Have a very heavy phone(age?) that I am not sure would work on the new line system but it is a nice piece on the phone stand, both of which came with the house.
I remember those old rotary phones quite well. We used to have one that was on a “party” line and often times you could hear the neighbors talking away on it when you picked the handset up to make a call. I still use the old landline system here and I still don’t own a cell phone. Never have found a need for one.
I hardly remember seeing a rotary phone at my grandparents’ house; I live in Washington state and they lived (yes, they passed on) in Arizona and it was rare occasions for visits in person.
We had a rotary phone when I was a kid in Pittsburgh. I still remember the phone number; that was back before the numbers WERE all numbers, so we had an ‘exchange’ that started out as EM… Meanwhile, I still have a landline. It’s the only thing that works after a hurricane, when all the cell towers are down…
I used to volunteer as the Ward Clerk at our church, we had a small rotary phone on the desk, and if you try to dial it with one hand if would move all over the desk!
I still have a rotary dial phone. But now there are so many places I can’t call because they all want me to press a button! Used ta be, if you stayed on the line long enough it would go through to a real person. Not anymore.
My doctor asked me why I never phone him back. I told him I do, but nobody answers.
I like using our rotary phone – the heft of the receiver, the tactile feedback while dialing, being able to slam down the receiver to hang up on telemarketers…
I’ve mentioned my 1964 black rotary dial phone many times before – I can’t wait to get my new home set up and put that back in service.
Heavy, heavy weight (so much so that a Bell phone was the murder weapon in an episode of “Columbo”), and that ringer is the LOUDEST one I’ve heard… best of all, it will confuse the younger members of the family once again… :-P
When I was a youngster, my parents would always make sure I had a dime (a 10-cent coin, for those of you who don’t remember) when I left the house so I could call home from a rotary pay-phone if necessary. That was a long, long time ago. . . .
My mom had a rotary dial phone until quit and then carrier did replace with button dial. My sister/husband visited a niece/boyfriend house with family, in this house had a crank phone, one of the great niece asked my sister if she knew of those crank phones, sister thought about aging her, then she told her husband and friends and they cracked up laughing, that niece thought her Aunt knew of those crank phones. Very funny.
And don’t forget!!! You could use them as a weapon!! Many a black and white movie was made where the whole phone was used to bash someone over the head… the cut out handle under the handset made it possible… of course today hitting someone with a cell phone would just barely leave a ‘hickie’
As the son of an electronics professor, I got to see lots of technology. Could solder at age 8. New devices were really advanced when they included a telephone dial.
I got a rotary phone for the house when the kids were small. They thought it was cool and fun. I figured, if the power goes out our cordless phones would be useless, but the rotary would work fine. (before cell phones, still with land line.) And actually, it has come in handy a few times over the years.
I agree with her, but my brother still uses the dial phone we grew up with. I tried it not too long ago and it required a lot more effort than I remembered.
I always thought our old black bakelite rotary dial phone we had when I was a kid, was the first portable phone. It sat on a special phone chair/stand in the Dining Room of our little Cape Cod-style house in Ct. What made it portable was an extremely long phone cord that enabled you to carry that the phone anywhere around the house – upstairs, downstairs, the basement, or the back porch.
We weren’t rich but my Dad insisted on getting a single line when he got the phone. He was one of the first in the neighborhood not on a party line.
We’ve come a long way. Watch as these 17-year-old guys can’t figure out how to make a call using a rotary phone:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OADXNGnJok
allen@home over 4 years ago
I still have a rotary dial phone. I call it a gangster phone i think the proper term is candlestick phone.
stairsteppublishing over 4 years ago
Have a very heavy phone(age?) that I am not sure would work on the new line system but it is a nice piece on the phone stand, both of which came with the house.
KA7DRE Premium Member over 4 years ago
I remember those old rotary phones quite well. We used to have one that was on a “party” line and often times you could hear the neighbors talking away on it when you picked the handset up to make a call. I still use the old landline system here and I still don’t own a cell phone. Never have found a need for one.
Templo S.U.D. over 4 years ago
I hardly remember seeing a rotary phone at my grandparents’ house; I live in Washington state and they lived (yes, they passed on) in Arizona and it was rare occasions for visits in person.
Argythree over 4 years ago
We had a rotary phone when I was a kid in Pittsburgh. I still remember the phone number; that was back before the numbers WERE all numbers, so we had an ‘exchange’ that started out as EM… Meanwhile, I still have a landline. It’s the only thing that works after a hurricane, when all the cell towers are down…
syzygy47 over 4 years ago
Perfect for crank calls (not that I did that) before call display.
hariseldon59 over 4 years ago
I grew up with a rotary dial phone. Can’t say that I miss them.
Charliegirl Premium Member over 4 years ago
They were around when I first became a secretary. In a busy office, your finger got sore!
scote1379 Premium Member over 4 years ago
What was nice about those old phones you could drop the hand set and it did not break !
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace over 4 years ago
Not me. Glad to be rid of it.
Breadboard over 4 years ago
Nice history lesson for Nelson … and Roscoe ;-)
jagedlo over 4 years ago
How nice of you to be considerate of Opal’s feelings…especially after the last couple of weeks she’s had!
cubswin2016 over 4 years ago
I am just glad that I do not have to listen to that dialup noise whenever I connect to the Internet anymore.
