For her 1986 appearance at the theatre, Debbie Reynolds was joined in The Debbie Reynolds Show by Harve Presnell, who co-starred with her in the film The Unsinkable Molly Brown. It was convenient for Presnell to join her in the show, as he was residing at the time at 8356 Sunburst Trail, Parker, Colorado.
On the opening night performance, while patrons of the park cleared out from under a heavy rain, the Elitch Theatre faithful, sheltered under umbrellas, remained to see Debbie Reynolds, their favorite entertaining star.
They were rewarded with a warm dose of nostalgia and comedy from Reynolds, whose strong suit is a genuine sense of comic timing and an apparent ease in front of a damp and disheartened audience. Reynolds immediately chased the clouds away.
While performing at Elitch, Miss Reynolds stayed at the Oxford Hotel and was present in the hotel when the fire alarm went off at 2:30 on a Sunday morning. She shared the event with Alan Stem, the Denver Post drama critic. “All the guests were in the lobby in our pajamas and nightgowns … What were we going to do, stare at each other? So we all went into the bar and I started singing. Pretty soon everybody was joining in with ‘Roll Out the Barrel.”‘
Stern commented that it sounded “like a scene from The Unsinkable Molly Brown, in which Reynolds – playing Colorado’s leading legend – kept up morale in the lifeboat after the Titanic sank.”
After the final performance of Never Too Late (another show from the 1986 season,) Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell were brought back by popular demand for 6-days of their Las Vegas style of singing entertainment.
[Borrillo, Theodore A., (2012). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). pp. 336-337.]
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1970
- 1986
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Nominee: 1951 Golden Globe Awards New Star of the Year – Three Little Words
- Nominee: 1965 Academy Awards for Best Actress — The Unsinkable Molly Brown
- Nominee: 1965 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy — The Unsinkable Molly Brown
- Nominee: 1973 Tony Awards Best Actress in a Musical — Irene
- Won: 2014 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
- Won: 2015 Academy Awards Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- Two Weeks with Love (film, 1950) Jane Powell — Reynolds played Melba Robinson while Powell starred as her screen sister Patti Robinson.
- Athena (film, 1954) Reynolds and Jane Powell co-starred as sisters: Powell was Athena Mulvain and Reynolds was Minerva Mulvain.
- Hit the Deck (film, 1955) co-starred with Jane Powell, Walter Pidgeon, and Gene Raymond. Reynolds played Carol Pace, Powell played Susan Smith, Pidgeon played Rear Adm. Daniel Xavier Smith, and Raymond played Wendell Craig.
- The Rat Race (film, 1960) Kay Medford — Reynolds starred as Peggy Brown; Medford played Mrs. “Soda” Gallo.
- Pepe (1960) Reynolds appeared in a cameo, with additional cameos by alums Edward G. Robinson and Cesar Romero.
- My Six Loves (1963) co-star with Eileen Heckart. Reynolds starred as Janice Courtney; Heckart played her housekeeper Ethel.
- Mary, Mary (1963) Barry Nelson — Reynolds played Mary McKellaway and Nelson her estranged husband Bob McKellaway.
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) Harve Presnell — Reynolds was Molly Brown and Presnell was “Leadville” Johnny Brown.
- Divorce American Style (1967) — Van Johnson — Reynolds starred as Barbara Harmon; Johnson played Al Yearling.
- What’s the Matter With Helen? is a 1971 horror film that stars Reynolds, and Elitch Theatre alumna, Shelley Winters.
- Broadway Plays Washington — PBS/Kennedy Center television special, 1982 — John Raitt — Both Raitt and Reynolds were performers contributing Broadway numbers to the same Kennedy Center television special.
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder — TV movie, Raymond Burr — Burr starred as Perry Mason; Reynolds guest-starred prominently as Amanda Cody in the same TV movie.
- Aloha Paradise starring Reynolds as series lead Sydney Chase. The series would include Elitch Alum guest stars: Jim Nabors, Joan Fontaine, Van Johnson, and Jayne Meadows.
- In 1989, Debbie appeared in Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder (TV Movie) with HET Alum, Raymond Burr.
- Will & Grace — with Veronica Cartwright, Tom Poston, and Bernadette Peters. Reynolds recurred as Grace’s mother Bobbi Adler. Cartwright guest-starred as Jack’s mother Judith McFarland. Poston guest-starred as Norman in “Went to a Garden Potty” in 2002. Peters guest-starred as Karen’s sister Virginia/Gin in “Whatever Happened to Baby Gin?”
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