Bells Are Ringing

Ella Peterson spends her days in the basement of Susanswerphone, her cousin's answering machine company. Fortunately for Ella, her existence on the switchboard is made bearable by the connection she establishes with her customers and the different identities she brings to each of them: an arrogant Parisian to answer calls from a French restaurant; as Santa Claus to convince a young boy to eat his spinach; and as a warm mother figure to comfort the charming playwright Jeffrey Moss, whom Ella has fallen in love with.
She wants to help him write her play but is intercepted by the police who accuses her company of being an escort service. It does not help, when she accepts that J. Sandor Prantz, a con artist, installs his record company, "Titanic Records" (in reality, a facade for a ring of play), in her office.
Will Ella manage to save the company and her love?

Watch the trailer for the 1960 film with Dean Martin and Judy Holliday:

General information
  • Style : Golden Age, Romance, Comedy
  • Theme : Love, Misunderstanding, 50s, New York
  • year of creation : 1956
Music
  • Composer : Jule Styne
  • Lyricist : Betty Comden & Adolph Green
  • Librettist : Betty Comden & Adolph Green
  • famous songs : "Bells Are Ringing" "It's a Perfect Relationship" "Independent" "You've Got to Do It" "It's a Simple Little System" "Is It a Crime?" "Better Than a Dream" "Hello, Hello There" "I Met a Girl" "Long Before I Knew You" "Mu-Cha-Cha" "Just in Time" "Drop That Name" "The Party's Over" "Salzburg" "The Midas Touch" "I'm Going Back"
  • Famous performers : Judy Holliday, Dean Martin, Sydney Chaplin, Jean Stapleton, Eddie Lawrence, George S. Irving, Jack Weston, Peter Gennaro, Janet Blaire, George Gaynes,
kinships
  • Inspired by another work : The musical is based on the life and career of Mary Printz who was a telephone operator and answered most New York theaters and businesses in the 1950s.
  • Exists in film : The musical was adapted into a film in 1960 with Judy Holliday and Dean Martin in the lead roles. The film is signed Vincente Minnelli.
Awards
  • Appointments and Awards : In 1957, the two main actors, Judy Holliday and Sidney Earle Chaplin won a Tony Award for their performance. Although nominated for Best Choreography, Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins did not win.
  • Number of years on display : 2
  • Number of performances : 924
Currently on stage