Bells Are Ringing (1960)

Undescribable Perfection

good back-story, and good acting

Expected more

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green had successive hits with "Bells Are Ringing." The first was on Broadway where the musical play ran for 924 performances from 1956-1959. The second was this 1960 film starring Judy Holliday and Dean Martin. Holliday and Jean Stapleton reprised their roles from the play as Ella Peterson and Sue, respectively. The Broadway romp won Holliday a Tony award as best actress in a musical, and co-star Sydney Chaplin the Tony as best actor in a musical. While the film just received one Oscar nomination – Andre Previn for musical composition, it was a box office hit. Musicals were supposed to have been passé by 1960, but this film showed there was still interest in the genre. Indeed, every decade since has had at least one smash hit musical, and some have had a few to several. The ingredients for success in that genre today are either a knockout plot or dynamite music. Some have had both. This film has a dilly of a plot with a very clever story idea. And, of its songs, three became popular tunes in their day – "Just in Time," "The Party's Over," and "Long Before I Knew You."For history buffs, "Bells Are Ringing" also has a bit of nostalgia, showing the days when businesses and people used telephone answering services. "Susanswerphone" is a clever name the writers gave to the business in this film. Another very clever, and funny aspect is the bookie betting system based on music. Racetracks were represented by names of classic composers. The parody of Handel's Hallelujah chorus is excellent, and I don't think irreverent. Otto Prantz (played superbly by Eddie Foy Jr.), "What is Handel?" Chorus, "Hialeah, Hialeah!" Prantz, "What is Handle?" Chorus, "Hialeah, Hialeah." Prantz, "Oh, what a system."Holliday, Martin and the entire cast are very good. One of the numbers toward the end of the film, "Drop That Name" has Ella singing with an ensemble of a cast of people at the party. It may hold the record for most name-dropping ever in a movie. Holliday especially shows her talent with some skits in which she plays a number of different characters with voice changes and mannerisms to suit. Here are a couple funny lines from the film. For more funny dialog snippets, see the Quotes section on this IMDb Web page of the film. Blake Barton (played by Frank Gorshin), "So I get this image see, of a ostrich – a ostrich trying to bury his head in a cement pavement." Two guys listening to him, "Cuckoo. Cuckoo."Jeffrey Moss, "You know, if I hadn't found you crawling around on my floor, I wouldn't be invited anyplace. I'd just be resting comfortably, face down, in the gutter."

Judy Holliday reprises her Tony-award winning role of Ella Peterson in Vincente Minnelli's film adaptation of the Broadway musical, "Bells are Ringing." With a music score by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, this is a rollicking good time, as Judy is a switchboard operator for an answering service, known as Susanswerphone. The only problem is that she's too friendly with the customers, chatting with them, giving advice, helping them out with problems, recommending cures or remedies for ailments. The customers love her, but coworker Jean Stapleton tells her time and time again "to give and take messages. Don't be so helpful to the customers." The customers think of Jean as the other one. Even Jeffrey Moss (Dean Martin), who's the voice, the other end of Plaza 0-double4double3. Judy makes up the voice of an old lady when talking to him, as she feels too shy as herself. She has formed a crush on him. When the law is brought into this (long story,) she is forced to take her involvement in the customers' lives on a more personal level. From here on in, it gets really crazy. Being originally a play this has a very bizarre use of time and place, with things happening very early. You have to check your expectations of believability at the door, as things also happen that would not ordinarily happen in real life in order for a certain chain of events to evolve. And, this has a peculiar feel of people living in their own bubble not aware of their surroundings, people living in their world. Elizabeth Montgomery has a very small, non-speaking role in the scene where Judy sees Frank Gorshin at the dive. Elizabeth is reading and is totally aloof to people talking right behind her. During the musical number about gold, Dean Martin, Frank and the songwriter/dentist have mustaches drawn on them by women with flashy and risqué outfits, as they are trying to make some sense of the intricate puzzle connecting them. (Bernie West, or Bernard West, as he was billed here, was especially memorable as the dentist who wanted to a successful songwriter; in real life Bernie West was a TV writer, writing episodes of "All in the Family," "Three's Company," and "The Jeffersons.") Even Judy herself has her own lonely bubble. Dean's in his own stupor of not being able to write without a partner. And, Judy's real life husband, Gerry Mulligan has a bit part, too, as her blind date. This is a very unique film that defies all rules of belief (this is a movie musical, but this maybe more so) and really draws the viewer in to their world where things happen and maybe dreams can come true. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this, and I love it more each time. Sadly, this would be Judy's last film, but not because she died soon after, but because she went back to the stage, her first and true love. It would be five years later when she died too soon from cancer. She only made 8 major films and I have all of them. This is one of the best and the only movie musical she made. Your enjoyment of this will depend on how much you buy into the mechanics of director Vincente Minnelli and the world of Judy Holliday. But I think this is an original film that never gets old and that showcases two of the greatest and underrated talents ever – Dean Martin and Judy Holliday. If you've never heard of her, do yourself a favor and discover "Bells Are Ringing."

Ella (Judy Holliday) is an answering service operator (this was way before answering machines existed). She unwisely gets involved in the personal lives of her clients. She gets most involved with playwright Jeffrey Moss (Dean Martin) and ends up meeting him. However she tells him her name is Millicent Scott and they fall in love with each other...but she feels guilty for lying to him. Will their love survive? Well--it's an MGM musical. What do you think?:) It's too long, there's some terrible overacting (especially by Frank Gorshin), it moves too slowly and the awareness that this was Holliday's last film (she died of cancer 5 years later) casts sort of a pall over this film but it's worth seeing. The songs are good, it's wonderfully directed by Vincente Minnelli and is in bright vivid color. However the main attraction here is Holliday. She played this role on stage and won a Tony for it and they (wisely) kept her in the film. She was sick when she did this but you would never know it. She was beautiful, bright and full of energy. In her music numbers she gives all she's got and comes roaring off the screen. Also it's her only color film. Worth seeing just for her.

"Bells are Ringing" is a must for Judy Holliday's fans. The bubbly star of some of the best comedies of the fifties, is the main reason for watching this musical, directed by Vincente Minnelli. Betty Comden and Adolph Green were the creators of the book and lyrics with music by Jule Styne.The film was an excuse for showcasing Ms. Holliday and Dean Martin, who took over Sydney Chaplin's role. The two stars show an easy chemistry in their scenes together, even though the transfer to the screen seems somehow clumsy coming from an experienced director of musicals like Mr. Minnelli."Bells are Ringing" is a nostalgic look at the New York of the 1950s. It was quite a status symbol to have an answering service in those days before the automatic devices of today. There is a hilarious second plot involving illegal gambling by linking classical music works to the different races in several horse race tracks that are channeled through Susanswerphone service, which makes the police Ella is involved in the scheme.Judy Holliday gave a tremendous performance in the film as the kind, but somehow naive Ella. Dean Martin is fine also as the blocked writer. In supporting roles Eddie Foy Jr., Jean Stapleton, and Dean Clark, are seen among others.