Ah, the rotary phone. A relic from a bygone era...
It’s possible that some of you (the young‘uns) have never used or even seen one of these in real life. But those of us who are at least fourty (and perhaps a teeny tiny bit older) are very familiar with it. And the patience you developed waiting for the dial to return to the original position before being able to dial the next number. Oh, the memories this phone brings back.
Here’s a video from even before my time that will make you smile.
The rotary phone might be obsolete, but one thing’s for sure: it was built like a tank.
Did you ever have one of these in your home?
Enjoyed the video! Rotary phones are a bit before my time, but our house still had one hooked up in the basement when we moved in!
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you've seen up personally!
DeleteOh yes I had a rotary phone when I was little. Both my parents and grandparents had them at their home. Ah the memories lol. It took forever to dial a number!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly did take forever, especially if there were a lot of zeroes in it!
Deletebut of course, my dear Martha, in fact it hasn't been that long, I remember having one, a beige one...I should have kept it....lol oh gosh that annoying busy signal, how I love that it is over. Well unless the recipient is on the phone and ignores the beep....oh my gosh betcha Jim and Ron have a few of those, lol happy to have my cell. Atta Girl !!!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much phones have changed in a relatively short period of time.
DeleteSeems like only yesterday, Martha! I think touchtones came out in the early 60s, but I'm pretty sure I was a teenager before we had them in my part of Canada. Thanks for the memories :)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like only yesterday. My parents didn't get a touch tone for a long time to come, as well. They just didn't see the need.
DeleteMy little one horse town didn't get rotary phone service until I was about 16 (we were the very last place in Manitoba to get it). Until then, we were still reliant on actual telephone operators (all women, of course). Plus we had party lines. You picked up the phone and if no one was already yakking on it, waited for the operator to say "number please." Then she connected you via the big main switchboard downtown. And you were always careful what you said on the phone, in case the operator or your neighbour was listening in.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a great comment, Debra! I didn't experience anything like that having grown up in a big city, but I find it fascinating! Boy, have times ever changed!
DeleteI remember that telephone numbers with lots of 1's and 2's were great, because you could dial them so quickly. A bunch of 9's and 0's and you had to be more patient.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed! They took forever to dial. And if you made a mistake and had to start all over again...UGH! LOL...
DeleteWe eventually got a recorder too...so we wouldn't miss any calls...hahaha
ReplyDeleteThat was a HUGE step forward back then. hahahaha...
DeleteWe had one of those for years of course. And my grandparents had one of the old wooden wall phones that you had to crank! What I remember is that the telephone network in Woodstock was so small, you just had to dial '4' to call my dad at work!
ReplyDeleteAn old wooden wall phone! That is amazing. And it definitely must have been a very small area if you only dialed one number! I love all these comments :)
DeleteI remember when beige or red were offered … I was an office manger for an Ad firm … a couple of copywriters wanted red phones and I wasn’t able to get that approved because only the owners could have such … This was late 60s ~ so funny
ReplyDelete… before YOUR time … LOL … you young whipper snapper! I remember the ones on the wall where you picked up the receiver and the operator answered … you ever watch the Andy Griffith show? I know that was before your time but it’s in perpetual reruns … Sarah the operator knew EVERYthing and EVERYbody… as Sarah? get me so and so … no numbers ~ just the person BUT that was really small town … everyone had a prefix for a long time .. like Pennsylvania 6-5000
http://youtu.be/m_muFwwTSMs
Hahahaha...yeah, me...the young whipper snapper! LOL...
DeleteI definitely know the Andy Griffith show, but I haven't watched much of it. It was before my time, but with reruns and YouTube around, it's easy to see episodes.
Martha what a great video! Of course I remember those phones!
ReplyDeleteThey were around for a long time, so us...um...more mature people know it well!
DeleteIt amazes me how many How-To videos there were back then. Pre-YouTube DIY videos. I love rotary dial phones and it's true, they would last forever!
ReplyDeleteI know, right? I think before television they showed them at the movie theater.
DeleteHa-ha! Oh yeah, I used these all the time in my younger days. I remember trying to win radio contests (be the 10th caller...) and trying to dial that thing as fast as possible....it seemed to take forever for that wheel to return so you could dial the next number.
ReplyDeleteBack then it was a REAL challenge to win a radio contest. And if the line was busy, you had to hang up and try again.
DeleteOf course, Martha! And I even used the old crank phones with the earpiece on the left side that required an operator to connect you ~ my aunts and uncles had those in PEI, and they scared the heck out of me! LOL! Thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeletegreat aunts and great uncles!
DeleteA crank phone... That is quite an experience!
DeleteI do remember having one. It was probably one of those "retro phones" from the early 90s or my parents were extremely cheap.
ReplyDeleteHahaha...well, at least you saw it personally.
DeleteYep, remember those things. Even remember my first phone number - 123. Truly!
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Well, that was certainly easy enough to remember!
DeleteHahahaa, "that tone indicates that everything is ready for your call."
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.
You got it!
DeleteI had one in my house,but when I was a kid we had a phone with a crank and you made it ring. The ring was a signal to tell who you wanted to answer.
ReplyDeleteA crank phone! I'm surprised at how many of you have experienced that. That is fascinating to me!
DeleteOh yes we had one for many years, but guess what, I never clicked a picture of it. Its not even in the background of any old pics..... sigh...
ReplyDeleteThat makes me wonder if I have any photos with that type of phone in them. I'm going to check my albums. I'm so curious now!
Deletewe still have one! blurry pic here [https://flic.kr/p/jqUrDP] we are both californians with lifelong earthquake calluses to know mobile gadgets can only look reliable … :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool! I hope you keep it. It's something you don't see around anymore.
DeleteWe had one up to a few years ago and also a big party line, never gave me any trouble whatsoever, had a tiny baby doll I was taking care of our only child, lived out in the boonies for me and loved the fact the other party line people would always ask if I needed to use the line, my hubs worked far from home, could not use the phone for personal use unless a big emergency and it was a far better time than the phone we have now it goes off all the time and is a pain in the you know what..but it is a landline and we need it for an emergency! No cell phone here and we are fine..When I had to return the phone yellow at that I cried we took it from our nice home in a suburb of Denver, it was Aurora all the way to here in Washington state..We have been thru several phones since then, the old phone worked like a charm you are not a kidding they last like a tank, my very good friend who was more a Mom to me than my own Mother who passed from this earth was had an old rotary phone it must have been 69 years old when she passed from this earth the phone people who took it out could not believe what great shape it was in...Modern conveniences don't last like the appliances and phones of yesteryear at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTruer words could not be spoken! Modern conveniences do not last very long. They are built to be disposable because we are in the age of 'consumerism'. Buy, use, dispose and replace! It's very sad...
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