# Ruin Old Film Plot By Adding Cell Phones To Story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558 "2012-09-03T17:37:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/101 "2012-09-10T17:45:27Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/102 "2012-09-10T17:53:23Z")
> [@j666](#): > > No, if he had Twitter and Facebook, so did Wendy; she would not have been isolated and trapped in the violent situation. > > But we shouldn’t be debating one film, in a survey thread. I’m still trying to come up with an example … IIRC, the Overlook Hotel was far enough out in the sticks that there might not be a tower within range. On the other hand, they did get over-the-air TV and had radio contact with the park patrol, so maybe they weren’t that far away. What’s the maximum distance for reception, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/103 "2012-09-10T18:00:56Z")
Okay, I answered my own question. According to [this article](http://smallbusiness.chron.com/far-can-cell-tower-cellphone-pick-up-signal-32124.html), maximum reception distance under ideal conditions is 45 miles, assuming perfect weather and no obstructions, while in real life reception seldom exceeded 22 miles. The article goes on to say that “Typical cell size outside of urban areas means cellphone signals may have to travel up to several miles.” So cell phones may have been useless at the Overlook. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/104 "2012-09-10T18:02:38Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > NM Darn tootin’. I don’t think the movie established where Burpelson Air Force Base was in _Doctor Strangelove_, but the few exterior shots suggest a temperate zone, there’s an Army base just a few miles away, and they can pick up civilian radio broadcasts on small transistor radios. The map in the War Rom (i.e. “the Big Board”) shows the bomber wing based at Burpleson has their fail-safe points scattered all over the world (I recall the narrator saying something along the lines of “…deployed from the Bering Straits to the Persian Gulf” or something like that) and their flightpaths indicate attacking the USSR from all directions. There’s no indication I can recall, in any case, that suggests the base itself was in some especially isolated area, let alone Bumfuck, Alaska. The cellphone-ruling aspect of that movie would hinge, I guess, on how General Ripper orders the confiscation of all privately-owned radios on the base, ostensibly to prevent messages from being passed “to saboteurs”, but clearly to isolate the base from outside contact. With cellphones, as soon as word got out that the shit was getting real, the airmen on the base would be calling their families and quickly finding out that World War Three had not actually started. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/105 "2012-09-11T18:26:41Z")
Smokey and the Bandit - Sheriff Justice phones ahead to have the Bandit stopped at state borders. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/106 "2012-09-11T20:06:02Z")
“Hey, this is Spartacus. Ok, the Romans are closing in on us. We’re gonna need air support and artillery. Yah, thanks. See you on the links later today.” ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/107 "2012-09-12T00:27:48Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > “Hey, this is Spartacus. Ok, the Romans are closing in on us. We’re gonna need air support and artillery. Yah, thanks. See you on the links later today.” Ever watch Transformers? Group of soldiers end up doing exactly that, using a cell phone to call for assistance. Of course, they had to deal with an obstructive call center operator who was trying to sell them a gold deluxe premium phone package before he would connect their call. XD It sounds stupid, and that’s because it is, but it was still one of the most entertaining parts of a fun movie. The Captain ended up having to borrow a credit card from one of his troops during a firefight to pay for the phone call to call for air support. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/108 "2012-09-12T01:52:54Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > “Hey, this is Spartacus. Ok, the Romans are closing in on us. We’re gonna need air support and artillery. Yah, thanks. See you on the links later today.” “Which of you is Spartacus?” “I’m Spartacus.” “No, I’m Spartacus.” “I’m Spartacus.” “I’m Spartacus, and so’s my wife” “I’m Spartacus.” The Roman General sighs, and taps out a number on his phone. Spartacus’ ring tone sounds. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/109 "2012-09-12T14:38:40Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Ever watch Transformers? Group of soldiers end up doing exactly that, using a cell phone to call for assistance. Of course, they had to deal with an obstructive call center operator who was trying to sell them a gold deluxe premium phone package before he would connect their call. XD > > It sounds stupid, and that’s because it is, but it was still one of the most entertaining parts of a fun movie. The Captain ended up having to borrow a credit card from one of his troops during a firefight to pay for the phone call to call for air support. It was also done in \*Heartbreak Ridge \* A Lieutenant uses a private’s credit card to phone in an air strike. