"The Bell Telephone Hour" (1959) TV series 1959-1968

Directors:

Nathan Kroll
Donald Voorhees

Writers:

Gordon Cotler (writer)
Dan Lounsbery (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | unknown

Release Date:

12 January 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Music

Plot:

The long-running television version of the long-running NBC radio series devoted to classical music as well as Broadway composers.

Plot Keywords:

Song | Singing | Musician | Singer

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Edward Villella	...	Himself - Ballet Dancer / ... (12 episodes, 1961-1968)
Jacques d'Amboise	...	Himself - Dancer / ... (10 episodes, 1959-1965)
Carol Lawrence	...	Herself - Singer / ... (10 episodes, 1960-1967)
Joan Sutherland	...	Herself - Opera Soprano / ... (10 episodes, 1961-1968)
Florence Henderson	...	Herself - Hostess / ... (10 episodes, 1962-1966)
John Raitt	...	Himself - Singer / ... (9 episodes, 1959-1966)
Patricia McBride	...	Herself - Ballerina / ... (8 episodes, 1961-1968)
Earl Wrightson	...	Himself - Singer / ... (8 episodes, 1961-1965)
Maria Tallchief	...	Herself - Ballerina / ... (7 episodes, 1959-1966)
Grant Johannsen	...	Himself - Pianist / ... (7 episodes, 1959-1965)
Barbara Cook	...	Herself - Singer / ... (7 episodes, 1960-1965)
The Brothers Four	...	Themselves - Folk Singers / ... (7 episodes, 1961-1966)
Donald Voorhees	...	Himself - Host / ... (6 episodes, 1965-1968)
Nicolai Gedda	...	Himself / ... (6 episodes, 1959-1968)
Dolores Gray	...	Herself - Singer / ... (6 episodes, 1959-1966)
André Previn	...	Himself - Pianist (6 episodes, 1959-1966)
Melissa Hayden	...	Herself - Ballerina (6 episodes, 1959-1965)
Howard Keel	...	Himself - Singer / ... (6 episodes, 1959-1965)
Martha Wright	...	Herself - Singer / ... (6 episodes, 1959-1964)
Ray Bolger	...	Himself - Host / ... (6 episodes, 1960-1966)
Benny Goodman	...	Himself - Clarinetist / ... (6 episodes, 1960-1966)
Erik Bruhn	...	Himself - Ballet Dancer / ... (6 episodes, 1961-1967)
Richard Tucker	...	Himself - Opera Tenor (6 episodes, 1961-1966)
Susan Watson	...	Herself - Singer (6 episodes, 1964-1966)
Polly Bergen	...	Herself - Host / ... (5 episodes, 1959-1966)
Burl Ives	...	Himself - Host / ... (5 episodes, 1959-1966)
Allegra Kent	...	Herself - Ballerina / ... (5 episodes, 1959-1966)
Harry Belafonte	...	Himself - Singer (5 episodes, 1959-1965)
Lorin Hollander	...	Himself - Pianist (5 episodes, 1959-1965)
Rosemary Clooney	...	Herself - Singer / ... (5 episodes, 1959-1961)
Anna Moffo	...	Herself - Opera Soprano (5 episodes, 1961-1967)
Birgit Nilsson	...	Herself - Opera Soprano / ... (5 episodes, 1961-1967)
Janet Blair	...	Herself - Singer (5 episodes, 1962-1966)
Robert Merrill	...	Himself - Opera Baritone / ... (5 episodes, 1962-1966)
Rudolf Nureyev	...	Himself - Ballet Dancer / ... (5 episodes, 1962-1965)
Patti Page	...	Herself - Singer (5 episodes, 1962-1965)
Matt Mattox	...	Himself - Dancer (5 episodes, 1963-1965)
Anita Gillette	...	Herself - Singer / ... (5 episodes, 1964-1966)

Also Known As:

The Telephone Hour (USA) (syndication title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Trivia:

Was one of the first TV series to be telecast exclusively in color (using the color TV system perfected by RCA in 1954) and recorded on videotape. Many of the taped performances (several now 50 years old) survive to this day.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Bell Telephone Jubilee (1976) (TV)

Heavenly Music

Classical music lovers in the mid-20th century thrilled weekly to "The Bell Telephone Hour." That the series lasted for so many years under major sponsorship demonstrates the general public's appreciation of musical art during that period.

Opera divas like Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne Price, Joan Sutherland, Helen Traubel, to mention a few, appeared under the orchestral baton of Donald Vorhees.

The series was always beautifully prepared and mounted. No one minded the black and white format, for that was the norm at the time. Entire families would regularly gather around the tv to experience superlative performances by major artists.

A few of these programs have been preserved and are available today on vhs. I have two of Ms. Traubel's programs and she is a joy to hear. She performs selections she rarely got to perform as the leading Wagnerian soprano of her generation -- such as Verdi, Mozart, right down to a Negro spiritual at the end.

Another "Bell" video I cherish (this one in color) is of Ms. Price, rendering an astonishing Nile Scene from Verdi's "Aida" and Cio Cio San's aria from Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." At "intermission" Vorhees interviews Price, with the program concluding with an aria from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino."

There was nothing on television in the classical arena more beloved by the public than "The Bell Telephone Hour," and those who have managed to obtain these programs today certainly have some rare treasures in their collections.