Editing Debbie Reynolds (section)

== Career ==
=== Film and television ===
Reynolds was discovered by talent scouts from [[Warner Bros.]] and MGM, who were at the 1948 Miss Burbank contest. Both companies wanted her to sign up with their studio, and had to flip a coin to see which one got her. Warner Bros. won the coin toss, and she was with the studio for two years.<ref name=TCM2>''Leading Ladies,'' Chronicle Books (2006) p. 161</ref> When Warner Bros. stopped producing musicals, she moved to MGM.

With MGM, Reynolds regularly appeared in [[musical film|movie musicals]] during the 1950s, and had several hit records during the period. Her song "[[Aba Daba Honeymoon]]" (featured in the film ''[[Two Weeks with Love]]'' (1950) and sung as a duet with co-star [[Carleton Carpenter]]) was the first soundtrack recording to become a top-of-the-chart gold record, reaching number three on the ''Billboard'' charts.<ref>video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJHJAkhacGU "Carleton Carpenter and Debbie Reynolds, "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" from ''Two Weeks with Love'']</ref>

[[File:Singin' in the Rain trailer.jpg|thumb|[[Gene Kelly]], Reynolds, and [[Donald O'Connor]] during the ''[[Singin' in the Rain]]'' [[Trailer (promotion)|trailer]] (1952)]]
Her performance in the film greatly impressed the studio, which then gave her a co-starring role in what became her highest-profile film, ''[[Singin' in the Rain]]'' (1952), a satire on movie-making in Hollywood during the transition from silent to sound pictures.<ref name=TCM2/> It co-starred [[Gene Kelly]], whom she called a "great dancer and cinematic genius," adding, "He made me a star. I was 18 and he taught me how to dance and how to work hard and be dedicated."<ref>"Rain will only bring smiles," ''The Sydney Morning Herald,'' February 4, 1996</ref> In 1956, she appeared in the musical ''[[Bundle of Joy]]'' with her then-husband, [[Eddie Fisher]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first= Nicholas |last=Hautman |date=December 28, 2016 |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/debbie-reynolds-most-unforgettable-movie-roles-w458229 |title=Debbie Reynolds' Most Unforgettable Movie Roles: ''Singin' in the Rain,'' ''Halloweentown'' and More |magazine=[[Us Weekly]] |access-date=December 29, 2016 }}</ref>

Reynolds was one of 14 top-billed names in ''[[How the West Was Won (film)|How the West Was Won]]'' (1962) but she was the only one who appeared throughout, the story largely following the life and times of her character Lilith Prescott. In the film, she sang three songs: ''What Was Your Name in the States?'', as her pioneering family begin their westward journey; ''Raise a Ruckus Tonight'', starting a party around a wagon train camp fire; and, three times, ''Home in the Meadow'' – to the tune of ''[[Greensleeves]]'' with lyrics by [[Sammy Cahn]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daveswarbirds.com/HTWWW/lyrics.htm |title=How The West Was Won: the lyrics to the songs |access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref>

Her starring role in ''[[The Unsinkable Molly Brown (film)|The Unsinkable Molly Brown]]'' (1964) led to a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].<ref>video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFRekX-LrU;t=1m20s Debbie Reynolds singing "I Ain't Down Yet," in ''The Unsinkable Molly Brown'']</ref> Reynolds noted that she initially had issues with its director, [[Charles Walters]]. "He didn't want me," she said. "He wanted [[Shirley MacLaine]]," who at the time was unable to take the role. "He said, 'You are totally wrong for the part.'" But six weeks into production, he reversed his opinion. "He came to me and said, 'I have to admit that I was wrong. You are playing the role really well. I'm pleased.'"<ref name=Chicago2>{{cite news |title=Debbie Reynolds remains pleasurable company |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> Reynolds also played in ''[[Goodbye Charlie]]'', a 1964 comedy film about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward. It was adapted from [[George Axelrod]]'s play ''Goodbye, Charlie'' and also starred [[Tony Curtis]] and [[Pat Boone]].

