History Main / PhoneBooth

* ''Film/PhoneBooth'', a film
* PhoneBoothChangingRoom, when it's used to change clothes

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1608521124061385300&page=1 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]
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->''"Okay, suicide booth, give me your best shot. Electrocution, please, side order of poison... Helloooo? Kill me, you stupid machine! What the... 'local calls fifty cents'!? It's a street corner telephone parlor! Oh, what kind of horrible, suicide-free time is this?"''
-->-- '''Bender''', ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}: [[Recap/FuturamaM1BendersBigScore Bender's Big Score]]''

A Phone Booth (or phone box, as it's more commonly known in the UK) is a tiny closet, often outdoors and usually with one or more glass-paned walls, designed to contain a PayPhone. Nowadays, they are mostly a historical trope; even before cell phones took over, they were being replaced by the more space-efficient and wheelchair-accessible standalone pay phones, and in the U.S. they've almost completely [[TropeBreaker disappeared]], although the booths themselves are seeing a resurgence in upscale theaters and restaurants to reduce public cell phone chatter.
In Britain, there are still a fair few phone boxes around (Maybe a [[Series/DoctorWho certain show]] keeps them in style?), although the traditional Red Telephone Box is an increasingly rare sight outside of central London, where many have been preserved - perhaps to enable Tourists to take a photograph [[EstablishingShot proving that they really are in London]].

In addition to the tropes associated with the PayPhone, there are a number associated with the Phone Booth itself.

* In {{fiction}}, the Phone Booth has often been used as a changing room, most notably by Franchise/{{Superman}}. In RealLife, the aforementioned glass-paned walls would make this problematic. (In the early days of Superman, phone booths usually only had glass in the door -- and frosted glass, at that.) It's also {{justified|Trope}} because Superman's alter-ego is a reporter. In just about every movie of the time, a reporter on the scene would duck into a nearby phone booth and call the editor or someone else at the paper's HQ. So, people would see Clark Kent jump into a booth and assume he's making a call, when he's actually changing into Superman.[[note]]Interestingly, in this trope's first appearance in the WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons, Clark really ''is'' just ducking in to phone his editor. Then upon coming out, he sees that [[DistressedDamsel Lois]] has been kidnapped, [[DoubleSubversion and immediately ducks back in]].[[/note]]
* In an earlier era, a popular pastime among the young was to see how many folks could be simultaneously fit in a Phone Booth. This would seem to be dangerous due to the glass-paned walls. In modern days, you will still occasionally see people trying this with port-o-johns. A photo shoot in cycle five of ''Series/AmericasNextTopModel'' had a photo shoot in which all six remaining girls had to stand in a single phone booth wearing only galoshes and newspapers (and, ostensibly, underwear).
* A secret door or even elevator might be disguised as a phone booth, for example in ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE''. The glass-paned walls might be troublesome for the secrecy here. Spoofed in the very last seconds of the theme sequence of ''Series/GetSmart''.
* A common horror movie trope is for the victim to be trapped by an assailant in a phone booth. Depending on the tone of the work, blood can splatter on the glass-paned walls and obscure the killing within to provide a GoryDiscretionShot.
* And of course, [[DisconnectedByDeath phone booths are an ideal place for murders]], as the booth's close quarters make for little room to dodge and no place to run. Plus, the [[OverlyLongGag glass-paned walls]] make it easier for the shooter to aim.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Hughes [[spoiler: [[HeKnowsTooMuch is]] [[DisconnectedByDeath murdered in a phone booth]] by Envy]], as he tries to share his discovery that [[spoiler:Homunculi have infiltrated the military ''and'' that Amestris is a huge transmutation circle]]. This is necessary because of his belief the security of the military lines had been compromised.
* Rosette uses a payphone in ''Manga/ChronoCrusade''. Since it's set in TheRoaringTwenties, this isn't too odd...except that Chrono and Rosette actually have some sort of special phone on their ammo box that works somewhat like a modern-day cellphone, and it's never explained why she didn't use that phone in the first place.
