Remember When
remember when there was a name after the area code to help you remember telephone numbers_____?
our name was Juniper - you had to look for Ju on the dial to dial the number
and you didn't have to dial the area code if it was the same one you lived in
and you needed the Operator to call long distance
"Operator - I want to call California - person to person"___________and it was really expensive
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
.
Quote: lilredrooster
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
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The main reason for that is because women's voices were easier to understand considering the phone technology at the time.
Quote: lilredrooster.
remember when there was a name after the area code to help you remember telephone numbers_____?
our name was Juniper - you had to look for Ju on the dial to dial the number
and you didn't have to dial the area code if it was the same one you lived in
and you needed the Operator to call long distance
"Operator - I want to call California - person to person"___________and it was really expensive
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
.
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In the late 1960s, my family was driving cross-country. Every night, my mom would call her mother from person to person, and it would be rejected. It was a free way to let them know everything was good. One day, Grandma accepted the call, and my Mom flipped out. It turned out a check for my father had come in the mail.
Quote: lilredrooster.
remember when there was a name after the area code to help you remember telephone numbers_____?
our name was Juniper - you had to look for Ju on the dial to dial the number
and you didn't have to dial the area code if it was the same one you lived in
and you needed the Operator to call long distance
"Operator - I want to call California - person to person"___________and it was really expensive
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
.
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So numbers looked something like "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
Quote: lilredrooster.
remember when there was a name after the area code to help you remember telephone numbers_____?
our name was Juniper - you had to look for Ju on the dial to dial the number
and you didn't have to dial the area code if it was the same one you lived in
and you needed the Operator to call long distance
"Operator - I want to call California - person to person"___________and it was really expensive
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
.
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Women were seen as more polite and less likely to be short with the callers.
There is a "Mad Men" episode where they show three internal operators for the office. One was begging to be moved to a different job.
Quote: DieterQuote: lilredrooster.
remember when there was a name after the area code to help you remember telephone numbers_____?
our name was Juniper - you had to look for Ju on the dial to dial the number
and you didn't have to dial the area code if it was the same one you lived in
and you needed the Operator to call long distance
"Operator - I want to call California - person to person"___________and it was really expensive
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
.
link to original post
So numbers looked something like "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
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My grandmothers number was Hollis Four 5000. That's how we were taught it. 464-5000.
Quote: billryanQuote: lilredrooster.
remember when there was a name after the area code to help you remember telephone numbers_____?
our name was Juniper - you had to look for Ju on the dial to dial the number
and you didn't have to dial the area code if it was the same one you lived in
and you needed the Operator to call long distance
"Operator - I want to call California - person to person"___________and it was really expensive
here were some of those ever so helpful Operators - for whatever reason it seemed like only women could be Operators -
.
link to original post
In the late 1960s, my family was driving cross-country. Every night, my mom would call her mother from person to person, and it would be rejected. It was a free way to let them know everything was good. One day, Grandma accepted the call, and my Mom flipped out. It turned out a check for my father had come in the mail.
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You have to wonder how the operators felt running these calls hour after hour day after day. Everyone used either this gimmick or let it ring 1-2 times then hang up.
People born after 1980 hear about this and just do not grasp it.
Quote: DieterSo numbers looked something like "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
yes, exactly
but I doubt they would have used "Pennsylvania" because it might confuse people thinking whether or not to dial "Pe" or "Pa"
here is an example from an old phone book - but it abbreviates the word that you called it - it doesn't show the whole word
below the first image is another image showing that they sometimes used 3 letters instead of 2 - I never knew about that until now
.
Quote: lilredroosterQuote: DieterSo numbers looked something like "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
yes, exactly
but I doubt they would have used "Pennsylvania" because it might confuse people thinking whether or not to dial "Pe" or "Pa"
Bo, they did use it. They still use it. PENnsylvania-6500 is an actual number, supposedly the oldest phone number used by a business and a song.
Quote: lilredroosterQuote: DieterSo numbers looked something like "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
yes, exactly
but I doubt they would have used "Pennsylvania" because it might confuse people thinking whether or not to dial "Pe" or "Pa"
here is an example from an old phone book - but it abbreviates the word that you called it - it doesn't show the whole word
below the first image is another image showing that they sometimes used 3 letters instead of 2 - I never knew about that until now
.
