laura_halliday@mtsg.ubc.ca (01/31/89)
I saw something interesting in a TV show the other day. A lawyer, finding his client dead of a drug overdose didn't pick up the phone and dramatically say ``Operator, get me the police'' - he dialed 911 instead. This was the first time I've ever noticed a movie or TV character do this. Could this be the result of phone company pressure? I find it difficult to believe that producers would voluntarily give up a few seconds of drama unless they were forced to. The subliminal advertisers who place products in movies (e.g. Reese's Pieces in _E.T._) seem to be missing out on a new gold mine. Imagine the possible effect on AT&T's long distance business if the hero in a hit movie could be (conspicuously) seen dialing 10288 in the course of phoning somebody... - laura
davef@brspyr1.brs.com (Dave Fiske) (02/03/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0039m07@vector.UUCP>, laura_halliday@mtsg.ubc.ca writes: > I saw something interesting in a TV show the other day. A lawyer, > finding his client dead of a drug overdose didn't pick up the > phone and dramatically say ``Operator, get me the police'' - he > dialed 911 instead. This was the first time I've ever noticed a > movie or TV character do this. Could this be the result of phone > company pressure? I find it difficult to believe that producers > would voluntarily give up a few seconds of drama unless they were > forced to. My guess would be that they figure 911 is universal enough now that people will understand what is being dialed. If the guy just dialed the regular number for say, the LA Police Dept., people not from LA might not realize it. Hence, "get me the police." Another technique for letting the audience know what is going on is that callers generally say "Hello, Police Department?" Of course, in real life, we wait for someone to answer on the other end before we say anything, plus a phone in any sort of office is usually answered with some identifying phrase (not just "hello") so the caller knows at once who they have reached. I also saw a comedian on TV recently who pointed out a bit of phone behavior in the movies. If someone gets hung up on, they always hold the receiver and give it a real puzzled or disgusted look. Has this ever been observed in real life? -- "FLYING ELEPHANTS DROP COW Dave Fiske (davef@brspyr1.BRS.COM) PIES ON HORRIFIED CROWD!" Home: David_A_Fiske@cup.portal.com Headline from Weekly World News CIS: 75415,163 GEnie: davef
David_W_Tamkin@cup.portal.com (02/03/89)
Laura Halliday wrote: H> I saw something interesting in a TV show the other day. A lawyer, H> finding his client dead of a drug overdose didn't pick up the H> phone and dramatically say ``Operator, get me the police'' - he H> dialed 911 instead. This was the first time I've ever noticed a H> movie or TV character do this. Could this be the result of phone H> company pressure? I find it difficult to believe that producers H> would voluntarily give up a few seconds of drama unless they were H> forced to. Some comments: 1. The use of 911 got the attention of Hollywood in large part from Richard Dreyfuss's frantic "Call 911! Call 911!" in "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" when he discovers Nick Nolte attmpeting suicide in their pool. 2. The writers and producers of the show Ms. Halliday saw might be too young to remember days when one asked the operator for the police, even if they are old enough to remember dialing seven digits for them. 3. The lost "few seconds of drama" can be recovered easily by having the character search for the phone or get an uncooperative 911 operator. 4. 911 is so widespread now that asking the operator might seem anachronistic. Moreover, it might be that the particular scene was set in a large city with many viewers who would write in that there is 911 service there and that the character should have known it. 5. Maybe the days of 555-NXXX are going the way of KLondike 5 before it. On a recent episode of a syndicated sitcom (the sort of pap I thrive on), the lead character was trying to get through to a woman he had dated twice but who had been hanging up on him all week. His ex-wife was visting and offered to try calling her for him. The dialogue continued like this: Ex-wife: "What's her number?" Protagonist: "Press `redial'." David_W_Tamkin@cup.portal.com ... sun!portal!cup.portal.com!David_W_Tamkin