The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939)

Don Ameche takes the title role in this biopic of the Boston-based Scotsman credited with the invention of the telephone, and he does bring a certain passion to an otherwise rather procedural drama. The story traces the development of his experiments with his friend Thomas Watson (Henry Fonda) and parallels with his budding romance with Mabel (Loretta Young) and for much of the time, it rather uncomfortably straddles the line between science and melodrama. The last twenty minutes - including a visit to Queen Victoria and a court case to establish the legitimacy of his patents, livens the thing up a bit and the supporting cast of Charles Coburn and Gene Lockhart add value, but it needed to focus more of the reason we know of the man, and of the huge significance of his technological advancement. Worth a watch for Ameche's performance, still, though.

Worth a watch once, but that's it. The reason for watching, the invention of the Telephone, is largely glossed over and background noise. The main thrust of this story is a little too Mills & Boon, Bell falling in love with the deaf daughter of one of his backers. Very much an aged Romantic Drama of the early talkies era.