She next portrayed [[Jeanine Deckers]] in ''[[The Singing Nun (film)|The Singing Nun]]'' (1966). In what Reynolds once called the "stupidest mistake of my entire career,"<ref name="mylife">Reynolds, Debbie (with Columbia, David Patrick) (1988). ''Debbie: My Life''. [[William Morrow and Company]], p. 309; {{ISBN|978-0-688-06633-8}}</ref> she made headlines in 1970 after instigating a fight with the NBC television network over cigarette advertising on her weekly [[The Debbie Reynolds Show|television show]]. Although she was television's highest-paid female performer at the time, she quit the show for breaking its contract:<ref name="mylife" />

{{blockquote|I was shocked to discover that the initial commercial aired during the premiere of my new series was devoted to a nationally advertised brand of cigarette (Pall Mall). I fully outlined my personal feelings concerning cigarette advertising&nbsp;... that I will not be a party to such commercials, which I consider directly opposed to health and well-being.<ref>{{cite news |title=Debbie Reynolds Quits TV Series Over Cigarette Ad |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=September 18, 1969 |page=2}}</ref>}}

When NBC explained to Reynolds that banning cigarette commercials from her show would be impossible, she kept her resolve. The show drew mixed reviews, but according to NBC, it captured about 42% of the nation's viewing audience. She said later she was especially concerned about the commercials because of the number of children watching the show.<ref>{{cite news |title=Debbie Reynolds Changes Her Mind About Quitting |newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun |date=September 19, 1969}}</ref> She did quit doing the show after about a year, which she said had cost her about $2 million of lost income: "Maybe I was a fool to quit the show, but at least I was an honest fool. I'm not a phony or pretender. With me, it wasn't a question of money, but integrity. I'm the one who has to live with myself."<ref name=Chicago/> The dispute would have been rendered moot and in Reynolds' favor anyway had she not resigned; by 1971, the [[Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act]] (which had been passed into law before she left the show) would ban all radio and television advertising for tobacco products.

Reynolds voiced Charlotte in the [[Hanna-Barbera]] animated musical ''[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Charlotte's Web]]'' (1973), where she originated the song "[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Mother Earth and Father Time]]."<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (April 25, 1973). "Charlotte's Web" ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' Pg. 57.</ref> Reynolds continued to make other appearances in film and television. She played [[Wings (1990 TV series)#Helen Chappel Hackett|Helen Chappel Hackett]]'s mother, Deedee Chappel, on the ''[[Wings (1990 TV series)|Wings]]'' episode "If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother," which first aired November 22, 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0749257/|title=If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother|publisher=[[IMDb]]|access-date=August 17, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Debbie Reynolds 1998.jpg|thumb|upright|Reynolds in 1998]]
From 1999 to 2006, she played [[Grace Adler]]'s theatrical mother, Bobbi Adler, on the NBC sitcom ''[[Will & Grace]]'',<ref>{{Citation|title=Will & Grace – NBC.com|url=https://www.nbc.com/will-and-grace?nbc=1|access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> which earned Reynolds her only [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] nomination for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series]] in [[52nd Primetime Emmy Awards|2000]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/debbie-reynolds|title=Debbie Reynolds &#124; Television Academy|publisher=Emmys.com|access-date=August 17, 2015}}</ref> She played a recurring role in the [[List of Disney Channel original films|Disney Channel Original Movie]] [[Halloweentown (film series)|''Halloweentown'' film series]] as Aggie Cromwell. Reynolds made a guest appearance as a presenter at the [[69th Academy Awards]] in 1997.<ref>*{{cite book |last=Bona |first=Damien |title=Inside Oscar 2 |year=2002 |isbn=0-345-44970-3 |location=New York |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/insideoscar200bona/page/102 102] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/insideoscar200bona/page/102 }}</ref>

In 2000, Reynolds took up a recurring voice role on the children's television program ''[[Rugrats]],'' playing the grandmother of two of the characters. In 2001, she co-starred with [[Elizabeth Taylor]], Shirley MacLaine, and [[Joan Collins]] in the comedy ''[[These Old Broads]],'' a television movie written for her by her daughter, Carrie Fisher.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-feb-12-ca-24245-story.html "Scandal's History for 'These Old Broads'"], ''Los Angeles Times'', February 12, 2001</ref> She had a cameo role as herself in the 2004 film ''[[Connie and Carla]].'' In 2013, she appeared in ''[[Behind the Candelabra]],'' as the mother of [[Liberace]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Erich |last=Schwartzel |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/actress-debbie-reynolds-dies-at-84-1482977389 |title=Actress Debbie Reynolds Dies at 84 |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=December 29, 2016 }}</ref>

