HO 3-3338

[As seen in Los Angeles.]

Our fambly once saw a sign in the wilds of Pennsylvania: HO-MADE PIES. Our kids were old enough to find the naiveté amusing. As were Elaine and I.

The letters HO signified the exchange names HObart, HOmestead, HOpkins, and HOward. And HOllywood! From a contributor to the Telephone EXchange Name Project:

First heard the exchange in an old movie from the 40’s where the main character was placing a call to someone who lived in “Hollywood” and gave the exchange ‘HOllywood-4.....’ Years later, saw a sign for a liquor store that still had the number listed as such on their sign HO-4..... (HOllywood-4 .....) Still today, the numbers for Hollywood proper are “464-....” Pretty neat!

Thanks to Sean at Contrapuntalism for sharing his photograph.

[I found HObart, HOmestead, HOpkins, and HOward in AT&T/Bell’s 1955 list of recommended exchange names, available from the TENP.]