Modern Telephone (1959)

London & Camberley, Surrey.



C/U shot of a green telephone and an ashtray. Telephone is ringing persistently. M/S of a man on top of a ladder hanging up wallpaper. He turns around annoyed. Cut to a C/U of the phone again. Reverse to a man dropping wallpaper, getting off the ladder and going to answer the phone. He answers but no one is there any more. Man puts the phone down angrily.



High angle M/S of a man operating extremely complex looking device with the telephone incorporated into it. There are wires everywhere and there are two light bulbs on the top. Dr Simpson, Cambridge doctor, has invented a device which can record a voice so people can leave a message when he is outside his surgery.



C/U shot of the face of Dr. Simpson working on his invention. C/U shot of the two flushing light bulbs (one is white and the other is painted red). M/S of Dr Simpson taking his stethoscope and leaving the machine. M/S of a woman (Mrs Beryl Norfolk) with one hand wrapped up in white bandage. Succession of shots shows Mrs Norfolk leaving a message and the way the message being recorded on the other side.



There is a factory in Camberley, Surrey, where this basic principle has been further developed. C/U shot of masses of wires on a large board. C/U shot of different wires underneath the board. C/U shot of woman's face as she works on the board. M/S of a room full of women working on making answering machines. C/U shot of woman's hands soldering wires. Several shots of answering machine being made, tested and used in the office of Mr Peter Cadbury, Chairman of a well known ticket agency.



Note: People featured in this film are: Dr Simpson, Beryl Norfolk, Arlene Bengley, Vivienne Attwall, Lilly Mounder (sp?), Nigel Marsden, Pamela Penfold, Peter Cadbury.
FILM ID:87.09

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