My Drama 9 class hovered with fascination over a rotary phone in our prop box last week. I heard, “How do you work one of these?” I watched fingers fumble with the dial and chuckled to myself at the anguished, “It would take *forever* to call my house this way!”
We had the time then, I guess.
Shawn L. Bird 
Those were cool.
Yes, but we were tethered to the wall, which I can’t imagine many teens being able to handle!
I rather miss the rotary dial telephones. I had 4 working models in my house until three years ago when I left the States.
I think we probably have one somewhere. They’re good when the power goes out, because you can still phone out!
I still miss those old phones. MTM has one that needs special wiring to plug into the wall. When we HAD a land line, I’d sometimes use it, just to listen to the sound of it turning.
I remember my parents had a pink Princess rotary dial phone in the bedroom and one traditional black phone in the dining room. When I was growing up in the 1960s that was the only choice! In New York every neighborhood had an exchange (LA5) which signified where you lived. I recall having to call the operator to get a party line or what we now know as 3 way. What’s funny is that my Dad worked for the telephone company called Ma Bell back then and when touch tone phones came out he refused to get one. Had those rotary dial phones until he passed away.As for me I jumped on every new phone technology when it came out. I was a little slow in getting a cell phone because at the time they looked and weighed the same as bricks but once the size decreased I jumped on the bandwagon.
As we all know with the advent of the cell phone, traditional phone booths disappeared. To this day I wonder where and how in the world can Superman change without phone booths?!! Definitely no privacy with a cell phone. Great Caesars Ghost!!
My mom had a fancy gold one on a marble and brass stand at one point. 🙂 It felt very grand for short phone calls, but was very awkward and painful for the long ones!
I keep one land line phone, for secure calls to credit card companies, etc. I have heard fascinating stories from a colleague who was in the auxiliary police, who described driving down streets with their equipment, listening to conversations. No need for wire taps any more if everyone is using cell phones or wireless sets in their houses!