* In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', Keiichi [[spoiler: commits suicide in a phone booth while under the effects of Hinamizawa syndrome.]]
* In the first part of ''Anime/FiveCentimetersPerSecond'', which takes place in the early '90s, Akari calls Takaki from a phone booth.
* In ''Anime/SailorMoon '', after Mamoru tries the BreakHerHeartToSaveHer regarding Usagi, the poor girl gets inside a phone booth and [[BrokenTears cries]] while in a TroubledFetalPosition.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Franchise/{{Superman}} has actually lampshaded the disappearance of traditional phone booths in at least one incident.
** In the movie ([[Film/SuperMan the 1978 one]]) Christopher Reeve looks for a phone booth to change into Superman, but he finds a standalone pay phone instead. He winds up using revolving doors instead (you have to see it to understand).
** Actually (and CommonKnowledge to the contrary), Supes has [[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/other/other.php?topic=phonebooth hardly ever used a phone booth for this purpose]] in the actual comics. Superman's use of the phone booths most famously, (and iconicly) comes from an old radio show.
** Used as a MythologyGag in ''Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-man'', in which Peter Parker asks Clark Kent where he might find a payphone in the hopes of using it to change into Spider-man. Because they are in a convention hall, the payphones are naturally not in inside of boxes that he can hide in, much to his dismay.
* In the new ''[[Comicbook/DialHForHero Dial H]]'' series, the Hero Dial is actually connected to a disused phone booth, meaning Nelson ''has'' to transform in a phone booth.
* In a ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' magazine parody of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', Captain Kirk is seen stepping into a phone booth before using the transporter to make a phone call to the planet that he's beaming down on.
* In ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'' #24, Indy is lured inside a phone booth by a ringing phone. However, once inside he finds the door won't open. The villains then [[CarFu drive a truck at the booth]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/USAcres'':
** [[https://garfield.com/usacres/1989/02/03 A chicken opens a phone booth]] and is horrified to find Orson a.k.a. Power Pig in the middle of putting on his superhero uniform. Orson believes "it was bound to happen someday".
** [[https://garfield.com/usacres/1989/02/04 Once again, Orson tries to change into Power Pig inside a phone booth.]] This time, he [=DONKs=] into the other side of it.
-->'''Orson:''' All right! Who waxed the phone booth?!
** [[https://garfield.com/usacres/1989/02/06 This time]], [[CapeSnag Power Pig's cape is stuck at the phone booth's door]].
-->'''Power Pig:''' This looks like a job for... (phone booth falls on him) the paramedics.
** [[https://garfield.com/usacres/1989/02/08 Wade sees a newspaper ad about a way to cure claustrophobia.]] Unfortunately, he decides to call from a phone booth.
* During a story arc of Brazilian comic strip ''Urbano, o Aposentado'', the titular character tries to become a ninja-themed superhero. Pay phones were still common back then but phone booths were already hard to find, making the hero wonder how superheroes change clothes nowadays.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': When they first meet, Miguel pulls Héctor into a phone booth to ask him about Ernesto de la Cruz.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/LolaRennt'' has a long scene inside of a phone booth.
* The movie ''Film/PhoneBooth'' has its somewhat {{Jerkass}} main character trapped in a Phone Booth by a sniper.
* Creator/AlfredHitchcock's film ''Film/TheBirds'' features a memorably bloody scene where the heroine takes shelter in a phone booth, which is then battered by kamikaze seagulls. (Those glass walls again...)
* Mel Brooks' film ''Film/HighAnxiety'', being a spoof of suspense films like ''The Birds'', includes a phone booth scene as a {{Homage}}. Speaking of glass walls, [[spoiler:TheDragon attempts to kill the hero while the hero is making a phone call and [[KarmicDeath winds up impaled]] on a glass shard from the booth]].
* The TimeMachine in ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' is in the form of a Phone Booth, perhaps as a nod to ''Series/DoctorWho''. They wanted to go with a old step van, but didn't want to seem like they were ripping off the [=DeLorean=] from ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'', so they went with a phone booth. Whoops. However, it's not BiggerOnTheInside, so things get a little tight with all the historical figures.
