Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!netsys!vector!nobody From: davef@brspyr1.brs.com (Dave Fiske) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Phones in the movies and on TV Message-ID: Date: 2 Feb 89 19:05:52 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 30 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 44, message 2 In article , laura_halliday@mtsg.ubc.ca writes: > I saw something interesting in a TV show the other day. A lawyer, > finding his client dead of a drug overdose didn't pick up the > phone and dramatically say ``Operator, get me the police'' - he > dialed 911 instead. This was the first time I've ever noticed a > movie or TV character do this. Could this be the result of phone > company pressure? I find it difficult to believe that producers > would voluntarily give up a few seconds of drama unless they were > forced to. My guess would be that they figure 911 is universal enough now that people will understand what is being dialed. If the guy just dialed the regular number for say, the LA Police Dept., people not from LA might not realize it. Hence, "get me the police." Another technique for letting the audience know what is going on is that callers generally say "Hello, Police Department?" Of course, in real life, we wait for someone to answer on the other end before we say anything, plus a phone in any sort of office is usually answered with some identifying phrase (not just "hello") so the caller knows at once who they have reached. I also saw a comedian on TV recently who pointed out a bit of phone behavior in the movies. If someone gets hung up on, they always hold the receiver and give it a real puzzled or disgusted look. Has this ever been observed in real life? -- "FLYING ELEPHANTS DROP COW Dave Fiske (davef@brspyr1.BRS.COM) PIES ON HORRIFIED CROWD!" Home: David_A_Fiske@cup.portal.com Headline from Weekly World News CIS: 75415,163 GEnie: davef