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

User Rating:

6.2/10   

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

Movie Connections:

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

Another elusive videotape pioneer.

There are currently some wonderful compilation DVDs of this musical anthology show. I have one which pays tribute to classical pianists, including Jose Iturbi, Grant Johanssen, Van Cliburn, and the like. These shows were originally broadcast on NBC and recorded on color videotape- and this is from as early as 1959!! These tapes appear to have been dusted off and remastered and they now look and sound as crystal clear as a live performance. The network vaults which currently house these tapes appear to be sitting on them; only a few have been made accessible to the public in the last ten years (and many are more than forty years old). That's why this DVD series is so precious. Many of these Bell Telephone clips appear on the cable access station Classic Arts Showcase, but I suggest buying the DVDs in order to see the full performances. There are Bell DVDs of opera singers, violinists, and I think even one with ballet dancers. This was the last avenue for commercially broadcast classical music, before it all migrated to PBS. Don't miss it.