Spring has Sprung! & Bells Are Ringing ☎️

Spring has sprung and I am in the mood for musicals, melancholy, and joy! 

I am wanting to revi sit some old favourites, and these were the ones that have been spinning in my dvd player as the grass gets greener, leaf buds are appearing and the crocus blooms are appearing. 

Bells Are Ringing
One of my favourite films, I was late to finding this one, but it has meant a lot to me these past 10 years or so and I have become a massive Judy Holiday fan since. Led to this film after going on a Dean Martin binge and taking a gamble on it when I spotted it online. It feels like a quintessential musical from that 50s/early 60s era. In the vein of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson films but also with the distict touch of Compton and Green (writers of Singing in the Rain). Infused with New York characters and a case of mistaken identity, a boozy writer (Dean), and Holiday playing what might be best described as a bit of a ditz- but an incredibly good hearted and kind one.

 She works answering phones and taking messages at Sue's Answer Phone in the basement of a townhouse in the city and has a tendency to get too involved and feel too attached to the people on the other end of the line. It has some beautiful musical numbers and Judy Holiday is more adept than most at giving these characters more layers than you might see on the page, but because of this it always feels a bit more grounded and despite the broad comedy and the breaking out into song, you also not only care about her character, but you feel like this is a person you know and maybe even a glimpse of yourself.

Like in Kiss Me Stupid with Kim Novak, Dean plays a character that might be easy to write off but brings a real sense of humanity, complexity, and good will from the viewers. In this way the leads are perfectly matched and you don't feel like either in is emotional danger to pursue this relationship. 

nd you don't feel like either in is emotional danger to pursue this relationship. 

Have you seen this film? If so, let me know what you think of it and if you have other movies you would recommend knowing it's a favourite of mine!

Part 2 coming soon!