Bells Are Ringing (film)

Last updated
Bells Are Ringing
BellsAreRingingTheatricalPoster.jpg
Original poster
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Screenplay by
Based on Bells Are Ringing
1956 musical
by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne
Produced by Arthur Freed
Starring
Cinematography Milton Krasner
Edited by Adrienne Fazan
Music by
Color process Metrocolor
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • June 23, 1960 (1960-06-23)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English
Budget$3.2 million [1]
Box office$3.6 million [1] [2]

Bells Are Ringing is a 1960 American romantic comedy-musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Holliday and Dean Martin. Based on the successful 1956 Broadway production of the same name by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne, the film focuses on Ella Peterson, based on the life of Mary Printz, [3] who works in the basement office of a telephone answering service.

Contents

Plot

Ella Peterson works as a switchboard operator at the Susanswerphone answering service. She can't help breaking the rules by becoming overly involved in the lives of the subscribers. Some of the more peculiar ones include a dentist who exuberantly composes song lyrics on an air hose, an actor who emulates Marlon Brando and a little boy for whom she pretends to be Santa Claus.

Ella has a secret crush on the voice of subscriber Jeffrey Moss, an insecure playwright whose writing partner has left him and who has taken to drinking too much, for whom she plays a comforting motherly character. The producer of his play, The Midas Touch, leaves an ultimatum for Jeffrey that he must submit an installment of his play by an imminent deadline or lose the job. Drunk and dispirited, Jeffrey has left his phone off the hook. Breaking the rules to meet Jeffrey in person, Ella pretends to be "Melisande Scott", stopping by his apartment to rouse Jeffrey for his meeting and convince him that he can be successful on his own. Through a series of manipulations, Ella introduces the playwright to the wishful actor and composer, who now have a chance to advance their career aspirations by contributing to The Midas Touch. Romantic sparks and confusions result.

A humorous subplot involves the courtly Otto, who convinces Susanswerphone to take orders for his "mail-order classical record business" known as Titanic Records. However, Otto is actually a bookie whose orders are a coded system for betting on horses. Unwittingly, Ella changes orders for the supposedly incorrect Beethoven's Tenth Symphony, Opus 6, not realizing she is changing bets.

Although the police begin to assume that Susanswerphone might be a front for an escort service, the plot ends happily, with Jeff proposing and Ella's wacky subscribers coming to thank her.

Cast

Character names are not indicated in on-screen cast credits.

Songs

Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

Production

Judy Holliday and Jean Stapleton reprised their stage roles for the film. Jazz musician Gerry Mulligan, Holliday's real-life ex-lover, plays her disastrous blind date in a cameo role. Bells Are Ringing was Holliday's final film. [4] [5]

Hal Linden appears, uncredited, in his first film appearance, singing 'The Midas Touch' in the nightclub act, wearing a gold lame suit. A friend of Holliday, he portrayed Jeff Moss with her in the Broadway play in 1958-1959. [6]

Bells Are Ringing was also the final musical produced by the MGM "Freed Unit" headed by producer Arthur Freed, which had been responsible for many of the studio's greatest successes, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952) and Gigi (1958). The film marked the 13th and final collaboration between Freed and director Vincente Minnelli.

Several songs from the Broadway production were dropped or replaced, including "Salzburg", "Hello, Hello There", "On My Own" (replaced by "Do It Yourself"), "Long Before I Knew You" (replaced by "Better Than a Dream"), "Mu Cha Cha" (filmed but shortened) and "Is it a Crime?" (filmed, but cut before release). A new song for Dean Martin, "My Guiding Star", was also filmed but cut. The latter two songs have been released as extras on the Warner Home Video DVD. The soundtrack album was released by Capitol Records.

The row house used for exteriors stood at 215 East 68th Street, Manhattan, and had once been the residence of author Stephen Vincent Benet. It was a holdout from a row and was torn down in the early 1960s.

Reception

In a contemporary review, critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was critical of the script but praised Holliday's performance: "[T]he jangled romance they have prepared for her to play is a poor thing, made up of one slight gimmick and a lot of surrounding gags. What Miss Holliday does with the latter is the measure of the quality of the show. ... You can take our word for it: 'Bells Are Ringing' owes more to Miss Holliday than to its authors, its director (Vincent Minnelli), or even to Alexander Graham Bell." [7]

Awards and nominations

Comden and Green won the Writers Guild of America award for Best American Musical. Together with Styne, they shared a Grammy Award nomination for Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from a Motion Picture or TV. Minnelli earned a Best Director nomination from the Directors Guild of America. André Previn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. At the 18th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Film - Musical, and Holliday was nominated for Best Actress - Musical.

Box-office

According to MGM records, the film earned $2,825,000 in the U.S. and Canada but only $800,000 elsewhere, losing a total of $1,720,000. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jule Styne</span> English-American songwriter

Jule Styne was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became successful films: Gypsy,Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Funny Girl.

<i>The Band Wagon</i> 1953 film by Vincente Minnelli

The Band Wagon is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway show will revive his career. However, the play's director wants to make it a pretentious retelling of the Faust legend and brings in a prima ballerina who clashes with the star. Along with An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952), it is regarded as one of the finest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals, although it was a box-office disappointment on first release.

