History Main / Hotline

* ''Film/DarkPhoenix''. A sign of how accepted mutants have become is that Professor Xavier has a direct line to the US President for when the X-Men are needed. However when the political tide turns against mutants after Jean Grey goes on the rampage, Xavier tries to call the President only to have a White House official inform him that the line will be cut off.

-->--''Series/YesPrimeMinister''

* The live-action ''Series/{{Batman}}'' show had a hotline connecting Commissioner Gordon's office to Bruce Wayne's study (of course, Gordon didn't know where Batman's end of the line was located).

Nowadays, after the Cold War, the Hot Line trope is more likely to be used between the UltimateAuthorityMayor or other ReasonableAuthorityFigure and a local superhero. Expect a CatchPhrase, often falling under [[TotheBatnoun "To the Batnoun!"]]

* ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs'' (1966). The InvisiblePresident is only an [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson LBJ]]-sounding voice on the hotline to Colonel Benson, always [[IncomingHam preempted by the strains]] of "Hail to the Chief".

'''Bernard Wooley:''' The [[{{Pun}} Red hotline]], sir.

--> '''Nurse:''' Trauma one blue! Trauma one blue!

* ''Series/TwentyFour'' Season 6.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''L

* ''Film/DrStrangelove'': Not actually the Moscow-Washington line, but rather an ordinary phone. Which is even worse. Considering the nature of the [[CasualDangerDialog ensuing]] [[SeinfeldianConversation conversation]], as well as the [[BlackComedy entire film itself]], that is very, ''very'' likely intentional.
* ''Film/FailSafe'' (1964, the same year as ''Dr. Strangelove'') probably is the primary inspiration for the common (mis)perception of the White-House-to-The-Kremlin hotline being distinctive telephones for direct talks between the 2 leaderships.

* ''Film/TheAvengers1998''. Mother is the head of The Ministry, a top secret British intelligence agency. He has a red phone on his office that connects directly to the British Prime Minister.

* The TV series ''Series/YesMinister'' poked fun at the prosaic realities of the hotline - the phone only goes to a Kremlin switchboard... and the operator doesn't speak English.

* Seen in the revival series of ''Series/DoctorWho'', at 10 Downing Street.
** In "The Impossible Astronaut", River comments that the functions within the souped-up spacesuit have a communication suite that links up directly to the highest authority it can find, giving the little girl [[spoiler:(River as a child)]] a hotline to the White House.
** In "The Day of the Doctor" we're shown the Space-Time Telegraph, a gift from The Doctor to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and left for his daughter, Kate, which gives a direct hotline in times of crisis to the TARDIS, or from the TARDIS to the Black Archives. (In the classic series it was mentioned but not seen at the end of "Revenge of the Cybermen" and beginning of "Terror of the Zygons".)

[[RealityIsUnrealistic Except it's not like that in real life]], and never was. Beginning operation in 1963, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow-Washington_hotline Moscow-Washington Hotline]], colloquially known as the "Red Phone", is designed to relay text – originally via Teletype, then fax machine, nowadays a secure fiber-optic line through which emails are exchanged – because of the possibility that speech could be misinterpreted (a voice link was tested in the 70's but dropped); each side writes in their own language, which is then translated and both versions are given to whichever leader. Also, the Hotline connects the Pentagon to what was then the Communist Party leadership across the street from the Kremlin; it's not a direct link between the White House and Kremlin itself. During the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the line was tested hourly, often using poetry. The Hotline is still in use today, still not a phone.

* ''Film/FailSafe'' (1964, the same year as ''Dr Strangelove'', but a few months earlier) probably is the primary inspiration for the common (mis)perception of the White-House-to-The-Kremlin hotline being distinctive telephones for direct talks between the 2 leaderships.

* ''Film/FailSafe'' (1964, the same year as ''Dr Strangelove'', but a just few months earlier) probably is the primary inspiration for the common (mis)perception of the White-House-to-The-Kremlin hotline being distinctive telephones for direct talks between the 2 leaderships.

%%* ''Film/FailSafe''

* The Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/TheSumOfAllFears'' (and TheFilmOfTheBook) shows the text-based Hot Line in action. It also shows how the operators tested the Hot Line back in the day: with poetry.

* The live-action ''Series/{{Batman}}'' show had a hotline connecting Commissioner Gordon's office to Bruce Wayne's study (Of course, Gordon didn't know where Batman's end of the line was located).

* ''Film/OurManFlint''. Lloyd Cramden, head of the agency Z.O.W.I.E. (Zonal Organization for World Intelligence and Espionage) has a red phone that he uses to communicate with the President of the United States.
* In the MadeForTVMovie ''The Trial of Series/TheIncredibleHulk'' Daredevil's FriendOnTheForce police captain has a direct line to call Daredevil.

