TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR (1957)

The late Debbie Reynolds had three signature film roles in her long show business career. First, there was aspiring singer Kathy Selden in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952), arguably the best movie musical ever made and the movie that made her a star. Second, there was TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR (1957), in which she played the lovable backwoods child/woman Tammy Tyree, a role that seemed to solidify the innocent girl-next-door (or in this case girl-in-the-houseboat-next-door) image in which she was increasingly classified. And finally, there was her Oscar nominated portrayal of THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN (1964), which could have been retitled TAMMY ON STEROIDS. In this film, Reynolds' screen persona reached its zenith, as she seemed to explode with almost too much energy, revealing the core of steel that had always existed underneath that diminutive, cheerful facade.

But Reynolds also had two other very important signature roles in her public/private life. There was the scandal in 1958-59 when her husband, Eddie Fisher, abandoned Reynolds and their two small children and ran off with Elizabeth Taylor, whom he would eventually marry. In this role that she was forced to play in front of the entire world, Reynolds was forever cast as the victimized wife and mother, cruelly thrown aside by a no-good, unfaithful husband who took up with the most desirable wicked woman who had ever broken up a marriage. Decades after this scandal had passed into history, Reynolds would never do an interview in which she wasn't asked to comment about this sad part of her life. Wisely, she addressed it with frankness, humor, and forgiveness (at least toward Miss Taylor), an approach that added to the public support she had always been given. She also addressed the scandal humorously in her subsequent live performances.

Her other public/private role was as mother of the insanely famous Carrie Fisher, whose star persona had managed to eclipse Reynolds' own fame. This role was particularly difficult, as the mother-daughter relationship wasn't always a happy one. However, as the two women matured, they grew very close and appeared to be comfortable sharing endless personal details with their respective fan bases. When Fisher died unexpectedly, followed by Reynolds' own shocking death the next day, it almost seemed as if a fascinating Hollywood studio biopic had come to a tragic end.

Therefore, it becomes impossible to watch a bit of 1950's fantasy fluff, which TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR most definitely is, without thinking about the spectacle of Debbie Reynolds' entire life. I watched this film for the first time fairly recently, and I couldn't look at this image of innocence without realizing what the real life actress was going to experience in a very short time. And without remembering how her long, complicated life would reach its conclusion. In a way, it made the film more interesting that it might have been otherwise. TAMMY is one of those movies that suffers from almost terminal sweetness, and most of the enjoyment is due to Reynolds herself. She is able to breathe life into Tammy Tyree by underplaying a role which could have been unbearable if played by a less talented actress. And we get to hear her sing the hit song "Tammy", which is a delight. One can't help loving Tammy Tyree, but one loves Debbie Reynolds much more.

The rest of the cast includes the always enjoyable Walter Brennan, the lovely Fay Wray, Mildred Natwick, Sydney Blackmer, Louise Beavers, and Mala Powers. The bachelor of the title is played by a young Leslie Nielsen, long before he turned into one of the most popular comic actors in film history. He plays a military pilot who crash lands in a swamp and gets rescued by Tammy and her grandfather. Since Nielsen had played a space captain the previous year in FORBIDDEN PLANET, it's fun to speculate that he had somehow been ejected form his space ship for unexplained reasons and landed in the swamp at Universal Studios.

The film was directed by Joseph Pevney. Two sequels were made: TAMMY TELL ME TRUE (1961) and TAMMY AND THE DOCTOR (1963), with Sandra Dee in the title role.