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Old Telephones.

post #1 of 18
5/12/07 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
Here's a site with some beautiful old Scandinavian telephones: http://www.angus1.com/ericsson/collection.htm Some of the craft involved for such a utilitarian device is rather amazing. A New York Times article on Rotary Telephones: http://oldphones.com/nytimes.html
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post #2 of 18
5/13/07 at 12:30am

. . . and the SOUND of the rotary dial's operation! The above photo is from Sorry, Wrong Number: 1948. Terrific movie! Label King, my grandmother's house had several rotary telephones, some of them heavy as a cast iron skillet. Easily could have been used as weapons. Houses back then sometimes included an alcove, specially configured for telephone conversation. Ours did. Making a telephone call during the fifties and sixties, was an event. Wonderful photos, Label King.

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post #3 of 18
5/13/07 at 8:36am
A few I've handled:
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post #4 of 18
5/13/07 at 11:49am

from my favorite movie: HUMORESQUE
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post #5 of 18
5/13/07 at 2:15pm


JB
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post #6 of 18
5/13/07 at 4:57pm
Thread Starter 
Indeed, you could probably kill someone with one of those; really, just the receiver could knock someone down cold. Do those sell well, Lucky Strike? So as far as I know, old telephones tend to sell well, especially those so-called Eiffel Tower ones. The ones with the "mother-in-law" receivers are also quite desirable.
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post #7 of 18
5/13/07 at 5:11pm

Oh, yes Label King. And the receivers were always ICE cold.
photo: Dial M for Murder: 1954
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post #8 of 18
5/13/07 at 5:24pm
Thread Starter 
Also, you needed to polish the phones every so often since the bakelite needed to be shiny.

In The Royal Tenenbaums, you could see a nice telephone alcove.
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post #9 of 18
5/13/07 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LabelKing View Post
Indeed, you could probably kill someone with one of those; really, just the receiver could knock someone down cold. Do those sell well, Lucky Strike? So as far as I know, old telephones tend to sell well, especially those so-called Eiffel Tower ones. The ones with the "mother-in-law" receivers are also quite desirable.
Yes, - the older ones can be extremely heavy, the receivers being heavy enough to knock someone out is no exaggeration. Old phones generally sell well - they're small, entertaining talking-pieces that people seem to like having around. A few people have them modified and re-wired for modern use.
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post #10 of 18
5/13/07 at 7:01pm
'Please believe me, I don't care what he does. I just want him to stop doing it on my phone . . . ' Doris Day, dressed by Jean Louis: Pillow Talk, 1959
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...alk/177274.jpg

Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8: 1960

Elizabeth Taylor (age 17), and Montgomery Clift: A Place in the Sun, 1951
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post #11 of 18
5/13/07 at 10:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky Strike View Post
Yes, - the older ones can be extremely heavy, the receivers being heavy enough to knock someone out is no exaggeration.

Old phones generally sell well - they're small, entertaining talking-pieces that people seem to like having around. A few people have them modified and re-wired for modern use.

I have one of those Danish ones for use on my desk.

Now, I am thinking of getting one of those mechanical calculators:

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post #12 of 18
5/13/07 at 10:21pm
I must say that even in a world of high technology, things like that are still beautiful. Never again will we see phones with bronze and silver. It's too bad. JB
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post #13 of 18
5/13/07 at 10:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JetBlast View Post
I must say that even in a world of high technology, things like that are still beautiful. Never again will we see phones with bronze and silver. It's too bad. JB
Most high technology is pretty ugly stuff though; and I also suppose that's why a lot of engineering types love the old mechanical things.
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post #14 of 18
5/13/07 at 11:01pm
Old telephones came equipped with personality. They were fun to use. It took a little time. Manicured women used a 'dialer' to advance the rotary.

Joan Crawford: Mildred Pierce, 1945
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post #15 of 18
5/13/07 at 11:03pm
Thread Starter 
Oh yes, they used to have telephone dialers for those with longer nails. Some pens/pencils were equipped with dialers as well.

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