Do loads of phone numbers really begin with 555 or is that just some kind of dodgy joke?

neither of the above. in fact, no numbers start with 555 except directory assistance (area code+555-1212). it's simply an agreed-upon (by the studios) placeholder to keep people from calling numbers they see on TV and in movies and bothering the unfortunate souls who have them in real life. there is no law, as far as i know, to keep filmmakers from using numbers that don't start with 555.

famously, the Tommy Tutone song Jenny (867-5309) has driven phone subscribers unfortunate enough to get that number insane. many area codes have permanently unassigned it for that reason. meanwhile, the person who has the manhattan version of that phone number recently put it up for auction on eBay. you can see the whole story here.

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- christ@myself.com - fuck a cat, kill yourself - my alter ego has five stars

Ah. That's really dodgy.

Seems strange someone would actually ring a number just because of something like that. :/

here is another good explanation, with the history of 555. aren't you glad you asked? (:

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- christ@myself.com - fuck a cat, kill yourself - my alter ego has five stars

Well, i spose if you want to know about anything trivial the internet is the best place to ask.

Apparently every once and a while though, a movie will contain a non 555 number and the studio will register the number. Then when people call, they will get a recorded message on the other end. Can't think of any examples right now though.

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Poop.

I think Bruce Almighty did something like that. Actually I think they didn't have a fake area code and it resulted in a "867-5309" phenomenon.

There's also a toll-free number shown in Requiem for a Dream that, for a while, led to a real number for information about a fake infomercial like the one made up in the movie. (As far as a I know it is no longer paid for for that purpose).

Magnolia comes to mind as having done a similar stunt but I can't remember the details...

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Vote Jeb Bush 2008

At the end of the movie "Sneakers," whose protagonists were leftist hackers and phreaks, a female NSA agent gave River Phoenix her "home phone number," which was fully audible to the audience. This was not a made-up number; rather, it was the number of an Oakland, California Internal Revenue Service office.

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ken.kaufman@gmail.com