“How to Use the Dial Telephone” 1927. Instructional film produced by the Bell System for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, California during the introduction of rotary dial telephone service in June 1927. Earlier phone systems in the US required the caller to contact an operator (“Number, please”) to complete the call. The telephone the caller is using is commonly called a “candlestick” phone and will still work on our modern US phone lines. I learned how to use rotary dial phones growing