# Use of the fictional 555- phone number **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197 "2006-11-13T04:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/1 "2006-11-13T04:44:03Z")
While watching the movie “The Departed” I noticed that in one instance a regular phone number was shown, and in another instance the fictional 555 prefix was used. I find that the 555 prefix breaks the illusion and reminds viewers that they are watching fiction. On the other hand, I can see how it would be annoying to have a phone number that was mentioned in a movie or TV show (or song: 867-5309). Is the use of the 555 prefix a custom or a law? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/2 "2006-11-13T05:03:57Z")
[As of 28 years ago,](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_374a.html) apparently a custom. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/3 "2006-11-13T05:14:13Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] [As of 28 years ago,](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_374a.html) apparently a custom. [/QUOTE] Or possibly as of 33 years ago. > [@](#): > > The “555” gambit was created in 1973 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/4 "2006-11-13T05:23:25Z")
I’m pretty sure that the 555 area code has since been been turned into an actual area code…At least I recall reading that somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/5 "2006-11-13T05:33:14Z")
It’s too bad the telco’s can’t/don’t give Hollywood a few more prefixes to work with. Hearing 555 always snaps me out of the movie for a minute, moreso when I see it written. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/6 "2006-11-13T05:38:31Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Or possibly as of 33 years ago. 😃 [/QUOTE] Yes, but the referenced column is dated “21-Jul-1978.” > [@Red Barchetta](#): > > I’m pretty sure that the 555 area code has since been been turned into an actual area code…At least I recall reading that somewhere… According to [this site,](http://www.bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html) no, as an **area code** it’s still strictly for information. However, [this article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/555_telephone_number) (which gives a nice update to the column I linked to in my first post) indicates that as a **prefix** it does have other applications. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/7 "2006-11-13T05:42:22Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] Yes, but the referenced column is dated “21-Jul-1978.” [/QUOTE] I noted that, actually. I just thought perhaps the date of the phone companies’ action trumped the date that Unca Cece responded to a question about it. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/8 "2006-11-13T05:53:50Z")
So, what are the “fake prefixes” in movies and tv shows from other countries? ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/9 "2006-11-13T05:58:22Z")
I too always notice the 555 phone numbers, and it always takes me out of the picture. I’m so annoyingly aware of it, in fact, that even when a non-555 number is used, my mind wanders a bit in surprise that they bothered to get a real phone number, and idly wondering how many phone calls whoever really owns that number is going to get. I’d prefer it if the movies would just avoid listing phone numbers completely!! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/10 "2006-11-13T06:13:23Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] I noted that, actually. I just thought perhaps the date of the phone companies’ action trumped the date that Unca Cece responded to a question about it. No big deal. [/QUOTE] No big deal, agreed. However, to clarify, had I meant to say it was **since** a given date, I would have used 1973. In this case, I was trying to say “at least up until 1978” (in other words, it could have changed from custom to law since the column was written, but was still custom in '78). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/11 "2006-11-13T11:35:08Z")
[QUOTE=Monty] So, what are the “fake prefixes” in movies and tv shows from other countries? [/QUOTE] Spanish movies simply don’t give you the number. If a character mutters while dialing, (s)he simply mutters the real first few digits and then mumbles inaudibly, thus letting you know whether he’s calling a cellphone or landline and if a landline, where. ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/12 "2006-11-13T13:46:26Z")
[QUOTE=Monty] So, what are the “fake prefixes” in movies and tv shows from other countries? [/QUOTE] Don’t really have them. I don’t know if TV and movie producers in Finland think that Finns are too busy with more important things to call fake numbers, or what, but it’s not really seen as a big deal. I don’t think I’ve ever really even considered it unthil this thread. The 555-thing really annoys me. It immediately kills the feel of the movie. Incidentally, my father’s cell phone number starts with [area code]-555. We had some trouble convincing businesses in Texas that it was actually a real live cell phonen number and he wasn’t just trying to bullshit them in a really lame way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/13 "2006-11-13T14:02:14Z")
[QUOTE=Monty] So, what are the “fake prefixes” in movies and tv shows from other countries? [/QUOTE] [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/numbers/num\_drama?a=87101](http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/numbers/num_drama?a=87101) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/14 "2006-11-13T14:11:32Z")
Really, if you’re annoyed by this, it’s your problem. Why in the world could any sane human being be bothered by it? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/15 "2006-11-13T15:10:43Z")
In the olden days it Klondike 5 was used. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/16 "2006-11-13T17:17:09Z")
Nowadays, some film/TV productions will arrange for a real, working phone number to be used onscreen. When losers with nothing else to do call the number, they get a recorded message promoting the film/TV show (or some other project of the production company). ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-fictional-555-phone-number/380197/17 "2006-11-13T17:23:02Z")
On a related not; is it true Disney once used a number of a lesbian phone sex line by mistake in one of it’s movies?