Some things I liked some I did not.

Good concept, poorly executed.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Copyright 1960. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 23 June 1960 (ran 7 weeks). U.K. release: 9 October 1960. Australian release: 20 October 1960. 11,309 feet. 125 minutes.SYNOPSIS: The operator of a telephone answering service falls in love with one of her clients.NOTES: Judy Holliday's last film. She died 7 June 1965. Also Arthur Freed's last musical and his second last film (see "Light in the Piazza"). M-G-M production number: 1760. Shooting from 7 October 1959 through 24 December 1959. Negative cost: $2,203,123. Initial world- wide rentals gross: $3,985,950 (which means that after adding print, advertising and distribution expenses, the film did little more than break even). The Screen Writers Guild gave Comden and Green an award for the Best Written American Musical of 1960.COMMENT: A much under-rated movie. Admittedly, it was, according to all reports, difficult to make. Judy Holliday (repeating her stage success) was not in good health, but there is no sign of any strain or nervousness in her typically ebullient performance. Her timing is absolutely perfect and she realty enlivens every scene in which she appears. Dean Martin also shines. In fact, he often looks as delightfully bewildered as we are by the enjoyably screwy plot. As a musical, "Bells Are Ringing" is commendably innovative – an odd mixture of realism, fantasy and even surrealism. But alas, unlike me and other professional critics, neighborhood audiences were not entranced. Nevertheless, I feel sure that this is a movie that will always have a central core of fervent admirers – and you can count me as one of them. You'll notice than Comden and Green, who wrote the Broadway success, also penned the screen adaptation. That's why, for once, all the elements, including the songs, that thrilled Broadway audiences have not only been carried forward intact to the movie, but even enhanced!

If I was asked to describe this musical with one word, it would be zany. Crazy, madcap, wacky, whacky, screwball, screwy and unconventional are the other words suggested by Microsoft Word. Pons asinorum, Dean Martin's character is a playwright in need of encouragement and inspiration. Judy Holliday's character, a telephone operator, is there to provide them. There's actually nothing standing between them except for the ancient old romantic comedy regulation that demands a misconception of any kind to drive a wedge between them.But this isn't why I decided to write a little review. I wanted to tell just how well they play together; what kooky characters they encounter; how they swing the Jule Styne songs. Imagine Seinfeld, the musical. That's it. The highlight of the film is Dino singing Just in Time. Saying hello to strangers and breaking into a cappella song never felt so nice, and easy.

Director Vincente Minnelli gets this stagy adaptation of the Broadway success off to a splashy start; however, like most musicals helmed by the erratic Minnelli, he never quite lives up to that colorful opening. Beginning with a succession of ringing rotary phones--all in kicky colors--the prelude acts as an advertisement for Susanswerphone, a telephone answering service. It looks as though this going be pure genius, until we find out that nervously-wired Judy Holliday is the only operator Susanswerphone seems to have (and she's the kooky type, getting involved in other people's lives because she has nothing going on in her own). Holliday is in love with one of the clients, a Broadway playwright who thinks he's washed up, and feels guilty about dating him under an alias, but her situation doesn't seem exceptionally dire. Dean Martin (miscast) sings a nice, funny version of "Just in Time" with Holliday, but otherwise hasn't much to offer. The stale plot, trite and cozy-contrived, gets a boost from the musical moments, but even those are not staged with much excitement. Too bad...Susanswerphone had great possibilities. **1/2 from ****

I was wondering why the end scene has Judy in a blue dress that is not at all a good shade for her. she should be in some color more her shade. the rest of her wardrobe is Hollywood style why not her last performance.