Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell

"Ring up another triumph for Mr. Belvedere!"

1951 1h 27m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 9

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Posing as a man over 70, a lecturer (Clifton Webb) enters an old-folks home to prove age is a state of mind.

“Ring up another triumph for Mr. Belvedere!”

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Cast

Clifton Webb
Mr.Belvedere
Joanne Dru
Miss Tripp
Hugh Marlowe
Reverend Watson
Zero Mostel
Emmett
Doro Merande
Mrs. Hammer
William H. Lynn
Mr. Beebe
Harry Hines
Mr. Cherry
Thomas Browne Henry
Father Shea

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henry Koster
Writers: Ranald MacDougall
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Mr. Belvedere Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henry Koster, shot by Joseph LaShelle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Cyril J. Mockridge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William B. Murphy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Clifton Webb and Joanne Dru and Hugh Marlowe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Ring up another triumph for Mr. Belvedere!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henry Koster directs. Joseph LaShelle behind the camera. Cyril J. Mockridge scores. William B. Murphy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
275 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Mr. Belvedere Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Henry Koster, shot by Joseph LaShelle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Cyril J. Mockridge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor William B. Murphy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Clifton Webb and Joanne Dru and Hugh Marlowe carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Ring up another triumph for Mr. Belvedere!".
9IMDB entry: tt0043820 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph LaShelle
Original score: Cyril J. Mockridge
Editing: William B. Murphy
Costume design: Renié
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951)

Part of

Mr. Belvedere Collection

Series of 3 movies from 1948-51 featuring the character Lynn Belvedere.

Also by

Henry Koster

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-26
★ 6/10
Acclaimed writer "Lynn Belvedere" (Clifton Webb) is on a lecture tour to support his latest book, when he alights on an home for elderly people. It's administered by "Rev. Watson" (Hugh Marlowe) with the help of "Harriet" (Joanne Dru) and populated by a curious collection of elderly individuals with varying degrees of neuroses and quirks. "Belvedere" decides that he is going to demonstrate to each of them, as well as to the obviously affectionate but don't know it yet pair running the place, that a lot of their ailments, worries and troubles are merely in their minds. It's got a certain feel-good nature to it, naive and simplistic, but still the message is meant to be positive and to that extent Webb's characterisation is quite charming, if a little pompous, and his acting adequate. Zero Mostel also chips in nicely as his long suffering agent and the inmates, if you like, are made up of solid character actors who deliver well too. It's just too wordy - far too much dialogue and not enough of it pithy or humorous. Still, it's a gently amiable outing for this character that we have seen a few times now that passes the time easily enough. Perhaps he has had his day, now, and it is time for him to retire, too?

Production companies