Why so much Fictional names for real areas in TV or Film?

[abefroman329]

Then that swinging kitchen door in all the old sitcoms.   Really?  Does anyone have them at all in their homes.

Every Sunday evening, we have church small group in a house with this type of swinging kitchen doors.  Does that count?

I think he means the single-panel kind, and I think the reason you see them so much is the fact that they're good for keeping what may not actually be, say, the kitchen out of sight.

[skluth]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

Because it only works for as long as the phone's number is active. Numbers can be recycled after about six months of being cancelled. The producers are not going to keep paying for a phone number not in use.

It sucks for all those whose phone number was 867-5309.

[abefroman329]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

Because it only works for as long as the phone's number is active. Numbers can be recycled after about six months of being cancelled. The producers are not going to keep paying for a phone number not in use.

It sucks for all those whose phone number was 867-5309.

Doubly worse for all those whose phone number was 867-5309 and they were named Jenny.

[Rothman]

Then that swinging kitchen door in all the old sitcoms.   Really?  Does anyone have them at all in their homes.

Every Sunday evening, we have church small group in a house with this type of swinging kitchen doors.  Does that count?

I think he means the single-panel kind, and I think the reason you see them so much is the fact that they're good for keeping what may not actually be, say, the kitchen out of sight.

My grandparents had one.

[ethanhopkin14]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

Because it only works for as long as the phone's number is active. Numbers can be recycled after about six months of being cancelled. The producers are not going to keep paying for a phone number not in use.

It sucks for all those whose phone number was 867-5309.

Why not?  it can be a number for one of those stupid Spectrum bundles.  Or if its a cell phone, give it to an intern and have them deal with it.  lol

[Rothman]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

I don't understand the annoyance.  Keeps things a lot simpler for getting a movie together.

Then again, Ghostbusters (1984) had a marketing campaign where you could call a number and "talk" to Janine.

[ethanhopkin14]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

Because it only works for as long as the phone's number is active. Numbers can be recycled after about six months of being cancelled. The producers are not going to keep paying for a phone number not in use.

It sucks for all those whose phone number was 867-5309.

Or they can turn it into a hotline dedicated to the movie.  The Simpsons did it twice.  Homer and Lisa mentioned an email in respective episodes and the folks with the show set up an email with that account and some intern would respond as those characters.  Homer mentioned a website dedicated to him and they opened that website.   I don't think there was much on it, but it wasn't that hard to make it so no one gets bombarded with fan calls. 

[ethanhopkin14]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

I don't understand the annoyance.  Keeps things a lot simpler for getting a movie together.

Then again, Ghostbusters (1984) had a marketing campaign where you could call a number and "talk" to Janine.

It annoys me because I know 555 is the universal movie scapegoat number, so when I hear it in the movie, it takes me out of the movie and puts me back in reality.  Put a recording on the real number and call it a day.  You can keep paying it when the movie makes a crap ton of money. 

To me its in the same vein of the camera shaking during an explosion or shaking while a character runs or water gets on the lenses on a water shot (not by accident, but intentionally to make it "real").  When that happens, at least to me, it reminds me that there is a camera man and he is filming actors making a movie and not me just observing real action. 

[skluth]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

I don't understand the annoyance.  Keeps things a lot simpler for getting a movie together.

Then again, Ghostbusters (1984) had a marketing campaign where you could call a number and "talk" to Janine.

It annoys me because I know 555 is the universal movie scapegoat number, so when I hear it in the movie, it takes me out of the movie and puts me back in reality.  Put a recording on the real number and call it a day.  You can keep paying it when the movie makes a crap ton of money. 

To me its in the same vein of the camera shaking during an explosion or shaking while a character runs or water gets on the lenses on a water shot (not by accident, but intentionally to make it "real").  When that happens, at least to me, it reminds me that there is a camera man and he is filming actors making a movie and not me just observing real action.

