Actually, that part was accurate around the LA area (or at least the
> suburban independents) in the 1950s. You dialed "0" for the local
> operator and "211" for the long distance operator.
In Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," Jimmy Stewart is watching (through a very long lens) his across-the-court neighbor (Raymond Burr) as Burr picks up the phone and dials three digits. Stewart, narrating the events to his girlfriend (Grace Kelly), recognizes "211" and mutters "long distance."