Bells Are Ringing [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

---

---

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2006-12-12 rating:
A rare delight
Bells Are Ringing is one of the rarest of all MGM musicals these days, but it's not at all bad despite a strong air of theatricality, most notably in the awkwardly staged finale. It's easy to see the strong influence this must have had on Amelie as Judy Holliday's Susanswerphone operator meddles in the lives of her clients, transforming them all for the better. The police investigation and bookie subplots don't really work that well (and the song-writing dentist is surely far more irritating than he was ever intended to be), but Holliday tones down the ditziness for something more believable and genuinely likeable and Frank Gorshin's hilariously brilliant impersonation of Marlon Brando is worth the price of the DVD alone. Dean Martin seems strangely sidelined here, especially with Holliday getting all the best songs, but it's still delightful entertainment if a tad overlong.


review by: xyzzy date: 2005-04-01 rating:
What can Suesanswerphone do for you?
Stage play brought to the big screen and finally to DVD and you.

Several plots overlap. I will not go into detail as it is fun to be surprised.

However working as an operator for a phone answering service Ella Peterson (Judy Holliday) is in the perfect location to here people problems, and schemes to help them. At first she passes information on by phone. When one customer unplugs, she decides to help in person. She takes on an alias "Melisande Scott" and falling in love with customer, Jeffrey Moss (Dean Martin), she takes on more than she bargained for.

Mean while Inspector Barns suspects that the answering service is a front for some hanky panky and is looking for an excuse to put the lot of them in the woman's' detention center.

And J. Otto Prantz just sold 5000 copies of Beethoven's Tenth, Op. 6.

Lots of song including "Plaza O, Double Four, Double Three" and dance scenes. The still camera gives it that stage musical feel but it only adds to the fun.

---------------------------------------
One note on the DVD. The outtakes with the exception of one Dean Martin song "My Guiding Star" were best taken out as they distracted form the rest of the story.

---

Similar products

The Marrying Kind [1952] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Born Yesterday [1950]
The Pirate [1948] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Bells Are Ringing
Yankee Doodle Dandy [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

---

Similar categories

Music . Styles . Soundtracks . Musicals
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . Comedy
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . Musicals
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Comedy . All Comedy
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Musicals & Classical . Musicals & Stage Performances . Classic
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Musicals & Classical . Musicals & Stage Performances . Film Musicals
Video . DVD & VHS . Special Features . Region 1
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 1
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1960 - 1969
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English

---