Why Movie And TV Show Phone Numbers All Use "555"
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- Опубликовано: 24 сен 2024
- When TV shows and movies need to use a phone number as part of the story, they typically use one that starts with the numbers "555." We spoke with an official historian at AT&T to find out why these 3 numbers in particular were chosen. It turns out that the answer has a lot to do with the way telephone numbers evolved over time. Following is a transcript of the video.
Pick up your phone and call the professionals, Ghostbusters.
Narrator: Did you ever wonder why phone numbers in TV shows and movies always start with the numbers 555?
555-1125.
It's 555-3455.
555-2401.
Narrator: The short answer is that most 555 numbers are not working numbers, so real people won't be harassed if die-hard fans try to call them. - 55 was an exchange combination that was not used very often in the American telephone system.
You may get a wrong number or no number at all.
Narrator: An FCC contractor called the NANPA, or North American Numbering Plan Administration, is tasked with assigning numbers for use. 555-1212 is still used for Directory Assistance and 555-4334 is reserved for Assigned National use. But a set of one hundred 555 numbers have been officially designated for use in Hollywood, 555-0100 through 555-0199.
Cory Gillis, 555-0176.
Narrator: Back in the early 90s, 555 numbers outside that range could be reserved for information service providers, but this program was shut down by the NANPA in 2015. While those other numbers might one day be put back in circulation, the 100 reserved for TV and movies will not, so they will always be safe for use. So, how specifically did 555 become the famous number that it is today?
Decades ago, phone numbers used to look a lot different. They consisted of a word and a five-digit numerical code. The word was a telephone exchange name and the number was assigned to a specific phone in that area.
Sheldon Hochheiser: Up until 1919, all telephone calls were manual. You had to start by speaking to an operator.
This is WY 5-2240.
Narrator: References to this system can be seen in the names of movies, like BUtterfield 8. And songs like the Glenn Miller Orchestra's, PEnnsylvania 6-5000, which calls hotel Pennsylvania in New York.
Hochheiser: These were based on names that could be easily understood verbally. - Narrator: Eventually, phone companies switched to a system where customers had to dial themselves.
We are changing your telephone service over to dial. Take up your receiver and always listen for the dial tone.
Narrator: Phone numbers were reached using numbers corresponding to the first two letters of the exchange name. So, if you wanted to call Pennsylvania 6-5000, you would dial 73-6-5000. Since seven corresponds with PQRS on the keypad, and three corresponds to DEF. For Butterfield, you would start with 28. So, with this in mind, let's take another look at 555.
Hochheiser: Now, some combinations for the first two letters of a word worked better than others. One of the combinations that were very difficult to correlate to useful exchange names was 55.
Narrator: On the keypad, five has the letters JKL. Letters, which when placed next to each other, don't make many words or exchange names. So, there were not many real phone numbers starting with 55.
Hochheiser: Klondike, which has become well-known, is about the only one.
Klondike 4-2106, Los Angeles please.
Then call Klondike 5-3226.
Narrator: These numbers were often shortened to just the first two letters plus the five digit code. Since Klondike five was not frequently assigned, it found other uses. Bell systems noted in an official guide that the 55X exchange was reserved for radiotelephone.
The portable transmitting and receiving radio unit that makes it possible to combine radio and wire telephony for communication purposes.
Narrator: This was actually a very small group of numbers used in early mobile phones. Klondike 5 was also a sample number used in old phone company advertisements and it began to be used in old movies and TV shows. Eventually, area codes were introduced allowing for more available phone numbers and the exchange names were abolished, but the 555 trope is still used today in Hollywood.
What's the phone number of this store? - 555-2310.
Narrator: So, if you're looking for a Ghostbuster, who are you gonna call? No one.
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As someone who does not live in the US, I always thought all American numbers had 555 in them
surfie007 me too but wat surprised me is all of them had four digits after meaning the whole of usa would have 1000 numbers.
