The Bell Telephone Hour
Overview
“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.
Cast
John Raitt
Self
Jacques d'Amboise
Self
Ray Bolger
Self - Host / Self
Carol Lawrence
Self
Harry Belafonte
Self
Howard Keel
Self
Gordon MacRae
Self - Host / Self
Polly Bergen
Self - Hostess / Self
José Iturbi
Self
Jack Jones
Self
Johnny Desmond
Self
Renata Tebaldi
Self
View Full Cast
Marilyn Van Derbur
Self
Grant Johannesen
Self
Rosemary Clooney
Self
Alfred Drake
Self
Sally Ann Howes
Self
Red Nichols
Self
Patrice Munsel
Self
Gene Nelson
Self
Allegra Kent
Self
Burl Ives
Self / Self - Host
Shirley Jones
Self / Self - Hostess
Maureen O'Hara
Self - Hostess / Self - Host
Florence Henderson
Self - Hostess / Self
Steve Lawrence
Self / Self - Host
Robert Goulet
Self - Host
Jane Wyatt
Robert Merrill
Dorothy Collins
Self
Lena Horne
Self - Host / Self
Ella Fitzgerald
Self
Martha Wright
Self
Risë Stevens
Self
Melissa Hayden
Self
Gisele MacKenzie
Self
Maria Tallchief
Self
Andre Eglevsky
Self
Giorgio Tozzi
Self
Nicolai Gedda
Self
Brian Sullivan
Self
Dolores Gray
Self
Burgess Meredith
Self
Taina Elg
Self
Lorin Hollander
Self
Marge Champion
Self
Gower Champion
Self
Sheila MacRae
Self
Benny Goodman
Self
Barbara Cook
Self
Frank Assunto
Self
Fred Assunto
Self
Duke Assunto
Self
Edward Villella
Self
Janet Blair
Self
Kelly Brown
Self
Stanley Holloway
Pooh-Bah / Self
Lupe Serrano
Self
Barbara Meister
Self / Yum-Yum
Royes Fernandez
Self
Eddie Condon
Self
Bobby Hackett
Self
Ralph Sutton
Self
Peanuts Hucko
Self
Joe Williams
Self
Mickey Sheen
Self
Nanette Fabray
Self - Hostess / Self
Ralph Bellamy
Self / Self - Host
Ruth Earl
Self
Jane Earl
Self
Bob Flick
Self
John Paine
Self
Mike Kirkland
Self
Dick Foley
Self
Harve Presnell
Self
Anita Gillette
Self
Allen Case
Self
Guy Lombardo
Pete Fountain
Jane Wyman
Self - Host
Woody Herman
Self
Fritz Weaver
Self - Narrator
John Forsythe
Self - Host
James C. Mathis III
Self
Gabriella Tucci
Self
Sholom Secunda
Self
John Gielgud
Self
Maurice Evans
Self
Arthur Gold
Self
Robert Fizdale
Self
Janet Reed
Self
Duke Ellington
Self
Russell Nype
Self
Ann Blyth
Self
Isaac Stern
Self
Eileen Farrell
Self
Joe Bushkin
Self
José Ferrer
Self
Zino Francescatti
Self
Dave Guard
Self
Bob Shane
Self
Nick Reynolds
Self
Nina Novak
Self
George Zoritch
Self
Alan Howard
Self
Connee Boswell
Self
Edie Adams
Self
Johnny Cash
Self
Walter Cassel
Self
Edmund Karlsrud
Self
Art Lund
Self
Jaye P. Morgan
Self
Vic Damone
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
Les Paul
Self
Mary Ford
Self
Amparo Iturbi
Self
Emmanuel Chabrier
Self
Ethel Merman
Self
Beatrice Lillie
Self
Carl Sandburg
Self
Julie Andrews
Self
Larry Douglas
Self
Victoria de los Ángeles
Self
Bob Hamilton
Self
Gloria Stevens
Self
Katherine Damon
Self
Mel Pahl
Self
Connie Francis
Self
Eddie Hodges
Self
Roger Williams
Self
Gene Puerling
Self
Bob Morse
Self
Clark Burroughs
Self
Don Shelton
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
Melinda Marx
Peep-Bo
Helen Traubel
Katisha
Red Norvo
Self
Flip Phillips
Self
Ernie Green
Self
Maria Marshall
Self
Melissa Hayden
Self
Francisco Moncion
Self
Conrad Ludlow
Self
Michael Lland
Self
Van Cliburn
Self
Earl Wrightson
Self
Gretchen Wyler
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
Michael Rabin
Self
Donald Voorhees
Self
Igor Youskevitch
Self
Roberta Lubell
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
Roberta Peters
Self
Theodor Uppman
Self
Russell Arms
Self
Paul Whitman
Self
Scott Lane
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
Paul Hartman
Self
Wolfgang Schanzer
Self
Arlene Francis
Self
George Shirley
Self
Ron Husmann
Self
Paula Stewart
Self
Lauri Peters
Self
Brian Davies
Self
Eileen Rodgers
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
Jan Peerce
Self
Gianna D'Angelo
Self
Carla Fracci
Self
Janis Paige
Self
Peter Marshall
Self - Singer
Constance Towers
Self - Singer
Diahann Carroll
Self
John Davidson
Self
Henry Fonda
Self - Host
Martha Scott
Self - Hostess
Paul Newman
Self
Joanne Woodward
Self
Art Carney
Self - Host
Dinah Shore
Self - Hostess
Hugh O'Brian
Self - Host
Bing Crosby
Self
Phyllis McGuire
Self
- Country
- United States
- Rating source
- TMDB
- Keywords
- #broadway, #classical music
