Judy Holliday

Museum of Modern Art writes:
In a gender twist on the “meddling mother-in-law,” Nick Rocco’s old-world father, Vittorio Rocco (Salvatore Baccaloni), can’t help insinuating himself into his son and daughter-in-law’s lives. Nick and Emily are just a few days away from the birth of their first child and Vittorio—a skilled handyman—is called in to help with repairs in their new home. Nick is reluctant to rely upon his meddling dad, but the repairs have to be made before the baby comes home. Baccaloni was an opera singer and member of the La Scala Opera in Milan.Read More »

Synopsis:
Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn. Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall to see if he can soften her rough edges and make her more presentable in capital society. But Harry gets more than he bargained for as Billie absorbs Verall’s lessons in U.S. history and not only comes to the realization that Harry is nothing but a two-bit, corrupt crook, but in the process also falls in love with her handsome tutor.Read More »

Judy Holliday’s final film, Bells Are Ringing, is a tailor-made vehicle
for her brassy talent. She’d won a Tony for the Broadway version of
the show, playing an overly sympathetic telephone receptionist who
gets involved in her customers’ lives. Betty Comden and Adolph Green
adapted their stage musical. Director Vincente Minnelli seems content
to showcase Holliday’s crack comic timing. Despite the somewhat muted
tone, there are delightful bits: a typical Comden & Green showbiz party
(with a number about name-dropping), Frank Gorshin’s send-up of a
Brando-inflected actor, and Dean Martin’s crooning. “The Party’s Over,”
that unforgettable end-of-the-evening lament, and “Just in Time” are
the Jule Styne standards from the score – – – Amazon.comRead More »