ForrestOverin over 4 years ago
Oh, for the days of easy prank calls! I’m getting verklempt!
iggyman over 4 years ago
Not many young people know what a rotary phone looks like!
iggyman over 4 years ago
I used to volunteer as the Ward Clerk at our church, we had a small rotary phone on the desk, and if you try to dial it with one hand if would move all over the desk!
Algolei I over 4 years ago
I still have a rotary dial phone. But now there are so many places I can’t call because they all want me to press a button! Used ta be, if you stayed on the line long enough it would go through to a real person. Not anymore.
My doctor asked me why I never phone him back. I told him I do, but nobody answers.
V45mikky over 4 years ago
There is probably an app for that sound.
Acworthless over 4 years ago
I like using our rotary phone – the heft of the receiver, the tactile feedback while dialing, being able to slam down the receiver to hang up on telemarketers…
WilliamMedlock over 4 years ago
Until I was at least in junior high school, we had to go through a operator. When we got our first dial phone, we thought we were in tech heaven.
Golf Buddy over 4 years ago
Nobody mentioned Roscoe is back…Our 1st phone had no dial, we talked to an operator…
sheilag over 4 years ago
I’ve mentioned my 1964 black rotary dial phone many times before – I can’t wait to get my new home set up and put that back in service.
Heavy, heavy weight (so much so that a Bell phone was the murder weapon in an episode of “Columbo”), and that ringer is the LOUDEST one I’ve heard… best of all, it will confuse the younger members of the family once again… :-P
Zebrastripes over 4 years ago
Loved my rotary! I want it back! I’ll never ever give up my two landlines …..EVER!
david_42 over 4 years ago
I always found waiting for the dial to rotate rather annoying.
Bookworm over 4 years ago
When I was a youngster, my parents would always make sure I had a dime (a 10-cent coin, for those of you who don’t remember) when I left the house so I could call home from a rotary pay-phone if necessary. That was a long, long time ago. . . .
hfelder7219 over 4 years ago
With cordless or cell phones you can’t have the satisfaction of slamming the receiver down to hang up on an annoying caller!
kab2rb over 4 years ago
My mom had a rotary dial phone until quit and then carrier did replace with button dial. My sister/husband visited a niece/boyfriend house with family, in this house had a crank phone, one of the great niece asked my sister if she knew of those crank phones, sister thought about aging her, then she told her husband and friends and they cracked up laughing, that niece thought her Aunt knew of those crank phones. Very funny.
D Ob-one B over 4 years ago
And don’t forget!!! You could use them as a weapon!! Many a black and white movie was made where the whole phone was used to bash someone over the head… the cut out handle under the handset made it possible… of course today hitting someone with a cell phone would just barely leave a ‘hickie’
D Ob-one B over 4 years ago
Oh and there use to be a rotary phone dialing app , not sure if its still available.
joegeethree over 4 years ago
I miss the hanging up with a bang to the deserved.
Tentoes over 4 years ago
As the son of an electronics professor, I got to see lots of technology. Could solder at age 8. New devices were really advanced when they included a telephone dial.
sarahbowl1 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Yes. The phone in the movie “Dial M for Murder” is definitely nostalgic!
listmom over 4 years ago
I got a rotary phone for the house when the kids were small. They thought it was cool and fun. I figured, if the power goes out our cordless phones would be useless, but the rotary would work fine. (before cell phones, still with land line.) And actually, it has come in handy a few times over the years.
Rose Madder Premium Member over 4 years ago
Heaven help you if the telephone number had a lot of high numbers – it took forever to dial. But I did like being able to slam the receiver down.
KEA over 4 years ago
I agree with her, but my brother still uses the dial phone we grew up with. I tried it not too long ago and it required a lot more effort than I remembered.
Lynnjav over 4 years ago
I think there’s an app to create a rotary dial for your smart phone
Alberta Oil Premium Member over 4 years ago
I put a rotary phone in my garage.. left it there when we moved 20 years ago and still.. regret it.
ksu71 over 4 years ago
These two 17 year old boys could not figure out how to use one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OADXNGnJok
Linguist over 4 years ago
I always thought our old black bakelite rotary dial phone we had when I was a kid, was the first portable phone. It sat on a special phone chair/stand in the Dining Room of our little Cape Cod-style house in Ct. What made it portable was an extremely long phone cord that enabled you to carry that the phone anywhere around the house – upstairs, downstairs, the basement, or the back porch.
We weren’t rich but my Dad insisted on getting a single line when he got the phone. He was one of the first in the neighborhood not on a party line.
zarilla over 4 years ago
She might be old enough to have picked up the ear piece and said “Ernestine, can you get 1-3478 for me please?”
VickiP123 over 4 years ago
I miss the satisfaction of slamming it to hang up…definitely not the same pressing a red button
Chad Cheetah over 4 years ago
Me too, Nelson, me too.
cl1996 over 4 years ago
There are apps if you want your phone to sound like an old rotary phone.
SemperFiMac over 4 years ago
We’ve come a long way. Watch as these 17-year-old guys can’t figure out how to make a call using a rotary phone:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OADXNGnJok
Papakillamon over 4 years ago
Roscoe always understands
wlbr549 over 4 years ago
When was the last time anyone saw a phone booth?
whenlifewassimpler over 4 years ago
MY COMIC OF THE DAY ….GET’S MY FAV COMIC OF DAY MEDAL! Oh brings back so many many memories.
Plods with ...™ over 4 years ago
The boy is wise beyond his years.
Tentoes over 4 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuirEweZvM
mandolinmc over 4 years ago
You could talk at the same time as the other person was talking and still hear what each other said… those were the days.