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OK. Someone needs to be punished for doxing me.
tuttigym
Quote: DieterThis, of course, is a fine prompt for the joke about Eve's phone number...
ADAM 812
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What did Adam say to Eve on the first December 25?
"It's Christmas, Eve"
Quote: AZDuffman
You have to wonder how the operators felt running these calls hour after hour day after day. Everyone used either this gimmick or let it ring 1-2 times then hang up.
People born after 1980 hear about this and just do not grasp it.
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My mother worked for Ma Bell as an operator from 1948 to 1960. People had all kinds of tricks to get out of paying huge long distance bills. They would call collect and use different code names. Like will you accept a call from Robert meant everything was fine. Will you accept a call from Bobby meant I love you. Another thing people did was had a practiced script were they talked for less than 1 minute because anything more than a minute started to cost you real money. What people don't realize is how much long distance cost compared to how much money people made. A long distance call for a middle class person was a super super luxury and we only got them when somebody died. And just like in the movies the whole family would get up at 3:00 in the morning and gather around the phone because it was that big of a deal. Because when the phone rang anytime after midnight it was like a fire alarm going off and it always meant bad news.
Even as a kid I wondered why Grandma had to wake the entire house up at 3:00 a.m. to tell his Grandpa died when he would be just as dead at 10:00 a.m. when everybody was up. In those days when somebody died the whole family had to be told immediately.
Quote: EvenBob
Even as a kid I wondered why Grandma had to wake the entire house up at 3:00 a.m. to tell his Grandpa died when he would be just as dead at 10:00 a.m. when everybody was up. In those days when somebody died the whole family had to be told immediately.
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I was a teenager and inclined to stay up rather late.
When relatives were near their end, I was routinely told to take the call and take a message for the morning, no matter how insistent the caller was that people should be woken up for bad news.
If people are to assist with whatever in the morning, they'll be more useful if they're rested. The handkerchief wringing and hotdish baking can certainly wait.
Quote: rxwineMy Dad used to tell a story how one of his Uncles died. They were all at the dinner table. The uncle stopped talking, his eyes opened wide and then he kicked back toppling over backwards and was dead as a door nail. Then we all chucked at this story, including my dad. Death was still scary, but you made fun of it I guess.
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You would never laugh at this now, it would be considered very bad taste. We also used to make fun and laugh at black people, fat people, retarded people, stupid people, Women, handicapped people, people with foreign accents, and any ethnic group that wasn't your own. We still laugh at stupid people but everything else is completely off the table now. About 30 years ago when I was in the antique business I had a big thick joke book written in 1910 and the jokes in that book would make your hair stand on in now. It made fun of everybody in the worst possible language.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: rxwineMy Dad used to tell a story how one of his Uncles died. They were all at the dinner table. The uncle stopped talking, his eyes opened wide and then he kicked back toppling over backwards and was dead as a door nail. Then we all chucked at this story, including my dad. Death was still scary, but you made fun of it I guess.
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You would never laugh at this now, it would be considered very bad taste. We also used to make fun and laugh at black people, fat people, retarded people, stupid people, Women, handicapped people, people with foreign accents, and any ethnic group that wasn't your own. We still laugh at stupid people but everything else is completely off the table now. About 30 years ago when I was in the antique business I had a big thick joke book written in 1910 and the jokes in that book would make your hair stand on in now. It made fun of everybody in the worst possible language.
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1910? In the 80s there was the "Truly Tasteless Jokes" series. Neatly divided into things like Black, Polish, Jewish, etc. And a series of "Official X" joke books for the same groups. It was all considered funny, no PC cops yet.
Quote: rxwineMy grandmother had a party line. I couldn’t decide if that was neat or not. You picked up the phone and if other people were talking on it, you set it back down and waited until they got off. Or sometimes you picked it up and a second or two the operator would come on, and say, “Oh you’re Effie’s grandson.” Because it was a small town and everyone did know everyone.
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We had a party line the whole time when growing up. We just shared it with one neighbor but she was an old lady that was always on the phone. Growing up I thought that was normal to have to wait to use the phone because someone else was on it.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: rxwineMy Dad used to tell a story how one of his Uncles died. They were all at the dinner table. The uncle stopped talking, his eyes opened wide and then he kicked back toppling over backwards and was dead as a door nail. Then we all chucked at this story, including my dad. Death was still scary, but you made fun of it I guess.
