The Story of Alexander Graham Bell

The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
Directed by	Irving Cummings
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck (producer) Kenneth Macgowan (associate producer)
Written by	Ray Harris
Screenplay by	Lamar Trotti Boris Ingster Milton Sperling
Starring	Don Ameche Loretta Young Henry Fonda
Music by	Ernst Toch
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Edited by	Walter A. Thompson
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	April 14, 1939 (1939-04-14)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Story of Alexander Graham Bell is a somewhat fictionalized 1939 biographical film of the famous inventor. It was filmed in black-and-white and released by Twentieth Century-Fox. The film stars Don Ameche as Bell and Loretta Young as Mabel, his wife, who contracted scarlet fever at an early age and became deaf.

Synopsis

The first half of the film concentrates on the hero's romantic, financial, and scientific struggles, starting in 1873. Most scenes are set in Boston and vicinity; a few late scenes are in London.

Henry Fonda is notable in a supporting role as the “Mr. Watson” who hears the first words ever spoken over the telephone. In a pivotal scene, Bell (Don Ameche), while working on the telephone, accidentally spills acid onto his lap and shouts in pain, “Mr. Watson, come here! I want you!”. Watson, barely able to contain his own excitement, rushes into the room and stammers out the news that he heard Bell calling out to him over the telephone receiver.  Bell has Watson repeat his own words to him to confirm it, and the two men begin hopping around the room, with Watson yelling out a war whoop.

The last part depicts the legal struggle against Western Union over patent priority in the invention of the telephone, ending with a courtroom victory. The final scene has the hero contemplating manned flight, under his wife's adoring gaze.

Cast

Accolades

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated^[1]

References

External links

• The Story of Alexander Graham Bell at the Internet Movie Database
• The Story of Alexander Graham Bell at AllMovie
• The Story of Alexander Graham Bell at the TCM Movie Database
• Story of Alexander Graham Bell at the American Film Institute Catalog