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 Molly | |
| 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 | |
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Plot Summary
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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:
A BOLT FROM HELL! (original print ad-all caps) See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 December 1937 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Pelo Telefone See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
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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Given this movie's solid rating, it obviously strikes a chord with those who see it, which means that I obviously missed something. Certainly, the movie gives a taste of the importance of telephone communication in the era. As Helen (the Operator) repeatedly spread news of the disaster as she connects with person after person ("the Riverdale dam is out!" over and over again) it reminded me a little bit of a primitive version of Twitter. The technical quality wasn't bad (although the version I saw was, I believe, heavily edited) and the scenes portraying the rising flood waters in town were pretty realistic (although the shots of the bursting of the dam itself seemed less so.) But still - aside from the basic soap opera like story of Helen trying to cover up her boss's wife's affair - the reality is that nothing much of interest (aside from a couple of pretty well staged fight scenes) happens until the last 10- 15 minutes of the movie when the dam finally goes, although in the end one has to appreciate the irony of the three heroes also being the three who got fired earlier in the film. 3/10