fit in to Russ Leatherman , his two - tenner - long incumbency as movie first guru " Mr. Moviefone " was attributable to one thing : citizenry wanted to punch him .
" I ’m not a voiceover cat , it was n’t something I did for a keep , " LeathermantoldParadein 2010 . " So I figured I ’m become to make it weird enough that when people call , they ’re work to have an experience . They ’re either move to love it and say ‘ That ’s the happiest cat I ’ve ever heard , ’ or they ’re going to hate it and want to punch me right on in the eye . But , either direction , they ’re going to remember it . "
“Hello and welcome to Moviefone!”
When Leatherman and his friend / business partners — Andrew Jarecki , Adam Slutsky , Douglas Hoitenga , and Robert Gukeisen — started Moviefonein 1989 , it was n’t exactly easy to find out out what was playing at your local theatre . Newspapers had outset , of course , but not everyone had that day ’s variant handy ; calling a multiplex was ordinarily a bootless practice session . Zea mays everta , not a ringing telephone , was the employee ’s biggest antecedence .
The group sensed a business chance : A service that allowed movie buffs to get the commencement for their local theaters simply by dialing 777 - FILM and punching in their zipper code . The experience itself would be punctuate by the hee-haw delivery of " Mr. Moviefone , " the character voiced by Leatherman who had a catch phrase ( " Hellloooo and welcome to Moviefone ! " ) that would be afterwards be burlesque on display likeSeinfeld .
The partners all originally rifle into a recording booth to see who might well embody the telephone operator , and while none of them were voiceover professionals , Leatherman hadspent timeas a college phonograph record jockey , stimulate him the most viable candidate . " In the recording booth , one of my partners could barely speak , and the other sound like Donald Duck,“Leatherman say in 2010 . " So I go in and tried to make Moviefone an experience — like [ moviegoing ] itself . I wanted it to be more than a utility and a servicing . So , I confound on that form of Dick - Clark - on - cracking , goofy voice in , and it perplex . "
The serve was originally named Filmfone during the testing phase angle , but the alliteration did n’t roll off the tongue very well , so it was then vary to Moviefone . When the number launched in markets like New York and Los Angeles in the nightfall of 1990 , times for movies likeHome Alone , Rocky V , Dances With savage , andKindergarten Copwere just a few button press away and free to the consumer .
To come income from the telephone call , Moviefone sold demographic info to studios and also ran recorded advertizement that would dally before the itemization . If , for good example , someone was remember of what movie to go see , Columbia Pictures could run a situation forFlatlinersbefore the rest of the flick were discover directly to a captive and place interview : Anyone bothering to dial Moviefone was obviously looking to go to the moving-picture show .
Moviefone used the utility of the serving to remold the film line of work . consort to Leatherman , it was the first time audiences could purchase progress ticket either over the telephone set or , later on , online ; the service also eventually offered reserved seating room . For 1993’sJurassic Park , Moviefoneoffered ticketsa month in advance , a pattern that was virtually unheard of at the meter . ( Securing a seat incurred a $ 1 surcharge . )
SeinfeldSteps In
Moviefone ’s transition from a service to a ethnic touchstone was partially the result of aSeinfeldepisode . In " The Pool Guy , " which aired in November 1995 , Kramer ( Michael Richards ) switches to a new telephone number ( which happens to be one digit off from Moviefone ) and discover himself fielding calls from mass trying to reach the service . In an effort to help them , he begins reading off start from the paper . finally , Kramer is confronted by the real Mr. Moviefone , voice by Leatherman .
WithSeinfelddrawing up to30 million viewers a week , it was priceless publicizing for the service . " It was just a bizarre experience . And I sort of knew at that point that , wow , this is a thing that ’s get on and that people are originate to devote attention to , " Leatherman state . " And in fact , before theSeinfeldepisode , Moviefone was go a couple hundred thousand calls a week , and after theSeinfeldepisode it was getting well over a million vociferation a week . "
Leatherman get milage out of the Mr. Moviefone persona . In improver toSeinfeld , he appeared onThe Late Show With David Lettermanand asa guest voiceon shows likeFamily GuyandFuturama .
In the ultimate dot - com move , America Onlinebought Moviefonefor an figure $ 388 million in store in 1999 . Leathermanremainedon plank , while mate Jarecki and Slutsky depart . By 2004 , the service was fielding about 5 million call a week .
Your Call Has Been Disconnected
But as Moviefone enter the 21st century , it was no longer a must - have routine . The increase preponderance of the internet made listings easily available . Although itmaintaineda World Wide Web comportment , AOL shut down the 777 - celluloid number in 2014 and swapped Leatherman for actor Kevin Thompson , who was the voice of Moviefone for on-line digital subject matter .
Andrew Jarecki , one of Moviefone ’s co - founders , stay in the movie business , though in a dissimilar capacitance . He directed the 2003 documentaryCapturing the Friedmansand HBO’sThe Jinxdocuseries about now - convicted liquidator and tangible acres heir Robert Durst . Adam Slutsky became CEO of online print company Mimeo .
In 2018 , Moviefonewas sold toHelios and Matheson Analytics , the caller behind the controversial MoviePass subscription service . In 2020 , it was sell for a third time toBorn in Cleveland LLC , which carry on to mesh it as a internet site . The booming refrain of " Helloooo and welcome to Moviefone ! " is now a relic of an earlier meter — much like the landlines people used in fiat to dial in and hear it .
