" FAMILY AFFAIR " 1952 BELL TELEPHONE SYSTEM PROMO FILM w/ ACTOR STEVE MCQUEEN 92434

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This color film 'Family Affair' was produced in 1952 to promote the Bell Telephone Company. It also represents one of the earliest screen appearances of actor Steve McQueen.
Title card shows FAMILY AFFAIR followed by an animated house that has been near downtown in a city for 50-55 years (various 'lifes' of the house: sad, happy, loud, quiet are shown) (:07-:42). The narrator explains that when people move in, things change - the walls change colors, furniture changes, this is all animated
(:43-1:18). The animation dissolves into regular footage which was lived in by Bert Reilly, his wife, and 3 children. Introduced is Kay Reilly and her youngest daughter, Pat, who still lives at home. The telephone rings and seems to be on importance. The father calls as he has lost his glasses. He is also nervous as they are expecting their first grandchild. The youngest daughter is heading out. (1:19-3:35) The phone is ringing at another house, the home of the daughter, Sally, who is expecting a child, as her mom is calling her. Tim, the son-in-law answers and then wanders the house. Sally wishes she had a phone in every room in the house. She goes to call her sister, Ann. Bonnie, Ann's roommate answers the phone. Bonnie works nights and Ann is jobless (3:36-6:43) The phone rings. Ann and Bonnie miss it, Bonnie is tired. Freddy calls Ann, Freddy is in the Navy and is played by STEVE MCQUEEN. Freddy wants to come and visit Ann and ask her hand in marriage. The narrator explains how a phone can be convenient. (6:44-9:32) The family calls one another and then the youngest daughter, Pat, gets a call and it disturbs her father's silence. The father doesn't like her 'having all her conversations with one boy' as this seems to be her daughters problem: with a boy. Later in the evening as mom, dad, and Pat sit in the living room, the phone rings and rings and they all ponder who it could be. Finally the father asks Pat to answer it. Pat answers it and gives it to her father, the caller mistakens the father for someone else. They then all complain about having one phone and how far away it is. They all want to pay for adding new phones (9:33-14:22). Ann is sick in bed, Bonnie gives her pills. Bonnie leaves, Ann lays in bed hearing the phone ring. But she doesn't make it in time(14:23-16:17). Sally gets up, needs to call the doctor, Tim fumbles around trying to use the phone. Tim calls his father-in-law. Afterwards, he falls asleep and Ann calls her mother. Ann talks to Bonnie, haven't heard from Freddy. Ann has a job interview. Freddy's plane comes in, he lands and calls Ann. He lost her number and cannot reach her through the operator since the phone number is attached to Bonnie's last name and he doesn't know it (16:18-21:29). Ann calls Bonnie, tells her her sister had a boy and where is Freddy? Hangs up. Bonnie answers the door and meets Freddy, will take him to where Ann is - at the hospital (21:30-22:47)
Time jump 3 months ahead - the baby boy is 3 months old. Sally answers the phone. Ann gets a call from Freddy. Ann has a temp job. Mom gets a call on her downstairs phone. Everyone has more phones now as times change. Pat has her own phone. All is well (22:48-26:39) Animation returns for the exterior of the house followed by the end credits (26:40-27:14) A Bell System Presentation/The End (27:15-27:20).
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[@marmaly]

Always found McQueen's acting to be hokey. No exception here. Thanks for posting

[@captaintrips2980]

Wooden is another word.

[@psychaddict17]

This was his very first role. Also, you clearly haven’t seen much of his work.

[@marx686]

he was practicing for his role in THE BLOB.

[@BermondseySteve]

This is the most acting I've ever seen him do.

[@curtiscarpenter7423]

I really do enjoy the old videos

[@tterrace]

Father is character actor J. Pat O'Malley, recently the voice of Mr. Toad's horse Cyril Proudbottom in Disney's 1949 "Ichabod and Mr. Toad" and in Disney's 1951 "Alice in Wonderland" the Walrus, Carpenter and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, plus several later Disney animated features.

[@captaintrips2980]

Then later on sitcoms and maybe the Twilight Zone(?).

[@lightmarker3146]

He played in many shows alot of Westerns a true character actor .

[@JustAboutTime]

Hah, I kept saying that the sailor looks just like Steve McQueen … I only just clicked near the end of the film that this IS Steve McQueen!! .. that’s so awesome!

