Author Topic: ‘Wrong’ Phones on TV (Read 236 times)

FABphones · « **on:** January 16, 2021, 12:01:01 PM »

Lately I’ve noticed quite a few vintage phones on TV that are just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Here’s your chance to add your TV phone screenshot, tell us what programme you saw it on and why the phone you spotted is incorrect...

FABphones · « **Reply #1 on:** January 16, 2021, 12:05:19 PM »

This one from the tv sleuth programme ‘Father Brown”. On his desk, in a nice quaint British village in the 1950’s. Definitely wrong as not a GPO issue phone.

I can’t quite make out what model it is...

FABphones · « **Reply #2 on:** January 16, 2021, 12:09:26 PM »

Father Brown again - this phone gets about a bit as is in many scenes.
GPO 300 series; curly cord and an incorrect #21 dial...

FABphones · « **Reply #3 on:** January 16, 2021, 12:15:53 PM »

I’ve found myself watching this show just to spot the wrong phone...

‘Father Brown’. This one on the front desk of the same quaint British village police station.
A French U43.

FABphones · « **Reply #4 on:** January 16, 2021, 12:22:16 PM »

And this one drives me potty every time I see it.

TV show ‘The Repair Shop’. A programme about repairing and restoring vintage items instead of throwing them away.

This phone often shown on the opening credits and either side of the advertisement breaks.

From all the vintage phones they could have chosen, they selected this much later push button repro. Argh!

..... · « **Reply #5 on:** January 16, 2021, 01:01:30 PM »

Quote from: FABphones on January 16, 2021, 12:22:16 PM

And this one drives me potty every time I see it.

TV show ‘The Repair Shop’. A programme about repairing and restoring vintage items instead of throwing them away.

This phone often shown on the opening credits and either side of the advertisement breaks.

From all the vintage phones they could have chosen, they selected this much later push button repro. Argh!

I also watch that show and noticed that as well. Someone should send them one to repair and then display.

Key2871 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 16, 2021, 04:38:23 PM »

I've seen a repro phone in the repair shop, it's a tone dial in black. I've not seen the Red set before.

Jim Stettler · « **Reply #7 on:** January 16, 2021, 04:45:40 PM »

If you want to fill this topic, watch a lot of History Channel.
JMO,
Jim

phonium · « **Reply #8 on:** January 16, 2021, 05:01:18 PM »

Not exactly related, but once I watched a video about the invention of the telephone and it was terrible! He said at one point "I spilled a dangerous chemical called 'Acid' on my pants" and that really didn't make sense. How did they think Acid was the name of the chemical? It seemed like a 5th grader did 2 minutes of research and called it a day.
Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRu9vDGPDhI

Key2871 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 16, 2021, 06:15:13 PM »

It's funny to watch some movies or TV shows and see phones that are so out of sync with the era the show depicts I have to laugh and comment.
Sometimes my kids say how do you know?
I say I've collected phones repaired phones for 40 years I do know that a push button phone doesn't belong in a show that was supposed to be taken place in the 1950's. Or a candle stick that was clearly a Chinese knock off in a film that depicts a 1920s era..

allnumbedup · « **Reply #10 on:** January 16, 2021, 07:58:44 PM »

There are a lot of phones included kind of obviously in "Terms of Endearment" from 1983--watched it a few months ago. Not necessarily "wrong" but weird that Jack Nicholson's character is an ex-astronaut with a 6-button key set on his bedroom nightstand and a 10-button keyset on his kitchen wall.

Key2871 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 16, 2021, 08:43:53 PM »

I've actually been in a few houses in the late 70's and mid 80's that people had key sets in the house.
I asked the home owners why, and they said because that wanted them, so the phone company put them in.
But there had to be at least two lines going into the home.
I've seen shots in movies where a 2564 was used as a motel room night stand phone. That's truly odd.

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