Movie Review:
The Bells Are Ringing
By Peter DeHaan
Although I frequently write movie reviews, this is the first to appear
in a trade publication. However, given that the setting for this
Broadway musical-turned-movie is a telephone answering service, the
justification can be easily made.
In
The Bells Are Ringing, Judy Holliday reprises her Tony
Award-winning role as Ella Peterson, a telephone answering service
operator, in Vincente Minnelli’s musical comedy. Ella can’t keep from
eavesdropping on her client’s calls, compulsively going overboard to
help them out. She does this by sharing tidbits of information she
hears from other clients. Initially everybody benefits, so her
involvement doesn’t cause too much of a problem, but when she goes
incognito to meet and help her problem-plagued clients, things begin to
go awry.
One of them, playwright Jeffrey Moss (Dean Martin), becomes enamored
when he actually meets Elle (who adopts a concocted alias), and she
falls in love with him. Unfortunately, Jeffery doesn’t realize who she
is, since when she calls him from the answering service, she adopts the
voice of an old woman so she can mother him. He buys into the rouse
completely by affectionately calling her “Mom.”
Holliday and Martin have great on-screen chemistry, the musical score is
superb, and the dancing enjoyable. The production is so delightful that
the fact it is a musical (which I generally don’t care for) doesn’t get
in the way or detract in the least.
Jean Stapleton (aka “Edith Bunker”) plays the role of Sue, the owner of
the answering service, which is cleverly called “Susansaphone.” The
answering service has a diverse group of clients, one of which is
actually a bookie whose messages are coded to sound like record orders.
Of course, the police, who also suspect Susansaphone of being a front
for another age-old profession, aren’t far behind this enterprising
crook.
The movie begins and ends with creative and compelling commercials for
Susansaphone. Sadly, this was the final film appearance of the talented
Judy Holliday before her premature death.
Although released in 1960, the movie still has great appeal to anyone
working in the telephone answering service industry – even more so if
they used or remember the quintessential cord board.
Peter DeHaan is
publisher of TAS Trader and
Connections Magazine.
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