There's an approximate 265 to 295 different area codes as well. Higher populated places would have more area codes and less populated places have fewer area codes. Alaska, Hawaii and Montana are 3 examples of states that have one area code that covers one state. Alaska is 907, Hawaii is 808 and Montana is 406.
surfie007 I used to think that till I moved to the usa
surfie007 Exactly! I seen and heard it in so many American movies and cartoons, that I just assumed that must be how American phone numbers work.
kahari art 10000* numbers
Short answer: bc nobody has that number and therefore nobody will be harrassed by fans trying to call the number
Rymal Bryant thx
But why does nobody have that number...watch the video...
they said that in the first 30 sec of the video lol
Who cares? I don't. I might be okay with someone calling my number. November 28, 2018, 7:43pm
I like how this simultaneously answers the question and gives a partial history of how phone numbers have developed over the years
anyone else ever try calling those numbers as a kid?
I actually tried to call that one number that Peter was saying to Consuela, some random lady answered the phone...
Moi
Nacho TV call 867-5309 and ask for Jenny
No. We don't have telephone line in my town before
Nacho TV me
I have literally wondered that for years! Granted, I could have gone to Google and found out all those years ago, but through a bit of laziness and constant slip of the mind I never did. Now I have my answer! Thanks for that!
Javonte Coleman i asked Bert I. Gordon this, and he had no answer other than all coming pre printed
and in videogames, notably gta
Actually back in the days of GTA vice city you could call the numbers like 1-866-9-SAVE ME and you would call Pastier Richards who was in the game
Ghost busters is a bad example here because their number actually used to work and was set to a recording with 2 of the characters from the film talking
I thought it was at least partially because of the song 867-5309.
If that is that music video, then ya it IS because of that song.
The most popular Soviet/ Russian rock band Akvarium made a song titled “2 12 85 06” and there are many legends about what that number really was.
When I was a kid, I used to call every fictional phone number to see who was at the other end.
1800-MY-APPLE
Anshu Pandey 1800 ditch apple
Anshu Pandey movies and tv shows wants u 2 call those numbers and probably gets answers from demons or ghosts or satan himself they r creepy numbers to dial
Jessie Thomas 🤔
Anshu Pandey 555-APPLE-SUX
Intel & Nvidia SUXXZZZ!!! Too many numbers
Wait really? I thought this was just how Americans used numbers
Nope
Hollywood is a trip isnt it
No it makes movies
John Rogers Lol
That would be mathematically impossible. Even if you used every possible 3 digit combination for area codes. We'd have run out of numbers ages ago. As it is, we're running out of numbers.
One minor point: The Q (and Z) wasn’t added to the phone dial letters until long after word exchange names were retired...
There was a joke you could play on people where you told them to call a number that had a "z" in it. The joke, of course, was that there was no "z".
There was a film in South Korea, used the director's phone number and told so in an interview. Then, he got blamed by those having similar phone numbers(e.g. 555-0112 and 555-0115). They kept getting calls from those not able to press the right numbers and believing they did things well.
Why not 666?
Mr cuddles442 That's Verizon's customer service number.
Sahil Parab lol
Mr cuddles442 nope.
Mr cuddles442 that for satan , of course
Because Deepweb uses it.
I had a hunch that the lack of JKL combinations was the reason for 555 being used in so much mass media. (In addition to movies and TV shows, I've seen such numbers in novels.) I am old enough to remember the exchange names in the Washington, DC, area (including nearby MD and VA), and people here in Philadelphia have filled me in on some of them. But I don't think I've ever run across a KLondike. I once saw a refrigerator magnet for a take-out restaurant in Missouri area code 314 for which the phone exchange was 555. I thought it was strange at the time (early 2000s), but now I wonder if that's an old KLondike number.
Fun fact: Steven Universe uses 410 area code 555 numbers because it's set in Maryland
Vox called they want their video back
jay fawn wait what? I honestly thought this was vox until I read your comment...
jay fawn Tech Insider and Vox have very similar video formats
You forgot to mention the 555 ghostbusters line did actually work in 1984
That awkward moment when your number uses 555
"Standing by"... Henshin!..... "Complete"
Only toku fans can relate
Ivans Ricardo connectioning
Even in GTA SA!
melvin george And GTAIV!
And GTA V!
And GTA VII !
And Knuckles
And GTA IX
At this point I think we need more phone number digits, but if we get more phone numbers this will affect international phone numbers too.
