"Debbie" restoration process
Designed by Rudy Crisostomo, Fabricated by Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) c.1993
Sheet metal, neon
Gift of Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), The Neon Museum, 0042.001
The Neon Museum and YESCO, the 104-year-old company known for creating, repairing and maintaining internationally recognizable signs, will officially restore and relight the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel & Casino “Debbie” sign. The massive 24-foot-long fuchsia piece will be brought back to life thanks to an application of the YESCO Conservation Fund that was established in honor of the Museum’s 10th anniversary to maintain, repair and improve signs in the Museum’s collection and in partnership with additional donors including Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher and the Debbie Reynolds Estate. This is the first application of the YESCO Conservation Fund, making this project possible.
Reynolds was known for her longstanding Las Vegas legacy and legendary career as a multi-faceted entertainer. Spanning from singing, to dancing, to comedy and acting, Reynolds played pivotal roles in popular movies and television series throughout the 1940s and into the early 2000s. In 1962, she moved to Las Vegas with her two children Carrie and Todd Fisher and signed a first-of-its-kind million-dollar contract for a holiday season residency at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She looked to Las Vegas to bring stability to her life – both personally and professionally – and established herself as one of the city’s most enduring personalities.
During her time in Las Vegas, she owned the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel & Casino. After extensive renovations, it opened in 1993 at 305 Convention Center Drive, featuring Debbie’s Star Theater and its own Hollywood Museum. The museum showcased dozens of Hollywood artifacts that Debbie preserved from various Hollywood auctions, including costumes from various Hollywood classics including a pair of ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”
In 1992 when the hotel was being designed, the YESCO sign company was engaged to light up the entire hotel with Hollywood themed signage. Immediately they focused on Debbie Reynolds’ iconic trademark signature.
