Make 'em laugh Short-term memories of longtime friends

Debbie Reynolds

eAudio - 2015

The beloved Hollywood star and New York Times bestselling author of Unsinkable continues her intimate chat with fans in this entertaining collection of anecdotes, stories, jokes, and random musings from a woman who has seen it all-and done most of it. From her acclaimed performances to her headline-making divorce from Eddie Fisher, raising a famous daughter to hitting the road with a successful one-woman show, Debbie Reynolds has been in the spotlight for decades. She's met presidents, performed for the Queen of England, and partied with kings. A show business icon, she continues to sing and dance-and can drop more names than Andy Cohen. In this fabulous personal tour, she recalls wonderful moments with the greats of the entertainment ...world-Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, Phyllis Diller, and many, many more-sharing stories that shed new light on her life and career and the glittering world of Hollywood then and now. Debbie has plenty to tell-and in Make 'Em Laugh, she dishes it in the warm, down-to-earth voice her fans adore. Debbie shares memories of late night pals and some of the greatest comedians of all time, stories from the big screen and small, and tales of marriage, motherhood, and children. Combining her wicked sense of humor and appealing charm, she reveals the personal side of show business and fame in funny, poignant, and delightful reminiscences. Nothing is off limits: Debbie talks about her sex life, her family drama-and even shares a few secret recipes. As irresistible as the woman at its heart, this collection shows the consummate skill of a beloved entertainer who truly knows how to Make 'Em Laugh.

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Subjects
Published
[United States] : HarperAudio 2015.
Language
English
Corporate Author
hoopla digital
Main Author
Debbie Reynolds (author)
Corporate Author
hoopla digital (-)
Other Authors
Judith Ivey, 1951- (narrator), Dorian Hannaway (author)
Edition
Unabridged
Online Access
Instantly available on hoopla.
Cover image
Physical Description
1 online resource (1 audio file (5hr., 52 min.)) : digital
Format
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
ISBN
9780062424068
Access
AVAILABLE FOR USE ONLY BY IOWA CITY AND RESIDENTS OF THE CONTRACTING GOVERNMENTS OF JOHNSON COUNTY, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, HILLS, AND LONE TREE (IA).
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

This follow-up to Reynolds' Unsinkable (2013), also cowritten by Hannaway, offers an engaging collection of memories: posing for her first magazine cover in 1948; surfing in shark-infested waters, 1952; taking a Girl Scout troop trick-or-treating at celebrities' homes in the 1960s; receiving the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild; and so on. Most of the stories concern people Reynolds has known in her long career, a list so lengthy that just the Bs are an impressive lot: Berle, Ball, Benny, Burns & Allen. Reynolds, who refers to herself as a comic (hence the book's title), has done some outstanding film work with Singin' in the Rain at the forefront but what's most impressive here is her (almost always) upbeat outlook and her fond regard for the deep friendships she has forged throughout her life. This isn't exactly a showbiz memoir; it's more of a memory book by a woman who has lived a rich life that happened to involve Hollywood.--Pitt, David Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A frothy collection of stories and gossip from the comedic actress. Reynolds (Unsinkable, 2013, etc.), aided by co-author Hannaway, former late-night programming director for CBS, looks back happily at her 65-year career on stage, screen, and TV. Calling herself "a vaudevillian, a baggy-pants comedian," she confesses she'll "do anything to get a laugh": pretending to ravish TV host Jack Paar under his desk ("Debbie Goes Wild!" exclaimed the next day's headlines); tackling Regis Philbin ("a cute young thingsmall and wiry and fit"); dancing so energetically with Johnny Carson that he ended up sweating and winded. Although she regrets not having had "more sex" and confesses to a "lack of passion" that "probably cost me dearly in my marriages," Reynolds delights in revealing some of her aristocratic admirers. Newly divorced from Eddie Fisher, she caught the eye of 28-year-old King Baudouin of Belgium, whom she spirited away to a day at the beach; in London for a celebration of Bob Hope's 82nd birthday, Prince Philip progressed from holding her hand to caressing her backside; and the shah of Iran, whose wife invited her to perform at their palace, was so enchanted that he wouldn't let her stop singing. At a post-performance dinner, "I kept looking around, hoping for some rich, single prince to take an interest in me," Reynolds writes. Instead, she received a gift from the shah of a handmade Persian rug. The bubbly Reynolds has a kind word for almost everyone: Howard Hughes, "the most polite, southern Texas kind of gentleman"; Elizabeth Taylor, with whom Reynolds had "a very unusual friendship"; her personal assistant, who had been one of her most ardent fans; and her many hairdressers. Only the "obnoxious" Milton Berle and the "pain in the ass" Shelley Winters merit her scorn. The rest is pure frosting. Names drop like snowflakes, glistening in the sunny terrain of this exuberant memoir. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.