[[RealityIsUnrealistic Except it's not like that in real life]], and never was. Beginning operation in in 1963, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow-Washington_hotline Moscow-Washington Hotline]], colloquially known as the "Red Phone", is designed to relay text – originally via Teletype, then fax machine, nowadays a secure fiber-optic line through which emails are exchanged – because of the possibility that speech could be misinterpreted (a voice link was tested in the 70's but dropped); each side writes in their own language, which is then translated and both versions are given to whichever leader. Also, the Hotline connects the Pentagon to what was then the Communist Party leadership across the street from the Kremlin; it's not a direct link between the White House and Kremlin itself. During the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the line was tested hourly, often using poetry. The Hotline is still in use today, still not a phone.

[[RealityIsUnrealistic Except it's not like that in real life]], and never was. Beginning operation in in 1963, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow%E2%80%93Washington_hotline Moscow-Washington Hotline]], colloquially known as the "Red Phone", is designed to relay text – originally via Teletype, then fax machine, nowadays a secure fiber-optic line through which emails are exchanged – because of the possibility that speech could be misinterpreted (a voice link was tested in the 70's but dropped); each side writes in their own language, which is then translated and both versions are given to whichever leader. Also, the Hotline connects the Pentagon to what was then the Communist Party leadership across the street from the Kremlin; it's not a direct link between the White House and Kremlin itself. During the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the line was tested hourly, often using poetry. The Hotline is still in use today, still not a phone.

* And, foreshadowing [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 the next game]], one of the other phones is labeled "Tokyo".

[[RealityIsUnrealistic Except it's not like that in real life]], and never was. Beginning operation in in 1963, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow%E2%80%93Washington_hotline Moscow-Washington Hotline]], colloquially known as the "Red Phone", is designed to relay text – originally via Teletype, then fax machine, nowadays a secure fiber-optic line through which emails are exchanged – because of the possibility that speech could be misinterpreted (a voice link was tested in the 70's but dropped); each side writes in their own language, which is then translated and both versions are given to whichever leader. Also, the Hotline connects the Pentagon to what was then the Communist Party leadership across the street from the Kremlin; it's not a direct link between the White House and Kremlin itself. During the height of UsefulNotes/TheColdWar, the line was tested hourly, often using poetry. The Hotline is still in use today, still not a phone.

If there's a crisis between the USSR and the US in fiction, expect the President to phone up the Soviet leader on his direct line.

Except it wasn't like that in real life. The Hot Line (also called the Red Phone) due to the possibilities of misinterpretation, only used a voice link between 1971 and 1978, but instead uses a telex machine - with each side writing in its own language and the other translating for themselves. The Hot Line, still in service, is regularly tested. (Never mind that these days they could probably just DM each other on Twitter...)

* ''Film/DrStrangelove'' (Not actually the Moscow-Washington line, but rather an ordinary phone. Which is even worse.) Considering the nature of the [[CasualDangerDialog ensuing]] [[SeinfeldianConversation conversation]], as well as the [[BlackComedy entire film itself]], that is very, ''very'' likely intentional.
* Averted in ''Film/ThirteenDays''. The Hot Line did not exist at the time (in fact it was created as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis), with messages going by coded telegram This resulted (as in the film), in the US spending 12 hours decrypting Khrushchev's offer to remove the missiles in return for the US not invading Cuba. While doing that, a second message arrived, being more threatening, demanding that the US remove missiles from Turkey in exchange for the USSR doing the same in Cuba. [=ExComm=] thought about it, accepted the first offer and accepted the second discreetly later.
* In ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', Hadley answers a red phone and is told that [[PlotTwist the sacrifice didn't go exactly as planned.]] [[spoiler: Their failure results in the destruction of all life as we know it.]]

* The live-action Series/{{Batman}} show had a hotline connecting Commissioner Gordon's office to Bruce Wayne's study (Of course, Gordon didn't know where Batman's end of the line was located).

** In "The Impossible Astronaut", River comments that the functions within the souped-up spacesuit have a communication suite that link up directly to the highest authority it can find, giving the little girl [[spoiler: River as a child]], a hotline to the White House.

* In ''{{Webcomic/Blindsprings}}'' Asher Thorne, the Prime Minister of Kirkhall, is shown [[http://www.blindsprings.com/comic/blindsprings-page-two-hundred-and-thirty-nine to have one]] that he uses to call up Master Lumen, the controller of the [[WasOnceAMan Gravers]].

* The mayor of Townsville has a hotline to ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' that goes to phones in both their bedroom and the school they attend.

Nowadays, after the Cold War, the Hot Line trope is more likely to be used between the UltimateAuthorityMayor or other ReasonableAuthorityFigure and a local superhero. Expect a CatchPhrase, often along the lines of [[ToTheBatNoun "To the TropeMobile!"]]

* The mayor of Townsville has a hotline to ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' that goes to phones in both their bedroom and the school the attend.

This trope also includes examples of custom-installed communication lines from one important character to another.