sorry can't think of specific examples (maybe mrs doubtfire) but it seems amost EVERY film with a tel. no. quoted has 555 in it! Someone american please explain.
2006-07-06 09:50:10 · 27 answers · asked by wave 5 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Movies
is this question viewed by just uk and ireland, or the new worlds as well?
2006-07-06 10:00:12 · update #1
Because, if they use any other numbers they will give out a real phone number-so they adopted 555 which is never used in a phone number-ever since the song Jenny-867-5309, people were dialing that number in their area code and asking for Jenny-peopel began to file harrasment suits, so laws were adopted to prevent these types of harassment in the telecommunications industry and future lawsuits in the film and entertainment industry.
2006-07-06 09:52:30 · answer #1 · answered by Wheels 5 · 13⤊ 1⤋
because 555 isn't used in real phone numbers, and if they put a real number in a movie everyone would be calling it.
Several years ago there was a song called
Jenny 8675309
That was a phone number...it turned out to be a real phone number. The band did not realize that..they just made it up, but it was real and that person was bombarded with phone calls...thousands of them...she was on the national news and it was a big story. That is why they use the fake number of 555.
2006-07-06 09:52:59 · answer #2 · answered by Jenny A 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's cos there's lots of dialing codes in the US (not just 1 per city like in Britian) but there isn't anywhere with a code starting 555. I suppose if a US TV programme or film gave out a real telephone number the owner would sue for mega $$$$$$$$$$. Americans are soooooooooooooo litigious.
2006-07-06 10:25:46 · answer #3 · answered by Jon 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it is not a valid telephone number.
Many people when seeing a telephone number on TV will try to call it. By using this 555 number nobody is bothered by stupid people with nothing better to do than call random numbers of the TV.
2006-07-06 09:55:05 · answer #4 · answered by John H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because its NOT a real phone number.
we have area code 3 numbers then a 7 digit number usually written like this ( 310 ) 555-1212 .
The 555 is non existant.
2006-07-06 09:59:43 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a safe number due to the fact that there are no phone numbers in the United States with the prefix 555.
2006-07-06 09:54:49 · answer #6 · answered by angee62001 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no real phone number with the beginning 555 in the U.S. because they had problems with people calling the numbers and harassing people after seeing it on movies and hearing it in songs. It's simply to protect Americans from another form of harassment.
2006-07-06 10:10:24 · answer #7 · answered by shea_8705 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They use 555 in the movies because that is not actually a real phone prefix in america. That way they aren't using or advertising someones really telephone number.
2006-07-06 09:53:18 · answer #8 · answered by jshepard17 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's this '80's song, I think it's called 867-5309, and it's all about how a guy got this girls phone# and how he's gonna torment her with the use of that info. Well, I heard people actually prank calling the # and an actual person had it! So ever since then, movies and music usually have generic #'s llike 555, or 411 or something like that. So it's not real.
2006-07-06 10:01:50 · answer #9 · answered by Uncertain Soul 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because that makes them American... when you're watching a movie and you see the 555 you know is an American movie! It's like a trade mark
2006-07-06 12:13:52 · answer #10 · answered by Elli 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