Who are these crime show characters using the telephone in the 1970s?

Do these faces ring a bell?

Do you miss using telephones? Not the flat computers in your pocket, we're talking actual telephones. A handset attached to a heavy base with a curly cord. A rotary dial or plastic buttons to push. An actual metal bell that rings inside a molded plastic body.

The 1970s were truly the peak era of curly-corded telephones. At least, they were affordable and ubiquitous enough for everyone to have one — if not two or three. And it was the era just before cordless phones took off in the 1980s with their retractable antennae. 

Perhaps this explains why just about every publicity shot for a TV crime show depicted its main character talking into the phone. These heroes solved crimes through connections and wit, not mere fists.

We gathered a bunch of pictures of '70s television characters talking on the phone. See if you can recognize them all!
  1. Does his face ring a bell?
    Image: The Everett Collection
  2. In 1973–74, he played this character named Griff. But you know him best from which Western?
    Image: The Everett Collection
  3. Detectives on telephones even appeared on the boxes for board games.
    Image: Arrow Games
  4. Who is this fellow on the telephone?
  5. Police on the phone could be funny, too.
    Image: The Everett Collection
  6. This couple hardly had communication problems.
    Image: The Everett Collection
  7. As Banacek in the '70s, he had a car phone. He later appeared in which '80s action show?
    Image: The Everett Collection
  8. Here are the stars of 'Baretta' and 'Mobile One.' What do they have in common?
    Image: The Everett Collection
  9. Even Hanna-Barbera got into the detectives-on-telephones action with this cartoon.
    Image: The Everett Collection
  10. You certainly know Burt Reynolds, but do you know the character he played from 1970–71?
    Image: The Everett Collection
  11. Ron Leibman won an Emmy for playing this title character.
    Image: The Everett Collection

Who are these crime show characters using the telephone in the 1970s?

Your Result...

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51 Comments

cripplious 2 months ago
You got 9 out of 11 missed last two
WILD 31 months ago
You got 11 out of 11
Thanks for answering the call! And hopefully some questions correctly.
Rickey 53 months ago
You got 10 out of 11
Thanks for answering the call! And hopefully some questions correctly. Miss the last one.
Runeshaper 54 months ago
You got 8 out of 11
Thanks for answering the call! And hopefully some questions correctly.

I don't recall Kaz or Banacek. Plus, never knew those other 2 on #8 were little rascals LOL
Rickey Runeshaper 53 months ago
Jackie was I think from the beginning, Robert was sometime at the end.
EllisClevenger 55 months ago
You got 11 out of 11
Thanks for answering the call! And hopefully some questions correctly.
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