Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
When you heard “long distance” on the phone in 1939 it was a big deal. You can see that by the huge number of operators in the New York City long-distance center of Bell telephone (AT&T) back then.
In 1939 long-distance telephone calls were a relatively new technology and not everyone had access to it. Making a long-distance call involved a more complex and expensive process than making a local call. The technology for transmitting phone signals over long distances was still being developed, and the cost of long-distance calls was considerably higher than that of local calls.
Back in 1939 a ”long distance call” was a very different experience from what we know today. In those days most people used a landline telephone which was often shared with other households in the same area. Here is what the process of making a call looked like then:
Dialing the Operator: To make a call, you would first have to pick up the telephone receiver and wait for the operator to come on the line. You would then tell the operator the number you wanted to dial, and they would manually connect your call to the recipient's telephone line.
Waiting for the Connection: Once you had given the operator the number, you would have to wait while they manually connected your call. This could take several minutes, depending on how busy the operator was.
Talking on the Telephone: Once your call had been connected, you would be able to talk to the person on the other end of the line. However, the sound quality was often poor, with lots of static and background noise.
Hanging Up: When you were finished with your call, you would have to hang up the receiver and wait for the operator to disconnect the call.
So when people heard the term long distance in relation to a phone call it meant that they were communicating with someone who was physically far away in another city or even another country. Long-distance calls were often reserved for special occasions and were not used for everyday communication because they indicated that the calls required additional planning and expense.
Long distance calling made possible by the construction of a nationwide network of telephone lines and the development of new technologies such as microwave transmission and satellite communication. Also improvements in sound quality and the development of cordless and mobile telephones made telephone calls more convenient and accessible for people all over the world.
As for being a telephone operator, it was a good job for a woman particularly compared to other jobs available to women. Most working women were expected to work in low-paying jobs such as domestic service or factory work.
Working as a phone operator offered women several advantages. The job required good communication and customer service skills, which many women had been trained in through their experiences in the home. The job was also considered relatively safe and respectable, and it offered a steady income and some opportunities for advancement.
Working as a telephone operator was challenging. The job was physically demanding, requiring operators to sit at a switchboard for long periods of time and handle multiple calls at once. The work could also be stressful, particularly during busy periods when operators had to handle a large volume of calls.
In addition, women working as telephone operators faced gender-based discrimination. They were often subject to strict dress codes and grooming requirements and they were paid less than male workers.
I would like to take this moment to thank the advertisers on this clip without whose support I could not keep doing what I'm doing. Cloud based phone system. Cloud phone services. VOIP for business. Business phone systems. Office phone systems for small business. Business telephone systems. Office phones. AT&T call log wireless. Bell telephone system.
David Hoffman Filmmaker
When you heard “long distance” on the phone in 1939 it was a big deal. You can see that by the huge number of operators in the New York City long-distance center of Bell telephone (AT&T) back then.
In 1939 long-distance telephone calls were a relatively new technology and not everyone had access to it. Making a long-distance call involved a more complex and expensive process than making a local call. The technology for transmitting phone signals over long distances was still being developed, and the cost of long-distance calls was considerably higher than that of local calls.
Back in 1939 a ”long distance call” was a very different experience from what we know today. In those days most people used a landline telephone which was often shared with other households in the same area. Here is what the process of making a call looked like then:
Dialing the Operator: To make a call, you would first have to pick up the telephone receiver and wait for the operator to come on the line. You would then tell the operator the number you wanted to dial, and they would manually connect your call to the recipient's telephone line.
Waiting for the Connection: Once you had given the operator the number, you would have to wait while they manually connected your call. This could take several minutes, depending on how busy the operator was.
Talking on the Telephone: Once your call had been connected, you would be able to talk to the person on the other end of the line. However, the sound quality was often poor, with lots of static and background noise.
Hanging Up: When you were finished with your call, you would have to hang up the receiver and wait for the operator to disconnect the call.
So when people heard the term long distance in relation to a phone call it meant that they were communicating with someone who was physically far away in another city or even another country. Long-distance calls were often reserved for special occasions and were not used for everyday communication because they indicated that the calls required additional planning and expense.
Long distance calling made possible by the construction of a nationwide network of telephone lines and the development of new technologies such as microwave transmission and satellite communication. Also improvements in sound quality and the development of cordless and mobile telephones made telephone calls more convenient and accessible for people all over the world.
As for being a telephone operator, it was a good job for a woman particularly compared to other jobs available to women. Most working women were expected to work in low-paying jobs such as domestic service or factory work.
Working as a phone operator offered women several advantages. The job required good communication and customer service skills, which many women had been trained in through their experiences in the home. The job was also considered relatively safe and respectable, and it offered a steady income and some opportunities for advancement.
Working as a telephone operator was challenging. The job was physically demanding, requiring operators to sit at a switchboard for long periods of time and handle multiple calls at once. The work could also be stressful, particularly during busy periods when operators had to handle a large volume of calls.
In addition, women working as telephone operators faced gender-based discrimination. They were often subject to strict dress codes and grooming requirements and they were paid less than male workers.
I would like to take this moment to thank the advertisers on this clip without whose support I could not keep doing what I'm doing. Cloud based phone system. Cloud phone services. VOIP for business. Business phone systems. Office phone systems for small business. Business telephone systems. Office phones. AT&T call log wireless. Bell telephone system.
David Hoffman Filmmaker
