1948 BELL TELEPHONE INDUSTRIAL FILM "BEFORE YOUR TELEPHONE RINGS" PHONE INSTALLATION 64374

Before Your Telephone Rings is a short educational film from 1948, presented by Western Electric, that shows the existing groundwork necessary to connect a phone number up to the telephone system when someone moves to a new home. The film opens with a shot of a people walking down a sidewalk in a neighborhood. A man carries in an oak barrel into a house. Inside the house, a telephone installer dials on a rotary phone, the final step in installing the Durant family’s new phone. Mrs. Durant walks into the office of Western Electric, a telephone company, to request the installation of a phone at her new home (02:08). The woman who helps Mrs. Durant talks to the camera about the process of setting up a new phone. Footage shows telephone lines strung from homes, running to the main telephone cables that run to the central office (03:45). A telephone employee in a lift examines suspended telephone cables. At a construction site for new homes, men set up new telephone poles and cables (04:50). Two men service an underground cable, accessed through a manhole (05:25). Viewers see how the cables run from underground through the central office and to the main frame. A man connects wires on the main frame to the new number assigned to Mrs. Durant (06:20). Men and women build telephone equipment in an assembly plant (07:35). Two men drive a truck overnight to bring supplies for telephone installation jobs. An installer (the man who set up Mrs. Durant’s phone in the beginning of the film) walks out of his house and drives his convertible to work. The installer greets his fellow installers (10:25), then they all get their work orders for the day. They check the supplies in their truck before heading to their respective jobs. The installer climbs the telephone pole and looks in the terminal box for the Durant’s new phone line to connect (11:24). The film shows a number of women who work in the telephone company’s information department, directory department, and as intercepting operators on the call board. An intercepting operator receives a call to the Durants’ old number and reroutes it to the new number (13:40). There is a shot of people working in the Accounting Department of the telephone company (14:00). The film closes with shots of the various people working to enable a telephone to be installed in a home, using the same shots of the different telephone company employees featured throughout the film.
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[@richardmills1505]

WOW! A time when companies gave a damn about customer service and pleasing customers, ay feeling helpful. Those days are long gone now! ☹️

[@EricCVoice]

I love how they make this short film full of details about how it is a miracle you can call people in other cities and you only need 48,692 people to make it possible through their work for Ma Bell! I am 61 so I remember the fun of collect calls, party lines and when push-button phones were truly considered a miracle!

[@royd5323]

Eric Crossley yes I saw the last of the step switches being used in a central office before being converted to semi digital

[@tomsayen9295]

Yes. The way it was. One telephone company, the parent of which, the original AT&T, built the long distance network, the hard wired, solid as a rock, 302G (I Love Lucy model) telephone made by Western Electric, an AT&T subsidiary, and installed by maintained by your local Bell Telephone Company, another AT&T subsidiary. A true monopoly sanctioned by the government until the 1984 breakup. When touch tone (R) was introduced in 1965, customer paid an extra $1.00 a month for the convenience. And pay stations where a dime would get you a local call. For those with no home telephone, "runners" would take your calls at the telephone booth at the local pharmacy and deliver the message to your home for a small tip.

[@vap0rland]

1948 was pretty much the pinnacle of human civilization.

[@richardmills1505]

@@tomsayen9295 I found your comment fascinating, I never heard of the runner system before. I never knew it existed. Thank you. 🙏

[@americanspirit8932]

@@royd5323 after the step central office equipment, they had number one crossbar then number five crossbar, after that they had number one ESS, electronic switching systems, at the same time we had tsps, traffic service position systems, this is what replaced the whole telephone switchboards or as we call them in the business a boards., at the same time we had ETS, electronic translator system, electronically controlled T1 carrier systems, then we had number four ESS, that was a electronic switching system digital All Digital, then we had number five ESS, this was the first, digital fiber optic system. I hope this gives you some idea of the progress of the systems.

