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29 user 8 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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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:

Everybody's got one. Some people just know how to use it. 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 See more »
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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

Terry Southern and Harry Nilsson cast Whoopi Goldberg in the film after seeing her standup routine. See more »

Connections

Features Christmas in July (1940) See more »

Soundtracks

Lakota National Anthem
Arrangement by Kevin Locke
Performed by Kevin Locke
Courtesy of Featherstone Productions
See more »

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User Reviews

I'm glad I saw it.
23 July 2000 | by roarshock – See all my reviews

Flicking the TV, I caught this film somewhere near its beginning. Having no idea of what it was or what it was supposed to be, I got strangely caught up in it. It's not great, but it is unusual... and that's saying something nowadays. I see here at the IMDb that most people don't like it. Hate it even. However, to get a better idea of how good or bad other people think it is, I suppose I would have to screen out those people who would hate ANY film that consisted of essentially only one person talking. It would probably be appreciated better by those people who like live theater; it has that quality to it. Still, it's not great and I don't think I would find it worth the money and effort to go out somewhere to see it. But on TV or as a rental it's worth seeing, interesting enough in its own odd way. I'm glad I caught it.
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