The Way Life Used To Be Retro Blog

I have a black rotary on my desk that I love. It’s great for hanging up on telemarketers- adds extra emphasis. It’s also a potential lifesaver during power outages- your phone still works! Plus, a real bell ringing sounds swell, and so does the whirring of the dial.

This image made me think of the many classic films that have a scene where a frantic fellow is pushing the phone receiver down repeatedly and yelling: “Operator? Hello, operator? Operator!” before slamming it down. Obviously the dame has hung up on him and the operator can’t help. (But we know they’ll connect in the end.)

I know I prefer real people to automated systems. Nothing wrong with small talk: “Hello, how are you? Can I please have extension 5.” And speaking of that, I don’t like computerized faux operators thanking me for calling and wishing me a nice day.