[@poormanselectronicsbench2021]

@ 4:18 That was the old "lead cable in rings" , and every spot that cable touched a ring would cause a little bit of mechanical and electrolytic damage, making that cable a service nightmare 30 + years later. @ 4:57 they show using a lashing wire to hold the cable to the strand, which is still done today. @ 5:20 was my job ( Cable Splicing tech for Illinois Bell) , but wearing a hard hat and using a ventilation blower in the manhole. @ 6:17 is the "Horizontal Main Distribution frame (HMDF) where the switching equipment, or other equipment, is terminated, and the 'Vertical Main Distribution Frame" @ 6:38 (VMDF) is on the other side of it, that has the connections going to the numerous Outside plant Exchange ( local customer) or Trunk/Toll ( inter-office) cable pairs. Back then, all connections were done with solder, later they were changed to a wire wrap, or punch down block termination. @ 12:45, was my mom's job ( Directory assistance Operator) , who worked at Illinois Bell before I did.

[@scratchdog2216]

Filmed in CT. 5:40 SNET manhole cover. 10:00 Albany Ave. garage. 11:00 Barrieau Express, now Barrieau Moving and Storage.

[@BruceWayne-mb4hk]

Lol @ the guy inspecting the aerial lead cable without a hard had in a lift of a moving vehicle. That guy would get suspended a week working for the phone company now. Maintaining the lead cable was a craft in and of itself. I admire the old timers for that knowledge.

[@Davidsavage8008]

Bell got to the patient office 2 hours ahead of Edison . that's why we say hello and not ahoy.

[@paulmaretzky9835]

Started in 1996 as a installer mainly for dial up internet. Today everything is being converted to fiber to the premises. Installers today get work over there company tablet or smart phone and still pick up supplys at the garage. That part never changed lol!

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

It's nice to know some things never change!! I just got a tablet yesterday, takes a damn rocket scientist to figure out the damn thing, though!

[@tomsayen9295]

Ha..when they put in fiber here, they did not want my DSL modem so it goes in my museum of old technology next to my model 202 and 302 telephones. The old lead telephone cable from 1950 is still on the poles out back of my house, nobody's connected though. FIOS or COMCAST, take it of leave it.

[@joyciejd9673]

I just loved this! thank you

[@vzjtothalo1]

Ah, look at that fine quality lead cable and the step by step switches....😂😂

[@tomsayen9295]

Ahh, look at the lack of protective gear and safety equipment. And the role of women, taking orders and employed as operators.

[@MJK1965]

🎶We've come a long ways, baby.🎶

[@virgilcain8152]

From ground man to cable repair 25 years of lineman and cable repair! Loved it! SNET Danbury Norwalk Stratford and Shelton garages!

[@mitchdakelman4470]

a fine film, predecessor film for the 1959 AT&T film TOWN & THE TELEPHONE

[@brianarbenz7206]

2:36 "And in no time at all, I could tell Mrs. Durrant knew we were going to be able help her." Good grief, it sounds like she came for therapy, not a phone.

[@cdavidlake2]

Mrs. Durant needs more than a telephone.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

LOVE IT!! can't believe I missed this gem!! Keep 'em coming, please!

[@robertschemonia5617]

Great video. Love old relay logic.

[@ryguy9024]

My grandfather worked for SNET from 1955-1993 based in Canaan. I wish he were still around, he'd get a big kick out of this. There's still one of the step-by-step switches in his workshop. I think he said they were phased out in 1990.

[@charleswendt4868]

I have worked on line finder, selector and connectors. Was working on them about 50 miles from Dallas the day Kennedy was killed.

[@tmanF4]

That is incredible! Thank you for keeping the lines connected and information flowing.

[@jaminova_1969]

"Hello, Mrs Durant, this is the phone company." "We have some men working on your line." "Whatever you do, don't answer the telephone if it rings!" "Thank You for Your cooperation, Mrs. Durant!"

