IMDb > Bells Are Ringing (1960)

Bells Are Ringing (1960) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   1,001 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Vincente Minnelli
Writers:
Betty Comden (play)
Betty Comden (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Bells Are Ringing on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 June 1960 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Musical | Romance more
Plot:
Ella Peterson is a Brooklyn telephone answering service operator who tries to improve the lives of her... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Wedding Bells Are Ringing for Khloe Kardashian
 (From The Insider. 22 September 2009, 9:37 PM, PDT)

David Garrison, the Distinctive Everyman Actor
 (From TheImproper.com. 30 August 2009, 11:39 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Great Actress' Swansong more (24 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Judy Holliday ... Ella Peterson

Dean Martin ... Jeffrey Moss
Fred Clark ... Larry Hastings
Eddie Foy Jr. ... J. Otto Prantz

Jean Stapleton ... Sue
Ruth Storey ... Gwynne

Dort Clark ... Inspector Barnes

Frank Gorshin ... Blake Barton

Ralph Roberts ... Francis
Valerie Allen ... Olga
Bernard West ... Dr. Joe Kitchell, DDS (as Bernie West)
Steve Peck ... Gangster (as Steven Peck)
Gerry Mulligan ... Ella's blind date
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Additional Details

Runtime:
127 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Judy Holliday won Broadway's 1957 Tony Award as Best Actress (Musical) for "Bells Are Ringing," a role she recreated in the film version. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Ella tells Jeff that she used to procrastinate by sharpening her Ticonderoga pencil down to the T (or rather the "tuh"). However, Dixon Ticonderoga say that their pencils have always read from point to eraser, so the T would be the *first* letter to disappear. more
Quotes:
Ella: I'm in love with a man - Plaza Oh- Double four- Double Three. What a perfect relationship - I can't see him, he can't see me! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Nanny: The Party's Over (#3.8)" (1995) more
Soundtrack:
Hot and Cold more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 18 people found the following comment useful.
Great Actress' Swansong, 3 May 2004
Author: harry-76 from Cleveland, Ohio

Since the play, "Laurette," was never realized, the movie version of "Bells are Ringing" serves as Judy Holliday's "final" performance.

It's to her credit that she comes off as well as she does. The film is extremely stagey, and looks contrived and bloated, despite a most competent cast and director.

Yet Holliday is buoyant, full of fun, and energetic--all hallmarks of her theatrical persona.

I've read Holliday's complete bio, and am amazed she was able to overcome the tremendous obstacles she endured, from her sad childhood and family relationship through the communist "witch hunt" period--which left her saddled with protest pickets that followed her around--to failed marriages, lack of employment, and care giving responsibilities for her child and parent. All the while working wherever she could and keep smiling.

In many respects her career is quite similar to that of Montgomery Clift. Both apparently gave their best work on the stage, night after night before live audiences, rather than on film. Had both stayed in the theatre, their respective careers and lives might have remained more stable and healthy--and be alive today.

"Bells are Ringing" is a final tribute to a great talent, an Oscar-winning actress and comedienne who graced the stage and screen with a radiant presence and winning demeanor. Fortunately, as long as her films are shown, Judy Holliday will live and be rediscovered by future generations.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Does anyone else like "Bells are Ringing"? babybear0ers
Just a couple problems... oopsydaisy
The tall guy iwith sunglasses in the crowded street-crossing scene. lazur-2
Who is Handel? moviewatchinguy
Who played CARL??? Jessica-656
Is it just my imagination ladynarana
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