[@lancelessard2491]

Cellphones have made stuff so much easier.

[@marklabarge3573]

Thanks for all these shorts. Love them all.

[@wmalden]

1952 - six years before McQueen would appear in “The Blob” - his first movie (and he was billed as “Steven McQueen”).

[@luisreyes1963]

Only in a Bell System film can a telephone be integral to the plot. ☎️

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

FANTASTiC video!! please keep 'em coming!!!

[@captaintrips2980]

I kept expecting to see Granny and Tweety in the first few seconds.

[@fayekephart848]

That could of been my father 1952 he was on a ship near Korea love watching shows that were made when he was alive seems hes sitting here next to me

[@mthury4532]

Don’t worry. I’ll just nail Freddie while you’re gone. This has such a different connotation today.

[@brosefmcman8264]

The greatest time to be American! The 1950s!!

[@jhlfsc]

Unless of course you were: A woman Black Homosexual Jewish Catholic Unmarried Handicapped Italian A Child

[@Ctrl-XYZ]

At 23:16 we see a Western Electric "500" set with coiled cord, beige shell and clear finger wheel, none of which were available in 1952. A more likely date for this film, IMDB notwithstanding, would be 1955.

[@garymckee8857]

Outstanding information thanks.

[@marklabarge3573]

Being off a few years is ok as long as they don't pull out a cell phone.

[@marx686]

"Telephone, Penny! Its Wally Cleaver."

[@missyandjoey]

Navy guy wants to marry his gf all the while has a wedding ring on lol

[@captaintrips2980]

Good eye!

[@psychaddict17]

McQueen wasn’t married when he made this. It’s just a regular ring.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

The narrator in this video could be a very young Leon Janney.

[@BarackBananabama]

Many of theose phones did not have coiled wires! 23:30, 25:08 coiled ones!

[@steven2212]

That's when Steve was stationed with the USS San Pablo, on Yangtze Patrol in China.

[@BermondseySteve]

The comment above is false & is meant to be a joke. McQ wasn't in the Navy; he served with the U.S. Marine Corps 1947-'50. The San Pablo/China, etc., mentioned above are fictional - they refer to McQueen's 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles".

[@jhlfsc]

Wait....at 15:00 are they seriously implying that she had a nervous breakdown serious enough to need to be MEDICATED from the phone call she received earlier?!?! Wtf? Lol

[@MaximRecoil]

Ol' Burt screwed himself over but good. Now that his two hens have convenient, private places to use the phone, they'll be clucking on it constantly, and the phone that he said he needs for his work will always be tied up. Since they've had a taste of unmitigated phone bliss, he can't take it away from them unless he wants to live with a pair of "women scorned," so his only option will be to get a second phone line for his work. He thought that getting an extension was too expensive... wait till he sees the price of two separate phone bills each month.

[@garymckee8857]

Did people actually live this way? I'm 57 and I don't remember anyone that acted like this.

[@RonPaul20082012]

You aren't old enough to comment about the year 1952.

[@riff2072]

We do not let facts get in the way of a comment. So just stop it ghhff fghhg and buy a vowel.

[@RonPaul20082012]

@@riff2072 Don't whip out a cellphone in a gun fight snowflake so swipe your plastic for another 7 dollar latte and move along.

[@brosefmcman8264]

It was absolute bliss in the 1950s

[@mikephalen3162]

@@brosefmcman8264 Unless you weren't white.

[@c0t0d0s7]

27 minutes listening to a bunch of cheap squares screeching and caterwauling about spending a few measly bucks to install another phone or two? And I never saw a toilet.

[@MaximRecoil]

It wasn't just a "few measly bucks," it was a never-ending additional monthly charge for each additional phone. That's why the script writer used the marketing language: "Only a few cents a day." It was probably around a dollar extra per month per extension (about 3.33 cents per day), which translates to about $11 extra per month per extension today. And since he got 3 extensions (basement, daughter's room, and he and his wife's bedroom), that would be about an extra $33 per month in today's money, and that's on top of whatever the base charge was for his monthly service plus the monthly lease charge for the main phone in his den.

[@c0t0d0s7]

@@MaximRecoil Well, I was never good at math. Thanks, public school system. 🤪

[@fordlandau]

Steve shows no acting ability at all.