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    Whenever a telephone number is said or shown in US films and TV dramas, the number given has almost invariably been a fake number starting with 555. What instances are there of real phone numbers being given in such films or shows?

    Question #57790. Asked by gmackematix. (Jun 17 05 4:18 PM)


    lanfranco

    		Well, here's some information. You might be interested to know that U.S. authors normally use the 555 prefix in novels, too.


    http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/1527/

    http://www.answers.com/topic/555-telephone-number

    Jun 17 05, 4:24 PM
    MrsAce

    		Altho you didn't ask Gmack, a famous song in our area that was a real nuisance was Tommy Tu-Tones song to Jenny, 867-5309. This number was an actual residential phone number in Cambridge Mass that got plenty of calls asking for Jenny during the early release of this song. Now that the area codes have been added, you can still reach it in Massachusetts, but it now belongs to an oil or gas company.

    Jun 17 05, 4:57 PM
    gmackematix

    		Yes, we had a question on that song here a few weeks back.
    I do know of at least one real number being given in a popular US TV series.

    Jun 17 05, 5:02 PM
    gmackematix

    		It looks like a yay to LF for the TV "Scrubs" and film "Sneakers" examples in the first site you referenced.
    Neither were the example I came across though.

    Jun 17 05, 5:07 PM
    gmackematix

    		Aha LF, your second site mentions the TV series "24" whiich inspired this question. That one also mentions the film "Bruce Almighty".
    I was unaware of the 01632 code in UK films though.

    Jun 17 05, 5:15 PM
    mibmob

    		It may interest you to know that 555- is a prefix for telephone numbers in the Stratford, East london area of the UK.
    Well, please yourselves.

    Jun 18 05, 8:31 AM
    lanfranco

    		I'm going to assume that U.K. viewers understand that U.S. television shows and films are taking place IN the U.S. and are not attempting to reach 555 numbers without using the international dialing code. We wouldn't want to annoy the good people of Stratford, East London.

    Jun 18 05, 9:45 AM
    mibmob

    		Yes, but some people will pick up a phone and dial even if they know it is a US number!

    Jun 18 05, 9:48 AM
    barker111

    		Hitchock did a film called 'Dial M For Murder'.

    Jun 18 05, 11:25 AM
    rootsgrrl

    		The Ricardos' number started with Circle 7.

    Jun 18 05, 2:14 PM
    lanfranco

    		Ah, yes, the good old days of colorful telephone exchange names: "PEnnsylvania 6-5000" and "BUtterfield 8" to name a song and a film (based on a novel). The former was actually the number of a hotel in New York.

    Jun 18 05, 2:38 PM
    Arpeggionist

    		At the end of "Sneakers" starring Robert Redford, one of the characters of Redford's gang asks for the phone number of one of the FBI agents. So impressed was she that, of all the things he could ask for under the sun, he wanted her number, that she gave him a very real sounding number (with a New Jersey area code if I'm not mistaken).

    In one episode of Seinfeld, Elaine makes an issue of the concept of dialing the new 646 area code digits when she has to change her phone number.

    Jun 18 05, 2:51 PM
    gmackematix

    		In UK TV, there was an episode of "Jonathan Creek" in which a telephone number was featured prominently.
    It was clued as "Oh when I know to free hate, to sever no one". I've no idea whether that was a real number.

    Jun 18 05, 3:05 PM
    lanfranco

    		I LOVED "Jonathan Creek" and was very disappointed when only a few episodes were shown in the U.S. I never did know how many episodes were made.

    Is this a cryptic?

    Jun 18 05, 3:35 PM
    gmackematix

    		It probably seemed very cryptic when nobody realised it was a phone number but just read the clue out loud and the number should become apparent.
    There have been 25 episodes of "Jonathan Creek" to date, almost all ingenious in both the albeit unlikely mysteries and the comic subplots.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/jonathancreek/episodeguide/index.shtml

    Jun 18 05, 5:26 PM
    barker111

    		There are many cop shows that have dispatchers, real and actors, saying '911 What is your emergency?'

    Jun 18 05, 9:48 PM

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