1970s Bell System (Western Electric) "Promo" Film (Dig That Soundtrack!)

Great fun! This tightly edited and professionally scored clip was obviously made for the Bell System's "Western Electric" manufacturing unit, probably in the mid to late 1970s -- showing the manufacturing, testing, and use of phones such as the WE 2500. It does not include titles or credits, and ends abruptly. It has no narration, but the soundtrack is pure 70s and includes spacey sci-fi sound effects, plus various footage that might have been inspired by "2001: A Space Odyssey" perhaps. Where else can you see a technician testing phone handsets from inside an environmental chamber "space suit" rig? Ma Bell at AT&T's pre-divestiture peak of influence!

The countdown leader (apparently originally included with this clip), is notable for the flash of a woman that appears (handy for color correction -- I've seen this leader featuring her on other clips over the years as well).

Speaking of color correction, the original clip had suffered extreme differential dye fading and was subsequently heavily skewed toward deep red in color. I have done my best to correct this for more comfortable viewing.

Enjoy.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Bell
• System
• AT&T
• Ma
• Western
• Electric
• WE
• phone
• telephones
• manufacturing
• testing
• 2500
• touch
• tone
• promotional
• promo
• marketing
• ATT

[polyhistorical]

I miss my 2500 DMG. Time to go watch The President's Analyst again.

[VortexTech]

@polyhistorical Ah yes, phones built so solidly they could have survived nuclear attack. Speaking of "President's Analyst," see the "Plan Rasputin" clip in my videos here -- sorry, no links permitted in comments.

[twkennys]

I worked for the original Ma Bell, and I remember that you couldn't brake a phone if you tried! I worked on 6th ave in Manhattan, where we put togeather TV for the entire USA!

[VortexTech]

@twkennys Indeed there was a time when the three broadcast networks depended on AT&T Long Lines and Broadcast services almost entirely for national video distribution. I remember seeing the L.A. end of those networks in the downtown "L.A. Central" AT&T building.

[dan2kxyz]

Wow, thank you for posting this. Wonderful.

[tindoor38]

they don't make ANYTHING like that anymore...sad.

[jonbosanac]

Cool, a telephony Baraka like video!

[psaffo]

Ohhhh, so cool! Reminder of an age when technology was intended to last more than one Moore's Law cycle!

-p

[zaprodk]

Cool video!