DEBBIE REYNOLDS' REMARKABLE VEGAS YEARS SPOTLIGHTED IN NEW FREE EXHIBITION FROM THE NEON MUSEUM, LAUNCHING SEPT. 5
黛比·雷诺兹宣传照
Actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and businesswoman Debbie Reynolds was born Mary Frances Reynolds in 1932 to a workingclass family in El Paso, 德州给玛克辛和雷·雷诺兹. Work opportunities in Texas during the Great Depression were limited, 所以她的家人在1939年搬到了加利福尼亚, where her father found steady work as a carpenter for the railroad. 不到十年之后, Debbie would be discovered competing in a beauty contest at just sixteen years old. She was offered a studio contract and went on to make history both on-screen and onstage, kick starting her lifelong film career in the 1952 film 在雨中歌唱. In The Persona, 人物:拉斯维加斯的黛比·雷诺兹, 我们在1962年加入了黛比, still caught in the media spotlight following her divorce from husband Eddie Fisher and his highly-publicized love affair with actress Elizabeth Taylor in 1959. Now, married again, 希望能多陪陪她的两个孩子, 凯莉和托德·费雪, she moves to Las Vegas to begin her million-dollar residency at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She looks to Las Vegas to provide stability in her life, 无论是个人还是职业, as she establishes herself not only as one of Las Vegas’ most enduring personalities, 同时也是一个多才多艺的艺人. This leads Hollywood to consider her for different roles, casting her as ‘Molly’ in 永不沉没的莫莉·布朗, based on a real-life tale of resilience that Debbie felt paralleled her own rags-to-riches life. Her performance in the film earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
This exhibition weaves together two stories: one of Debbie’s professional career, 突出她的表演, collaborations, 和她的观众有着独特的关系, 还有黛比的私人生活, 展现了她对家人的爱, 她持久的友谊, 以及她“永不沉没”的韧性, culminating in a legacy that is forever entwined in the history of Las Vegas.
L to R: Sidney Korshak with Debbie Reynolds signing her first million-dollar contract, ca. 1961. 由埃弗雷特收藏馆提供.
人:一种平衡的行为
In September 1962, Debbie Reynolds signed a first-of-its-kind million-dollar contract for a holiday season residency at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. 经过几十年的模式化, personal hardship, 以及与艾迪·费雪高调离婚, the multi-faceted actress wanted to use these Las Vegas performances to finally prove herself to the industry that she was thrust into as a teenager. At the Riviera, she would have a consistent schedule to allow her to spend time with her young children, and she could showcase her talents as an impressionist and comedienne and receive offers that would broaden the types of character she could play in films.
人物:黛比的第一份百万美元合同
黛比喜欢舞台，有人引用她的话说, 他的演出计划是每晚两场, 一周七个晚上, 这可能是最艰难的演艺圈了, but in my opinion, 最有价值的. I like the feeling of being able to change stage bits and business when I want. 你不能在电影或电视中做到这一点.好评如潮，众星云集, Debbie invited studio executives to the Riviera to see her perform, 用她的幽默感和魅力惊艳他们. Debbie claims she “clinched the deal” and was finally cast in a role she had longcampaigned for: Titanic-survivor and suffragist, 玛格丽特·“莫莉”·布朗.
Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds performing together, ca. 1970.
人:有其母必有其女?
As early as 1962, 黛比·雷诺兹和她的两个孩子, 托德和凯莉·费雪, appeared onstage together at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, 在黛比的开创性实习期间. 直到1971年, however, 他们三人一起表演, 这次是在沙漠酒店和赌场. Debbie performed her usual variety stylings and welcomed Carrie and Todd to join her in song. Todd later took to accompanying his mother and sister on the guitar, while Carrie and Debbie now evenly shared vocal duties. 尽管好评如潮, 嘉莉患有严重的怯场症, possibly brought on by audience expectations of her being Debbie’s daughter.
人物形象:家庭走上舞台
在随后的几年里, Carrie struggled to maintain her own identity apart from her mother’s larger-than-life career and legacy. The two spent about a decade estranged from one another, eventually reconciling in the 1990s. They supported each another in their respective endeavors, including Carrie writing 1990’s 来自边缘的明信片 and 2001’s These Old Broads, which starred Debbie and once-rivals Shirley MacLaine and Elizabeth Taylor. 托德再次加入了二人组, 还有嘉莉的女儿, 女演员比莉·卢德, onstage for Debbie Reynolds’ farewell performances at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in 2014.
黛比·雷诺兹的作品仍然来自 永不沉没的莫莉·布朗, ca. 1963. 礼貌:米高梅公司.
人物:永不沉没...
Debbie Reynolds’ relationship with suffragist and Titanic survivor, 玛格丽特·“莫莉”·布朗, began with the Tony Award-winning 1960 Broadway production based on Molly’s real-life rags-to-riches story, 永不沉没的莫莉·布朗. Debbie found herself taken with Molly’s story of resilience in the face of hardship and petitioned the studio she was contracted at, 米高梅公司, to cast her in a feature film adaptation of the stage musical. 因为黛比把自己塑造成一个“ingsamue”,她的建议没有得到重视, and she was denied the chance to even audition for the role. In an effort to prove her versatility to both audiences and studio executives, she turned to Las Vegas and took to the stage at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. 她的综艺节目很成功, both with audiences and with the studio executives she was attempting to convince, 因为他们最终让她扮演莫莉·布朗. 电影的制作即将开始, unfortunately, Debbie suffered a second miscarriage with husband Harry Karl.
人物:黛比梦寐以求的角色
Determined to persevere through this immense personal hardship, Debbie immersed herself in her work and propelled Molly Brown to financial and critical success, 获得各种奖项, 包括她唯一的奥斯卡提名. 在她2013年的回忆录中， Unsinkable, Debbie commends Molly’s strength and refers to the character as her “favorite of all the roles [she’s] played.”
