The Bell Telephone Hour (1959)

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The Bell Telephone Hour is a concert series which began April 29, 1940, on NBC Radio and was heard on NBC until 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.

Original Release

01/12/1959 on NBC

Cast

Name	Character

Blythe Danner
Red Buttons
Hal Holbrook
Bernadette Peters
Robby Benson
Jesse White
Henry Fonda
Jack Cassidy
Joel Grey
Donald Voorhees

(see additional cast & crew)

#	Title	Air Date
1	The Many Faces of Romeo and Juliet	Friday, 08 September 1967
2	On the Road with Duke Ellington	Friday, 13 October 1967
3	Benjamin Britten and His Aldeburgh Festival	Friday, 03 November 1967
4	The Virtuoso Teacher	Friday, 24 November 1967
5	Casals at Marlboro	Friday, 29 December 1967
6	The Sights and Sounds of Chicago	Friday, 16 February 1968
7	Man Who Dances: Edward Villella	Friday, 08 March 1968
8	Opera: Two to Six	Friday, 22 March 1968
9	Going to Bethlehem	Sunday, 14 April 1968
10	Jazz, the Intimate Art	Friday, 26 April 1968

Directors

Sid Smith, Clark Jones, Dave Geisel, Robert Scheerer, Kirk Browning, Bill Hobin, Dick Feldman, Norman Campbell, Bill Colleran, Ed Spiegel, Gene Nelson, David Lawrence Brown, William A. Graham, Gower Champion, Martyn Green, Nathan Kroll, Jerome Schnur, Richard Dunlap, Grey Lockwood, Mike Jackson, Walter C. Miller, Irving Jacoby, Hal Venho

Writers

Lucille Kallen, Charles Andrews, Burt Shevelove, Robert Herridge, Draper Lewis, Bill Gammie, Larry Markes, Marshall Barer, William Nichols, Joseph Liss, Gordon Auchincloss, Harold C. Schonberg, Robert Sherman, Ed Spiegel, Will Glickman, Martin Charnin, Ted Mills, Martyn Green, Arch Oboler, Robert Noah, Richard Dunlap, David Greggory, William Jacobson, Bernard Rothman, Herbert Sargent, Jim Bishop, W.S. Gilbert, Tom Waldman, Walter Marks, Draper Smith, Margaret Lewerth, William Hammerstein, Ed Scott, Francis Church

Cast

Name	Character

Blythe Danner
Red Buttons
Hal Holbrook
Bernadette Peters
Robby Benson
Jesse White
Henry Fonda
Jack Cassidy
Joel Grey
Donald Voorhees
The Bell Telephone Orchestra	Themselves
Mel Brandt	Himself - Announcer
The Buster Davis Singers	Themselves
Earl Wrightson	Himself
Edward Villella	Himself - Ballet Dancer
Carol Lawrence	Herself - Singer
John Raitt	Himself - Singer
Joan Sutherland	Herself - Opera Soprano
Jacques d'Amboise	Himself - Dancer
Grant Johannsen	Himself - Pianist

Producers

Name	Role

Barry Wood	Executive Producer
Henry Jaffe	Executive Producer
Dan Lounsbery	Executive Producer
Robert Drew	Executive Producer
Ben Wood	Executive Producer
Barry Wood	Producer
Dan Lounsbery	Producer
Burt Shevelove	Producer
Charles Andrews	Producer
Frederick Heider	Producer
Sid Smith	Producer
Robert Herridge	Producer
Herbert Ross	Producer
Henry Jaffe	Producer
William Hammerstein	Producer
Bill Hobin	Producer
Robert Drew	Producer
Roger Englander	Producer
Ed Cosgrove	Producer
Mike Jackson	Producer
Norman Campbell	Producer
Ed Spiegel	Producer
Ted Mills	Producer
William Nichols	Producer
Harry Morgan Moses	Producer
Nathan Kroll	Producer
Don Appell	Producer
Gary Smith	Producer
Martyn Green	Producer
Gerald Green	Producer
Stanley Prager	Producer
Robert Dwan	Producer
Ben Wood	Producer
Clark Jones	Producer
Kirk Browning	Producer
Nat Wilkes	Producer

Editors

Anne Gilbert, Sidney Katz, Naomi Mankowitz, Peter Johnson

Year	Type	Category	Won

1968	Emmy	Outstanding Musical or Variety Series	Nominated
1968	Emmy	Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing	Won
1967	Emmy	Outstanding Musical Program	Nominated
1967	Emmy	Individual Achievements in Electronic Production - Sound Recording	Nominated
1966	Emmy	Outstanding Musical Program	Nominated
1966	Emmy	Individual Achievements in Music - Conducting	Nominated
1966	Emmy	Individual Achievements in Electronic Production - Lighting	Nominated
1966	Emmy	Individual Achievements in Electronic Production - Video Control	Nominated
1964	Emmy	Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music	Won
1964	Emmy	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music	Nominated
1964	Emmy	Outstanding Achievement in Electronic Photography	Nominated
1963	Emmy	Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music	Nominated
1962	Emmy	Outstanding Program Achievements in the Fields of Variety and Music - Music	Nominated
1961	Emmy	Outstanding Achievement in Electronic Camerawork	Won
1961	Golden Globe	Television Achievement	Won
1960	Emmy	Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Music	Nominated