Young people today are accustomed to having cell phones but have no clue about how phones and phone calls used to be. General Hospital’s Kin Shriner, an avid fan of Old Hollywood and how life used to be, recalls the good old days very clearly. The actor, who once helped Dustin Hoffman with a role, often shares his fond memories on social media. He recently got a conversation going about the old days of making telephone calls.
He Wasn’t Phoning It in
Shriner shared a picture of himself at a much younger age, sitting by a desk with a red phone on it on Instagram. Several pictures adorned his wall, and while most were out of focus, a poster for the iconic vigilante movie Death Wish (1974) hung on his wall and could be spotted through the blur, illustrating his love for movies even back when the pic was taken. He captioned it, “I miss the surprise of the phone call!”
He’s referring to the fact that long before the cell phone, the telephone would ring, and there was no caller ID. There was no way to know who was calling, and it was almost always a surprise unless you were expecting a call. One fan who truly loved his pic responded, “Oh wow …😍😍😍😍😍😍😍.” But the fans also got into ruminating about how life used to be simpler.
READ THIS: Take a peek at what’s coming next on GH.
The Fans Agreed and Also Missed Him
One of Shriner’s followers recalled using a rotary dial phone, reacting, “I miss having to dial the number and make a mistake and start over….” A rotary phone required the user to put their finger on a number and move the dial clockwise until it stopped and then went back to its start position. You did this for all the numbers, zero through nine, and if you made a mistake, you had to do it all over again.
One follower reacted: “Yes, you never knew who was on the other end. Hoping it was a certain someone. Sad when it was for a sibling. Been there! Kin, you share such good memories, thank you❣️❣️.” One follower wrote, “I loved those old phones,” while another replied, “A true surprise…no caller ID!”
READ THIS: Check out Shriner’s memory of meeting the legendary Jack Lemmon.
Another populated his post with phone talk plus something more: “I miss the feel of the traditional telephone in the palm of my hand, too! Not to mention missing you on screen as Scotty!! Your quick wit especially!!”
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