General Discussion

hunter

(40,697 posts)

41. Mama Bell don't take my pink princess phone away.

Wed Apr 20, 2022, 05:38 PM

Apr 2022

Yeah, it still works.

When I was a kid my parents had one phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen and it was a party line. My parents didn't really trust me or my siblings with the phone. If any of us had ever dialed long distance it would have been a mortal sin. And there was no privacy. There was no "alone time" in the kitchen. Someone else was always up.

I was envious of the rich kids who had phones in their bedrooms...

...until I was living on my own and suffering "on-call" work three days a week. Sure, they paid me for it, even when nothing was happening, but damn I hated those calls in the night."

And then I married a woman who answered calls in the middle of the night for worse... mostly blood and mayhem, gangsters with their livers perforated by bullets and such. It was the good nights she got to do something nice like delivering healthy babies.

I hate phones.

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Remember THESE phones? [View all] RandySF Apr 2022 OP

I'm pretty sure we had push button phones in 1982. beaglelover Apr 2022 #1

1963... lame54 Apr 2022 #3

You may have had that service in 1982. Everyone didn't. Mariana Apr 2022 #26

My earliest memories are from c. 1980, and my parents had a touch-tone phone Spider Jerusalem Apr 2022 #57

My father installed the newer switching equipment Mariana Apr 2022 #91

I remember having a push button phone back then, but the phone company charged extra for touch tone. Angleae Apr 2022 #33

We had Rebl2 Apr 2022 #40

1991... mwooldri Apr 2022 #58

We had push button phones in our house in the early 70s. BigmanPigman Apr 2022 #62

My dad worked for Mountain Bell ChazII Apr 2022 #77

Growing up, we had an old rotary from the 50's on the wall, in the kitchen. paleotn Apr 2022 #73

Yes, but rotary dial phones PatSeg Apr 2022 #86

In rural Texas Horse with no Name Apr 2022 #98

And we laughed at the thought of switchboard operators... lame54 Apr 2022 #2

I Was A Switchboard RobinA Apr 2022 #7

The first video games lame54 Apr 2022 #15

The First Computer Game..... In 1962, Steve Russell invented Spacewar Celerity Apr 2022 #47

Did not have that one but we got the first version of the home Atari. (n/t) OldBaldy1701E Apr 2022 #50

I was a switchboard operator for Airborne Freight in LA and later for the Seattle Chamber of ratchiweenie Apr 2022 #75

My mother was a switchboard operator for decades. Dial H For Hero Apr 2022 #97

Think we have a couple. gibraltar72 Apr 2022 #4

I remember when a long distance call Mme. Defarge Apr 2022 #5

Remember when calls were based on the exchange? You could call 5 miles away free, neighbor toll call TheBlackAdder Apr 2022 #71

Never heard of that. Mme. Defarge Apr 2022 #89

Back in the 60s and 70s, your phone had an exchange, neighbors could be wired to another one. TheBlackAdder Apr 2022 #92

Yep, I remember them. sakabatou Apr 2022 #6

Telemarketers were still uncommon then. lpbk2713 Apr 2022 #8

A good time to post this video ... Whiskeytide Apr 2022 #9

Those boys never watched an old movie? intrepidity Apr 2022 #17

come on TxGuitar Apr 2022 #28

From 8 years ago: Kids React to Rotary Phones JHB Apr 2022 #10

On a lark, we went retro w/ our home line and bought a rotary. Torchlight Apr 2022 #11

Last sentence Rebl2 Apr 2022 #42

I remember having committed to memory, House of Roberts Apr 2022 #12

I still remember some of the numbers of childhood friends happybird Apr 2022 #20

I remember my Rebl2 Apr 2022 #45

We still had rotary dial phones in our house in the early '90s Diamond_Dog Apr 2022 #13

And the more nines in the phone number MOMFUDSKI Apr 2022 #14

Yep. happybird Apr 2022 #21

Guess the old exchanges were stone age stuff sdfernando Apr 2022 #16

When I was a kid, our prefix was 'cypress 5' EYESORE 9001 Apr 2022 #18

I even remember the phone number my parents had in San Jose. ProudMNDemocrat Apr 2022 #19

CA8-4752. The exchange (there was only one in town) was Capital. rsdsharp Apr 2022 #22

I had a "BA- " in Fresno! vanlassie Apr 2022 #34

Was a time madamesilverspurs Apr 2022 #23

I do. I guess that makes me officially old, right? smirkymonkey Apr 2022 #24

I am older than you, I still use a dial phone every day. I have not come that far, but wait........ Stuart G Apr 2022 #79

*snort* smirkymonkey Apr 2022 #93

That's new technology, I remember when you told doc03 Apr 2022 #25

My great grandma had a phone like that, but the wires were on poles... hunter Apr 2022 #55

I read a story about some Ranch in west OK or Texas panhandle that used the barbed wire fence as a marked50 Apr 2022 #64

