History Main / TelegraphGagSTOP

-->JIM MILTON=\\
JIM STOP IF YOURE THE JM I KNOW STOP ITS SADIE ADLER\\
STOP IVE GOT SOMETHING TO DISCUSS STOP PAY GOOD\\
STOP MEET ME IN SALOON IN VALENTINE STOP IM THERE MOST DAYS =\\
\\
SADIE ADLER=

* ''Film/BroadwayGondolier'': Alice, on the ship back home with Dick, shows him a telegram from Cliff just assuming that Cliff and she will get married when Alice arrives. Dick then scribbles out a message for her to send in answer: "Dear Cliff STOP Just met Dick STOP Love Dick STOP Am kissing Dick now can't STOP Alice."

COMPARE [[WalkieTalkieGagOver WALKIE-TALKIE GAG OVER]] AND [[ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud READING STAGE DIRECTIONS OUT LOUD]] STOP

[[folder:PRO WRESTLING STOP]]
* Wrestling/OldeWrestling in Ohio has a 1920s theme. In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr7RK56ZwQ4 this promo]], [[WorkingClassHero Working Class Heel]] Heidi the Riveter[[note]][[Wrestling/RubyRiott Heidi Lovelace aka Ruby Riott]][[/note]] receives a telegram (complete with this trope) telling her that she will be facing [[Wrestling/KimberLee "Kickin'" Kimber Lee]] and expresses her disgust for Kimber Lee's [[TheFlapper Flapper]] lifestyle.[[note]]Heidi mentioning a "man-lady" is a reference to Mary Elizabeth Monroe's (Wrestling/RingOfHonor's Kelly Klein) [[GirlsWithMustaches Bearded Lady]] gimmick.[[/note]]

-->Mr. Gower cabled you need cash, stop. My office instructed to advance you up to twenty-five thousand dollars, stop. Hee Haw and Merry Christmas! Sam Wainwright.

Less well known, and therefore less common, is the usage of the word "query" to indicate a question mark. Consider this telegram exchange between MGM executive Roger Caras and Arthur C. Clarke that led to the production of ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'':\\

Caras: STANLEY KUBRICK DR STRANGELOVE PATHS OF GLORY ETC INTERESTED IN DOING FILM ON ETS STOP ARE YOU INTERESTED QUERY THOUGHT YOU WERE RECLUSE STOP\\
Clarke: FRIGHTFULLY INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH ENFANT TERRIBLE STOP CONTACT MY AGENT STOP WHAT MAKES KUBRICK THINK I'M A RECLUSE QUERY [[note]] Caras: "Stanley Kubrick (of Dr. Strangelove, Paths of Glory, etc) interested in doing film on extraterrestrials. Are you interested? Thought you were a recluse. Clarke: "Frightfully interested in working with Enfant Terrible. (a nickname for Kubrick) Contact my agent. What makes Kubrick think I'm a recluse?"[[/note]]

* Stewie and Brian of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' have a similar gag in one episode while speaking on walkie-talkies. Stewie informs Brian that he has to end all of his transmissions with the word "over," which causes a misunderstanding when Brian actually ends a sentence with the word "over."
** End a sentence with what word? Over.

* This is a RunningGag on ''Machinima/RedVsBlue''.

* ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' has a juror in Case 5 who is a communications officer and is constantly using a telegram as she speaks. She is a TerseTalker and ends her sentences by saying STOP.

-->BROTHER [[YourSoulIsMine DEAD]]. RETURN HOME.\\

Less well known, and therefore less common, is the usage of the word "query" to indicate a question mark. Consider this telegram exchange between MGM executive Roger Caras and Arthur C. Clarke that led to the production of Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey:\\

* In ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'', Liesl's boyfriend, a telegraph delivery boy, tells her he thought about sending her a telegram just to have an excuse to see her, and obliges her request to tell her what he might have said in said telegram, before asking her what she might say in a return telegram. Her answer? "Dear Rolf STOP. Don't stop!"

* Averted in the opening minutes of the ''Film/MortalKombat'' movie, where Liu Kang gets a telegram from his grandfather and punctuation is clearly seen.

[[folder:WEB COMICS STOP]]

* In ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'', Liesl and her boyfriend, a telegraph delivery boy, play around with sending each other fake "telegrams" (actually just saying the words to each other). Liesl's message? "Dear Rolf STOP. Don't stop!"

* In ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'', Liesl and her boyfriend, a telegraph delivery boy, joke about sending telegrams to each other, speaking out the would-be messages. Liesl's message? "Dear Rolf STOP. Don't stop!"

-->''MY DEAREST I.R. STOP I CAN'T MARRY YOU TODAY STOP [...] I'M IN LOOOVE WITH A GERMAN HAIRLESS CHIHUAHUA STOP HAVE A NICE DAY''

---> '''Old Timey Strong Bad:''' "Dear Sir Strong Bad STOP How do you operate the 'telegramophone' [[AntiquatedLinguistics whilst]] wearing gentlemans' sporting gloves STOP Signed, [[OverlyLongName Sir Elsington Halstindingdingworth]]" Curses! This is all anyone ever asks me.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Home on the Range}'' Rico's entrance is announced with a telegram read with the stops.

ANY PERIOD IS REPLACED BY A STOP STOP\\

COMPARE [[WalkieTalkieGagOver WALKIE-TALKIE GAG, OVER]] AND [[ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud READING STAGE DIRECTIONS OUT LOUD]] STOP

This trope arose because Morse Code originally did not have a method to transmit punctuation beyond spelling it out (writing down "comma", or most famously, a full '''stop'''). Additionally, it lacks casing, meaning the entire message is in capital letters.

Telegrams charged by the word; therefore, the objective was to make the message with as few words as possible while still being clear. Marks of punctuation, such as the comma, period, dash, colon, etc., are not transmitted in telegrams unless the sender specifically requests it, and then they are counted and charged for, as one word each.

This is a [[TropeBreaker Broken Trope]] these days, since International Morse Code uses .-.-.- for periods (though telegraph companies would charge extra for punctuation). Or you could just [[TechnologyMarchesOn send a text message]].

** Used in the short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akAEIW3rmvQ&t=6m00s "I Wanna Singa."]]

* ''BullshotCrummond'': When Bullshot dictates a message to Rosemary: "Car stopped, stop. Won't start, stop. Can't stop, stop."