Alex Cox, and Tod Davies, based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson

  Zack and Reba (Itasca Pictures)

  Released October 1, 1998

  Starring Brittany Murphy, Sean Patrick Flanery, Thomas Jane, Michael Jeter, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by Ken Jacobsen, Randy James, and Miles Levy

  Directed by Nicole Bettauer

  Written by Jay Stapleton

  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (Legacy Releasing)

  Released October 16, 1998

  Starring John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by William R. Kowalchuk Jr.

  Directed by William R. Kowalchuk Jr.

  Written by Michael Aschner, based on the story by Robert May

  Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (Paramount)

  Released November 17, 2000

  Starring Christine Cavanaugh, Elizabeth Daily, Cheryl Chase, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo

  Directed by Stig Bergqvist and Paul Demeyer

  Written by Jill Gorey, Barbara Herndon, Kate Boutilier, J. David Stern, and David N. Weiss

  Connie and Carla (Spyglass Entertainment)

  Released April 16, 2004

  Starring Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, and David Duchovny

  Produced by Nia Vardalos, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, and Jonathan Glickman

  Directed by Michael Lembeck

  Written by Nia Vardalos

  Light of Olympia (Santoon Production)

  Released June 2008

  Starring Joey D’Auria, Phyllis Diller, Tom Gibis, and Debbie Reynolds

  Directed by San Wei Chan

  Written by Tommy Cannon and Sarah Kinney

  One for the Money (Lionsgate)

  Released January 27, 2012

  Starring Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo, Sherri Shepherd, and Debbie Reynolds

  Produced by Sidney Kimmel, Wendy Fineman, Tom Rosenberg, and Gary Lucchesi

  Directed by Julie Anne Robinson

  Written by Stacy Sherman, Karen Ray, and Liz Brixius (screenplay) and Janet Evanovich (novel)

  Behind the Candelabra (Warner Brothers)

  Released May 2013

  Starring Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd, Debbie Reynolds, and Scott Bakula

  Produced by Jerry Weintraub

  Directed by Stev
en Soderbergh

  Written by Richard LaGravenese

  INDEX

  The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use your e-book reader’s search tools.

  Note: Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations.

