More Presidential Phones: The Kennedys

[Adam]

Did you happen to catch the 8-part mini-series "The Kennedys" last week or this weekend on the Reelz Channel?

Besides being a great show about a fascinating topic, they were VERY true to the telephones of the period, especially those in the Oval Office (a topic as you probably know I am very interested in).

Near the beginning of the second episode, a newly sworn-in JFK checks out his undecorated office.  The desk correctly has two black 500 sets as would have been on the desk of his predecessor, Eisenhower, as can be seen in the fifth picture on my page about Presidential phones (http://tinyurl.com/66wo68x)

In the very next scene, his oval office is furnished and complete, and this desk includes the PERFECTLY EXACT grey rotary Western Electric Call Director as can be seen in the 7th picture on my page.

No screen grabs yet, the show is on my DVR, not anything connected to a computer.  I'm going to see if I work up a connection and possibly get some screen grabs tomorrow.

Here's the Reelz Channel's page about the show: http://www.reelzchannel.com/kennedys/ (no good pics of the phones that I know of)

[Adam]

Actually, I did just find one pic from the show on its official site that includes the Presidential phone, although it's from behind.

[Adam]

OK.  Here we go, screen grabs from The Kennedys.

By the way, I was wrong in my earlier post.  These are from the third episode.

The first one is JFK checking out the Oval Office right after his inauguration speech, looking at would have been the Eisenhower desk and his two 500 sets.

The next two are the next scene in the show, featuring JFK's grey rotary Western Electric Call Director and accessory Western Electric speaker.

[JimH]

I watched the series, too.  JFK's real call director was green, and inside the White House family quarters, they actually had black and white Princess phones everywhere.  They still did a great job with the phones they used!

[Adam]

JFK's real call director was green

Not according to my photographic research.  Lyndon Johnson's Call Director was definitely green, but photographic evidence shows JFK's Call Director was grey.

Take a look at my page on this for the actual photos.  http://tinyurl.com/66wo68x

[Owain]

Actually, I did just find one pic from the show on its official site that includes the Presidential phone, although it's from behind.

And there's another phone on the table in front of the window ...

[Adam]

Yes, there are great black 500s and 565 6 button key phones strewn all over the White House sets in the show, for example, there are black 6 button sets in the cabinet room in the show.

[JimH]

JFK's real call director was green

Not according to my photographic research.  Lyndon Johnson's Call Director was definitely green, but photographic evidence shows JFK's Call Director was grey.

Hmmm...interesting.  I know his Oval Office was redecorated the weekend he was in Dallas (new red carpeting, drapes, and pure white walls), which he never lived to see.  Your photo shows the red rug.  In his Library in Boston, they have re-created his Oval Office as he knew it.  Here's also an actual picture of his Oval Office, it sure looks green to me.

[Adam]

[My reply edited as you just added the second pic. ]

It seems that JFK's first Call Director (as shown on the pic on my site) was grey, and at sometime in his approximately 2 3/4 years in office, that the phone was changed out to the green one, and LBJ inherited that phone, that you can also see in the LBJ pic on my site.

So, the Oval Office recreation with the green phone is correct, as was the TV show portraying the grey one.

Fascinating stuff!

[JimH]

Here's another photo of Kennedy with his call director, the photo has the caption "President John F. Kennedy Meets with The Aga Khan IV, Prince Karim al-Husseini – 14 March 1961"

[GG]

There's also a well-known picture of Martin Luther King in his office.  Behind him, clearly seen, is a WE 564, in black, with metal dial fingerwheel and round buttons. 

JFK.  MLK.  1A2.