Mary Printz

Mary Printz (April 8, 1923 – February 21, 2009) was an answering service operator who catered to many of the New York theater and business A-list in the 1950s. Bells Are Ringing, a Broadway musical, was based on her career, which was turned into the 1960 film of the same name.

Biography Born Mary Selina Horn in Grosse Pointe, Michigan on April 8, 1923, she was raised in Hampton, Virginia and became afflicted with polio as a five-year-old. She moved to New York City after dropping out of college and a failed marriage. There she married cocktail pianist Bob Printz in 1953 and found a night job at an answering service to match her husband's evening schedule. The original production ran from 1956 to 1959, with songs such as "The Party's Over" and "Just in Time" that have become standards. Both Holliday and co-star Sydney Chaplin won Tony Awards for their performances.

The firm had as many as 600 clients at its peak by the late 1970s, with over 20 operators at six switchboards. Celebrities and the well-off were the company's mainstay, all of whom came by referral, as the company did not advertise. Leonard Bernstein called to use the company's service, saying "This is Lenny. Adolph asked me to call you". Printz would not take business from physicians or repairmen, saying "It's too much trouble for the girls".

Death Printz died at age 85 on February 21, 2009 at her home in Tappan, New York due to congestive heart failure, which was related to post-polio syndrome. She was survived by her husband, two sons and a granddaughter.