* Terri Doolittle gets trapped in the Phone Booth while using the PayPhone to call for help in ''Film/JumpinJackFlash''.
* In ''Film/{{Clockwise}}'', headmaster Brian Stimpson tries to use a phone box on his way to the headmasters' conference. When three of them do not work properly, he has a fit of rage and smashes one of them.
--> '''Pat's Mother''' (watching from the window): They're vandalising those phones again. He's showing off his muscles, and she's egging him on.
* In ''Film/{{Duel}}'', Mann just escapes from one before the semi plows into it.
* The Spanish short film ''La Cabina'' concerns a man becoming stuck in a phone box. Played for laughs at the beginning. At the end... not so much.
* In ''Film/TheGrudge'' TV series, [[spoiler: Kayako husband and murderer]] calls the visiting teacher from a phone booth to inform him that he [[spoiler: killed the teachers pregnant wife by announcing the babys gender]]. Once the call stops, the [[spoiler: murderer]] starts to smash [[spoiler: the fetus]] against the phone booth in mad rage.
* Apparently, the phone booth from ''Film/LocalHero'' is the one that gets the most phone calls per year in the UK. The location didn't actually have a phone booth when the film was made, but one was later installed as a tourist attraction.
* ''Film/TheMatrix'' ended its opening sequence with Trinity narrowly escaping through one of these.
* In ''Film/DumbAndDumber'', one of the mooks makes a long phone call to the villain, but an impatient man outside demands him to get off the phone only to be punched through the glass and knocked out.
* Toward the end of ''Film/ThePresidentsAnalyst'', Dr. Schaefer gets stuck in one - he waves down a truck, but instead of freeing him they pull up the whole booth, with him trapped inside, replace it with an empty one, and spirit him away [[spoiler:to the headquarters of The Phone Company]]. Earlier on, one of their booths similarly trapped a pursuing Chinese agent to keep him from getting abducted by them.
* ''Film/TheSting'' featured a couple indoor phone booths. The first was occupied by an older woman when Johnny needed to call Luther. He pulled her out to make the call. Later at the same booth, Lt Snyder catches Johnny there. Almost. The second one was the one the calls came in on to Lonnigan to tell him what horse to bet on.
* Phone booths were already on the outs in the late '70s as seen in the first ''Film/{{Superman}}'' movie -- Clark Kent is desperately looking for a place to change, and stops at a pay phone with a little head-sized enclosure before moving on and using a revolving door at super-speed. It does make an appearance in the subway in ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' when Clark has to stop a runaway subway train that Lois Lane is on.
* ''Film/{{Help}}'': The Eastern thugs pursuing Music/TheBeatles call them in Scotland Yard from a phone booth across the street - several of them are jammed inside playing instruments as the leader hypnotically chants "Go-o-o to the ''window!''...Go-o-o to the ''window!''"
* One of the gadgets being tested at Q Branch in ''Film/{{GoldenEye}}'' is a phone booth rigged with a giant airbag, which traps its occupants against the glass when inflated. Amusingly, [[TakeThat it's a British Telecom booth]].
* In ''Film/TheCannonballRun'', Arthur J. Foyt is trapped inside a phone booth by a vehicle that has backed itself in front of the door and couldn't get himself out. He tries to slide underneath the opening at the bottom of the booth, but apparently gets stuck.
* In ''Film/DiamondsOnWheels'', after tailing the gang to London, Bobby uses a red phone box (still in common use at the time of the movie) to phone the police. However, he spots the crooks and has to scarper, leaving the receiver dangling off the hook.
* Watson is in a phone booth talking to Holmes when he is taken by surprise by Price in ''Film/MurderAtTheBaskervilles''.
* When Charles meets with his CIA contact in ''Film/CrookedHouse'', they hold a private conversation by standing in phone booths next to each other and conversing via the phone.
