The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)
Plot.
“The Bell Telephone Hour” was a musical variety show that aired on “NBC” TV from 12 January 1959 to 14 June 1968 that showcased the best in Broadway, Classical, Concert, Jazz and Popular music each week. The series had its’ own house band appropriately named the “Bell Telephone Orchestra”. The show also had its’ own theme song being the “Bell Waltz” composed by “Donald Voorhees” who was also the show's Orchestra conductor. Some of the greatest violinists of the 1960’s performed on this show that aired in the old “Black & White” format. Some of these great violinists included “Erica Mornin”, “Isaac Stern", "Michael Rabin", "Ruggiero Ricci", "Yehudi Menuhin" and "Zino Francesacatti". From time to time some of the great singers and bandleaders of the 1960’s would perform on the show as well. Some of these were “Bing Crosby”, “Gordon MacRae”, “John Gary”, “Leslie Uggams”, “Mary Martin”, “Nelson Eddy”, “Patti Page” and “Roy Rogers”. The TV show followed on the heels of its’ predecessor with the same name on “NBC” radio that aired from 29 April 1940 to 1958 on Monday nights at 8 PM. The name of the show was derived from its’ Major sponsor “Bell Telephone Laboratories”. The TV version began airing on Friday nights at 8:30 PM once a month. It later was given it’s same time slot now airing every other week alternating with another show on the other weeks such as News shows and specials. The show time slot changed quite often over the years. In September 1960 it aired at 9 PM and in September 1961 it moved to 9:30 PM. In October 1963 it moved to Tuesday nights at 10 PM, September 1965 it moved to Sunday night at 6:30 PM and in September 1967 it made its' final move back to Friday night at 10 PM.
Where to Watch.
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Cast & Crew.