Reynolds appears with her daughter in ''[[Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds]],'' a 2016 documentary about the very close relationship between the two.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/05/23/bright-lights-carrie-fisher-debbie-reynolds-cannes|title=Carrie Fisher reflects on mother Debbie Reynolds' legacy in HBO doc Bright Lights|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=May 23, 2016|access-date=June 11, 2016}}</ref> It premiered at the [[2016 Cannes Film Festival]]. The television premiere was January 7, 2017, on [[HBO]].<ref name="auto1"/> According to ''[[USA Today]]'', the film is "an intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty ... [it] loosely chronicles their lives through interviews, photos, footage, and vintage home movies... It culminates in a moving scene, just as Reynolds is preparing to receive the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, which Fisher presented to her mom."<ref>
{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |date=December 29, 2016 |title=What we know about Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds' HBO documentary |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/12/29/carrie-fisher-debbie-reynolds-hbo-documentary-bright-lights/95954398/ |newspaper=USA Today |location=McLean, Virginia |access-date=December 29, 2016}}</ref>

=== Music career and cabaret ===
Her recording of the song "Tammy" (1957; from ''[[Tammy and the Bachelor]]'') earned her a [[Music recording sales certification|gold record]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book|author=Murrells, Joseph|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr|url-access=registration|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Barrie & Jenkins]]|location=London, UK|isbn=0-214-20512-6}}</ref> It was a number one single on the ''Billboard'' pop charts in [[List of Billboard number-one singles of 1957|1957]]. In the movie (the first of the [[Tammy (film series)|''Tammy'']] [[film series]]), she co-starred with [[Leslie Nielsen]].<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Debbie-Reynolds/dp/B0039G65PQ/ ''Debbie'' (1959)], Vinyl record, Amazon.com records</ref>

Reynolds also scored two other top-25 ''Billboard'' hits with "A Very Special Love" (number 20 in January 1958) and "[[Am I That Easy to Forget]]" (number 25 in March 1960)—a pop-music version of a [[country music|country-music]] hit made famous by [[Carl Belew]] (in 1959), [[Skeeter Davis]] (in 1960), and several years later by singer [[Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7640003/debbie-reynolds-billboard-chart-history|magazine=Billboard|title=Debbie Reynolds' History on the Billboard Charts|first=Gary|last=Trust|date=December 28, 2016|access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref>

She released ''The Best of Debbie Reynolds'' album in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Debbie-Reynolds/dp/B003JBX3EW|title=Debbie|publisher=Amazon|date=May 24, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:6212-LasVegasStrip-RivieraHotelMarquee.jpg|thumb|left|Marquee listing Reynolds' world premiere at the [[Riviera (hotel and casino)|Riviera Hotel]], Las Vegas, December 1962]]
For 10 years, she headlined for about three months a year in Las Vegas's Riviera Hotel. She enjoyed live shows, though that type of performing "was extremely strenuous," she said in 1966:

<blockquote>With a performing schedule of two shows a night, seven nights a week, it's probably the toughest kind of show business, but in my opinion, the most rewarding. I like the feeling of being able to change stage bits and business when I want. You can't do that in motion pictures or TV.<ref>"Debbie Reynolds Still Unsinkable", ''Los Angeles Times'', December 17, 1966.</ref></blockquote>

As part of her nightclub act, Reynolds was noted for doing impressions of celebrities such as Eva and Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mae West, Barbra Streisand, Phyllis Diller, and Bette Davis. Her impersonation of Davis was inspired following their co-starring roles in the 1956 film, ''[[The Catered Affair]]''.<ref name=Chicago>"Debbie Reynolds Takes on Eva, Mae, Pearl, and 'The Kid'", ''Chicago Tribune'', March 19, 1972.</ref> Reynolds had started doing stage impersonations as a teenager; her impersonation of [[Betty Hutton]] was performed as a singing number during the Miss Burbank contest in 1948.<ref name=Chicago/>

Her 1992 holiday collaboration with [[Donald O'Connor]], ''Christmas with Donald and Debbie'', arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo, would be her final album release.<ref>{{cite book |title=Christmas with Donald and Debbie: Featuring Chrissy the Christmas Mouse |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/839430840 |via=WorldCat |publisher=OCLC |oclc=839430840 |access-date=October 21, 2022}}</ref>

