esrosedotblog

Today's film is anachronistic.

Bells Are Ringing (1960)

Its theme is answering services and the machinations of the operator to make her client's lives better. We all have our own answering now. Switchboards are in museums. Time erases the present very quickly.

I saw the original in 1956 as a Broadway show.

Film adaptations of theatrical productions don't work very well very often and this is no exception but if one saw the original show the identification can be strong. Without that emotional tug this film would not really work as well.

Few of the original cast remain. Judy Holiday is the star and my old friend Jean Stapleton breaks in her patented dumb bunny routine. The one that eventually went mainstream on All In The Family. Very good.

But Dean Martin is the client who Susan falls for and Eddy Foy is the bookie who highjacks the answering service. These substitutions are only adequate. I saw Eddy Lawrence and Sidney Chaplin.

I miss them here. Martin is too laid back and Foy is a fish out of water.

Nevertheless, I bought the DVD as it is not available on Netflix. I had found myself doing mental singing of the main tunes. A sure sign I needed a fix.

That itch is scratched and now I can go back to other other head songs.

So I am going to give it a 3 out of Netflix5 even though I might get it out and FF here and there.

I also got the DVD to see Judy Holiday again. She died five years after this film very sadly and suddenly from cancer. I still get sad over that.

Labels: films