Bonus Edition introduction by George Kupczak of the AT&T Archives and History Center
Far Speaking, a silent film, tells the story of long-distance telephone development from 1877 to 1929. It starts with a recreation of a couple's conversation in the 1880s about whether the phone will catch on, then moves to how the entire system grew/spread across the U.S. and what technology enabled it to do so.
By the time we return to the couple, it's 1929: they're elderly and are receiving a call from their granddaughter, who has disembarked from a ship in Europe.
There is a later version of this same film - it was remade as a talking picture in 1935, and the same couple instead receives a call from Japan.
Milestones passed in the film:
- 1892: long distance between NY and Chicago.
- 1911: long distance between NY and Denver.
- 1915: long distance between NY and San Francisco.
Footage courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, Warren, NJ