Reynolds was also a French horn player. Gene Kelly, reflecting on Reynolds's sudden fame, recalled, "There were times when Debbie was more interested in playing the French horn somewhere in the San Fernando Valley or attending a Girl Scout meeting....She didn't realize she was a movie star all of a sudden."<ref>"Mary Francis (Debbie) Reynolds (1932–2016)", ''The Horn Call'', February 2017, Volume XLVII, No. 2, p. 26.</ref>

=== Stage work ===
[[File:Debbie Reynolds - self 1975.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Reynolds prior to performing a show in Las Vegas in 1975]]
With limited film and television opportunities coming her way, Reynolds accepted an opportunity to make her Broadway debut.<ref name=":2" /> She starred in the 1973 revival of ''Irene'', a musical first produced 60 years before.<ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine |url=http://people.com/archive/unsinkable-debbie-reynolds-at-42-she-salvages-her-career-vol-2-no-22/ |title=Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds: at 42, She Salvages Her Career |date=November 25, 1974|magazine=People |access-date=December 29, 2016}}</ref> When asked why she waited so long to appear in a Broadway play, she explained:

{{blockquote|Primarily because I had two children growing up, I could make movies and recordings and plays in nearby Las Vegas and handle a television series without being away from them. Now, they are well on the way to being adults. Also, there was the matter of being offered a show that I felt might be right for me&nbsp;... I felt that ''Irene'' was it and now was the time.<ref name=Irene>{{Cite news|title=After half a century, ''Irene'' revisits ol' Broadway |newspaper=The Times Standard |location=Eureka, California |date=March 11, 1973 |page=14}}</ref>}}

Reynolds and her daughter Carrie both made their Broadway debuts in the play.<ref name=Irene/> Per reports, the production broke records for the highest weekly gross of any musical.<ref name=":2" /> For that production, she received a Tony nomination. Reynolds also starred in the Broadway revue ''Debbie'' in 1976.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/debbie-reynolds-obituary_79533.html|title=Actress Debbie Reynolds Has Died at 84|date=December 28, 2016|publisher=TheaterMania|access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref> She toured with [[Harve Presnell]] in ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'',<ref name="presnell">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-05-08-ca-2445-story.html|title=Stage Review : 'Molly Brown' Is Unsinkable 25 Years After the Movie|last=Loynd|first=Ray|date=May 8, 1989|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref> then wrapped up the Broadway run of ''[[Woman of the Year]]'' in 1983,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/28/theater/stage-debbie-reynolds-in-woman-of-the-year.html|title=Stage: Debbie Reynolds In 'Woman of the Year'| last= Gussow| first= Mel| date= February 28, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Woman of the Year – Broadway Musical – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/woman-of-the-year-4104#Replacements |access-date=August 24, 2023 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref> while Fisher was appearing in ''[[Agnes of God]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Haun |first=Harry |date=April 1, 2020 |title=From the Archives: When Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Simultaneously Starred on Broadway |work=[[Playbill]] |url=https://playbill.com/article/when-debbie-reynolds-and-carrie-fisher-simultaneously-starred-on-broadway |access-date=August 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Agnes of God – Broadway Play – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/agnes-of-god-4166#Replacements |access-date=August 24, 2023 |website=ibdb.com}}</ref> In the late 1980s, Reynolds repeated her role as Molly Brown in the stage version of ''[[The Unsinkable Molly Brown (musical)|The Unsinkable Molly Brown]]'', first opposite Presnell (repeating his original Broadway and movie role)<ref name="presnell" /> and later with [[Ron Raines]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://newsok.com/article/2337853|title=OCU Hall of Fame Names Linda Twine, Ron Raines|date=November 14, 1990|work=The Oklahoman |access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref>

