You won’t believe this sweet story of how Debbie Reynolds learned to kiss
We’re still reeling from all the tragic news this week. We lost two amazing and inspiring women — Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds. But as we remember them, we look back on some of the wonderful things they shared with us. Debbie Reynolds starred in Singin’ in the Rain, as well as tons of other Hollywood classics. We’ll remember her always for her bright spirit, incredible dancing skills, and sweet wit.
Debbie started making movies when she was very young (only 18), so there were certain things she didn’t know how to navigate. One of them was kissing. Michael Levin, a memoirist, wrote a piece about the time Debbie Reynolds learned to kiss, as she told it to him, and the story is so sweet.
Debbie Reynolds revealed to Michael Levin that the first man she kissed was Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain.
Micheal explains that Debbie had grown up in a religious house, and she didn’t have much romantic experience. She starred in Singin’ in the Rain at 19-years-old, so it’s not like that was unusual. At the very end of the movie, Gene Kelly took her in his arms and kissed her, sticking his tongue down her throat.
Michael recalls, "She recoiled, she said, as if she had been bitten by a snake. She screamed. People had to calm her down for the next take. And she told me that if you look at the scene in the movie, Kelly looks considerably less than enthused with her as he plants a more demure, tongue-less kiss on her lips."
Well, we don’t blame Debbie for reacting that way. That would shock anyone, especially someone without a lot of kissing experience.
So after that unpleasant encounter, Debbie wanted to learn how to kiss.
She was about to become a movie star, so she wanted to learn how to do it properly. Debbie turned to Hugh O’Brien, the crazy handsome star from The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
And looking at that picture, we’d totally practice our kissing with him, too. Debbie described him as, “kind, gentle, a true gentleman. And so unbelievably handsome.” And Hugh gave her some valuable advice for her onscreen kisses.
He said, "First of all, when you kiss a fellow in real life, you close your eyes and pucker up your lips. But that’s not the way to do it on screen. You’ve got to let him come in to you, and you’ve got to keep your eyes open—so we can see that you want him. Then he comes in, and you kiss him very sweetly, and he kisses you very sweetly.
It looks like Hugh was a pretty good teacher. And of course, Debbie in talking about she and Hugh’s “lessons,” she added cheekily, “And he certainly did not try to slip me the tongue.”
LOL, oh Debbie, we are going to miss your awesome spirit.
But we’ll just keep on singing and dancing (and kissing!) in your honor!