[@americanspirit8932]

That was a joke when I asked Mrs Durant not to answer the phone, they would say there were men working on your line and they could get electrocuted. Thank you for your cooperation. No sooner put down the phone on the receiver, and the phone would ring, instinctually she picked it up, in the central office or in the streets where the cables were a person would yell, like they were being electrocuted. And the person that was just told not to answer the phone you would hear her scream back in Fright thinking that she just electrocuted somebody. That was it common, prank. Everybody would laugh their heads off, was accepted Mrs Durant, she thought she just electrocuted the lineman. You need to sense of humor.

[@publicmail2]

Just 2 wires, dialing was accomplished by shorting the 2 wires together fast the number of times for each number, example 1 for 1 to 10x's for 0. RIng was 90V AC, talk was DC 48 V

[@rayfridley6649]

That ringing was 20 hertz or cycles per second. If the called phone is served on a frequency-selective ringing party line, a different current cycle would be used. The phone's ringer would be tuned to that particular frequency, will only ring when the frequency is emitted by the central office. The phone number's last digit would indicate the ringing frequency to be applied.

[@americanspirit8932]

The ringing generator, was in the basement of the central office, it put out 109 volts.

[@TheMichiganLightingEnthusiast]

I Love the Radial Wave lighting!!

[@luisreyes1963]

The olden days of the telephone. Makes you appreciate today's wireless technology, doesn't it? 📱

[@MJK1965]

🎶🎵🎶 We've come a long ways, baby!!!🎶🎵🎶

[@user-qy6yn4kl8d]

6:25 is the earliest instance by far I've ever heard someone use the word "main-frame" and I think this is the origin of the term.

[@robertgift6762]

Such big expen$ive homes.

[@richardsylvanus2717]

Back when things were swell!

[@danielmarso7242]

Our home phone number was Ge4-1212 , Rhode Island ,1954

[@danielmarso7242]

When I got out of the Military, I worked for the Bell System for 32 years,a great company ! Started in 1966 retired in 1999 .

[@karenroy9045]

So cool! Today is so different.

[@oldgundog4705]

Makes me want to give up my smartphone

[@Rick1959]

You can and be better for it! :-)

[@nickmad887]

thanks.

[@nemesis851_]

In future videos PLEASE lose the audio HISS with some minimal audio tuning

[@johnsenchak1428]

Your never see customer service like that anymore

[@James_Knott]

Years ago, I was a tech with a telecom company, though not Bell system. I recall some of those things, such as cross connect frames, step by step switching and more. I used to solder the cross connects on the "Christmas tree" blocks too. I'm old enough to remember when direct long distance dialing came in to our area and when touch tone phones appeared. BTW, there's an old "Dragnet" video (actually audio) from the Dragnet radio show. on KZbin, about Sgt. Joe Friday making a long distance call. It was made around the same time as this video. Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZfNqKl9h6qcgKM

[@johnsenchak1428]

I like to go back in time and explain to these people bout cell phones and how what they are doing will become obsolete

[@manp1039]

they stopped providing land line phone service where i live 15 or so years ago.

[@CreatingAlong]

Honestly don't know why they don't switch all the existing lines to VOIP at this point. It would be cheaper for the company and the consumer.

[@rycat5ESS]

​@@CreatingAlongThere are many systems like fire alarm panels, security systems, and modems that need a POTS phone line still. Not to mention the fact that Landline phones still work when there is a power outage.

[@EricCVoice]

Just think. In 100 years everything we are doing here and posting and everyone seeing us and reading our comments, will know that we are likely also gone. Happy Holidays!

[@albclean]

Merry Christmas!!

[@EricCVoice]

@@albclean The next posting on this subject from me will be on "Collect Calls" and the ones that were not accepted!

[@laureanoarantesnetto8175]

Here Vila Remo neighboard São Paulo city Brazil South América 😊😊

[@laureanoarantesnetto8175]

At&t Bell system and Western Eletric is partners ?😊😊😊

[@johnkern7075]

My grandma ph. No. Was WE-2244

[@Maine307]

no OSHA there..lol ! things got done quickly !