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You would never laugh at this now, it would be considered very bad taste. We also used to make fun and laugh at black people, fat people, retarded people, stupid people, Women, handicapped people, people with foreign accents, and any ethnic group that wasn't your own. We still laugh at stupid people but everything else is completely off the table now. About 30 years ago when I was in the antique business I had a big thick joke book written in 1910 and the jokes in that book would make your hair stand on in now. It made fun of everybody in the worst possible language.
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I always joke about death. I had a friend that always just said 'too soon" because I would make a joke about someone dying the day before. In my opinion, people take death too seriously. It is almost like people don't understand that we are all going to die. It should not be a big surprise.
Quote: DRichI always joke about death. I had a friend that always just said 'too soon" because I would make a joke about someone dying the day before. In my opinion, people take death too seriously. It is almost like people don't understand that we are all going to die. It should not be a big surprise.
I agree about joking about death
but if you're old and you lose your significant other it can and often is a very traumatic thing to adjust to
and worrying about your significant other if you go first can be hard too
for some it's just too much
when my Grandmother passed my Grandfather immediately completely fell apart and had to be put into a nursing home
there was no way he could take care of himself
.
Quote: lilredrooster
when my Grandmother passed my Grandfather immediately completely fell apart and had to be put into a nursing home
there was no way he could take care of himself
My father passed away about two years ago and I was so happy that he went before my mother. My father lived to take care of my mother and if he did not have that he would have just given up and died shortly after.
Quote: DRichQuote: lilredrooster
when my Grandmother passed my Grandfather immediately completely fell apart and had to be put into a nursing home
there was no way he could take care of himself
My father passed away about two years ago and I was so happy that he went before my mother. My father lived to take care of my mother and if he did not have that he would have just given up and died shortly after.
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back in the day most men didn't do any of the household chores
all of those types of chores were done by their wives
so, if their wives passed first - they were lost - they didn't know how to cook, didn't know how to clean, etc.
nowadays, most men can do at least some of this stuff - but there are still prolly many men who don't do these chores well
and choose to eat out all or most of the time because they're lost in the kitchen
.
Quote: DRichQuote: rxwineMy grandmother had a party line. I couldn’t decide if that was neat or not. You picked up the phone and if other people were talking on it, you set it back down and waited until they got off. Or sometimes you picked it up and a second or two the operator would come on, and say, “Oh you’re Effie’s grandson.” Because it was a small town and everyone did know everyone.
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We had a party line the whole time when growing up. We just shared it with one neighbor but she was an old lady that was always on the phone. Growing up I thought that was normal to have to wait to use the phone because someone else was on it.
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One neighbor? We had eight people on our party line and it was normal because everybody was doing it. We didn't get a private line until 1970.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: DRichQuote: rxwineMy grandmother had a party line. I couldn’t decide if that was neat or not. You picked up the phone and if other people were talking on it, you set it back down and waited until they got off. Or sometimes you picked it up and a second or two the operator would come on, and say, “Oh you’re Effie’s grandson.” Because it was a small town and everyone did know everyone.
link to original post
We had a party line the whole time when growing up. We just shared it with one neighbor but she was an old lady that was always on the phone. Growing up I thought that was normal to have to wait to use the phone because someone else was on it.
link to original post
One neighbor? We had eight people on our party line and it was normal because everybody was doing it. We didn't get a private line until 1970.
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I left Ohio in 1984 and I think we still had a party line.
Quote: DRichQuote: EvenBobQuote: DRichQuote: rxwineMy grandmother had a party line. I couldn’t decide if that was neat or not. You picked up the phone and if other people were talking on it, you set it back down and waited until they got off. Or sometimes you picked it up and a second or two the operator would come on, and say, “Oh you’re Effie’s grandson.” Because it was a small town and everyone did know everyone.
link to original post
We had a party line the whole time when growing up. We just shared it with one neighbor but she was an old lady that was always on the phone. Growing up I thought that was normal to have to wait to use the phone because someone else was on it.
link to original post
One neighbor? We had eight people on our party line and it was normal because everybody was doing it. We didn't get a private line until 1970.
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I left Ohio in 1984 and I think we still had a party line.
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We had a party line until 1976 . We had 4 families on ours eventually it dropped to just our line and one other.
Sometimes if it was urgent you had to cut in and say to the other party that you needed the phone for an emergency.
