Old Phone Company Brochures and Magazines

[jsowers]

Does anyone besides me collect old phone company brochures and magazines? I've always been a history nut and have several relatives who are packrats (it runs in the family, if you know what I mean). I've collected lots of phone company paper goods over the years, from brochures to catalogs to bill inserts to magazines meant for employees. The following scans are from The Telephone News from 10-55. I've included some humorous (I hope) captions and a bit of the history. I spared you all the text from the articles, but I have it if anyone wants to see it.

I'm going to post them in separate posts because I can't figure out how to insert a picture into the text.

This was a cover story on how Pittsburgh, PA area installers were using word of mouth to help sell color phones and extension phones in the community. It featured actual community members, their houses and their phones. No fake sets here. These people actually used these phones. Where are the phones today, you might ask? I'd love to know. There are some really nice old phones in this article, as you will see.

First we have the cover to the magazine.  They actually cut a hole in the side of the installer van and put a window with all the new color phones in it. With all-day UV exposure, how long do you think they lasted before fading? There's even an ivory 354 there. I guess handsets were glued or screwed down. Now for my caption...


"Dennis, look! There's the dark gray dial face you've been needing!"

[jsowers]

Yes, I know Dennis was about five months old when this magazine first came out. But he's been looking so long for that dark gray dial face, I couldn't resist. Dennis is the little fellow with his hands on his hips, trying to figure out how to get that dark gray phone.

Next we have what I like to call a nice yellow-gray. Yellow with gray cords was a kind of jarring combination, but they threw caution to the wind and promoted it like nothing looked wrong. To people who probably had anything as long as it was black, this was still a vast improvement. The lady in the picture is actually named Mrs. McLafferty, which is a cute enough name by itself, but she looks a little bit like someone from Green Acres.

Now for the caption...


"Yes, Mrs. Ziffel. We need to put it down low so Arnold can use it. The number card? It says 'Pigs Answer Promptly.'"

[jsowers]

Next we have the local dentist's office. Dan are you looking? Do you have an ivory 354 on the wall next to your Ritter (or whatever brand they are now)? Or a moss green two-tone in your office? Notice Mrs. McLafferty is now in the dentist chair. She told her dentist about color phones and he went for them big time!

Now for the captions...

Left picture: "Mrs. Ziffel, it's Arnold. He says the TV set is broken and he wants the number for the repairman."

Right picture: "You want me to drill out that hole for your mushroom cap?"

[jsowers]

Now we have two happy housewives. Remember, this is 1955. Women rarely worked outside the home and they were the prime audience for color telephones since they decorated the house. Here we see two kitchens where an ivory 354 is the phone of choice. The 354 and the 554 were both options in 1955. That would change a year later. My mom still has a kitchen kind of like this, circa 1953, with knotty pine Pickwick paneling. Still the same old GE stove. Like our phones, it will never die.


Now for the captions...

Left picture: "Well, little Judy, I'm going to need your help every time I have to make a call. I can't dial the phone for all these vertical rods next to the countertop."

Right picture: "Yes, ma'am, this is the latest in wall models. Ivory is the only color besides black. Do you have a wall anywhere we can hang it on?"

[jsowers]

I'm almost finished. Here is another housewife in the kitchen and this is kind of an anomaly. It's evidence that yes, they had dark beige 554s in October, 1955. I think 1956 is the date usually associated with them, but this picture says otherwise. It's a nice one with a dark gray cord. You almost never see these phones up for bids. Are there any still on the wall somewhere in the US? I like to think so.

Caption: "Yes, Bill, they installed the new phone, but I have a feeling the first time someone opens the freezer too hard, it's going to crack the soft plastic!"

[jsowers]

Finally, we have the decorator showing all the ladies how well these fabrics harmonize with the new color phones. They could be in an accent color or match the surroundings. You see another yellow 500 with gray cords, a very rare mahogany brown 500, a red 500 with gray cords and a red two-tone.

Caption:

"Ladies, we had to look for about a year to find this fabric that blended in with this yellow and gray phone. Or you can use it as an accent color and have a ketchup and mustard theme."

[Dennis Markham]

Jonathan, I posted a reply too quickly and removed it so as to not disturb the continuity of your presentation.  Those are excellent photos and a great description of the time and events taking place in kitchens across America during 1955.  That kind of does look like me standing there glaring at that Oxford Gray dial bezel!  Thank you.  Thanks for a great presentation----a slide show of the past.  Encore, encore!!

[JorgeAmely]

Jonathan, Dennis:

You guys should consider publishing these beautiful pictures at:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/

Nothing has been posted there for a while. 

[Dennis Markham]

Good idea Jorge.  The "keeper of the flame" went away. 

Mark, Mark Stevens where are you?  Come back, come back! 

[McHeath]

Great fun these pics!  Isn't it interesting how we always have the official dates of when things happened, like when dark beige 554s became available to the public and then a picture that contradicts that info.  I suppose that 554 could be an early pre-release job that they used as they knew the phone would be on the market when people were reading this flyer. 

Phones were clearly as big a deal then as now.  Folks get a new whatever phone today, iPhone, Blackberry, etc, and are always proud of it and showing it off.  If I had a nickel for all the times someone pulls out their latest phone and starts showing me the cool features I could probably buy at least a Med Blue 500. 

My folks first phone was in 56', a black 554. 

I was also reminded of how rare it is that a consumer product of today could last for 55 years and still work as intended.  My current cell phone is 4 years old and showing it's age with cracks and limited battery life. 

[bingster]

These pictures are great fun.  I bought a large lot of Southwestern Bell News from the 1930s on ebay last year, but they don't have anything as cool as this in them.  Very nicely done!

Incidentally, Mrs Ziffel looks alarmingly like my grandmother. 

[Dan]

Beautiful  pictures! The dentist office was a classic! Thanks for posting these!

[McHeath]

I think Mrs. Ziffel was also my 3rd grade teacher!

[JorgeAmely]

From a 1956 Telephone Almanac published by Pacific Telephone Company ...

Note: Pages 2,3 are joined together.

[foots]

jsowers, thanks for posting these adds. I love stuff like this.
Can anybody provide a little more info on the button that is lifted to cut off other telephones in the house for privacy?