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IMDbPro

The Bell Telephone Hour

  • TV Series
  • 1959–19681959–1968
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
43
YOUR RATING
The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
  • Music
The long-running television version of the long-running NBC radio series devoted to classical music as well as Broadway composers.The long-running television version of the long-running NBC radio series devoted to classical music as well as Broadway composers.The long-running television version of the long-running NBC radio series devoted to classical music as well as Broadway composers.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
43
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • The Bell Telephone Orchestra
    • Mel Brandt
    • Donald Voorhees
Top credits
  • Stars
    • The Bell Telephone Orchestra
    • Mel Brandt
    • Donald Voorhees
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Primetime Emmys
      • 6 wins & 12 nominations total

    Episodes128

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Photos16

    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    Barbara Cook in The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    Jack Cassidy and Dolores Gray in The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    Joan Sutherland in The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    Joan Sutherland in The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
    The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    The Bell Telephone Orchestra
    • Themselvesas Themselves…
    60 episodes60 eps • 1960–1967
    Mel Brandt
    • Self - Announceras Self - Announcer…
    45 episodes45 eps • 1959–1968
    Donald Voorhees
    • Self - Hostas Self - Host…
    13 episodes13 eps • 1959–1968
    The Buster Davis Singers
    • Themselvesas Themselves…
    13 episodes13 eps • 1961–1966
    Edward Villella
    Edward Villella
    • Self - Ballet Danceras Self - Ballet Dancer…
    11 episodes11 eps • 1961–1968
    John Raitt
    John Raitt
    • Self - Singeras Self - Singer…
    11 episodes11 eps • 1959–1966
    Jacques d'Amboise
    Jacques d'Amboise
    • Self - Danceras Self - Dancer…
    11 episodes11 eps • 1959–1965
    Joan Sutherland
    Joan Sutherland
    • Self - Opera Sopranoas Self - Opera Soprano…
    10 episodes10 eps • 1961–1968
    Carol Lawrence
    Carol Lawrence
    • Self - Singeras Self - Singer…
    10 episodes10 eps • 1960–1967
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    • Self - Hostessas Self - Hostess…
    10 episodes10 eps • 1962–1966
    Earl Wrightson
    • Selfas Self
    9 episodes9 eps • 1960–1965
    Grant Johannsen
    • Self - Pianistas Self - Pianist…
    9 episodes9 eps • 1959–1966
    Melissa Hayden
    • Self - Ballerinaas Self - Ballerina…
    8 episodes8 eps • 1959–1968
    Patricia McBride
    • Self - Ballerinaas Self - Ballerina…
    8 episodes8 eps • 1961–1968
    Howard Keel
    Howard Keel
    • Self - Singeras Self - Singer…
    7 episodes7 eps • 1959–1965
    Nicolai Gedda
    Nicolai Gedda
    • Selfas Self…
    7 episodes7 eps • 1959–1968
    Maria Tallchief
    Maria Tallchief
    • Self - Ballerinaas Self - Ballerina…
    7 episodes7 eps • 1959–1966
    The New York City Ballet
    • Themselves - Ballet Troupeas Themselves - Ballet Troupe…
    7 episodes7 eps • 1959–1964
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Was one of the first TV series to be telecast exclusively in color (using the color TV system perfected by RCA in 1954) and recorded on videotape. Many of the taped performances (several now 50 years old) survive to this day.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Bell Telephone Jubilee (1976)

    User reviews3

    Review
    Top review
    Heavenly Music
    Classical music lovers in the mid-20th century thrilled weekly to "The Bell Telephone Hour." That the series lasted for so many years under major sponsorship demonstrates the general public's appreciation of musical art during that period.

    Opera divas like Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne Price, Joan Sutherland, Helen Traubel, to mention a few, appeared under the orchestral baton of Donald Vorhees.

    The series was always beautifully prepared and mounted. No one minded the black and white format, for that was the norm at the time. Entire families would regularly gather around the tv to experience superlative performances by major artists.

    A few of these programs have been preserved and are available today on vhs. I have two of Ms. Traubel's programs and she is a joy to hear. She performs selections she rarely got to perform as the leading Wagnerian soprano of her generation -- such as Verdi, Mozart, right down to a Negro spiritual at the end.

    Another "Bell" video I cherish (this one in color) is of Ms. Price, rendering an astonishing Nile Scene from Verdi's "Aida" and Cio Cio San's aria from Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." At "intermission" Vorhees interviews Price, with the program concluding with an aria from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino."

    There was nothing on television in the classical arena more beloved by the public than "The Bell Telephone Hour," and those who have managed to obtain these programs today certainly have some rare treasures in their collections.
    helpful•5
    0
    • harry-76
    • Nov 23, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 12, 1959 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Telephone Hour
    • Filming locations
      • Studio 8H, NBC Studios - 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Henry Jaffe Enterprises Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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