  “Aba Daba Honeymoon,” 102, 103, 113, 201

  Academy Awards, 125, 196–97, 197, 233, 257, 267

  Actress, The, 217–20, 226

  Affairs of Dobie Gillis, The, 213–14, 217

  Allbritton, Louise, 200

  Allen, Paul, 155

  Allyson, June, 221

  Altman, Robert, 214

  Alton, Robert, 212

  Andrews, Julie, 257, 267

  Angeli, Pier, 97–99, 211–12

  Anthony, Stephen, 65–66

  Arthur, Arthur, 200

  Astaire, Adele, 268–70

  Astaire, Fred, 65, 66, 194, 196, 200, 206–7, 244, 245, 268–70, 282

  Athena, 221–22

  Aubrey, Jim, 66, 67

  Bacall, Betty (Lauren), 225, 262

  Baddeley, Hermione, 256

  Badgley, Bob, 30

  Baiano, Solly, 183, 191

  Baker, Carroll, 249

  Basso, Frank, 29, 33, 38

  Baxter, Anne, 68, 69

  Beaton, Cecil, 172

  Beatty, Warren, 132

  Behind the Candelabra, 279–82

  Bel Geddes, Barbara, 252–53

  Bell, Anne, 27

  Belson, Jerry, 264

  Berkeley, Busby, 201, 268

  Berkett, Phyllis, 11

  Berle, Milton, 236

  Bernard, Crystal, 89

  Bettauer, Nicole, 276

  Bianci, Joe, 64

  Blackstone, Milton, 230

  Bodyguard, The, 271

  Bogart, Humphrey, 184, 225, 262

  Borgnine, Ernest, 226, 227, 228, 230, 252

  Bosley, Pat and Tom, 11

  Bowab, John, 19

  Brennan, Walter, 232, 245

  Brooks, Albert, 74–75, 77–79, 80, 274

  Brooks, Richard, 194, 226–27, 228

  Brylanski, Julian, 200

  Buffett, Warren, 155–56, 200

  Bundle of Joy, 230–31

  Burns, George, 83

  Burrows, Jim, 107

  Burstyn, Ellen, 135

  Burton, Richard, 124–26, 129

  Bustamante, Lou, 160

  Butler, David, 190–91

  Cagney, Jimmy, 149, 184

  Calhern, Louis, 201

  Callahan, Mushy, 184

  Cantinflas, 120, 242, 243

  Caron, Leslie, 212

  Carpenter, Carleton, 102, 103, 113, 177, 201, 202, 203, 282

  Catered Affair, The, 157, 226–28, 229

  Champion, Gower, 214, 250, 282

  Champion, Marge, 214, 282

  Charisse, Cyd, 226

  Charlotte’s Web, 267, 270

  Chewning, Bootie Bell, 25, 53, 54, 56

  Cliburn, Van, 207–8

  Clift, Montgomery, 119

  Clooney, Rosemary, 134

  Coleman, Edward, 25, 71, 88

  Collette, Toni, 277

  Collins, Joan, 118

  Comden, Betty, 207

  Connie and Carla, 277–78

  Costner, Kevin, 271

  Coward, Noël, 197–98

  Coyne, Jeanne, 205–6

  Crawford, Joan, 90

  Crosby, Bing, 239–41

  Crosby, Norm, 31

  Cukor, George, 217, 219, 252, 282

  Culkin, Macaulay, 142, 143

  Cummings, Jack, 192, 200

  Curtis, Tony, 242, 258, 259–60

  Cusack, Joan, 85

  Dailey, Dan, 226

  Damon, Matt, 279–80

  Damone, Vic, 97–98, 211, 222, 226

  Daniels, Billy, 212

  Daughter of Rosie O’Grady, The, 189–91

  Davis, Bette, 65, 66, 184, 189, 225, 226–27, 228, 230, 252

  Davis, Joan, 214

  Day, Doris, 97, 191, 204, 241

  Dean, James, 97, 98, 231

  Debbie (album), 240–41

  Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino, 25–29, 29, 30–38

  auction of, 91, 92–95, 94, 147

  and finances, 34–35, 44, 47, 48, 59–64, 70–73, 76, 79, 86, 88–91

  Jazz and Jokes, 30, 33, 45, 47

  Star Theater, 31–38, 31, 39, 47

  de Havilland, Olivia, 135, 184

  Del Toro, Benicio, 275

  DeMille, Cecil B., 65

  Depp, Johnny, 275–76

  DeSalvo, David, 35

  Diller, Phyllis, 180

  Disney, Walt, 67, 126, 268

  Divorce American Style, 262

  Donen, Stanley, 205–6, 209, 214–16

  Douglas, Kirk, 97, 184

  Douglas, Michael, 281

  Douglas, Paul, 235

  DR Studios, 23, 27, 63, 90, 139, 142, 275

  Duncan, Margie, 35, 52, 167

  Duncan, Mark, 53, 54, 59

  Edens, Roger, 102, 104, 194, 282

  Edwards, Blake, 234

  Elliot, Mama Cass, 104, 105

  Engelstad, Ralph, 24, 92

  Evanovich, Janet, 278

  Evans, Ray, 233

  Fairbanks, Douglas Sr., 65

  Farrell, Henry, 264

  Fazan, Adrienne, 195

  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 275–76

  Fisher, Carrie (daughter), 5, 6–8, 10, 18, 137, 179, 230, 231, 237, 261

  and auction, 163, 164–65

  and Billie, 22, 114–15, 116, 136

  Esme’s Little Nap, 117

  and grandparents, 110–12, 114, 116

  health problems of, 130–37

  movie career of, 18, 20, 96, 132, 270

  and museum, 139, 140, 148–49

  and Oprah, 161

  Postcards from the Edge, 19–21, 130, 133

  “Recipe for Ray,” 111–12

  teen years of, 131–32

  These Old Broads, 117–18

  Wishful Drinking, 130–31, 134, 137

  Fisher, Eddie, 3, 4, 14, 33, 36–37, 44, 99, 114, 115, 120, 121–25, 179, 221–22, 223, 224, 225, 230–31, 233, 235, 237, 242, 259–60