* ''[[Best Foot Forward (musical)|Best Foot Forward]]'' (1953) ([[Dallas]] State Fair)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx0SKzUuZ78C&q=debbie+reynolds+best+foot+forward+stage&pg=PT470|title=The Bennetts: An Acting Family|last=Kellow|first=Brian|date=November 26, 2004|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=0813138183}}</ref>
* ''[[Irene (musical)|Irene]]'' (1973) (Broadway and US national tour)<ref name="broadway">[http://www.broadway.com/buzz/187178/hollywood-broadway-star-debbie-reynolds-dead-at-84-one-day-after-daughter-carrie-fisher/ "Hollywood & Broadway Star Debbie Reynolds Dead at 84, One Day After Daughter Carrie Fisher"], Broadway.com, December 28, 2016</ref>
* ''Debbie'' (1976) (Broadway)<ref name="broadway" />
* ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'' (1977) (San Francisco and Los Angeles)
* ''[[Woman of the Year (musical)|Woman of the Year]]'' (1982) (Broadway) (replacement for [[Lauren Bacall]])<ref name=broadway/>
* ''[[The Unsinkable Molly Brown (musical)|The Unsinkable Molly Brown]]'' (1989) (US national tour)
* ''[[Irene (musical)|Irene]]'' (2008) Perth Western Australia

In 2010, she appeared in her own [[West End theatre|West End]] show ''Debbie Reynolds: Alive and Fabulous''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://london.broadway.com/buzz/139609/debbie-reynolds-returns-to-west-end-in-alive-and-fabulous/|title=Debbie Reynolds Returns to West End in Alive and Fabulous|publisher=broadway.com|access-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref>

=== Film history preservation ===
Reynolds amassed a large collection of [[Film memorabilia|movie memorabilia]], beginning with items from the landmark [[Film memorabilia#1970 MGM auction|1970 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer auction]], and she displayed them, first in a museum at her Las Vegas hotel and casino during the 1990s<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-01-ca-49745-story.html|title=Reynolds' Unsinkable Museum : Memorabilia: Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood museum opens in Las Vegas tonight, 25 years after the plucky performer salvaged MGM's discards.|first=Laurie K.|last=Schenden|date=April 1, 1995|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and later in a museum close to the [[Kodak Theatre]] in Los Angeles.

The museum was to relocate to be the centerpiece of the Belle Island Village tourist attraction in the resort city of [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee]], but the developer went bankrupt.<ref name=DNews>{{cite news |title=Auction Set for Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Memorabilia |work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] |date=September 10, 2010 |url=http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16042045 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628212918/http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16042045 |archive-date=June 28, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=Sentinel>{{cite news |title=With No Buyer, Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Memorabilia To Go To Auction |author=Flory, Josh |work =[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=September 9, 2010 |url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/sep/09/091010reynolds/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913024446/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/sep/09/091010reynolds |archive-date=September 13, 2010}}</ref> The museum filed for [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter&nbsp;11 bankruptcy]]<ref name=WSJ>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2010/09/10/reynolds-to-auction-hollywood-memorabilia/ |title=Reynolds to Auction Hollywood Memorabilia |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] blogs |date=September 10, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2011 |first=Jacqueline |last=Palank}}</ref> in June 2009. The most valuable asset of the museum was Reynolds' collection.<ref name=DNews/> Todd Fisher, Reynolds' son, announced that his mother was "heartbroken" to have to auction off the collection.<ref name=DNews/> It was valued at $10.79&nbsp;million in the bankruptcy filing.<ref name=Sentinel/> Los Angeles auction firm [[Profiles in History]] was given the responsibility of conducting a series of auctions.<ref name=Sun>{{cite news |title=Marilyn Monroe's Skirt Going Up&nbsp;– On Auction Block |author=Stone, Jay | work = [[The Vancouver Sun]] |date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Marilyn+Monroe+skirt+going+auction+block/4352729/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609215004/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Marilyn+Monroe+skirt+going+auction+block/4352729/story.html |archive-date=June 9, 2011}}</ref> Among the "more than 3500 costumes, 20,000 photographs, and thousands of movie posters, costume sketches, and props" included in the sales were [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s bowler hat and [[Marilyn Monroe]]'s white "subway dress," whose skirt is lifted up by the breeze from a passing subway train in the film ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955).<ref name=Sun/> The dress sold for $4.6&nbsp;million in 2011;<ref>{{cite news |first=Philip |last=Potempa |url=http://www.nwitimes.com/entertainment/columnists/offbeat/offbeat-debbie-s-auction-nets-big-profit-she-s-resting/article_51d47ed5-faa6-516c-839b-7797a96082be.html |title=OFFBEAT: Debbie's auction nets big profit, she's resting more easily without debt worry |newspaper=[[The Times of Northwest Indiana]] |date=June 25, 2011 }}</ref> the final auction was held in May 2014.<ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Lewis |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/debbie-reynolds-hurt-by-academy-702097 |title=Debbie Reynolds 'Hurt' by Academy for Refusing Her Memorabilia Collection |newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=May 9, 2014 }}</ref>

