When I was a lad we had great actors and actresses. Movies were a big thing. I never went to movies until I began dating the girl that is now my wife.
It’s hard to imagine if you see a young person today, they did not see 9/11. In fact they do not remember any of the things that happened in our lifetime. Perhaps they have heard the names Marilyn Monroe, Janet Leigh, or Grace Kelly. In our day every boy or girl had his favorite movie star. Movie Stars were a big part of everyday life. I would like to tell you about a couple that became everyone’s sweetheart.
Mary Frances was a tomboy. She preferred the name Franny because she thought it sounded like a tomboy. As long as she could remember she wanted to be a gym teacher. Her older brother Billy was a star athlete. He excelled in every sport, and Franny joined in all the games, and she became quite good at sports. This was her entire life and she was destined to be a gym teacher.
One day Mary did something that was quite uncharacteristic for her, she signed up for a beauty contest. Now she had no intention of winning, or even participating in the contest. To every entrance they gave away a free blouse, a beautiful scarf and a free lunch. She had to have that blouse and scarf.
When her folks ask her where she got the blouse, she told them she had entered the beauty contest, but she didn’t plan on competing. Franny had just turned 16, but she was a tomboy. She didn’t even wear lipstick. Her folks told her if she signed her name she would have to play the game, so she was stuck. Mary’s only swimsuit had a hole which would need to be patched. She borrowed a pair of high heels from her best friend but they were two sizes to big. She could hardly walk.
Mary confided to an official she didn’t want to win. But she clomped on stage. The girls before her had tap danced, played a harp, and recited a passage from Little Women. Mary carried a record player and she was going to pantimime a song. She paused for a second and looked at the audience, and asked in a low voice, “Can I take off my shoes?” The audience went crazy. She won the title Miss Burbank in spite of herself.
The little girl, the one that wanted above all else to be a gym teacher, came out of the shadow and received a call from MGM studios. Mary Frances Reynolds, Debbie Reynolds. On June 10th, 1955, there was one of the biggest weddings of all time. Two heart throbs, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. Their union produced two children Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher. Eddie married Elizabeth Taylor, and Debbie married two more times.
The saddest thing was the death of her daughter Carrie from using drugs. Carrie died at age 59, and Debbie died the next day. Debbie’s faith stood out even though there was tumalt her life.
She and Elizabeth Taylor became best friends in later life. After she passed there was a fight over the money from her estate. There always is.
Debbie made the following statement. “Faith helps you overcome other people’s shortcomings. You must love them as they are. If you ask too much of any relationship you will be disappointed. If you ask nothing you’ll never be disappointed.” I’ll have to check if her movie, “Singin’ ln the Rain,” with Grace Kelly and the Bing Crosby is in the library.
—James Neuhouser
