KLondike5: Stupid Stuff I Know

I have been playing around with phones since I was 12, installed the phone system at MIT Student House in 1970, and worked for MIT’s Dormitory Telephone System (Dormphone). As a result, I’ve actually dusted Strowger switches, inserted updates in a copy of Bell System Practices, and have since maintained an interest in all things telephonic. Well, I’m here to tell you that after 40 years, my wife no longer finds it amusing when a telephone number flashes on the screen during a television show or movie, and I say, “Oh, they’re in the Klondike neighborhood.” She has joined me in the group that’s “In the know” about fake phone numbers in the media (details at Wikipedia).

The second biggest pile of useless (but to me, fun) information I know comes from Judith Parker, a screenwriter and producer and sister of my late best friend Richard Parker. From Judith, I learned:

• You can tell when the movie or TV show is about to start, because the last opening credit, by union rule, is “Directed By.” If there are no opening credits, it is the first of the closing credits. (See the details in this article about George Lucas’ Opening Credit Dispute)
• If the writers credit says “and,” the writers worked separately. If it says “&” they were a team.
• I guess the entire universe knows this now: Allen Smithee was the pseudonym directors used from 1968 to 2000 when they didn’t want their real name on a film.
• “A John Smith Movie” is called a “possessory credit.”

Obviously, you can now find all this stuff on Wikipedia. But I’ve known it (and been irritating people with it) since before there was an Internet.

Comments

[Robert E Malchman]

We called it Dormline. Did the terminology change in the decade between us? The dorm phones were provided free and could only take incoming calls, and there was a recording that played whenever you answered, "This is MIT. Collect and third-party calls are not accepted at this number." There was also a recording for non-working numbers with the request that the caller check the number and try again. Someone once hacked the recording with the message, "You have reached an imaginary number at MIT. Please multiply by i and try again."

Actually, you could call out to other MIT extensions (255 and 253 -- I wonder if the exchange originally was CLondike, or more likely, ALchemy). There were also tie lines to places like Draper Labs (IIRC) and also to the Wellesley College phone system. I wonder if Dormline even exists anymore.

[pschindler]

Robert,
Yes, the terminology did change. Until the mid-70s, you could only
call MIT extensions and other dorm rooms, as well as some of the
Back Bay Frats, Student House and the Radio station. The Tech had a
dormphone number too. You were right; dormphones had access to all
MIT tie lines as well. Sometime in this century, MIT changed all the
dormphones to regular ATT phones, equivalent to MIT extensions,
without dial 9 to get out. I am not sure there are landlines in dorm
rooms anymore...

On 12/28/2020 9:34 AM, Typepad wrote:

Typepad HTML Email

A new comment from “Robert
E Malchman” was received on the post “KLondike5:
Stupid Stuff I Know” of the blog “P.S. A Column
On Things”.
Comment:
We called it Dormline. Did the
terminology change in the decade between
us? The dorm phones were provided free
and could only take incoming calls, and
there was a recording that played
whenever you answered, This is MIT.
Collect and third-party calls are not
accepted at this number. There was also
a recording for non-working numbers with
the request that the caller check the
number and try again. Someone once
hacked the recording with the message,
You have reached an imaginary number at
MIT. Please multiply by i and try
again.
Actually, you could call out to other
MIT extensions (255 and 253 -- I wonder
if the exchange originally was CLondike,
or more likely, ALchemy). There were
also tie lines to places like Draper
Labs (IIRC) and also to the Wellesley
College phone system. I wonder if
Dormline even exists anymore.

Commenter name: Robert E
Malchman
Commenter email: [email protected]
IP address: 143.244.44.200
Authentication: None

Enjoy!
The Typepad Team
P.S.: Learn more about replying to
comments.

Unpublished

Publish

Delete

Mark as
Spam

Edit
Comment

Typepad

10 Corporate Drive, Suite 300, Burlington,
MA 01803
Manage
Notifications | Support