Lily Tomlin's iconic character Ernestine, the telephone operator, almost seems like it was based on or inspired by that gabby woman (played by Helen Troy?) who was McKay's switchboard operator. Anybody know?
"It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I didn't even have the courtesy to thank her." — W. C. Fields
I think you're right! Not only the comedic style but Earnestine has a 40's hairstyle (I think more identifiable than a 30's hairstyle) and even 'fluffs' her hair during the scene. Good thought!
shareYeah, I instantly thought of Lily Tomlin and her gabby, gossipy 'Ernestine' character upon watching that scene, so I really had to wonder if Lily Tomlin didn't base her character on that woman. That being said, there could be other movies or even TV shows that served as inspiration for Tomlin's 'Ernestine' character, but this movie sure is a top contender!
“I woke last night to the sound of thunder…. How far off, I sat and wondered” — Bob Seger - “Night Moves“
I saw this today for the first time and I thought exactly the same thing. This must be the source material but Tomlin carried the ball across the finish line with a terrific series of routines.
shareThis film may have been an inspiration.
The chatty, quirky and/or smart-alec switchboard operator is a pretty common old movie trope, though. Marie Blake's character in the Dr. Kildare films comes to mind, for example.
So I imagine Ernestine was developed from lots of memories Tomlin had of films, and probably people she met in real life.