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IMDbPro

Bells Are Ringing

  • 1960
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 6m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
Dean Martin, Judy Holliday, and Jean Stapleton in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:00
1 Video
22 Photos
ComedyMusicalRomance

A Brooklyn answering service operator becomes involved in the lives of her clients, including a struggling playwright with whom she begins to fall in love.A Brooklyn answering service operator becomes involved in the lives of her clients, including a struggling playwright with whom she begins to fall in love.A Brooklyn answering service operator becomes involved in the lives of her clients, including a struggling playwright with whom she begins to fall in love.

  • Director
    • Vincente Minnelli
  • Writers
    • Betty Comden
    • Adolph Green
  • Stars
    • Judy Holliday
    • Dean Martin
    • Fred Clark
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    3.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Vincente Minnelli
    • Writers
      • Betty Comden
      • Adolph Green
    • Stars
      • Judy Holliday
      • Dean Martin
      • Fred Clark
    • 45User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Bells Are Ringing
    Trailer 3:00
    Watch Bells Are Ringing

    Photos22

    Judy Holliday and Bernard West in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Valerie Allen, Suzanne Ames, Nancy Anderson, Virginia Bates, Aileen Carlyle, Sue Casey, Helen Chapman, Marian Collier, Lucille Curtis, Donna Douglas, Eddie Foy Jr., Barbara Hines, John Holland, Judy Holliday, June Kirby, Gil Lamb, Jean Moorhead, Karen Scott, Pamela Searle, Helen Spring, Ruth Storey, Sandra Warner, Susan Avery, and Jacqueline Green in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin and Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin, Frank Gorshin, Bernard West, and Tony Springer in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Judy Holliday and Jean Stapleton in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin, Fred Clark, Donna Douglas, and Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin and Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin and Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Easter Parade (1948)
    Dean Martin and Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin and Valerie Allen in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Dean Martin and Valerie Allen in Bells Are Ringing (1960)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Judy Holliday
    Judy Holliday
    • Ella Peterson
    Dean Martin
    Dean Martin
    • Jeffrey Moss
    Fred Clark
    Fred Clark
    • Larry Hastings
    Eddie Foy Jr.
    Eddie Foy Jr.
    • J. Otto Prantz
    Jean Stapleton
    Jean Stapleton
    • Sue
    Ruth Storey
    • Gwynne
    Dort Clark
    Dort Clark
    • Inspector Barnes
    Frank Gorshin
    Frank Gorshin
    • Blake Barton
    Ralph Roberts
    Ralph Roberts
    • Francis
    Valerie Allen
    Valerie Allen
    • Olga
    Bernard West
    • Dr. Joe Kitchell
    • (as Bernie West)
    Steve Peck
    • Gangster
    • (as Steven Peck)
    Gerry Mulligan
    • Ella's Blind Date
    Martin Abrahams
    Martin Abrahams
    • NYC Kid
    • (uncredited)
    Jimmy Ames
    • Bernie Dunstock
    • (uncredited)
    Suzanne Ames
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Nancy Anderson
    • Actress
    • (uncredited)
    Phil Arnold
    Phil Arnold
    • Man on Street
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Vincente Minnelli
    • Writers
      • Betty Comden
      • Adolph Green
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Judy Holliday's last film.
    • Goofs
      Ella's red shoes change from 2 inch heels (in the Cha Cha Cha and Just in Time numbers) to 3 inch heels for the non-dancing sequences in between and afterwards.
    • 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!

    • Crazy credits
      Joan Staley in the credits as "Blonde in Susanswerphone Ad".
    • Connections
      Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Bells Are Ringing
      (1956) (uncredited)

      Music by Jule Styne

      Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

      Performed by MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus during the opening credits and at the end

    User reviews45

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Happy Holliday
    Made late in the cycle of great MGM musicals, with the reliable producer-director combo of Arthur Freed and Vincente Minnelli, this is a fairly clunky adaptation of a Broadway hit. Despite some location filming, it looks stagebound, and the stylized playing and jerrybuilt musical-comedy plot look false as hell. Some excellent musical numbers from the original are badly truncated or left out entirely, and what's left is grotesquely over-orchestrated. One senses that Minnelli, in particular, didn't trust the material--look at how quickly he dispenses with the "Mu-Cha-Cha" number, seemingly embarrassed by its musical-comedy silliness--and the supporting cast seems to be playing to the second balcony.

    That's the bad news; now we get, thank heaven, to Judy Holliday. Having played this part on Broadway for two years and toured with it longer, she looks amazingly spontaneous. Given her health problems at the time, she looks happy and healthy. And while we can't expect to experience her legendary warmth and charisma as stage audiences did, it's an incomparable performance. Every reaction, every inflection, every seemingly improvised movement rings true and lends depth and poignancy to a paper-thin character traipsing around in a contrived plot. What a lesson for any young actor in transforming everyday material into something memorable. My favorite moment comes early, when she's reclining on a sofa and looks up dreamily and starts singing, a capella and with perfect naturalism, "I'm in love..." I'm in love, too, Judy. We miss you.
    helpful•26
    3
    • marcslope
    • Oct 26, 2000

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Anruf genügt - komme ins Haus
    • Filming locations
      • West 68th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(Susanswerphone building # unknown. Same locale as West Side Story; San Juan Hill being demolished to make way for development of Lincoln Towers)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,200,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 6 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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