Debbie Reynolds can be bright and agreeable without disappearing beside louder performers. Her dancing and comic timing make the case for her; the wholesome parts she was repeatedly given sometimes ask too little.
Fi1m perspective
Alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain (1952), Debbie Reynolds holds her place without making a fuss about it. As Kathy Selden, she has less help from the romance than she deserves, but enough presence to keep us interested between routines. We were charmed by her persistence in making Kathy worth watching when the writing had given her so little. Kelly's assurance and O'Connor's unruliness are more conspicuous pleasures. Reynolds makes it possible to enjoy their company without wondering why the film has stopped to accommodate a love story.
Her breakthrough there led into a run of 1950s musicals and light comedies, with cheerful, wholesome characters becoming a familiar assignment. Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) reinforced that image, and repeated casting in innocent roles limited what she was asked to do. We should give the comic timing its due without pretending those parts were always sufficient. The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), a boisterous biographical musical with a physically and vocally demanding lead, offered more room for her energy.
Kelly was also her dance mentor, but the limited training Reynolds brought to her early musical work is not what we notice in Singin' in the Rain. Directors Stanley Donen and Kelly get the benefit of a performer who can keep up without becoming anonymous. The dancing gives her opportunities that the dialogue does not always provide. Our reservation is with the writing: her presence cannot supply the detail missing from Kathy's romance.
After years focused on stage and television, Mother (1996) returned her to a substantial screen role as Beatrice Henderson. For a first encounter, though, we would go back to Kathy and allow for a romance that gives her too little to do. In Singin' in the Rain, the cheerful manner comes with the dancing and the comic timing to justify it. Give her as much attention as the two men; she has earned it.
Biography
Debbie Reynolds, born Mary Frances Reynolds, was an American actress and singer. She was born on 1 April 1932 in El Paso, Texas, and died on 28 December 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
She began her film career after winning a beauty contest at the age of 16, leading to a contract with Warner Bros. and later MGM. Her breakthrough came with the role of Kathy Selden in the 1952 musical Singin' in the Rain.
Reynolds received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). Other film credits include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Bundle of Joy (1956) and Mother (1996).