My Mom may she r.i.p. thought if you called long distance you had to talk very loud so they could hear you - because they were so far away
she was from Canada - when she called somebody in Canada she would start almost screaming into the phone________________(-:/
.
ATT's rates were weird and unpublished. Trial and error taught me that the per-minute rate decreased the longer you talked. A five-minute call might run $2.50 at .50 cents a minute, while a twelve-minute call might be billed at .30 cents a minute. Both had half-price on weekends, but only ATT discounted off-hour calls. You needed to plan your calls to keep costs down.
Quote: lilredrooster.
My Mom may she r.i.p. thought if you called long distance you had to talk very loud so they could hear you - because they were so far away
she was from Canada - when she called somebody in Canada she would start almost screaming into the phone________________(-:/
.
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In the movies from the 30s and 40s you would see people talking loudly on the phone when it was long distance because the calls were weaker, the further away they were the harder it was to hear them because of the static. It still creeps me out how silent cell phones are when nobody's talking. I had a landline phone for most of my life and you could always hear something when there was nobody talking. A hum, even static sometimes.
Quote: billryanWhen I lived in Puerto Rico, you could call the US by ATT, which used cables, or MCI, which used satellites. MCI was much cheaper, but had an annoying echo.
ATT's rates were weird and unpublished. Trial and error taught me that the per-minute rate decreased the longer you talked. A five-minute call might run $2.50 at .50 cents a minute, while a twelve-minute call might be billed at .30 cents a minute. Both had half-price on weekends, but only ATT discounted off-hour calls. You needed to plan your calls to keep costs down.
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None of the rates made any sense until the late-90s. Then you could get $.05 per minute CONUS not sure if AK/HI were more. Then cell calls LD was free and I had to fight with the phone company saying I wanted no LD as there was a base charge a few bucks a month. Went from calling my parents every couple of weeks to every Sunday. Before this, 1996/7 when I lived in my first apartment it was a mystery what it would cost.
Remember how you used to call after 9 or 10 as the rates were 80% lower? Still added up but nights/weekends was when you called.
One company had a "free Friday calls" gimmick for businesses. Some residential people latched on to game the system. This was only for a couple years.
I think 10-10-321 was the most widely advertised, but all the carriers had the option.
The "game the system" aspect came to play when you selected a regular long distance carrier with no monthly base charge (and a higher per minute rate), then used the 10 code to place calls through a carrier with a low per-minute rate.
A modestly complicated long distance dialing scheme (which could be programmed into speed dial on the slightly upscale telephones) meant an appreciable savings.
Quote: billryanFor about a decade, I wore either sandals or moccasins 360 days a year. Overnight, I developed plantar fasciitis, which restricted my walking for almost a year. I haven't worn sandals since.
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I had a similar experience. I wore slippers at home and often wore sandals when I went out (i hated wearing socks.
And earlier this year I developed plantar fasciitis in one foot. It really hurts and it hobbled me. Slippers and sandals are worn much less frequently now. I have bought an orthopedic support for athletic shoes, and I now select the brand of athletic shoe by how its arch support is ranked.
Quote: lilredrooster.
My Mom may she r.i.p. thought if you called long distance you had to talk very loud so they could hear you - because they were so far away
she was from Canada - when she called somebody in Canada she would start almost screaming into the phone________________(-:/
.
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Yeah, but wasn’t it true in those days, when you talked to people long distance, they did sound far away?
"He had absolute pitch, and was able to whistle 2600 hertz
into a telephone, an operator tone also used by blue box
phreaking devices"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joybubbles#:~:text=He%20had%20absolute%20pitch%2C%20and,%2C%202007%20(aged%2058).
Quote: rxwineQuote: lilredrooster.
My Mom may she r.i.p. thought if you called long distance you had to talk very loud so they could hear you - because they were so far away
she was from Canada - when she called somebody in Canada she would start almost screaming into the phone________________(-:/
.
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Yeah, but wasn’t it true in those days, when you talked to people long distance, they did sound far away?
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In the really old days, there wasn't a lot of amplification on the line. You kind of had to talk loud for the microphone on your end to make enough electrical signal to pass through hundreds of miles of copper and still retain enough oomph to make a noise in the speaker on the other end.
If I remember a bit of telephone history, this should have been almost entirely fixed by 1985 or so, as much of the analog switching equipment was being replaced with digital.
the tv show "Saturday Night Live" is not in its 50th season and there is a new film about the show
I haven't watched it in a long time
but I did enjoy it when it first came out -
although there were usually only a couple of skits per show that I really liked
it was different than most comedy shows up until then
rougher - more sarcastic
this is the original cast when the show started:
.
