Bell & Howell hot shoe flash won't fire on my nikon d7000?

It does a test flash if its not mounted on the camera, once mounted it won't test flash or flash at all… I'm at the end of my leash, tried gpogle to no avail…

Are you using the correct shutter sync speed?

Old flash? Sometimes the shoe contact is burned. You will have to use the flash cable. Does the D7000 have an X flash outlet?

End of your leash? Untie yourself or cut the leash. Go to the nearest photo supply shop and get a cheap Vivitar or Long Nuo.

Google the exact specifications of that flash (not just the brand name but the precise product name) and find out if it can safely be used on a D7000 in first instance. Many old flash units for film cameras use trigger voltages of hundreds of volts, that can instantly kill the fragile electronics of your camera. They must not under any circumstances be used on a DSLR (except perhaps with an adapter or a radio trigger system in between)

Here is a list of flashes that would be safe to use on Canon EOS cameras, Nikon DSLRs are similar in that regard. Your flash's brand name isn't listed there though, unfortunately.
http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html