* ''Film/FearInc'': After being abandoned in the desert, Joe manages to make it to a phone booth at an old gas station, only to discover the phone isn't working.
* In ''Film/SorryWrongNumber'', several of the phone calls to Leona come from phone booths: notably Sally from a booth in the drug store, Dr. Alexander from a booth in the nightclub, and Henry from a booth at the train station.
* ''Film/{{Angel}}'': As he is going upstairs to Molly's apartment, Lt. Andrews hears a phone beeping. When he investigates, he finds Collins in a phone booth: stabbed to death while trying to phone for backup.
* ''Film/SatansCheerleaders'': After escaping from the Sheriff's house, Chris makes it to a phone booth and attempts to phone for help, but winds up trapped there when the booth is surrounded by Satanists who [[CutPhoneLines cut the phone line]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' does the elevator-disguised-as-a-phone-booth shtick. It's used as the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic. And then they cram six people into it, of course.
-->'''Harry:''' Whoever's closest to the receiver, dial six two four four two! (''on the phone buttons, this spells MAGIC'')
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete'': "The Call" revolved around Little Pete and his friends investigating a mysterious ringing phone booth on the edge of town, [[HeatWave on the hottest day of the summer]]. It turns out the call was for [[spoiler: the Petes' mother Joyce, from a guy who had a long-standing unrequited crush on her.]]
* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Phone booths have a key plot role in a couple episodes:
** In "Key to the School", Mr. Conkin and Miss Brooks use the phone booth in Marty's Malt Shop to call board superintendent Mr. Stone after everybody is locked out of Madison High. Unfortunately, it's not soundproof and mixing a milkshake is louder than you might think.
** In "Monsieur Leblanc", Walter Denton calls Mrs. Davis' house from a phone booth pretending to be a Spaniard interested in purchasing Mr. Conklin's car.
* One episode of ''Series/AmericasNextTopModel'' had the girls do a photo shoot in a phone booth. Naked. With six girls inside.
* The "Police Call Box" disguise of the TARDIS in ''Series/DoctorWho'' is essentially a Phone Booth skin. The disappearance of Police Call Boxes from the natural environment has made this something of a TropeBreaker in recent years, especially since fans presumably would not take kindly to having the TARDIS "unstuck" from its Call Box form. For [[{{Hammerspace}} obvious]] [[BiggerOnTheInside reasons]], the TARDIS "Phone Booth" lacks glass-paned windows.
** This has actually been [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] a few times in the new series. Given a HandWave by the mention of [[PerceptionFilter a device that makes people ignore it]] - that and the Doctor's a [[JustifiedTrope time traveller]]. It's not like it's fit in just about anywhere they've parked it since their first trip to Earth.
** The 6th Doctor did ''try'' to fix the Chameleon Circuit at one point, but the results were equally if not more conspicuous; at one point it turned into a fairground organ. He seems to have given up and put it back the way it was at some point. The Master's TARDIS never seemed to have this problem.
*** Some notable examples of police boxes that are still standing in the street are in Edinburgh, where a couple of police phone boxes have been converted into coffee kiosks. They seem to be pretty popular as well.
** The city of Baltimore, Maryland has its own police phone box. It is a very popular photo location during the city's annual Comic-Con.
* ''Series/GetSmart'' used the Phone-Booth-as-an-elevator trick in its opening credits. Of course, the phone booth was behind several serious-looking and presumably locked doors, which made the disguise a bit unnecessary.
** There was also an episode with a phone booth that was rigged to fill with water, drowning the person inside. (The door was locked from the outside while the water poured in.)
* A ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews'' sketch involves someone engaged in the anti-social habit of urinating in a phone box ... before revealing that the queue of people behind him have the same intent.
* ''Series/ElleryQueen'': The VictimOfTheWeek in "The Adventure of Auld Lang Syne" is murdered in a phone booth. Stabbed in the throat, he attempts to use the phone to leave a DyingClue.
* ''Series/TheMonkees'': The Monkees try to audition for a big record producer over the phone in a phone booth; meanwhile, a long line of people are waiting to use the phone booth, including [[Comicbook/{{Superman}} a large man in a suit and glasses]].
