Ella Peterson (Judy Holliday recreating her Broadway role in her last film) is a lonely Brooklyn telephone answering service operator – working for ‘Susanswerphone’ – who tries to improve the lives of her clients by passing along bits of information she hears from other clients.
She falls in love with one of her clients, Plaza 0-double four, double nine – that’s the number of playwright Jeffrey Moss (Dean Martin) – and is determined to meet him.
The trouble is, on the phone to him, she always pretends to be an old woman whom he calls “Mom.”
Frank Gorshin co-stars as method actor Blake Barton, who is an obvious spoof of Marlon Brando.
Made late in the cycle of great MGM musicals, with the reliable producer-director combo of Arthur Freed and Vincente Minnelli, this is a fairly clunky adaptation of a Broadway hit.
The original Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theater (moving later to the Alvin Theater) on 29 November 1956 and played for 924 performances through to 7 March 1959.
Ella Peterson
Judy Holliday Jeffrey Moss
Dean Martin Larry Hastings
Fred Clark J. Otto Prantz
Eddie Foy Jr Sue
Jean Stapleton Gwynne
Ruth Storey Inspector Barnes
Dort Clark Blake Barton
Frank Gorshin Francis
Ralph Roberts Olga
Valerie Allen Dr Joe Kitchell
Bernard West
Director
Vincente Minnelli
Video
Related Posts
Butterflies Are Free (1972) Goldie Hawn stars as cheerful irresponsible hippie Jill Tanner in this light-hearted film as a flighty actress who falls in love…
Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Although Broadway Danny Rose might be considered one of Woody Allen's more minor movies, it is a thoroughly charming and often extremely…
Bellboy, The (1960) Stanley (Jerry Lewis) is just one of an army of bellboys at a luxury hotel in Miami. But, unlike the…
Bell, Book and Candle (1958) Based on John Van Druten's hit play, this adroit romantic comedy stars Kim Novak as Gil Holroyd - a witch living…
Black Christmas (1974) Bob Clark's imaginatively nasty low-budget Canadian slasher traps a group of college students in the snow-dusted sorority house of Sigma…
Butterfield 8 (1960) Elizabeth Taylor won the 1960 Best Actress Oscar for her role in Butterfield 8, although most Hollywood observers felt she…
Bottoms Up (1960) This whimsical slapstick comedy was based on Frank Muir and Denis Norden’s successful radio and TV series Whack-O! This fully…
Band Wagon, The (1953) Fred Astaire and Michael Kidd choreographed this gem of a Hollywood musical produced by MGM. The Band Wagon began as a…