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/110 "2012-09-12T14:55:11Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > It was also done in \*Heartbreak Ridge \* A Lieutenant uses a private’s credit card to phone in an air strike. And again in _Three Kings_, where a captured US soldier uses a cell phone he found in the store room he was being kept in to first try to contact the US military (he fails because the operators don’t believe him and refuse to help), and then succeeds in calling his wife, who contacts his base who then sends the message to the US forces in the Persian Gulf. And again-again in Air Force One, where the President uses a cell phone (or a satellite phone, I couldn’t tell) to call the White House and pass orders to the Air Force fighter jets providing escort. That said, this trope is not without basis in reality either. There have been cases where troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were able to use cell phones to call for support when their radio equipment was proving unreliable (cell phones and military radios operate on different radio bands, so you may run into situations where one works while the other won’t, for a variety of reasons including terrain and local radio repeater coverage). ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/111 "2012-09-12T15:03:17Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > It was also done in \*Heartbreak Ridge \* A Lieutenant uses a private’s credit card to phone in an air strike. As an aside, if I were that private, I’d keep a copy of that credit card statement framed and hanging on my wall.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/112 "2012-09-12T15:27:40Z")
Replace the guns in E.T. with cellphones. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/113 "2012-09-12T18:53:13Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > It was also done in \*Heartbreak Ridge \*A Lieutenant uses a private’s credit card to phone in an air strike. That actually happened during the invasion of Grenada. Because the Marines in the North and the Army Rangers in the south were using different radio frequencies, they were not able to communicate directly with each other and all inter-service comms happened through off-shore relays. Because of this, the Marines were not aware that a group of Rangers were trapped without adequate armor support. So one of the rangers amade an overseas, credit card call from a payphone to Fort Bragg to relay a request for AC-130 gunship support. The base passed the request to the field command who sent in support. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/114 "2012-09-12T19:27:51Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > “Which of you is Spartacus?” > > “I’m Spartacus.” > “No, I’m Spartacus.” > “I’m Spartacus.” > “I’m Spartacus, and so’s my wife” > “I’m Spartacus.” > > The Roman General sighs, and taps out a number on his phone. Spartacus’ ring tone sounds. FTW! ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/115 "2012-09-12T20:41:07Z")
From: Juliet Capulet 16 August 1351 22:07:15 GMT im fine its a potion of temporary death lol. c u tomorrow! xoxoxo ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/116 "2012-09-13T01:46:09Z")
“These aren’t the Androids you’re looking for – you need the new Galaxy S3, from Samsung. Prices start at just $99 on contract. Terms and conditions apply.” ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/117 "2012-09-13T03:36:08Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > “These aren’t the Androids you’re looking for – you need the new Galaxy S3, from Samsung. Prices start at just $99 on contract. Terms and conditions apply.” That one’s simple, just replace the Death Star plans with the plans for the new iPhone, and make the whole movie about interstellar corporate/copyright espionage instead. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/118 "2013-07-31T14:43:50Z")
Bumping to mention that the big con in THE STING seems laughably unworkable in a world of modern-day cell phones. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/119 "2013-07-31T15:41:03Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Erm actually Leia couldn’t use the “internet” because it was controlled by the Empire, they would have known who sent it and who received it and everything in between. > [@digs](#): > > Aren’t you forgetting that bondi blue iMac in the back room of the cantina? The one that runs AnonymooseTorOnionTattoine? (If Silk Road isn’t located in Mos Eisley, I’ll eat a bantha!) Damn, ninja’d [and zombied] > [@j666](#): > > Am I really the only person in the world who finds dead batteries and no service quite common? Never had an inadvertantly dead battery before, I keep mine charged because I use it mainly a an ebook reader, so I am on it fairly consistantly. I also have a car charger, and keep a spare wall wart in my bag. > [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Okay, I answered my own question. According to [this article](http://smallbusiness.chron.com/far-can-cell-tower-cellphone-pick-up-signal-32124.html), maximum reception distance under ideal conditions is 45 miles, assuming perfect weather and no obstructions, while in real life reception seldom exceeded 22 miles. The article goes on to say that “Typical cell size outside of urban areas means cellphone signals may have to travel up to several miles.” So cell phones may have been useless at the Overlook. Satellite phone. Might have a little trouble in a full on blizzard, but much of the happening is after the main blizzard [at least in the book] ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558/120 "2013-08-02T06:59:39Z")
Gonna go with Tora! Tora! Tora! as another movie that cell phones (as they exist today) would completely redo the plot on. Of course, given that much of the film’s plot hinged on difficulties quickly relaying messages over the Pacific Ocean, any kind of modern long-distance communication would have changed how that movie played out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-old-film-plot-by-adding-cell-phones-to-story/633558.md?page=7)