This is Carleton your Doorman

Hello, this is Carleton, your doorman…

Our friends bought a new house a couple months ago, it’s on a small lake and it’s lovely.  

Last month we went out and saw the place for the first time – it’s an early 1990’s built home and the original owners just moved out, so they have some updating to do, you know – when the person whose house you just bought tastes vary wildly from your own? Yeah, that kind of stuff, just takes a little time.

Last month we were joking, the house has intercoms all over the place.  Funny, besides apartment building entrances, who uses intercoms?  Were they ever popular?  And well, they must have been ‘cause there is more than one on each floor, in the garage, the utility areas and outside as well, this place has tons of them.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  Still fascinated by all the intercoms, you notice them as you walk by, pretty much wherever you are walking (hmmm, big brother?).  We are sitting out on the deck, getting ready to eat the fabulous BBQ and I’ll be damned – not only did they figure out how to use the decades old intercom, the silly thing is useful!

We are all around the table, our friend is in the kitchen getting paper towels and her son is nowhere to be found. 

Boom, she’s on that intercom, you know – the one in every room, utility areas and outside? 

Yeah suddenly her voice is in loud speaker trailing through the wilderness and across the lake, calling for her son.  Like a flash he was there.  There was NO possible way he could claim he didn’t hear here or didn’t know dinner was about to be served.  Inside our outside, no matter where he was. 

Poor little bugger, he’s never going to get away with anything – the whole lake community will know when he is being searched for and send him home if he is at their place.  

The intercom speakers are better than a cell phone he can lose, those suckers are attached to that house, have been for 20 plus years and I would guess are going to be there another 20 years.

This just goes to show you, one should never underestimate “old” technology.  The retro intercom, well, I declare it pretty much Brilliant!!

I was looking for a 1970’s Rhoda clip (Title reference) I found this sound bite http://rhodaonline.com/carlton_doorman.wav 

or  http://www.hark.com/clips/crqpvfszmk-this-is-carlton  (he sounds drunk in this one)

 

AND I also found this great 1960’s movie clip….   http://movieclips.com/vLbK-the-party-movie-the-intercom/

I guess they have always been party fun!