I don't see why it's a big deal. Think of it like all those shows that start "The names were changed to protect the innocent" expanded to include phone numbers. Or maybe you could volunteer your phone number to shows set in your area so producers can use a real number if it upsets you so much.

[kphoger]

For the sake of accuracy, I should point out that only 555-0100 through 555-0199 are actually reserved for fictional use.  Providers are allowed to assign any of the other 555- numbers if they so choose (except for unique ones like 555-1212, which is already in use as directory information).  I'm not sure if any of them actually have, but they could.

555- was an easy choice to reserve for such purposes, as it was very rarely used back when telephone exchanges were named rather than numbered.  For example, a phone number in the Madison central office might have begun with MA- or MAD-, which–after the 1950s–would have later changed to 62- or 626-.  But the 5 key on a telephone corresponds to the letters J-K-L.  How many names can you think of that begin with any two-letter combination of J, K, or L?  I bet not very many.  One possibility is Klondike, which is why that is used as a fictitious exchange for shows set in the time before telephone exchanges went numeric.

The image below actually shows a phone number that I'm pretty sure could theoretically exist today, as I'm not aware that 555-3226 has ever been reserved for special or fictional use.

[ethanhopkin14]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

I don't understand the annoyance.  Keeps things a lot simpler for getting a movie together.

Then again, Ghostbusters (1984) had a marketing campaign where you could call a number and "talk" to Janine.

It annoys me because I know 555 is the universal movie scapegoat number, so when I hear it in the movie, it takes me out of the movie and puts me back in reality.  Put a recording on the real number and call it a day.  You can keep paying it when the movie makes a crap ton of money. 

To me its in the same vein of the camera shaking during an explosion or shaking while a character runs or water gets on the lenses on a water shot (not by accident, but intentionally to make it "real").  When that happens, at least to me, it reminds me that there is a camera man and he is filming actors making a movie and not me just observing real action.

I don't see why it's a big deal. Think of it like all those shows that start "The names were changed to protect the innocent" expanded to include phone numbers. Or maybe you could volunteer your phone number to shows set in your area so producers can use a real number if it upsets you so much.

I'm down with that.  I am pretty good at ignoring calls from phone numbers I don't recognize.

The other question I have on this topic is what kind of people immediately race to a phone an dial a number from a movie?  This existed back in the 80s too when movies were on the big screen and recording stuff on VHS was a bit rarer, so rewinding to get the correct number was less of an option.  So they had to hear it in real time and remember it when the movie was over to call, or they went running out of the theater just to call that number.  Me, I have better things to do with my life. 

[Rothman]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

I don't understand the annoyance.  Keeps things a lot simpler for getting a movie together.

Then again, Ghostbusters (1984) had a marketing campaign where you could call a number and "talk" to Janine.

It annoys me because I know 555 is the universal movie scapegoat number, so when I hear it in the movie, it takes me out of the movie and puts me back in reality.  Put a recording on the real number and call it a day.  You can keep paying it when the movie makes a crap ton of money. 

To me its in the same vein of the camera shaking during an explosion or shaking while a character runs or water gets on the lenses on a water shot (not by accident, but intentionally to make it "real").  When that happens, at least to me, it reminds me that there is a camera man and he is filming actors making a movie and not me just observing real action.

I don't see why it's a big deal. Think of it like all those shows that start "The names were changed to protect the innocent" expanded to include phone numbers. Or maybe you could volunteer your phone number to shows set in your area so producers can use a real number if it upsets you so much.

I'm down with that.  I am pretty good at ignoring calls from phone numbers I don't recognize.

The other question I have on this topic is what kind of people immediately race to a phone an dial a number from a movie?  This existed back in the 80s too when movies were on the big screen and recording stuff on VHS was a bit rarer, so rewinding to get the correct number was less of an option.  So they had to hear it in real time and remember it when the movie was over to call, or they went running out of the theater just to call that number.  Me, I have better things to do with my life.

