Anyone else blown away by this film?

Klute is actually a policeman - just one that's out of his jurisdiction. As for Cable finding Bree, there are quite a few long range "tracking shots" of her throughtout the film so I think the inference is that Cable simply follows her to Goldfarbs.

murray johnc,

Yes, absolutely. Reverse directories such as the "Haynes Criss+Cross (tm)" and similar directories from other publishers have been around for many decades in the US, going back at least to the 1940's to my knowledge. These directories were available on a subscription basis, updated quarterly, and were used by debt collection agencies, direct marketers, police departments, and private investigators (like me). Many public libraries also had reverse directories available in the reference section. You could look up listings by name (last name first, of course), address (which would show all listed telephone numbers/names at a given address [useful for apartments]), and by telephone number. Detectives often referred to the reverse directories as "blue books" because of the blue pages on which they were printed, and even used "blue-book" as a verb, as in, "hey dispatch, can you blue-book a number for me"? These directories were published on a citywide basis, just like conventional phone books; but as a subscriber, you could call the publisher during normal business hours, and have them look up a number or address for you in a different city. Another interesting aspect of reverse directories is that because they obtained their data from the phone companies, non-published and unlisted numbers did not appear.

A similar product available during those halcyon days long before the Internet was the "city directory", which DID contain most non-published and unlisted telephone numbers, along with a virtual goldmine of information, including names all adult members (and sometimes even children) in the household, plus the occupation and employer of employed adults in the household. How did they get all this sensitive information? They asked for it! City Directory publishers sent armies of canvassers door to door, who either charmed or cajoled most people into willingly giving up all this very personal information, even those people who had actually paid an extra fee to the telephone company to have their number non-published or unlisted!

As to your main question, it's been a long time since I've seen "Klute", but I would speculate that after he got the forwarding number, he called a little known number available to phone company technicians (and wily investigators/detectives) called a "CNA" line. If you had the number, you would simply call it up, impersonate a telco employee, and ask the operator at the other end for a CNA (Customer Name and Address) for the number in question, e.g., "Hi, this is Jim Bob at frames. I need a CNA on 212-555-XXXX". You might occassionally be asked for an employee number (always a 5 digit number back in those days), and you could usually make one up and still get the information. The trick is that the operator didn't actually have a way of verifying your bona fides, she (always "she" back then) wanted to see if you would come back with it immediately or choke on your reply. The great thing about CNA lines is that they were always up to date.

In another classic movie of the era, "Three Days of the Condor", Robert Redford's character played the dialed number portion of a tape from a wiretap back to a semi-automated system to first decode the DTMF (touch tones) digits dialed, and then spoke to an operator to obtain the CNA. This system was operated not by the telephone company, but by "THE Company", the CIA.

Sure, reverse directories have been around for as long as the regular kind. I think they're called criss-cross directories.

Speaking of reverse directories, it reminds me of the scene in L.A. Confidential when Kevin Spacey as Jack Vincennes asks the assistant, Ginger, to look up a number in the reverse (or criss-cross?) directory for him.

:-)

This is one of my (if not my absolute favorite) favorite movies. i love the seventies and it's films (even though i wasn't born yet) and this definately is top of the line and underappreciated. i was blown away by pretty much everything, the performances, the direction (pakula deserves way more credit) and the cinematography, it's dark yet incredibly unique. i've seen it countless times and have yet to tire of it. i personally paid more attention to the lovestory than the thriller portion of it, it's complex and makes you think (which makes some parts all the more better), unlike the cliche's of today's lovestories. and in some cases seeing it can make you think about a lot of things, love, sex, isolation, can you name any other movies that can do that so well? i didn't think so. why can't they make them like this anymore?
want to know what really sucks though? i can't buy the dvd because i'm underage.mpaa-goddamned hyppocrite squares!
hehehe.

i once fought an elephant in my pajamas, how it got in my pajamas i don't know.

It's great to see that so many of you adore this film, as I do. I was in high school when it came out--it's one of many R-rated films I snuck into as a 15-year-old. That was such an incredible time in movies--MASH, Klute, French Connection, The Godfather--Hollywood was just starting to release major studio films that were irreverent, gritty, sexually frank, sometimes shockingly violent (for the time)--breaking new ground with works that are now considered classics. The New York of Klute is another aspect I love. Its presence is as strongly felt as any character's--its squalor, danger, luridness all add an unnerving atmosphere & implicit threat of violence. The acting's superb & subtle, the score spare and effective (I especially love the smoky "love theme"), and yes--sadly, they just don't make them like this anymore.

I like your enthusiasm for this movie, but how can it be a tribute to the '70s if the movie was made right at the start of that decade

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

Just watched this film recently and yes, I was pleasantly pleased. I will definitely be buying on DVD..Jane Fonda's portrayal on a call girl made it feel down to earth and realistic. Loved the music, atmosphere and attention to detail. And while some folks dislike her hair in this picture, I disagree, I think it's very modern and sexy!

"When you're slapped you'll take it and like it."