(Encapsulated PSA/DNA TYPE I) Offered is a photo capturing
The Unsinkable Molly Brown star Debbie Reynold's handprints enshrined at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on January 14, 1965. Reynolds was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character in the film, Molly Brown. By 1965, Reynold's stardom was cemented by her string of successes in film and pop music, starting with
Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" topped the
Billboard music charts. In 1959, she starred in
The Mating Game with Tony Randall, and released
Debbie, her first pop music album. She starred in
Singin' in the Rain (1952) with Gene Kelly and
How the West Was Won (1962). And perhaps most importantly, she gave birth to Princess Leia in 1956. Both photos measure 8 x 10 inches and present with original news service caption printed on the reverse. Stunning Near Mint condition overall.
This photo comes from a collection of more than 100 photographs offered in this auction which document the early decades of the famous "handprint" ceremonies at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The theatre was built by theatre mogul Sid Grauman over 18 months beginning in January 1926, the theater opened May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings. It has since been home to many premieres, including the 1977 debut of Star Wars, as well as many private events and three Academy Awards ceremonies. Nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints and Signeds are in the concrete of the theater's forecourt. Though many other handprints have been added nearby in recent years, the ones placed within the forecourt are still chosen by a special committee which selects celebrities based on their contributions to Hollywood cinema. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were the first, done on April 30, 1927. Master of Ceremonies Jean Klossner appears with his signature beret in many of the photos. During the theatres initial construction, Grauman hired Klossner to formulate an extremely hard concrete for the forecourt of the theater. Klossner later became known as "Mr. Footprint", performing the ceremonies from 1927 through 1957.