Heh.  Youngin'.

[bulldog1979]

Similar reason for the creation of the fictitious 555 telephone number prefix.

This annoys me.  Not only does it take me out of the movie when a character gives a number of 555, but why can't the producers of the movie go down to the local AT&T store, buy a phone with a number in it with the unique area code to the setting of the film, use that number in the dialogue of the film, throw the phone in the closet and never answer it!  Problem solved!  No one gets annoyed to death and the film feels very real to the people who live in the area code the number is based in.  Again with multi-millions of dollars in their budget, they can't go to the store and buy a phone and plan that me as a hundredare does as well?

Even better yet: A Cute Star Trek: Picard Easter Egg Lets You Get Berated by Q

[kphoger]

The other question I have on this topic is what kind of people immediately race to a phone an dial a number from a movie?

The same people who call Long John Silver's and order a pizza.  The same people who call Applebee's and ask if they have escorts for hire.  The same people who call a grocery store and ask if they have Prince Albert in a can.

You know, high schoolers.

[ethanhopkin14]

The same people who call Applebee's and ask if they have escorts for hire.

So Applebee's doesn't have escorts?  Taking note.

[wanderer2575]

The other question I have on this topic is what kind of people immediately race to a phone an dial a number from a movie?

It's not only from the movies.  Charles Schulz once used a telephone number in a Peanuts comic strip that, unknown to him, was a real number for a family in Illinois.  In his The Straight Dope newspaper column, Cecil Adams noted "over 50 calls, ranging from plaintive requests to speak to Snoopy to less plaintive requests of a considerably darker nature, were logged in one evening."

Or maybe sometimes they like the little bump in tourism; provided those additional tourists aren't douchebags throwing pizzas on people's roofs and stuff.

That's a very big "provided."

[ethanhopkin14]

less plaintive requests of a considerably darker nature, were logged in one evening."

Now I gots to know!

[triplemultiplex]

Or they can turn it into a hotline dedicated to the movie.  The Simpsons did it twice.  Homer and Lisa mentioned an email in respective episodes and the folks with the show set up an email with that account and some intern would respond as those characters.  Homer mentioned a website dedicated to him and they opened that website.   I don't think there was much on it, but it wasn't that hard to make it so no one gets bombarded with fan calls. 

The folks at The Simpsons set up an actual website when they had a scene where Lisa looks up something on "whatbadgerseat.com"
It actually had real information on it about the dietary habits of badgers.  It was active for many years after the episode aired; even still intact by the time season 12 came out on DVD.

With the recent discussion about area codes in this thread, whatbadgerseat.com is, coincidentally, from the episode where Springfield is divided over the introduction of a new area code.

[formulanone]

less plaintive requests of a considerably darker nature, were logged in one evening."

Now I gots to know!

Oh, you know...just crazy cat people wondering about the lack of pussies in the comic strip?

[abefroman329]

Or they can turn it into a hotline dedicated to the movie.  The Simpsons did it twice.  Homer and Lisa mentioned an email in respective episodes and the folks with the show set up an email with that account and some intern would respond as those characters.  Homer mentioned a website dedicated to him and they opened that website.   I don't think there was much on it, but it wasn't that hard to make it so no one gets bombarded with fan calls. 

The folks at The Simpsons set up an actual website when they had a scene where Lisa looks up something on "whatbadgerseat.com"
It actually had real information on it about the dietary habits of badgers.  It was active for many years after the episode aired; even still intact by the time season 12 came out on DVD.

With the recent discussion about area codes in this thread, whatbadgerseat.com is, coincidentally, from the episode where Springfield is divided over the introduction of a new area code.

Because it was made in 1999, the fake website wdkk?.com from Magnolia didn't exist (it's not even a valid URL), but if you called the phone number for "Seduce and Destroy," you'd get a message recorded by Frank T.J. Mackey.