Eve’s Wireless (1922)

“Bless us, they’re never still - always up to something new. And Eve’s latest invasion is in the wireless world - “ Two women walk towards the camera on a city street. They stop beside a fire hydrant (this is presumably the United States of America). C/U of the women winding a wire around the top of the fire hydrant. One of the women holds a small box. “It’s Eve’s portable wireless ’phone - and won’t hubby have a time when he has to carry one!“ L/S of the women - one holds the box and the other puts up an umbrella - presumably this acts as an aerial as a wire comes from the handle of the umbrella to the fire hydrant. The women stand together and the woman holding the umbrella puts an ear piece against her ear. M/S of a woman at a telephone exchange holding a microphone or stick telephone. She speaks then turns around to a wind up gramophone. She winds it, places the needle on the record and holds the microphone or mouthpiece to the record. The two women smile and chat - they are listening to the record presumably. An early mobile phone crossed with an early Sony walkman! Excellent! Was an item in Eve’s Film Review issue 41. Note: unfortunately the image quality of the neg is rather poor - safety exists - may be better quality. Safety print exists. Amendment November 2011: A visitor to the site has written in to say that the phone is probably a “Home-O-Fone“, produced by the Radio Receptor Co. in New York. FILM ID: A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT’S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES. FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website.