A TV commercial for a 900 number that makes people cry. (Via Filled with Chocolate Pudding!)
Early 1990s TV commercial - pay $2 a minute to hear a story that will make you cry
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Ooo. Like a Bawwww thread that you pay for.
....but they AREN'T crying over the bill?
What makes people all over America cry? This ad's bad acting.
Seriously, I'm in tears.
I would love to know what the story was that made that strong mullet wearing man cry.
When I was growing up, TV shows were rife with 1-900 number ads. I never called them; I was too young, and the time it took to decide to ask my parents was enough time to reconsider and know better.
Now I have to comb YouTube for all kinds of 900 number ads. Apart from the obvious psychic hotlines, there was also an insult line, a "DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince" line that was all over Nickelodeon, and a few others that couldn't have been anything but some recorded message if you actually called them. I've always been curious, but not $3.99 a minute curious.
I wonder if anyone thought to record their calls onto cassettes and post them online.
Of course, now we have SMS services.
Dial an insult! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUcznJNZc0o&feature=related
It is kinda fun to imagine what's on the other end of the line. I imagine it's something terribly surreal, like maybe this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av0FLJaeu54
Or an endless loop of novelty Christmas songs performed by barking dogs or meowing cats.
"You're paying $2 a minute for this call… you're paying $2 a minute for this call… you're paying $2 a minute for this call…"
Its the pay per minute version of the onion cellar scene in "the Tin Drum"
SOMEONE OUT THERE MUST STILL KNOW WHAT THE SAD STORIES WERE!
Maybe it was something more like this?
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20040119monday.html
In an alternate version of Fight Club- Jack watches this ad, calls the number, and cries. The end.
i think the story goes "Your call will cost $10,000."
this made me lose the game
Some time in the late 60s a wag at Bell Tel, Los Angeles, assigned a number to Dial-A-Prayer that spelled out GODDAMN. Yep: 213-GODDAMN got you a nice little recorded prayer. I remember it staying active for upwards to a year before it was removed. I won a couple bar bets with it.
It was a $2 rickroll.
At $2/minute, I'm guessing it's a very long, sad story.
Cant believe that no one noticed
Victoria Jackson at the 22 second mark?
She was in 80's movies, Casual Sex, and also daffy blond on SNL in the 80's.
cj
It's a recorded message saying the minimum billable duration of this call is 30 minutes, then static.
looks like her, but that's not Victoria Jackson.
I believe this was a comedy skit, no?
I'm very sure that is not Victoria Jackson at the :22 mark. It looks a little like her, but definitely a different woman.
Clearly, it is a beautiful story about Jesus.
Back then, it was $2 / minute; today, it's free on fox news. Thank you glenn beck weepy bullshit hour!
This must've been the inspiration for everyone's favourite fair-weather tune "The Crying Game"
(Apologies to Boy George. Or perhaps not.)
"I know all there is to know about the crying game
Ive had my share of the crying game
First there are kisses, then there are sighs
And then before you know where you are
Youre sayin goodbye
One day soon Im gonna tell the moon about the crying game
And if he knows maybe hell explain
Why there are heartaches, why there are tears
And what to do to stop feeling blue
When love disappears"
Has anyone tried to call the number yet?
Has anyone tried to call the number yet?
The kids are too smart to fall for that kind of thing these days.
By the way, if you want to win an iPod and you know what color the sky is, text your answer to 48139. ($4.99 per text, additional charges may apply)
Oh God...that is killer. That is brilliant. So good it makes me want to cry. Thank you so much. I needed that.
It's like something out of a David Cronenberg movie.
Mullet man would be pretty spunky with a better haircut ;)
@Anon-13
God dammit I hate you. I've gone MONTHS until your damn post!
They'd market that differently these days: Are you man enough not to cry?
I once emcee'd a S/M "slave auction" where a celebrated author offered the opportunity of giving the lucky winner "15 minutes to make me cry."
She was one tough cookie.
Nowadays we just google search for "liebot, what is the saddest thing?" and read an achewood comic.
Have you guys seen the "Spider-Man Crying Number"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dG-4GZ1ytU
Obviously it's the audio version of Li'l_Brudder. He wants to be a quarterback!
Is that Kimmy Robertson AKA Lucy from Twin Peaks at 20 sec?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeK6a07lW3khttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeK6a07lW3k
And the worst thing is the crying chap with the layered-and-feathered look is now mistaken for a mullet man. Two different styles, folks!
(so what if I kept my hair like that for far too long... shut up.)