Uploaded January 2011 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Phil Hartman plays Max Jerome, private eye, who explains to us how to save money by calling collect using 1-800-COLLECT. Chris Rock appears at the end. Chris Rock was the regular spokesman for 1-800-COLLECT at this time.
At the time this aired, the long distance wars were in full swing, with carrier services, dial-around (10-10-) and 1-800 service all going full bore, buying up tons of TV airtime and telling us new ways to save money on phone calls. Everyone seemed to be making a lot of money and more people were talking more than ever. But it was not to last forever, with falling costs and low barriers to entry, prices and revenues of long distance would fall and the market for long distance would turn moribund, eventually long distance ceased to be a market, only existing as a throw-in service to other services.
This promo aired during an October 26th, 1997 showing of King of the Hill.
Phil Hartman plays Max Jerome, private eye, who explains to us how to save money by calling collect using 1-800-COLLECT. Chris Rock appears at the end. Chris Rock was the regular spokesman for 1-800-COLLECT at this time.
At the time this aired, the long distance wars were in full swing, with carrier services, dial-around (10-10-) and 1-800 service all going full bore, buying up tons of TV airtime and telling us new ways to save money on phone calls. Everyone seemed to be making a lot of money and more people were talking more than ever. But it was not to last forever, with falling costs and low barriers to entry, prices and revenues of long distance would fall and the market for long distance would turn moribund, eventually long distance ceased to be a market, only existing as a throw-in service to other services.
This promo aired during an October 26th, 1997 showing of King of the Hill.