* ''Series/DCIBanks'': In "What Will Survive", the missing Estonian woman is making a panicked call for help from an extremely isolated phone booth when she is grabbed by her abductor. Tracing the call, the police find blood on the floor of the booth.
* One of the fourth season sabotages on ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'' involved forcing a competitor to give up their prep station and do all of their cooking in a cramped phone booth.
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': In "The Finger", Catherine and a man whose mistress has been kidnapped are sent to isolated phone booth at an abandoned building to receive the next clue to her location. The phone has been vandalized, but the clue turns out to be a map in the phone book.
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "Super Men," one Victim of the Week is found dead in an alley wearing a home-made superhero costume, complete with cape. Shortly thereafter, his regular clothes and eyeglasses are found in a nearby phone booth.
* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Patty the Daytime Hooker, Catalina, Darnell, and Kenny ([[FridgeLogic somehow]]) had four-way SexForSolace in one of these, while they were hiding from killer bees. Patty wanted to have sex without charging for it, Catalina [[YouDontWantToDieAVirginDoYou didn't want to die a virgin]], Kenny wanted to have sex with another man for the first time, and Darnell was up for anything. (Though he especially wanted Catalina because she was a virgin.) Afterwards, when the bees were gone, [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain they agreed never to speak of it again]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' connection is mentioned in The Spin Doctors' song "Jimmy Olson's Blues":
-->''It's got me up the wall and through the roof,\\
Lois and Clark in a telephone booth.''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Escape the Phone Booth'', a [[http://www.dabontv.com/game605.html flash puzzle game]] where you wake trapped inside a phone booth. You have to try finding your way out with what few items you have on you or can find.
* The InteractiveFiction game ''VideoGame/PickUpThePhoneBoothAndDie'', and its spinoff ''VideoGame/PickUpThePhoneBoothAndAisle''. The former has only two commands that do anything: "Pick up phone booth", [[SchmuckBait which kills you]], and [[spoiler:"Push phone booth",]] which wins the game.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaLinksAwakening'', there are phone booths scattered across the overworld, and are used to get hints to progress through the game.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLostCrown'', Nigel has to use a phone booth to contact anyone outside Saxton, as he didn't bring his cell and the phone in his rented cottage is [[strike: broken]] haunted.
* ''VideoGame/{{Safecracker}}'' starts in one, and Jerry Crabb gives you instructions over the phone on how to get into his company headquarters down the street.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', The penultimate levels are set in London. Despite the fact that it's half-past the future[[note]]and completely ignoring the fact absolutely everyone has an Omni-Tool, a portable computer that can make phone calls[[/note]], there are plenty of the iconic red British Telecom phone boxes (see the page image if you are somehow unfamiliar with them) in the background detail... more, in fact, than you would see almost anywhere in the real London today.
* In the Creator/{{Jaleco}} UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame ''Psychic 5'', going into a phone booth lets the player select between Espers.
* Kicking off the spoofs the ''VideoGame/SpyFox'' games are known for, the first puzzle of ''Spy Fox in Dry Cereal'' involves calling Monkey Penny from a phone booth on the island of Acidopholis. As soon as the exchange is finished, we see that there's an elevator shaft -- with a cartoony twist to it -- that leads straight to the underwater Mobile Command Center.
* ''VideoGame/TheGhostTrain'': You can find one by the train tracks after [[spoiler:making offerings to the ghosts]].
* ''VideoGame/InunakiTunnel'': After solving the clock puzzle, the PlayerCharacter comes across an old phone booth. You can enter it to answer the phone, but you'll be stuck in it for a short period of time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* The OntologicalMystery ''ComicStrip/{{Fleep}}'' is about a man trapped in a phone booth buried in concrete.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' mentions this trope for the purposes of illustrating that Elliot's knowledge of super heroes came almost entirely from PopCultureOsmosis [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-20 here]] (first panel text box).
