In the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Togeather", S03E15, at 17:17, you see a drunk man leaving a telephone without putting it on its handle, with the person he was talking to begging him to "break the connection" because he "needs to call somebody else". The drunk man ignores the voice and seemingly forgets all about ever talking on the telephone, leaving the building. The person on the other end is stuck in a room with just a telephone and is trying to get out.
Is this not a plot hole? Would not a telephone call, now as well as back then, automatically "terminate" immediately or shortly after one of the two "puts the handle in its place"? Why would he be worried about the other side not putting on their handle? Why would that matter?
This makes me wonder. If you could truly indefinitely keep a line open for anyone who calls you, by simply not hanging up on your end, the potential for abuse is endless. I refuse to believe that this was ever the case without some really good proof.
The costs you could force upon helpless callers alone would be enough, but imagine if they need to call the cops or something really important... It simply cannot be the case.