[@Cyrellia]

The PF # XXXXXX 00:00:00:00 counter is pretty distracting where it is placed. It should be placed below the video

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Here's the issue: Tens of thousands of films similar to this one have been lost forever -- destroyed -- and many others are at risk. Our company preserves these precious bits of history one film at a time. How do we afford to do that? By selling them as stock footage to documentary filmmakers and broadcasters. If we did not have a counter, we could not afford to post films like these online, and no films would be preserved. It's that simple. So we ask you to bear with the watermark and timecodes. In the past we tried many different systems including placing our timer at the bottom corner of our videos. What happened? Unscrupulous KZbin users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content! We had to use content control to have the videos removed and shut down these channels. It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery -- and not what we devoted ourselves to do. Love our channel and want to support what we do? You can help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@MaximRecoil]

@@PeriscopeFilm "Unscrupulous KZbin users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content!" So? If you scanned them in from the original films then you have, by far, the highest quality copies. These ones you upload to KZbin are already drastically downgraded due to KZbin's heavy compression, and if someone downloads your KZbin uploads and then uploads them again to KZbin, they get compressed again, making them even worse. In any case, that should have nothing to do with the salability of these to "documentary filmmakers and broadcasters" because they are only going to want the highest quality copies, which can never be found on KZbin. "It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery" Even if you have the legal rights to this content rather than it being public domain, it's not "thievery." When someone steals something from you, you no longer have said something, obviously. For example, if someone steals your car, you no longer have that car. That's why you can't get the police to arrest someone for downloading a copy of your video and re-uploading it to their own channel, because nothing has been stolen. At most it's a copyright violation (assuming you even have the legal rights to this content which was produced by the Bell System), i.e., a civil matter, whereas theft is a criminal matter. On the other hand, if someone stole your actual reels of film, _that_ would be thievery and they would be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution.

[@orgami100]

it was: Webster 3537

[@the_tux]

8:08 Gambler.. who’s always broke.

[@JemicoTX]

My god would a noise reduction filter have been that hard to apply on this before publishing to KZbin???? THUMBS DOWN

[@williandiasnaves1551]

Most of those people are dead

[@EricCVoice]

True, but any children or babies are possibly alive. I think the kids from early on would be perhaps upper 70's or low 80's. For adults though, even a 25 year-old in the clip would be 96ish now! The older people (say my current age of 61 then) would be in their 130's now and probably deceased.

[@orgami100]

Assume lot of those people were World War 2 veterans.. I was born in 1948..

[@orgami100]

@@ericiliev1 Congratulations on your retirement, actually I missed some of my clients also, but there's no turning back the clock. .Definitely the top of the line smart phones are over thousand dollars. .their are amazing ..

[@jlacob]

And you will follow them for sure!

[@kathleenking47]

The kids, even Unless they are in late 80s

[@TheRogerhill1234]

Why are there no black people in this film? Is this a all-white area? Also, do they currently have houses for sale in this area?

[@undefender]

If they (Bell) employed black people they probably wouldn’t want them in an information video regardless. I have a feeling the area has changed a lot since the making of this film and would almost be unrecognizable

[@jacolson3310]

This was a time when Federal Government state out of our business and production was better!!

[@leroyjones6958]

There are no "black people" in this film because back then at that time the people running the phone companies knew that blacks make very poor quality workers. The phone company was striving for reliability, responsibility, and quality. These are all things that "so called black people" are wholly incapable of providing. That is why they kept it all white because it was an all-white society and should have damn-well stayed that way!

[@barbaratyrrell3185]

Well we don't need this anymore cellphone are the thing now

[@v12dot]

Killjoy alert

[@Janotes]

Woo Hoo..

[@domingodeanda233]

Joe Biden for assisted living 2020

[@johncrispo-lh4kh]

They made instructional films for everything! Check out Smith system driving films!