=== Business ventures ===
In 1979, Reynolds opened her own dance studio in North Hollywood. In 1983, she released an exercise video, ''Do It Debbie's Way!''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stargayzing.com/do-it-debbies-way-a-tribute-to-the-unsinkable-miss-reynolds-and-her-superb-multimedia-exercise-program/|title="Do It Debbie's Way!" A Tribute to the Unsinkable Miss Reynolds and Her Superb Multimedia Exercise Program|publisher= Stargayzing.com|access-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref> She purchased the [[Clarion Hotel and Casino]], a hotel and casino in [[Las Vegas]], in 1992. She renamed it the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel but it was not a success and Reynolds was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1997.<ref name= casino>{{cite news| last= Brozan| first= Nadine |title=Chronicle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/09/style/chronicle-040070.html |access-date=September 23, 2010| work = [[The New York Times]] |date=July 9, 1997}}</ref> In June 2010, she replaced [[Ivana Trump]] on the ''[[Globe (tabloid)|Globe]]'' weekly's [[advice column]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janetcharltonshollywood.com/who-would-you-rather-take-advice-from-ivana-trump-or-debbie-reynolds|work=Janet Charlton's Hollywood|title=Who Would You Rather Take Advice From? Ivana Trump or Debbie Reynolds?|date=June 3, 2010|access-date= April 23, 2012}}</ref> but many of the published letters were plagiarized from ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'''s ''[[Dear Prudence (advice column)|Dear Prudence]]'' and possibly others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/07/dear-prudence-and-dear-debbie-the-strangely-similar-letters-of-debbie-reynolds-in-the-globe-and-emily-yoffe-in-slate.html|website=Slate|title=Debbie Reynolds and Me|date=July 24, 2014|access-date= August 17, 2023}}</ref>

=== Advocacy ===
Reynolds was a longtime ally of the LGBT community and an early advocate for AIDS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stroude |first=Will |date=December 29, 2016 |title=Hollywood legend and gay icon Debbie Reynolds dies age 84 |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/film-tv/hollywood-legend-and-gay-icon-debbie-reynolds-dies-age-84-291266/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711205636/https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/film-tv/hollywood-legend-and-gay-icon-debbie-reynolds-dies-age-84-291266/ |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=July 11, 2023 |website=Attitude}}</ref> In 1983, Reynolds performed at an AIDS fundraiser with her friend Shirley MacLaine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 29, 2016 |title=Debbie Reynolds, early Hollywood AIDS activist |url=https://thepridela.smmirror.com/2016/12/debbie-reynolds-early-hollywood-aids-activist/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113093033/https://thepridela.com/2016/12/debbie-reynolds-early-hollywood-aids-activist/ |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |access-date=July 11, 2023 |website=The Pride LA}}</ref> In a 2014 interview with ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Reynolds revealed that she had helped several closeted actors conceal their homosexuality by dating them.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 17, 2014 |title=Debbie Reynolds Interview 'You had to keep your husband in the garage if Liz Taylor came to visit' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10828282/Debbie-Reynolds-Interview-You-had-to-keep-your-husband-in-the-garage-if-Liz-Taylor-came-to-visit.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702215709/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10828282/Debbie-Reynolds-Interview-You-had-to-keep-your-husband-in-the-garage-if-Liz-Taylor-came-to-visit.html |archive-date=July 2, 2024 |access-date=July 11, 2023 |website=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref> When asked when she realized she was a gay icon, Reynolds replied, "Over the years many of the boys that have worked for me as dancers have been gay. The creative people were all gay people, from producers to writers. To me, they were just family."<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 25, 2007 |title=The 'Unsinkable' Debbie Reynolds – Windy City Times News |url=https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/The-Unsinkable-Debbie-Reynolds/39457.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726220720/https://windycitytimes.com/2007/07/25/the-unsinkable-debbie-reynolds/ |archive-date=July 26, 2024 |access-date=July 11, 2023 |website=Windy City Times}}</ref>