Quote: lilredrooster.
the tv show "Saturday Night Live" is not in its 50th season and there is a new film about the show
I haven't watched it in a long time
but I did enjoy it when it first came out -
although there were usually only a couple of skits per show that I really liked
it was different than most comedy shows up until then
rougher - more sarcastic
this is the original cast when the show started:
.
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With so many people doing “duck face” in selfies these days, it awesome to see at least 5 of them using it satirically 50 years ago!
Quote: lilredrooster.
the tv show "Saturday Night Live" is not in its 50th season and there is a new film about the show
I haven't watched it in a long time
but I did enjoy it when it first came out -
although there were usually only a couple of skits per show that I really liked
it was different than most comedy shows up until then
rougher - more sarcastic
The original cast was the "Not Ready for Primetime Players" and it produced lots of stars. I started watching the second cast, widely considered the worst of the show's history. Oh, well. It had some good humor over the years. Dana Carvey got called in by Bush41 as the later enjoyed his parody. I mostly stopped watching after college except around 2000 election. Gore was forced to watch his parody by his staff. Back then they balanced it out. In 2016 I tuned in to see what the cold open would be the weekend after the election. Total nothing. I doubt I will ever tune in again, just catch anything that makes my YT feed if that.
Quote: AZDuffmanIn the 80s there was the "Truly Tasteless Jokes" series. Neatly divided into things like Black, Polish, Jewish, etc.
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This is the first car I remember my family having and because of that I still like driving with the top down.
Early 70s full-size convertibles got totally excessive, but nothing like riding on a cloud
Size was more rational in the 80s
Today auto mags have ruined things. The Sloara gets rated as "a bad convertible"
Why? Because it is not a "burner." Not a sports car. Somewhere they got the idea convertibles had to be fast, sporty cars where you felt the centerline when you crossed it.
Why have we lost a comfortable car that you can just enjoy the road and ride?
Quote: AZDuffmanRemember full-size convertibles?
This is the first car I remember my family having and because of that I still like driving with the top down.
Early 70s full-size convertibles got totally excessive, but nothing like riding on a cloud
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At different times I had a 68 Lincoln and a 69 Chrysler and a '71 Cadillac. They were great trip cars because they literally floated down the highway. They had no road feel to them whatsoever and it was wonderful. With the windows up you could hear absolutely nothing of the outside world. A medium sized bump you wouldn't even feel it. Gigantic Interiors gigantic engines gigantic gas guzzlers. I love the hell out of them.
when I was just a little tyke it was a thing in our family to watch the Ozzie and Harriet show every week
I used to fantasize I was Ricky, singing this song - "Travelin Man"
and that girls all over the world were waiting to see me
"I'm a travelin man and I've made a lot of stops
All over this world
And in every port I own the heart
Of at least one lovely girl
I've a pretty señorita waiting for me
Down in old Mexico
If you're ever in Alaska stop and see
My cute little Eskimo
Oh, my sweet Fraulein down in Berlin town
Makes my heart start to yearn
And my China doll down in old Hong Kong
Waits for my return
Pretty Polynesian baby over the sea
I remember the night
When we walked in the sands of the Waikiki
And I held you, oh so tight
Oh, my sweet Fraulien down in Berlin town
Makes my heart start to yearn
And my China doll down in old Hong Kong
Waits for my return
Pretty Polynesian baby over the sea
I remember the night
When we walked in the sands of the Waikiki
And I held you, oh so tight
Oh, I'm a travelin' man
Yes, I'm a travelin' man
Yes, I'm a travelin' man
Whoa, I'm a travelin' man"
r.i.p. Ricky - he died in a 1985 plane crash on New Years Eve in route to a performance
.
.
Quote: JohnzimboI recall seeing kissing booths on TV but don't think I ever saw one in person. Anyone?
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Only if it’s where you sit on this board and people throw baseballs at a target until you fall into a tank of water. That was popular.
It’s hard to imagine kissing booths were a thing of much popularity. Germ-phobias been around a long time.
Quote: JohnzimboI recall seeing kissing booths on TV but don't think I ever saw one in person. Anyone?
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Heard of a “hugging booth” but that’s it.
