Rotary Phones Cord Twists and Long Distance Drama in the 80s

[Pete]

Let’s talk about phones in the 80s. Not cell phones. Not cordless. We’re talking rotary phones with curly cords that got so twisted they looked like a slinky. You’d drag that phone across the kitchen just to get a little privacy and end up with the cord wrapped around your leg like a boa constrictor.

​

Remember calling your friend and praying their parent wouldn’t answer first ? Or when someone in the house picked up another extension and totally ruined your conversation? And long distance calls? That was a big deal. You had to make them fast or risk getting yelled at when the phone bill showed up. If you were lucky enough to have your own phone in your room, with your own number? That was straight up elite status.

In the early 80s a standard long distance call could cost between 10 and 25 cents per minute depending on the time of day.

What color was the phone in your house growing up and do you remember your old number? I had this exact phone and I clearly remember my phone number.

 

[Linda Ann]

I remember taking the phone with me to the bathroom. The chord that came out of thingy was around 50 feet so I could bring it with me everywhere in the house. My dad would yell that I was on it all the time.

 

[Pete]

I remember taking the phone with me to the bathroom. The chord that came out of thingy was around 50 feet so I could bring it with me everywhere in the house. My dad would yell that I was on it all the time.

Dragging the house phone with you all over the house was pretty damn cool.

 

[Linda Ann]

It was like our very own mobile phone lol.

 

[80sDiva]

Years later there’s something about the sound of the rotary sound that’s soothing he he he.

 

[Linda Ann]

Yes! There really is something comforting about it. The release part.

 

[Pete]

Yes! There really is something comforting about it. The release part.

For me it’s just a sound of nostalgia.

 

[MagicMan]

Back in my day you actually had to remember phone numbers. Now everybody walks around letting their phone do all the thinking. Pathetic. I swear we had one rotary phone in the kitchen and that thing lasted through four moves and three thunderstorms. You dropped it, it dented the floor. Try doing that with a phone today and all you’ll get is a shattered screen and regret. Don’t get me started on people whining about slow WiFi.

 

[80sDiva]

Ugh yes the cord drama was so real. I used to stretch that thing all the way into the bathroom just to get some privacy. You had to twist and untwist it constantly or it looked like spaghetti. And long distance calls? Forget it. I had a boyfriend one summer in New York and my parents nearly fainted when the phone bill came. Worth it though. He sounded so cute through the static. Honestly part of me misses slamming the phone down when I was mad. Nothing more satisfying. Phones today just don’t give you that kind of drama.

 

[Linda Ann]

Oh I totally get that. I used to drag the phone into the hallway and sit on the floor or hang out in the bathroom just to have some peace. The cord was always stretched to the max and twisted like a tornado. My mom would yell every time she saw it wrapped around a chair leg.

Long distance was a full event in our house. We had a little notepad by the phone to write down the time so we wouldn’t go over five minutes. I kind of miss the drama too. Hanging up with a slam just hit different.

 

[Pete]

Back in my day you actually had to remember phone numbers. Now everybody walks around letting their phone do all the thinking. Pathetic. I swear we had one rotary phone in the kitchen and that thing lasted through four moves and three thunderstorms. You dropped it, it dented the floor. Try doing that with a phone today and all you’ll get is a shattered screen and regret. Don’t get me started on people whining about slow WiFi.

My brain was full of phone numbers lol. Now I have to go into my iPhone settings to find my number.

 

[Marianne S.]

I still remember the exact sound our rotary phone made when you dialed. It was kind of a soft clicking that was oddly and like others said it was soothing. Ours was avocado green and sat on a little wooden stand with a doily under it.
My parents were strict about long distance. We had a three minute rule and my dad would stand nearby watching the clock. Funny how something as simple as a phone cord could feel like such a part of daily life.

 

[Linda Ann]

Oh my goodness Marianne I smiled reading this. We had one of those little phone stands too with a drawer full of notepads and pens that never worked. Ours was beige and sat right by the kitchen window. I remember twirling the cord while watching the driveway waiting for someone to come home. My dad also had a rule about long distance. He used to say the phone company must be getting rich off of teenagers. Those cords may have been a hassle but they were part of the whole rhythm of the house.