Good ol' Western Electric. Buns_of_Fire Apr 2022 #27

Yes. Often used in domestic violence when the woman tries to call the police Walleye Apr 2022 #30

I was cheap back then MiniMe Apr 2022 #29

Remember when we waited till Sunday when the rates went down to make a long distance call Walleye Apr 2022 #31

Yep Auggie Apr 2022 #52

Heck my grandmother had one hard-wired into her house Rstrstx Apr 2022 #32

I recall it being really really difficult to butt-dial somebody with one of those Shermann Apr 2022 #35

Hell, I remember in the late 40s we had a black phone, kskiska Apr 2022 #36

Remember the long ass phone cord that would be attached to the receiver in the kitchen so beaglelover Apr 2022 #37

Yep. And, I became expert in untangling it. OldBaldy1701E Apr 2022 #51

I was too cheap to buy a cordless phone when they came out ... Auggie Apr 2022 #53

This message was self-deleted by its author kskiska Apr 2022 #38

We had a phone guy come to the house and I smiled enough he gave me an outlet in my room! Lettuce Be Apr 2022 #39

Mama Bell don't take my pink princess phone away. hunter Apr 2022 #41

I like the "clicking-clickity" sound... 3catwoman3 Apr 2022 #43

We used to play by dialing the number using only the off hook. scipan Apr 2022 #60

I kind of miss them. Grumpy Old Guy Apr 2022 #44

I even remember the phone number SleeplessinSoCal Apr 2022 #46

Hey... That rhymes! Lucid Dreamer Apr 2022 #101

Although I do not remember it, we had a party line when I was a toddler. OldBaldy1701E Apr 2022 #48

Oh, yes. I remember party lines. marked50 Apr 2022 #69

I remember Party Lines Mimi Susi Apr 2022 #94

Yep. OldBaldy1701E Apr 2022 #109

I still have the same phone number from when I married in 1961. No Vested Interest Apr 2022 #49

i got one sittine on my phone stand next to my cordless wen the power goes out . AllaN01Bear Apr 2022 #54

We had a rotary phone and were on a party line. Later on we got an extension phone...what luxury! dameatball Apr 2022 #56

I use a dial phone, every day..Mr. Dial is my ..."Main Phone" Yes, I have another, but don't use it Stuart G Apr 2022 #59

Yep...and I'll raise ya one....remember a "party line"? ashredux Apr 2022 #61

Not just a party line but I lived in a very small town and you had to listen Bev54 Apr 2022 #63

You be an old geezer...😊 ashredux Apr 2022 #78

LOL I don't feel old, a spry 68 but small logging town on Bev54 Apr 2022 #85

I knew a number of people when I was growing up that twodogsbarking Apr 2022 #65

Oh, good lord. Three words. Slimline Push Button. paleotn Apr 2022 #66

Princess Phones!!! BobTheSubgenius Apr 2022 #68

You betcha! With the really long cords. paleotn Apr 2022 #84

Really, REALLY long cords. BobTheSubgenius Apr 2022 #90

Are you saying that those of us with "Dial Phones" ...are .........."barbarians"? Stuart G Apr 2022 #70

Were barbarians. Now you're antiquarians paleotn Apr 2022 #80

You could actually dial the number yourself? TomWilm Apr 2022 #67

Yes, I still do that every day, and every time! Stuart G Apr 2022 #81

I remember using my rotary dial phone to connect to my AOL dial-up internet account. sop Apr 2022 #72

I saw a video with short clips of young teenagers trying to work a rotary phone. BobTheSubgenius Apr 2022 #74

2 things to remember that this OP jogged up . marked50 Apr 2022 #76

As a former telephony central office technician I could spin those dial really fast. TexLaProgressive Apr 2022 #82

I wasn't cool with it Warpy Apr 2022 #83

Interesting how the phrase, "Dial the phone" is still in use Wednesdays Apr 2022 #87

Growing up in the '60s and early '70s BumRushDaShow Apr 2022 #88

I still had one in my house garage up until 4 or 5 years ago, that's Emile Apr 2022 #95

Starting At 0:35 Lemon Lyman Apr 2022 #96

The good old days without telemarketers and scams. marie999 Apr 2022 #99

You could call "TIME" SalviaBlue Apr 2022 #100

...and if you wanted the "exact" time ... Lucid Dreamer Apr 2022 #104

Cool! SalviaBlue Apr 2022 #108

I remember THIS phone! BluesRunTheGame Apr 2022 #102

My grandmother bought me a Mickey Mouse push button phone for Xmas obamanut2012 Apr 2022 #103

We have two working Western Electric phones pretty much identical to this: Stinky The Clown Apr 2022 #105

I remember when dial phones were black - you could get any color you wanted ... FakeNoose Apr 2022 #106

Of course! And my phone number!! :-) LAS14 Apr 2022 #107

I remember the phones you just picked up and clicked the operator and spoke you number. Samrob Apr 2022 #110