4.5/10
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27 user 7 critic

The Telephone (1988)

R | | Comedy, Drama | 22 January 1988 (USA)
The Telephone Poster
A crazy out of work actress, Vashti Blue, spends all her time in her small apartment with her pet owl and her telephone, which she uses to try and solve all her problems with life.

Director:

Rip Torn

Writers:

Harry Nilsson (screenplay), Terry Southern (screenplay)

Stars:

Whoopi Goldberg, Severn Darden, Elliott Gould | See full cast & crew »
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1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Whoopi Goldberg ... Vashti Blue
Severn Darden ... Max
Elliott Gould ... Rodney
John Heard ... Telephone Man
Ronald J. Stallings Ronald J. Stallings ... Saxophone Player
John Hattan John Hattan ... Sidewalk Vendor
Lina Chu Lina Chu ... Sidewalk Vendor
James Victor ... Big Ray on Answering Machine (voice)
Robin Menken Robin Menken ... Voice on the Freeway (voice)
Danae Torn Danae Torn ... Midge on Answering Machine (voice)
Hervé Villechaize ... Voice on the Freeway (voice)
Don Blakely ... Larry on Answering Machine / Voice on the Freeway (voice)
Amy Wright ... Honey Boxe / Irate Neighbor / Jennifer on Answering Machine
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

A crazy out of work actress, Vashti Blue, spends all her time in her small apartment with her pet owl and her telephone, which she uses to try and solve all her problems with life.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

apartment | small apartment | actress | telephone | owl | See All (47) »

Taglines:

She's on the line...and off the wall. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1988 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Telefon Terror See more »

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA
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Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$54,811, 24 January 1988

Gross USA:

$99,978
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Esparza / Katz Productions,Hawkeye Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

First (and as of 2014 only) theatrical film directed by Rip Torn. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: The Fantastic Four (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Happy Endings
Written by Terry Melcher and Bruce Johnston
© Daywin Music, Inc., administered by Careers Music Inc.
Bruce Johnston Publishing, administered by Careers Music Inc. and Daywin Music Inc.
Performed by The Beach Boys and Little Richard
Produced by Terry Melcher
(The Beach Boys appear courtesy of Brother Records, Inc.)
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Great movie. Hope to see it on DVD someday
11 April 2006 | by Filmfreak2002 – See all my reviews

I saw this movie on TV the first time, but got in about 15 min. into it so naturally I started hunting for it on video. I finally found it and have been watching it many times. Whoopie Goldberg gives a heartwarming/-breaking performance as VashiBlue, whose main contact with the surrounding world is her telephone and her answering machine. She is obviously a lonely person, living with an owl and a goldfish, but does get company once in a while and loves to argue with the neighbour, who constantly complains about her and threatens to contact immigrations to have her kicked out. The ending comes as a total surprise and I couldn't help crying after I saw it in full the first time. I still do, if it's been a while since I saw it last. Definitely a movie to see and I hope it will be released on DVD soon, region 2, since I live in Denmark.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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