<i>Meet Me in St. Louis</i> 1944 American musical film by Vincente Minnelli

Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 American Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in the spring of 1904. The film stars Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, June Lockhart and Joan Carroll. The film was adapted by Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe from a series of short stories by Sally Benson originally published in The New Yorker magazine called "The Kensington Stories" and later in novel form as Meet Me in St. Louis. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who met Garland on the set and later married her. Tony Award-winning designer Lemuel Ayers served as the film's art director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolph Green</span> American dramatist (1914–2002)

Adolph Green was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for musicals on Broadway and in Hollywood. Although they were not a romantic couple, they shared a unique comic genius and sophisticated wit that enabled them to forge a six-decade-long partnership. They received numerous accolades including four Tony Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards and a Grammy Award. Green was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980 and American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. Comden and Green received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Comden</span> American dramatist and lyricist (1917–2006)

Betty Comden was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned six decades: "the longest running creative partnership in theatre history." The musical-comedy duo of Comden and Green collaborated most notably with composers Jule Styne and Leonard Bernstein, as well enjoyed success with Singin' in the Rain, as part of the famed "Freed unit" at MGM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Holliday</span> American actress, singer (1921–1965)

Judy Holliday was an American actress, comedian and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Freed</span> American film producer (1894–1973)

Arthur Freed was an American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for An American in Paris and in 1958 for Gigi. Both films were musicals, and both were directed by Vincente Minnelli. In addition, he produced the film Singin' in the Rain, the soundtrack for which primarily consisted of songs he co-wrote earlier in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincente Minnelli</span> American stage and film director (1903–1986)

Vincente Minnelli was an American stage director and film director. For a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovation and artistry in musical films. As of 2024, six of his films have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Chaplin (American actor)</span> American actor (1926– 2009)

Sydney Earl Chaplin was an American actor. He was the second son of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey. One of his major roles was in his father's film Limelight (1952). In theater, Chaplin won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his 1957 performance in Bells Are Ringing.

<i>Ziegfeld Follies</i> (film) 1945 American musical comedy film

Ziegfeld Follies is a 1945 American musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), primarily directed by Vincente Minnelli, with segments directed by Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, and George Sidney, the film's original director before Minnelli took over. Other directors that are claimed to have made uncredited contributions to the film are Merrill Pye, Norman Taurog, and Charles Walters. It stars many MGM leading talents, including Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, James Melton, Victor Moore, William Powell, Red Skelton, and Esther Williams.

<i>The Pirate</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by Vincente Minnelli

The Pirate is a 1948 American musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly with costars Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper, Reginald Owen, The Nicholas Brothers, and George Zucco, with the music in the film written by Cole Porter.

<i>Bells Are Ringing</i> (musical) American musical

Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service, and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz, who worked for Green's answering service. Three of the show's tunes, "Long Before I Knew You", "Just in Time", and "The Party's Over", became standards.

"The Party's Over" is a popular song composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It was introduced in the 1956 musical comedy play Bells Are Ringing by Judy Holliday. For the movie version (1960), Judy Holliday again performed the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supper Time</span> 1933 song by Irving Berlin, introduced by Ethel Waters

"Supper Time" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer, where it was introduced by Ethel Waters. The song is about racial violence inspired by a newspaper headline about a lynching.

"Just in Time" is a popular song with the melody written by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It was introduced by Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin in the musical Bells Are Ringing in 1956. Judy Holliday and Dean Martin sang the song in the 1960 film of Bells Are Ringing. Martin then recorded it for his 1960 album, This Time I'm Swingin'!. Tony Bennett recorded the song in 1956 and continued performing it until his retirement, at Radio City Music Hall, in 2021 at the age of 95.

<i>Mr. Broadway: Tonys Greatest Broadway Hits</i> 1962 greatest hits album by Tony Bennett

Mr. Broadway: Tony Bennett's Greatest Broadway Hits is a 1962 album by Tony Bennett.

Mary Printz was an answering service operator who catered to many of the New York theater and business A-list in the 1950s. Bells Are Ringing, a Broadway musical, was based on her career, which was turned into the 1960 film of the same name.

My Sister Eileen is a 1955 American CinemaScope comedy musical film directed by Richard Quine. It stars Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, and Jack Lemmon.

Comden and Green was a 60-year songwriting partnership, comprising Betty Comden (1917–2006) and Adolph Green (1914–2002). They first worked together in 1941 at the Village Gate in New York City, as writers and performers in a nightclub act called The Revuers.

<i>Something Wonderful</i> (Carmen McRae album) 1963 studio album by Carmen McRae

Something Wonderful is a studio album by American singer Carmen McRae, released in 1963 by Columbia Records. The album was conceived as a tribute to the various female lead singers in Broadway musicals.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ↑ US and Canada figures see "Rental Potentials of 1960", Variety, 4 January 1961 p 47.
  3. ↑ Fox, Margalit (1 March 2009). "Mary Printz, an Ear for the Famous, Dies at 82". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  4. ↑ Robert Osborne, Turner Classic Movies
  5. ↑ "Bells Are Ringing". www.tcm.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  6. ↑ "Bells Are Ringing". www.ibdb.com/. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  7. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (1960-06-24). "Screen: It's All Holliday". The New York Times . p. 31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.