Mel Brandt
Self - Announcer

Jane Wyman
Self - Host

Harry Belafonte
Self

Woody Herman
Self

Dorothy Collins
Self

Lena Horne
Self / Self - Host

Florence Henderson
Self - Hostess

Jack Jones
Self

Fritz Weaver
Self - Narrator

John Forsythe
Self - Host

Johnny Desmond
Self

James C. Mathis III
Self

Gabriella Tucci
Self

Sholom Secunda
Self

John Gielgud
Self

Renata Tebaldi
Self

Maurice Evans
Self

Arthur Gold
Self

Robert Fizdale
Self

Janet Reed
Self

Marilyn Van Derbur
Self

Ella Fitzgerald
Self

Duke Ellington
Self

Grant Johannesen
Self

Martha Wright
Self

Russell Nype
Self

Risë Stevens
Self

Melissa Hayden
Self

Jacques d'Amboise
Self

Ann Blyth
Self

Howard Keel
Self

Isaac Stern
Self

Eileen Farrell
Self

Joe Bushkin
Self

Rosemary Clooney
Self

José Ferrer
Self

Gisele MacKenzie
Self

José Iturbi
Self

Maria Tallchief
Self

Andre Eglevsky
Self

Giorgio Tozzi
Self

Nicolai Gedda
Self

Alfred Drake
Self

Sally Ann Howes
Self

Zino Francescatti
Self

Dave Guard
Self

Bob Shane
Self

Nick Reynolds
Self

Red Nichols
Self

Nina Novak
Self

George Zoritch
Self

Alan Howard
Self

Connee Boswell
Self

Burl Ives
Self

Edie Adams
Self

Johnny Cash
Self

Patrice Munsel
Self

Brian Sullivan
Self

Walter Cassel
Self

Edmund Karlsrud
Self

Gordon MacRae
Self

Dolores Gray
Self

Art Lund
Self

Burgess Meredith
Self

John Raitt
Self

Jaye P. Morgan
Self

Gene Nelson
Self

Taina Elg
Self

Lorin Hollander
Self

Allegra Kent
Self

Vic Damone
Self

Marge Champion
Self

Gower Champion
Self

André Previn
Self

Teddy Wilson
Self

Ira Gershwin
Self

Earl Wild
Self

Lisa Della Casa
Self

Penny Ambrose
Self

Kathy Lennon
Self

Janet Lennon
Self

Peggy Lennon
Self

Dianne Lennon
Self

Thomas Mitchell
Self

Louis Armstrong
Self

Jack Cassidy
Self

Jane Froman
Self

Art Carney
Self

Sheila MacRae
Self

Les Paul
Self

Mary Ford
Self

Amparo Iturbi
Self

Emmanuel Chabrier
Self

Ethel Merman
Self

Beatrice Lillie
Self

Benny Goodman
Self

Carl Sandburg
Self

Julie Andrews
Self

Larry Douglas
Self

Nanette Fabray
Self

Victoria de los Ángeles
Self

Barbara Cook
Self

Frank Assunto
Self

Fred Assunto
Self

Duke Assunto
Self

Bob Hamilton
Self

Edward Villella
Self

Gloria Stevens
Self

Katherine Damon
Self

Mel Pahl
Self

Connie Francis
Self

Carol Lawrence
Self

Eddie Hodges
Self

Roger Williams
Self

Gene Puerling
Self

Bob Morse
Self

Clark Burroughs
Self

Don Shelton
Self

Ralph Bellamy
Self

Alicia Alonso
Self

Nora Kaye
Self

Mia Slavenska
Self

Gregor Piatigorsky
Self

Lucine Amara
Self

Jerome Hines
Self

Warren Martin
Self

Dennis King
Mikado

Robert Rounseville
Nanki-Poo

Groucho Marx
Ko-Ko

Sharon Randall
Pitti-Sing

Maureen O'Hara
Self / Self - Hostess

Melinda Marx
Peep-Bo

Helen Traubel
Katisha

Red Norvo
Self

Flip Phillips
Self

Shirley Jones
Self / Self - Hostess

Ernie Green
Self

Maria Marshall
Self

Melissa Hayden
Self

Francisco Moncion
Self

Conrad Ludlow
Self

Michael Lland
Self

Van Cliburn
Self

Janet Blair
Self

Earl Wrightson
Self

Gretchen Wyler
Self

Kelly Brown
Self

Bambi Linn
Self

Arthur Whittemore
Self

Jack Lowe
Self

Robert Preston
Self

Mahalia Jackson
Self

Peter Palmer
Self

Jo Stafford
Self

Bill Hayes
Self

Mindy Carson
Self

Genevieve
Self

Jane Powell
Self

Helen Hayes
Self

Farley Granger
Self

Stanley Holloway
Self / Pooh-Bah

Lupe Serrano
Self

Michael Rabin
Self

Donald Voorhees
Self

Barbara Meister
Self / Yum-Yum

Igor Youskevitch
Self

Roberta Lubell
Self

Royes Fernandez
Self

Scott Douglas
Self

Ruth Ann Koesun
Self

Keith Andes
Self

Erik Bruhn
Self

Valerie Bettis
Self

Mildred Miller
Self

Zizi Jeanmaire
Self

Dirk Sanders
Self

Eddie Condon
Self

Bobby Hackett
Self

Ralph Sutton
Self

Peanuts Hucko
Self

Joe Williams
Self

Mickey Sheen
Self

Roberta Peters
Self

Theodor Uppman
Self

Russell Arms
Self

Paul Whitman
Self

Ruth Earl
Self

Jane Earl
Self

Scott Lane
Self

Ray Bolger
Self - Host / Self

Dwight Marfield
Self

Ralph Brewster
Self

Gracie Fields
Self

Frank Baxter
Self

Violette Verdy
Self

Joan Sutherland
Self

Alessandro Giannini
Self

Thomas Andrew
Self

Anita Darian
Self

Don McKay
Self

Buddy Schwab
Self

Freda Holloway
Self

Polly Rowles
Self

Birgit Nilsson
Self

Tommy Rall
Self

Polly Bergen
Self - Hostess / Self

Paul Hartman
Self

Wolfgang Schanzer
Self

Bob Flick
Self

John Paine
Self

Mike Kirkland
Self

Dick Foley
Self

Arlene Francis
Self

George Shirley
Self

Ron Husmann
Self

Paula Stewart
Self

Lauri Peters
Self

Brian Davies
Self

Eileen Rodgers
Self

Harve Presnell
Self

Patricia McBride
Self

Jaime Laredo
Self

Chad Mitchell
Self

Mike Kobluk
Self

Joe Frazier
Self

Francesca Roberto
Self

Tony Charmoli
Self

Anna Moffo
Self

Richard Tucker
Self

Louis Teicher
Self

Arthur Ferrante
Self

Anita Bryant
Self
Details.
Release DateJanuary 12, 1959
StatusEnded
Seasons10
Episodes118
Running Time1h
Last updated:
This TV Show Is About.
classical music
broadway
Scripted
Wiki.
The Bell Telephone Hour, also known as The Telephone Hour, is a concert series broadcast on NBC Radio Network from April 29, 1940 to June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone as the name implies, it showcased the best in classical and Broadway music, reaching eight to nine million listeners each week. It continued on television from 1959 to 1968. Throughout the program's run on both radio and television, the studio orchestra on the program was conducted by Donald Voorhees.
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