JUST IMAGINE!  Did you know that there are 433 parts in a telephone? Neither did an advertising executive in this 1947 film. An animated character shows him how raw materials are turned into a desk telephone, with a combination of cel and stop-motion animation. Great fun! 10 minutes.

THE NATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS  The town of Englewood, NJ may look like a typical suburban setting, but it's the first town in the world to enjoy long distance direct dialing. After a brief history of major telephone milestones, this 1951 film shows how people across the country will soon be able to dial their long distance calls. Did you now the first area code for San Francisco was 318? 10 minutes.

STORY WITHOUT END  This 1950 film highlights the recent advantages in local and long distance service, with the new transistor replacing vacuum tubes in repeater circuits for better clarity. New cables mean less telephone poles, and coaxial circuits can carry 1,800 calls. Even better is the new crossbar switch that allows operators to automatically dial long distance calls. 18 minutes.

TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH  This vocational guidance film examines the careers available in the telephone and telegraph industries. Produced in 1946 it has some rather sexist viewpoints. For example, while men can be "general executives" and engineers, women were relegated to operator and accounting positions. 10 minutes.

OPERATOR TOLL DIALING  Three short training films (Cord Signals, Dialing and Teamwork) show how operators use their equipment to efficiently route long distance calls in the late 1940s. Approximately 14 minutes total.