Rating: 
Summary: Holliday shines in otherwise forgettable feature
Review: This film adaptation of the 1956 Broadway musical is pretty much one to shove in the dustbin, were it not for Judy Holliday and Dean Martin, who make the film watchable. Vincente Minnelli seems out of his league here, with no French atmosphere, first-rate score, or a lush story to carry his film. However, the movies does have some saving graces, despite its slight (and slightly strange) storyline.Holliday reprises her Broadway role as Ella Peterson, a switchboard operator of a telephone answering service, who can't help meddling in her clients' lives. Through the service, she meets Jeff Moss (Martin), a playwright down on his luck. She inspires him to write a humdinger of a show, and eventually meets him. But because she has an inspector keeping tabs on her from getting too involved in her clients' lives, she meets him with a new identity, Melasonde Scott, and, of course, the pair fall head over heels for each other. However, unnecessary complications are thrown into the story: Ella also manages to help a dentist who wants to becomes a composer, and a Brando-esque teen actor achieve status. Another concoction thrown into the mix is a bunch of hoods using the answering service as an undercover bookie operation. Enough already... Holliday and Martin are enough to worry about. Somehow, the mass of complications stumble its way to a happy ending. Holliday is perfect as the shrill and sweet Ella, and Martin makes a fine foil for her. Holliday also proves that, even though she may not be Garland on a trolley, she can sing an okay score well enough to elevate it to something better. Although the film's score leaves a lot to be desired (how it played more than three minutes on Broadway I can't imagine), the film has two memorable songs, a Martin-Holliday duet "Just In Time" (you're right, Plaza 04433, it IS staged wretchedly) and Holliday's plaintive "The Party's Over". For the first time, a Comden and Green screenplay disappoints. The script is injected with tiny pinpricks of wit here and there, but they are quickly forgotten in the wake of big, overbloated scenes that are ridiculous even by the MGM musicals standards, particularly a scene in which Holliday and Martin are seen shaking hands with crowds in the middle of a busy New York Street. The staging of songs is awkward and rocky all the way through the picture, and some songs are too nonsensical to enjoy. Many of the songs either don't get enough time (like Martin's "I Met A Girl"), or they are a mishmash of rhymes dressed up as witty numbers ("Drop That Name" and "I'm Going Back"). A supporting cast including Eddie Foy, Fred Clark, and Jean Stapleton rattles around Holliday and Martin to fill in space. One last thing: Don't hold this film against the cast or director; they've all had better showcases than this. Despite a few fine performances, and one or two decent songs, "Bells Are Ringing" wears out its welcome quickly. The next time it's on Turner Classic Movies, if you keep it on for ten minutes, you'll wind up watching it all the way through just to see how the whole mess turns out. At film's end, few people will think it was time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: The Parts are Better than the Whole
Review: This is not a bad movie. It's just not as good as it should be. Take a highly successful Broadway musical. Transfer it to the screen with writing by the original authors. Add a couple of pleasant songs. Throw in stars who would appear to be well matched along with veteran character actors and you get...less than you expect. The problem is the chemistry between Holiday and Martin just doesn't click. It has been said that Holliday didn't think Martin was right for the part in spite of her personal affection for him. She may have been right. For all his charm, it is hard to believe Dean as a playwright suffering writers block. That said, Dean was so good at musical comedy that it still doesn't add up. Perhaps it was the timing. This movie came at the tail end of the popularity of Hollywood musicals and also near the end of the career of both Holliday and Director Vincent Minnelli. Whatever the reasons it is a movie that has some good moments and fine songs but is less than it should of been.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the holdup?
Review: This was available years ago in digital format, on Laserdisc. Why no DVD yet?
| 
