Anyone know this movie?

[bhryun]

We saw a B/W classic movie a few years ago about busybody switchboard operators. The reason I'm curious is that it had one character that was identical to the character that Lily Tomlin supposedly created, Ernestine. When I saw the movie, it certainly seemed like Tomlin plagiarized the character, same hairstyle, mannerisms, snorting laughter. Does anyone know the movie? It is not Bells Are Ringing. We think there were possibly sailors in the movie and/or the operators work for a talent agency? (Sorry, we watch to many old movies and get them mixed up.) I have never seen it on TCM again and was wondering if Lily Tomlin may have anything to do with that or if there's some other explanation.

[danthemoviefan]

I looked around on IMDb for black-and-white comedies with telephone-operator characters, and I came up with "I've Got Your Number" (Warner, 1934, with Joan Blondell) and "Tom Dick and Harry" (RKO, 1941, with Ginger Rogers). Could either be the one? Either could turn up on TCM.

 

Numerous other movies came up in the search, and this was assuming that it was a comedy you're looking for. It sounds like a comedy, at least as far as that one operator goes!

[chandler5710]

try the I Need to Know message board on imdb.com - describe it. Somebody will know it. They have a larger readership than this board, and I have been astonished at some of the things they've come up with. I imagine several people on this board also post there as well.

[coffeedan1927]

I got it! It's BORN TO DANCE (1936). The operator is Helen Troy, who played telephone operators in several films in the 1930s. In fact, Eddie Cantor saw her in BORN TO DANCE and gave her a recurring role on his radio show as -- yep, you guessed it!