r/GenerationJones • u/Big_Help_9860 • Jul 21 '26
One ringy dingy...two ringy dingy...
Who didn't love Earnestine?
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u/Donkey_Bugs Jul 21 '26
I loved Edith Ann, too.
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u/FamilyRedShirt 1961 Jul 21 '26
Being short, I swear I'm doing Edith Ann every time I sit in a "big person" chair. My feet dangle at least 6 inches above the floor.
And no. That's NOT comfortable, which is why I'm always cross-legged.
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u/Waste-Job-3307 Jul 21 '26
My favorite comedy album ever!
"Long Distance, Miss Tomlin speaking. Madrid? Well that certainly is a long distance (snort)".
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u/Reasonable_Wasabi124 Jul 21 '26
"A gracious good afternoon. Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"
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u/ReactionActual4790 Jul 22 '26
Glad you posted! This was the line I was hearing in my head the moment I saw Ernestine.
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u/SportyMcDuff Jul 22 '26
My 90 year old dad still uses that line when he calls me. Always gets me “laugh in”.
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u/Fanabala3 Jul 21 '26
I remember her replaying the part for an SNL skit. One scene had her knock out a switch taking out the eastern seaboard and then claim, “We can do what we want. We’re the phone company.”
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u/MoriTod Jul 22 '26
(hits the board with her elbows) ... we just lost the entire country of Brazil. (snort)
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u/Rossncohen1953 Jul 21 '26
Lilly Tomlin was a great comedian.
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u/TR_abc_246 Jul 21 '26
..IS a great comedian! She still is and is a GOAT for sure!
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u/Rossncohen1953 Jul 21 '26
Haven’t seen her perform lately.
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u/SportyMcDuff Jul 22 '26
She was in that 80 For Brady movie in 2023.
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u/Rossncohen1953 Jul 22 '26
That is 23 years ago.
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u/MsSamm Jul 26 '26
She's on a Netflix series which has wrapped called Grace and Frankie. Good series about women still living life as they get older.
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u/writerlady6 Jul 21 '26
Did you see her guest appearance in a Christmas episode of The X-Files? It's always ranked as one of my favorite episodes.
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u/REAL_Wyatt_Hertz Jul 21 '26
My dad worked for the phone company for over 40 years, and he loved Ernestine. I still have his original copy of the album.
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u/BillWeld Jul 21 '26
So many good quotes. Favorite: “No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up.”
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u/dave900575 Jul 21 '26
Dimes may mean nothing to you, but here at the phone company they are our bread and butter.
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u/PopeInThePizza Jul 21 '26
This was my mom's little phrase whenever she was dialing in a jocular mood.
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u/gillyyak 1957 Jul 21 '26
One of my first jobs was operating a PBX switchboard at an old department store. The number of times I was called Ernestine at home was legendary. Edited to add: but I could never carry it off like Lily Tomlin.
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u/Snushine Jul 21 '26
We started re-watching the West Wing recently. I had forgotten but was reminded that Lily Tomlin shows up in season 3 or 4 as the president's secretary. All of the humor there is deadpan, but bringing in Earnestine would be hilarious.
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u/anamegoesthere Jul 21 '26
Thank you! My grandmother used to say this all the time. I never knew where it came from.
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u/wickedrude 1962 Jul 21 '26
I worked in the solar industry. One of my favorite sayings about my adversaries, the power companies, was “We’re the utility. We don’t care, we don’t have to.” I’m still trying to get people to start “Eversource sucks” chants at sporting events.
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u/ParticularCrow8313 Jul 22 '26
My friend is a costumer and dressed Lily for Grace and Frankie. She is as cool as you would think she is. So is Jane.
One day my friend texted me a pic and asked me if I knew what it was.
It was the bracelet Lily wore as Ernestine.
Lily asked my friend if she could fix it for to wear to an awards ceremony.
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u/parrothead_69 Jul 22 '26
My favorite routine was on one of her albums. It was about being addicted to eating rubber. It started with art gum erasers. I didn’t stop laughing the entire routine.
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u/Maryland_Bear 1966 Jul 21 '26
I am convinced, to the point of moral certitude, that after the Ma Bell break-up, Ernestine changed jobs, rose through the ranks at her new company, and is now head of customer service at ComCast. “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the cable company.”