Yeah getting a lot of calls from strangers is no joke. My sister started getting multiple calls a minute one day bc some RUclipsr did a prank and leaked his friends phone number that happened to be a few digital different from hers. It’s been almost a year and she still gets a couple calls a day but the first week it was terrible and nonstop, she couldn’t even use her phone
In the 2020 Animaniacs reboot, episode 6 featured a phone number. Although the initial number was supposed to be fake, it was real, and it led to an inappropriate surprise for fans who are curious about what the number leads to. This is because the number didn't include the occurring "555" from various movies and TV shows. The crew then learned that the purpose of adding the "555" is to make sure that the made-up phone number is actually made-up and not working in real life, as a result, the episode was pulled from Hulu and later reinstated with a different phone number, this time, it included the "555" part. Here's the proof: ruclips.net/video/1JfTCE37xi8/видео.html
If you're 555 then I'm 666!
Zarchisael Faruhan Slipknot nice I was jamming that in my head when they said 555
Dial 666 if you're trying to get hold of me
If your 666 then im 777! 😄
Justin Stone so your god
I’m 999 I’m god
My number is a 555 and is in the 100 range. Obviously not gonna give my number out, but it is in that range
The Wire was made in Baltimore and was based around cops tapping phones and drug rings, they used our area codes and phone numbers
When i was a kid in the 80's in Vermont we only had to dial 4 digits to call anyone in the exchange we lived in. To call another town of course we still had to dial the exchange. It was very strange you me having moved there from New York city. 😄
Short answer: 555 is used for movies and TV so no real number is actually used.
Reminds me on Squid Games they used a real number accidentally and the person got bombarded with calls but he couldnt change it cause it was his long term business phone number.
Mostly, in commercials, it’s 1800.
I wonder why so many old movies have headlines that say "building code under fire" and "new petitions against tax".
Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski
Perhaps so as not to date the movie, use a headline with a universal theme.
In any year, there will be people upset that they can't build a house they could afford and people upset that their taxes may increase.
Compare with "Kennedy and Khrushchev in arms talks" or "Caravelle crashes at Berliner Flugshaven".
I seen/heard "555" numbers so often in cartoons and movies, that I grew up believing that's what phone numbers looked like in America. Since most movies and cartoons I've seen it in are American.
Actually, it never seemed that out of place to me because the seven-digit version of our home telephone number started with 553, so 555 didn't seem weird to me and I never questioned it.
I guess that explains why one of the Kamen Rider series’ in Japan was called “Kamen Rider Faiz” and used the (555) part of those Hollywood numbers as the activator code. It’s a niche reference within a fictional show
555 in Thai is hahaha
Of course! Obviously numbers are translated to words!
555 is Thailand's Lol
Because ''5'' is pronouced in thai as "ha"
I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THIS VIDEO WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT THIS HAHAHAHA WELL GUESS NOT
And here in Brazil hahaha is translated in Kkk
@@henoch5625 :I
What if your house is all ghosted up and you need to get rid of some ghosts?
Why didn't they just buy a phone number for the movie? The 555 is so clichéd it ruins every movie for me.
I wish British TV shows and films did this too. I just couldn’t ignore the 020 number seen in Paddington!
Me ha dejado alucinado este vídeo, estaba investigando para un vídeo del GTAV y me has ayudado un montón, gracias!
Who remembers 976 numbers? 👹
Totigerus and 1-900
Totigerus am I dateing myself if I say yes....I must be a dinosaur... I remember rotory phones...
yep i remember rotary phones too.
The house I grew up in even had a special cupboard inside the wall of the hallway for an old fashioned phone.
My Dad had to have a special outlet plug installed for the phone that fitted inside.
(One of those phones where the receiver was separate, and the microphone was attached to the housing unit)
LJN is another example if they existed in that time period
Anyone else notice that the black and white footage of the telephone pole sounded like it was being narrated by James Earl Jones? 🤣🤣🤣
But what was the actual purpose for the exchange names if numbers are easier? If names are better, why did they stop using them?
Yeah but what if the number is only 555 and no other numbers when they call your phone then Facebook proceeds to show you 555 less than a hour later with symbology?
