Bells Are Ringing (1956 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Eddie Lawrence, Jean Stapleton, Jule Styne, Sydney Chaplin, Bells Are Ringing (Related Recordings), Judy Holliday, Jerome Robbins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005ARE0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,207 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #52 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > Classic Musicals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In 1956, Judy Holliday was at the peak of her fame--she had just won an Oscar for Born Yesterday, and her old buddies Comden and Green were about to write a Broadway show for her. Bells Are Ringing may not be among composer Jule Styne's top-drawer scores, but the show benefits from Comden and Green's reliably zany book and lyrics (it's simply impossible not to crack up at songs like "Mu-Cha-Cha"), and Holliday is magnificent as phone operator Ella Peterson. The bonus tracks include Styne doing "Boogie Woogie Shoogie, Baby of Mine," which was cut from the show because the vocally challenged leading man, Sydney Chaplin, couldn't handle it. But even he can't ruin the show's biggest hit (the wonderful "Just in Time"), which brilliantly manages to be equally emotional and funny--the exact combination that made Holliday such a compelling star, come to think of it. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Judy Holiday shines in this light, attractive score, April 6, 2005

By 

Mark Andrew Lawrence "Theatre Reviewer" (Toronto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bells Are Ringing (1956 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

To answer a question from another reviewer, yes BELLS ARE RINGING was the first original cast album that Columbia records taped in both stereo and mono. The mono release came first but in 1958 Columbia issued a stereo edition. (Note to collectors: The mono LP used different takes on some numbers. For example there was no crowd cheerng in Just in Time.) Columbia re-released the abum with a different more glamorous photo of Judy Holiday in 1960 to tie in with the release of the film. The album stayed in print right though the end of the Lp era in the late 1980s.

Thomas Shepard has done his usual masterful job restoring the old tapes and even adding some previously deleted dance music. The only slight drawback is in the final song, I'm going Back, a short section of the stereo tape was damaged. You will note that from 2:28 to 2:59 the sound switches to mono.

A nice touch is using the old Columbia records label on the Cd!

The show itself proved unreviavable a few years ago when the wonderful Faith Prince to a crack at it. She is perhaps the the performer closest in style to Judy Holiday, (though she s NOT a star of the same calbre of Holiday!) but the book is too dated now. It was a pretty simplistic book even in 1956! And while the score has its share of gems, it also has a few non-so-steller moments (Hello Hello There, Salzburg, The Midas Touch) and a leading man (Sydney Chaplin) whose unsteady singing voice ruins his songs.

The movie soundtrack (with Holiday again this time teamed with Dean Martin, recently reissued by DRG) drops five of the songs and adds two new ones and gives us lusher orchestrations.

Despite the best efforts of Faith Prince (and the fact this it is the most complete recording of the score) the 2001 Broadway revival cast is a curiously dull recording that just never sparkles the way this origianl 1956 cast album does.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful record of a great star performance., May 29, 2002

By 

Cowboy Buddha "David" (Essex UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bells Are Ringing (1956 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

Bells Are Ringing is a classic, old-fashioned Broadway show from the days when musicals were still called "musical comedies" - and rightly so. Written primarily as a vehicle for the brilliant Judy Holliday and intended as nothing more ambitious than an evening's entertainment with a lot of laughs and a few memorable songs. The show's creative pedigree is impeccable - book and lyrics by the dependably witty Comden and Green and music by the great Jule Styne. The collaboration produced standards such as "The Party's Over" and "Just In Time" in a score than can only be described as bright and breezy. As was the custom with Columbia Records in those days, the cast album was recorded on the Sunday after the show's opening, so the performances are as fresh as ever. And the modern re-mastering has served the originals well.

Of course, Bells Are Ringing is first and foremost Judy Holliday's show and admirers of her tragically brief career will welcome this souvenir of her only Broadway musical. From the quiet heartbreak of "The Party's Over" to the belted-out showstopping "I'm Going Back" she is perfect with every word and note. Most of the rest of the cast is also good, although co-star Sydney Chaplin was hopefully a better actor than singer. And there is an unfortunate tendency to bring in the chorus when they are really not needed. But nothing gets in the way of Judy Holliday demonstrating the real meaning of star quality.

As a kind of bonus, the CD includes a few of the show's songs being sung and played by Jule Styne. These tracks are interesting but unlikely to be listened to more than once or twice. Judy, on the other hand, should be enjoyed over and over again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare American Culture - The Musical Theatre, June 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bells Are Ringing (1956 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

This combination of talents reflects the best of the now extinct American Musical. Amazing music by Jule Styne, clever and sophisticated presentation by Comden & Green and great casting. The film version was no comparison and this live restored recording showcases Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin in the 50's style we would all like to recapture.