** The murder in the phone booth variation is parodied in [[http://egscomics.com/sketchbook/2003-04-13 an EGS:NP strip]] which also features Elliot.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The entrance to Section 13 in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is through a phone booth that serves as an elevator, although it appears there is an easier way in through the stairs. For the most part it does work in concealing the location of the instillation.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' reveals that phone booths start making a comeback in 3010 AD; Hermes Conrad is happy to learn this, as it means he no longer has to lug a cellphone around. Still, it is also important not to confuse a phone booth with a suicide booth.
* Shoeshine Boy uses a phone booth to transform into ''WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}''. During the transformation, the booth suddenly explodes.
* In ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'', KO goes into a phone booth to make a call, but looks at the phone and [[WhatAreRecords asks what that thing]] is before pulling out his cell phone. As the show takes place in a world of superheroes, the booth is labeled a "changing booth".
* Daffy Duck locks Bugs Bunny in a phone booth at a TV studio in ''[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes People Are Bunny]]'' while he goes on a game show. Bugs winds up winning a jackpot by answering a math question. ("If there's one thing us rabbits can do, it's multiply!")
* WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther wants to be a superhero ("Super Pink") and answers the call to a potential emergency. However, the nearest phone booth is occupied. Pink simply removes the phone booth exterior (leaving the occupant and phone where it is) and proceeds to change into his costume in it.
* A old 90's ad bumper for a Cartoon Network programming block parodied the classic "reporter goes in, superhero flies out" device by having the confused old woman that was already using the payphone lean out of the booth immediately afterward, wondering what the hell she just saw.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Well, duh.
* The Safe House, a spy-themed restaurant in Milwaukee, has a themed phone booth where guests can [[spoiler: choose from a selection of background noises while placing a call, the better to deceive listeners espionage-style]].
* In the 1930s, there was an experimental phone box design which included a stamp-vending machine on the outside of the phone box. This was a failure because the sudden clunk of the machinery alarmed those inside using the telephone.
* There was outrage in Britain shortly after the privatisation of the Post Office Communications division as British Telecom, when the new private owners began replacing the old red boxes with allegedly cheaper and more easily-maintained American-style boxes. It was pointed out that BT was making large amounts of money by selling the old boxes off as antiques and collectable artefacts, and cynical commentators wondered if this had been their intention all along. Public revulsion was focused on a part of British heritage and instantly recognisable street-furniture being replaced by anonymous "could-be-anywhere" ugly glass cubes.
* The traditional red phone boxes can now often be seen in front gardens of private houses, when collectors have bought them. The few that remain on the streets now rarely contain telephones: in some cases, they have been converted into community libraries.
[[/folder]]

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1608521124061385300&page=1 under discussion]] in the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1597830869030327400&page=1#1 Trope Repair Shop]].]]]]]]

* In fiction the Phone Booth has often been used as a changing room, most notably by Franchise/{{Superman}}. In RealLife the aforementioned glass-paned walls would make this problematic. (In the early days of Superman, phone booths usually only had glass in the door -- and frosted glass, at that.) It's also {{justified|Trope}} because Superman's alter-ego is a reporter. In just about every movie of the time, a reporter on the scene would duck into a nearby phone booth and call the editor or someone else at the paper's HQ. So, people would see Clark Kent jump into a booth and assume he's making a call, when he's actually changing into Superman.[[note]]Interestingly, in this trope's first appearance in the WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons, Clark really ''is'' just ducking in to phone his editor. Then upon coming out, he sees that [[DistressedDamsel Lois]] has been kidnapped, [[DoubleSubversion and immediately ducks back in]].[[/note]]

* A old 90's ad bumper for a Cartoon Network ([[WikiMagic ?]]) programming block parodied the classic "reporter goes in, superhero flies out" device by having the confused old woman that was already using the payphone lean out of the booth immediately afterward, wondering what the hell she just saw.

* In ''Film/Clockwise'', headmaster Brian Stimpson tries to use a phone box on his way to the headmasters' conference. When three of them do not work properly, he has a fit of rage and smashes one of them.