When people DON'T use a fake number, the consequences are chaotic. 867-5309, for example, had to be officially retired because people wouldn't stop calling it after the song was released.
at least they don't start with 666
I bet there was people out there who called that phone number and said " is this Peter Griffin" lol
"AT&T historian"
All the land line numbers in the town of Goolwa in South Australia start with 8555.
0:32, I can't find this commercial anywhere on RUclips!
"Q" and "z" were not on the telephone keypads at all until the early 2000s or somewhere thereabouts. Don't believe me? Look at the 90s phones.
The best answer to a question I never asked
Drinking game: Take a shot every time he says 555. Let’s see how many people will get hospitalized.
This girl I met last night has one of the functional 555 numbers. I'll call her tomorrow, I gotta wait the three days before I call.
No. Because stupid people would call the numbers used in songs, or movies.
and then theres still the youtubers who bother doing the "i called boss baby and he responded" videos
But what about 867-5309?
That band got sued because of that.
Explain why they blur license plates when that didn't happen before.
People go try to call numbers in movies, tv, music. Look how many people called 867-5309 after the song came out
All the cheat code in gta 4 starts with 555, now i know why
I just noticed this number in a movie today...it was in the beginning of Madea goes to jail. I noticed that then I ran across this video lol...so funny!
In my country we have a brand name 555 tuna.
Gio Guardo yes here in the philippines 😂
In a sonic says segment of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic whispers tails his phone number that he forgot and you can hear sonic say 555.
I feel like some phone numbers in house of cards didn’t have the 555. I wish I called the number he was texting before he pushed that reporter in front of the subway train
“Hello, is Indiana Jones there?”
Dave chappelle
1:25 Lol this video puts the Back to the Future clip into perspective
Impractical Jokers used a real number with a voicemail thing
It’s also not scripted or reality tv it’s on TruTV so watch it for yourself
Open your eyes for the next faiz
In the 1970s, every phone in every Bell System or Bell Phone Company ad photo had the number 311 555-2368 on the phone!!
You can actually call the numbers in "better call saul"
Simple, they didnt just use 555, they used real numbers until some music video came out with someone real number, every since then 555, and fake numbers.
I'm definetly that guy that calls real numbers like on 24. The numbers from 24 weren't 555s but actual numbers that went to actual live voice mail lol. But by the time the number aired Keifer had long recorded the episode so wasn't like i could call the set live and be like "uh can i speak to Keif?"
I was literally about to comment Klondike is a 55 then it said it in the video
555 in my thought:
555 Cigarettes,
555 Thailand's laughs, and
Subaru Impreza 555 22b
finally some useful facts from this channel
I've always felt it was because Americans are fixated with the number 5. After all, most of the speed limits are x5 mph if I'm not mistaken.
I got a phone ad... wow
Angela Ziegler oh hi
*"no no no...."*
- consuela
Just some facts for you prank callers: THESE NUMBERS ARE NOT REAL!
This was common sense didn’t even have to watch the after 30 secs
Why the hell can't I shut off the captions?
But why do RUclips channels use 555??
in family guy it did not start with 555 but with 401 so dont make it up
Your last sentence ruin my hope of survival
Why was it removed??
Silent Shattered Memories the game with a lot of 555 calls
Because they are reserved for movies. There saved you 5 minutes
2:19 FINALLY A EASIER WAY YO SPELL LEHIGH AS IN LEHIGH COUNTY
because my country "Philippines" have best seller 'can food' since old year
and we call it "555 sardine" and this 2005 above have now different flavor like adobo,afritada,caldera,tuna
check it out in google..if u dont know
555 is a Kamen Rider 😆
I’m here because of watching Leave it to Beaver
If theirs on ten digits in USA then isn't there only 10 million ppl with phones?
5 years too late but the first three digits are an area code that corresponds to where you are (city, part of a state, or in some cases, the state) the next three digits are where in that area code, and the last four digits count up from one.
How come the letters q and z aren't on the phone
Dont call 5550111 in gta 5 is so disturbing
555 = JKL = just kidding lol,
that's kinda wicked how well it fits into today's media, as we use it for fictional phone numbers :D
1-800-GO-USE-THE-BATHROOM
Its simply because its not an actual area code, boom i guessed it before i watched the video
the background has miss voodoo's number from *There is No Game - Wrong Dimension* lol.