Party Lines and Ten Cent Phone Calls

Channel surfing brought me a chance to watch an old movie with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, “Pillow Talk”. The two characters meet when they find the telephone line they share, a party line, is constantly being interrupted by the other’s use. There’s a fair representation of the film’s content offered by Alan Vanneman which is linked via the title bar. I’d bet there are plenty of folks in this modern age of communication; cell phones where satellite signals bounce around without land locked wires, folks who wouldn’t believe that at one time having a telephone in a private residence was almost a luxury.

My folks had a telephone which was on a party line, a single telephone line that had several telephones hooked up in such a way that you could pick up the receiver and accidentally be listening in on a neighbors call. Etiquette and manners prevailed, as a rule, and a quick apology was offered for the unintended interruption before hanging up. Things were a bit different then, folks didn’t stay on the phone chatting to a neighbor; too expensive, instead they visited face to face by walking across the street and knocking on a door.

Jim Croce had a song that I’ve always enjoyed, “Operator”. It’s a sad and lonely tale about a lost love, one who now lives with his best old ex-friend Ray.

Operator, oh could you help me place this call
You see the number on the matchbook is old and faded
She’s livin’ in LA.
With my best old ex-friend Ray
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

Isn’t that the way they say it goes
But let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
But that’s not the way it feels

Operator, oh could you help me place this call
’cause I can’t read the number that you just gave me
There’s something in my eye’s
You know it happens every time
I think about the love that I thought would save me

Isn’t that the way they say it goes
But let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real
But that’s not the way it feels

Operator, oh let’s forget about this call
There’s no one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time
Oh you’ve been so much more than kind
And you can keep the dime

Isn’t that the way they say it goes
But let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real
But that’s not the way it feels

It’s hard to imagine making a call for only a dime, that being such a long time ago. Have I gotten old, enough to remember party lines and dime phone calls? I dream at night of playing baseball, directing traffic and the rush of having cars and trucks zipping by. There’s a young man who lives inside somewhere trying desperately to get out of this body. I look in the mirror and see a young boy’s eyes looking back; but that’s not the way it feels.