Jim Ameche, Don's brother, played Bell too

For decades after the release of The Story of Alexander Bell, Don Ameche was closely identified with the part. His last name became a slang term for "telephone" for several years, and he even did TV commercials for Bell Telephone in the 1960s.

What few people remember is that Don's brother, Jim Ameche, also played Bell, in Irwin Allen's all-star 1957 travesty, The Story of Mankind. After calling for Watson, he turns to the camera and gives the audience a big grin, obviously enjoying the inside joke. The brothers looked a lot alike, so I'm sure many people were fooled, thinking it was Don who played Bell, even though Jim's name is in the cast.

Jim Ameche was a well-known radio personality and occasional TV pitchman for many years, and he obviously had no qualms about following in his brother's footsteps by reinventing the telephone, but I wonder whether Don had any issues with it.

Anyway, just an imaginative and fun bit of casting, of the kind you don't see often.