Editing Debbie Reynolds (section)

=== 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>