A telephone operator covering for a friend's "fling" finds herself in the middle of a major disaster when the city is hit by a big flood and her switchboard is the center of communications.
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Title: Telephone Operator (1937)
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Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
| Judith Allen | ... | Helen Molloy | |
| Grant Withers | ... | Red | |
| Warren Hymer | ... | Shorty | |
| Alice White | ... | Dottie Stengal | |
| Ronnie Cosby | ... | Ted Molloy (as Ronnie Cosbey) | |
| Pat Flaherty | ... | Tom Sommers | |
| Greta Granstedt | ... | Sylvia Sommers | |
| William Haade | ... | Heaver | |
| Cornelius Keefe | ... | Pat Campbell | |
| Dorothy Vaughan | ... | Mrs. Molloy (as Dorothy Vaughn) | |
| Walter McGrail | |||
 |
Ethel Jackson | ||
|
|
Mildred Gover | ... | Lydia |
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Storyline
Helen Malloy (Judith Allen), a telephone operator covering for an absent friend, Dottie Stengal (Alice White) finds herself in the middle of a major disaster when the city is hit by a big flood and her switchboard is the center of communications. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords:
telephone | telephone operator | flood | disaster | mother son relationship |Taglines:
Suddenly...disaster struck at the happiness of these two lovers...as raging flood waters swept them into the dark terror of the night! See more »Parents Guide:
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Trivia
The earliest documented telecast of this film took place in New York City Friday 5 May 1950 on the Night Owl Theatre on WPIX (Channel 11). See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 December 1937 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Telephone Operator See more »Company Credits
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Grant Withers and Warren Hymer are two tough line men for the company. They come to Riverdale, where they set their sights on operators Judith Allen and Alice White.
Given director Scott Pembroke's grounding in comedy -- he was the director of Stan Laurel's burlesques of big hits, like RUPERT OF HEEHAW and DOCTOR PYCKLE AND MISTER PRYDE, you'd think the comedy bits in this early Monogram would be better; well, Miss White is pretty good, but the other actors are rather lugubrious. Until the big finale, it's all tough guys in leather jackets and fedoras pounding on each other, and slow-and-steady progress in the romantic plots.
The big set piece is the flood, and that's handled using stock footage of floods and ranks of telephone operators standing at their boards, while voice-overs tell people "There's a flood. Tell your neighbors." Oh, so that's why the third floor of my house is underwater?
Actually it's a decent movie until that repeated voice-over. Not bad for a Poverty Row Second Feature. Withers is typically fine. t's just that the finale goes on too long.