黛比·雷诺兹在舞台上模仿梅·韦斯特.
人:幽默如何起作用
While performing onstage in Las Vegas and across the country, Debbie Reynolds hoped to defy the expectations of both audiences and show business executives who, 在她电影生涯的第二个十年里, began to typecast her as “an ingénue” in supporting roles. Onstage at properties such as the Riviera Hotel and Casino and at the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino, Debbie treated audiences to a variety show that highlighted the quality she most wanted to be known for: her sense of humor. Debbie performed humorous and self-effacing monologues about her personal life, she playfully interacted with the audience during musical performances, and she wowed them with expertly crafted celebrity impersonations.
人物形象:黛比的多重面孔
Her roster of impersonations ranged from industry contemporaries and friends such as Clark Gable, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Mae West, 给她喜欢的传奇艺术家, 比如芭芭拉·史翠珊. 当扮演史翠珊的时候, 黛比迅速离开舞台去换戏服, 戴着假发和假鼻子. Her performance as Streisand was developed over months, and included a full orchestral accompaniment to accentuate the nuances in Streisand’s vocal range that Debbie was emulating.
穿着女童子军制服的黛比·雷诺兹. late 1940s. 由埃弗雷特收藏馆提供
人物:女童子军的实际技能
Debbie Reynolds’ time in the Girl Scouts instilled in her a sense of civic responsibility and discipline, as well as provided her with some of the fundamental physical preparation she would utilize throughout her career, 特别是在1952年 在雨中歌唱. 当她被选为电影演员时, she had only three months of rehearsal time to prepare to perform alongside seasoned performers Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor. Despite the rigorous preparation and behind-the-scenes friction with Gene, Reynolds’ performance in the film was a breakthrough and is considered one of her signature roles.
人物:拉斯维加斯的歌舞杂耍
雷诺兹一生都在跳舞, incorporating elaborate choreography into her engagements across the country, 包括在拉斯维加斯, sometimes even sharing the stage with former co-star Donald. 黛比的表演是歌舞杂耍的传统, 19世纪末流行的一种娱乐形式, 哪一个将音乐表演与喜剧和舞蹈相结合. This rigorous touring resulted in Debbie needing a professional and discrete space to rehearse. In 1979, she opened the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio out of a former post office in North Hollywood. For years, she shared her love of dance by offering inexpensive and accessible classes to professionals and newcomers alike.
Debbie Reynolds at the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum, ca. 1995.
人物:内华达州天堂的麻烦
1970年米高梅工作室的拍卖会上, Debbie Reynolds discovered her passion for film memorabilia acquisition and preservation, 估计花费600美元,她把自己的钱花在了银幕上的道具上, costumes, and artifacts. 随着黛比的收藏越来越多, she began her search for a venue in Los Angeles to open a film museum, but was met with general disinterest over preserving the history of the medium. Finally, in 1992, 黛比和她丈夫的机会来了, 房地产开发商理查德·哈姆利特, to acquire the Paddlewheel Hotel in Las Vegas and convert it into the Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino.
角色:一个属于她自己的地方
在这个城市已经是一个成熟的表演者, 黛比把这桩新买卖想成是永久的, 稳定的表演场所, as well as the potential location for her long-awaited film museum. 这家酒店兼赌场于1993年开业, with the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum opening shortly after in 1995. The museum, 以及相关的演示, guided visitors through the history of film and showcased many of the marvelous pieces Debbie had collected over the years from films like 马耳他猎鹰 and 七年之痒. The couple split in 1996 and the casino closed shortly afterwards due to Hamlett’s financial mismanagement of the property.
Debbie Reynolds performing at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, ca. 2014. 提供:拉斯维加斯评论杂志.
男人:谢谢你，黛比
Debbie Reynolds’ November 2014 engagement at the South Point Hotel & 卡西诺在经历了一段时间的健康问题后来到了这里, including a mini-stroke that forced Reynolds to take an extended break from touring, 这是她66年来第一次“度假”.” Debbie intended to have her family there for emotional and physical support, sharing the spotlight with them as she did in the early days of her stage career in Las Vegas. 就像1963年他们在里维埃拉酒店那样 & Casino, 女儿凯莉·费雪和儿子托德·费雪, 和孙女比莉·卢德一起, accompanied Debbie and treated the packed houses to music, comedic banter, and a recollection of show business stories and memories.
人物:黛比的金色告别
同时拒绝给它贴上“告别”的标签,” this engagement proved to be the final time Debbie graced a Las Vegas stage, 52 years since she first performed here when she headlined the Riviera in 1962. Her final Las Vegas performances were chronicled in the award-winning documentary film Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds该剧在她2016年去世后不久首播.
黛比·雷诺兹在舞台上表演
The world mourned for Debbie when she passed away in December 2016. 粉丝们的反应和敬意溢于言表, the film industry, and from philanthropic organizations she had been involved with over the course of her life, 包括她深爱的美国女童子军. 在2013年接受《十大买球平台》采访时, Debbie even remarked that she “[wanted] to die as the world’s oldest living Girl Scout,” having proudly earned 47 merit badges over her 70 years as a member.
3月25日举行了公众追悼会, 2017, attended by 1200 people and live-streamed around the world, featuring performances from the dancers and teachers of the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studios as well as from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. On August 20, 2021, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened to the public, featuring the Debbie Reynolds Costume Conservation Studio which aims to further Debbie’s lifelong passion for maintaining and preserving film history.
Debbie’s influence on Las Vegas can still be felt on our screens and stages. Professionally, she bridged the gap between Hollywood and Las Vegas. Personally, her fortitude and kindness will never be forgotten.
谢谢你，黛比.
