'In and out' in Warwick with Debbie Reynolds

By Roger Gavan
WARWICK — As most people know by now, the actress Debbie Reynolds, passed away on Dec. 28 at age 84.
The event was even more newsworthy than usual because her daughter Carrie Fisher, also an actress as well as a writer, died the day before at the age of 60.
Debbie Reynolds may have lived in California but she was no stranger to Warwick.
Old School Baptist Meeting HouseIn September 1996, Reynolds, along with co-stars Kevin Kline, Wilfred Brimley and Joan Cusack, was on location in Warwick to shoot a Paramount film "In and Out," which was released the following year.
Local residents may have caught a glimpse of the stars when they shot the wedding scene in the Old School Baptist Meeting House or at a reception scene in the backyard of Joe and Kathy Tousignant, owners at that time of a picturesque farmhouse just off Wisner Road.
The road was closed on Sept. 20, 1996. I was working for The Warwick Advertiser and managed to make it to the site (Read: sneak on) where I spotted Debbie Reynolds walking back to her trailer.
I introduced myself and Reynolds agreed to pose for a photo provided it would include her co-stars Kline and Cusack.
That sounded fine to me.
Mutual friend Carlton CarpenterOn the walk back to the site we had a conversation in which I mentioned that, having covered a few of his local performances, I knew the actor Carlton Carpenter, who was a Warwick resident, as well as her friend and former co-star at MGM Studios.
Reynolds told me that she wanted to take this opportunity of her time in Warwick to contact Carpenter but didn't know how.
She gave me her private number and asked if I would contact "Carp," as he was known to his friends, and say that she was waiting to hear from him.
What were the odds?I called him as soon as I returned to my office.
And I thought to myself at that time, "When I was a kid watching these MGM stars at my local movie theater, what are the odds I would one day help arrange a meeting between the two of them?"
Carpenter, a film, TV and stage actor and professional author, recently released his autobiography, "The Absolute Joy of Work: From Vermont to Broadway, Hollywood, and damn near round the world."
He has been a frequent guest speaker at the Albert Wisner Library's Monday Afternoon at the Movies whenever one of his films such as "Two Weeks with Love," is shown.
In that romantic musical Carpenter teamed up with Debbie Reynolds to sing the "Aba Daba Honeymoon" song, which became the first sound track recording to become a top-of-the-chart gold record.
In 2012 he received a Cinecon Award for career achievement. And in an impromptu duet with Reynolds, had an opportunity to sing a bit of "Aba Daba Honeymoon" again.
The numerous Broadway roles and TV appearances mentioned in his new book include the names and also many photographs of famous co-stars including his longtime friend Debbie Reynolds whom he describes, "As cute as a bunny," and adds, "We really hit it off onscreen and off."