Telephone Entertainment Line
Encyclopedia
Telephone Entertainment Line refers to a telephone
number or numbers with (usually) an announce only answering machine
, maintained for the purpose of providing entertainment over the telephone. These were most popular in Southern California
in the 1960s and 1970s. Most lines played one short joke
out of a pool that would rotate to a new joke each time the number was called, but others had a single long form (about three minute) comedy
that would change every week or so. Still others were "comment lines" that were like a talk show
on the telephone. The comment lines would either have a separate number for callers to leave their opinions on, or a single number that would accept incoming recordings on a given day of the week.
Examples included New York Telephone
's Dial-a-Joke
Many of these recordings have been archived on the Internet.
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
number or numbers with (usually) an announce only answering machine
Answering machine
The answering machine or message machine, also known as the telephone answering machine in the UK and some Commonwealth countries) and previously known as an ansaphone, ansafone, or telephone answering device is a device for answering telephones and recording callers' messages.Unlike voicemail,...
, maintained for the purpose of providing entertainment over the telephone. These were most popular in Southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the 1960s and 1970s. Most lines played one short joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
out of a pool that would rotate to a new joke each time the number was called, but others had a single long form (about three minute) comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
that would change every week or so. Still others were "comment lines" that were like a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
on the telephone. The comment lines would either have a separate number for callers to leave their opinions on, or a single number that would accept incoming recordings on a given day of the week.
Examples included New York Telephone
New York Telephone
The New York Telephone Company was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company.-Predecessor companies:...
's Dial-a-Joke
Dial-A-Joke
Dial-A-Joke refers to a telephone service that users can call to listen to previously recorded jokes.Jokes are recorded on an automatic answering machine. In the past, many jokes were recorded on cassette tape and then played...
Many of these recordings have been archived on the Internet.