  Fisher, Todd (son), 106, 122, 133, 136, 179, 237, 263, 274

  and finances, 52–54, 55, 89, 90–91, 154

  and Hollywood collection, 70, 138–39, 140, 148–49, 150–52, 155, 160, 163, 165

  and hotel, 26, 28–29, 31–38, 31, 47, 60–64, 70–71, 72, 89, 90–91, 94

  and Reynolds-Hamlett marriage, 5–6, 9, 18

  Fitzgerald, Barry, 157, 226, 227–28, 229

  Flanery, Sean Patrick, 276

  Flatt, Ernie, 205–6

  Fleming, Victor, 167

  Flynn, Errol, 184

  Fogler, Gertrude, 208

  Ford, Glenn, 134, 238–39, 239, 241–42, 247

  Ford, Peter, 241–42

  Fosse, Bob, 214–16, 236, 282

  Freed, Arthur, 194, 202, 205, 207, 218, 282

  Gable, Clark, 198–99, 250

  Gabor, Eva, 180, 238

  Gardner, Ava, 7–8, 120–21, 133, 218, 220

  Garland, Judy, 103, 104, 149, 159, 167–68, 193, 194, 202, 207

  Garner, James, 241, 263

  Garson, Greer, 193, 260–61

  Gaynor, Mitzi, 253

  Gazebo, The, 241–42

  Geffen, David, 151

  Gennaro, Peter, 256

  Genuario, Gerry, 30, 36

  Gielgud, John, 217, 252

  Gilliam, Terry, 275

  Give a Girl a Break, 195, 214–16

  Goetz, Hayes, 261

  Goodbye Charlie, 258–60

  Gordon, Ruth, 217, 219, 220

  Gorshin, Frank, 229

  Grace, Princess, 196, 208

  Granger, Farley, 203

  Grant, Johnny, 139, 148

  Grayson, Kathryn, 211

  Green, Johnny, 194

  Griffith, Andy, 246, 247

  Grimes, Tammy, 253
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  Grimm, Shelby, 110

  Guilaroff, Sydney, 267

  Guthrie, W. M., 197

  Gwenn, Edmund, 169

  Haack, Morton, 265

  Hagen, Jean, 90, 209

  Haley, Jack Jr., 79, 126, 150, 268, 269, 269, 270, 273, 282

  Halloweentown, 277

  Hamlett, Richard, 3, 4–6, 9, 10, 11–14, 15–16, 18–19, 22–29, 31–35, 37–38, 39–43, 44–46, 47–51, 52–57, 58, 59–60, 63, 70, 72, 81–83, 85, 87, 270

  Hammond, Jeff, 152

  Haney, Carol, 205–6

  Harlow, Jean, 149

  Harrington, Curtis, 264

  Hart, Al, 67

  Hartman, Don, 205

  Hathaway, Henry, 247–49

  Haver, June, 190

  Hayes, Helen, 254

  Hayes, Sean, 107

  Hayworth, Rita, 134

  Heaven & Earth, 272–73

  Heigl, Katherine, 279

  Heller, Seymour, 281

  Henderson, Florence, 11

  Hepburn, Audrey, 172

  “He’s My Friend,” 256, 257

  Hilton, Nicky, 118, 119, 120

  Hit the Deck, 222–23

  Hollywood memorabilia collection:

  accumulating, 23, 67–68, 268

  auctions of, 148–49, 159, 160–62, 163–73, 179

  Debbie’s dream for, 152–54, 153, 156, 159, 160, 166, 172, 243

  fashion show of, 60

  Hollywood & Highland Center, 138–41, 140, 147–48

  hotel for storage of, 22, 23, 26, 61, 64–70, 73, 138–39

  items stolen from, 68, 212

  and Pigeon Forge, 150–54

  search for a site, 69, 150–51, 155, 179, 282

  warehousing of, 68, 139

  Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, 65–66

  Holm, Celeste, 225

  Hope, Bob, 240

  Horne, Lena, 202–3, 211, 218, 220

  Horne, Lois, 190, 191

  Houston, Whitney, 271

  How Sweet It Is!, 262–64

  How the West Was Won, 247–50

  Hudson, Rock, 135

  Hughes, Howard, 220

  Hunt, Martita, 255–56

  Hunter, Ross, 231, 233, 234, 241

  Hunter, Tab, 244

  Hutton, Betty, 183, 192

  I Love Melvin, 212–13, 217

  In & Out, 83–85, 84, 275

  Irene, 74, 105, 131, 211, 240, 250, 268

  It Started With a Kiss, 237–39

  Jackson, Michael, 23, 142–43, 143, 144

  Jagger, Bianca, 104, 105

  Jagger, Mick, 104–5

  Janssen, David, 250–51

  Jeter, Michael, 276

  Jolson, Al, 33

  Jones, Tommy Lee, 272–73

  June Bride, 189

  Jurgens, Curt, 234–35

  Kane, Helen, 191, 201

  Kanter, Nancy and Joe, 5, 6, 8

  Karl, Harry, 3–4, 5, 13, 14–15, 20, 26, 44, 49, 68, 99–100, 125, 131, 179, 242–43, 251, 252, 262, 263, 266, 270

  Karz, Irwin, 68

  Keel, Howard, 211

  Kellogg, Virginia, 200

  Kelly, Gene, 84, 134, 194, 205–7, 208, 209, 210, 211, 218, 250, 268, 270, 282