"Time-Traveler" Cell Phone Likely a 1924 Hearing Aid

Charlie Chaplin's "The Circus" (YouTube)

NEW YORK (CBS) Do you want to believe?

An Irish filmmaker says he's convinced that footage from a 1928 Charlie Chaplin film shows a woman talking on a cell phone - and that after considering all the possibilities the only one that stands up to reason is that the woman is a time traveler from the future.

The video has gone viral, viewers are now deciding for themselves, and many have taken to picking apart George Clarke's earnest declaration that the lady in that DVD footage of "The Circus" is sporting an iPhone or Droid.

Watch the video below.

The most popular theory right now is that she's holding an early hearing aid - yes they did exist in 1928. Check out the people in this "history" page on Siemens' website using a "compact, pocket sized carbon microphone/amplifier device," developed in 1924.

And if it is a cell phone, who is she talking to? It's not like there were other people with cell phones, right? Or is the cell signal traveling back to the future through time and space, so she can tell everyone how great it is in 1928?

[bgmk321]

i have this as my facebook pic saw this vid about 2 years ago it is not faked she is unnoing take here ic is being taking

[abystudio]

I think that just like in the movies today, that artifacts that are part of a production, trying to
take a message and futuristic fiction, why is strange to see that in the movies of yesteryear producers did the same, using appliances in production for the viewer's mind will fly the imagination? That's what you see in the movie, an artifact like everything that is part of that production. It's not that the lady is a time traveler or extraterrestrial, is only artifacts of produccion.

[CommonCog]

whoever starred in this video is a jackass. if he truly believe it himself he wouldn't be showing this Sasquatch of a film strip where every time it zooms in its already fading and or panning out. heres some advice, PAUSE the film right as you close up; and watch her demeanor. and if it was a phone, her hand wouldnt be clenched over and around the phone/mic because any wireless phone call being made in the past is clearly going to have some clarity issues. thanks for wasting our time, jackass.

[The-Judge-007]

It is funny how people will dismiss this because there are no cell towers. You think if time travel was possible, there might be other advances in technology. That's like someone in the 1950's dismissing cell phones because they have no wire attached to them.

[LWITH1600]

In 1928 did they have any sort of recording device? Maybe this person is talking into a recorder, is that at all possible?

[carlosugarte]

Come on guys , how can he talk on a cel phone in 1920 where there is no wirless towers, centrals, transmission equipment, etc. stop dreaming and start living

[chickenonastick]

if your a time traveler then when will the war end? or whats the exact date time traveling will be made and by who?

[crow1701]

Along with the IPhone, there must be a time traveling tower to run it

[ontheleft]

I agree with others that it must be an iPhone she's using because of the way she's holding it. Also, you can clearly see the outline of a digital camera in her coat pocket.

[timetraveller2110]

This video is not a hoax, I am from your future and i know this is to be true. This video is real and that woman is holding an iPhone, but it is not a woman holding it, its actually Steve Jobs in drag. This is part of a demonstration that will take place in January 2011 at the next big product launch. They will be introducing a new technology to enable time travel called iTime. I'm actually using this technology to post this message into the past. Want to change history and monkey with the space time continuum with potentially disastrous consequences? Theres an app for that!

[Alycat0330]

So you really are from the future are you? I got the I phone. where this do i get this app you shall be talking bout.

[Alycat0330]

Really?