“Genius on Hold" is a documentary film narrated by Frank Langella which recounts the epic story of engineering genius Walter L. Shaw. His inventions included the speakerphone, conference calling, call forwarding, touch tone dialing, and voice print recognition. The Bell Companies, one of the largest domestic corporations of his time and a monopoly-controlled telecommunications company, however, would attempt to make certain his revolutionary inventions would never see the light of day.
Shaw's quiet revolution against The Bell Companies helped bring down the telephone monopoly and release the stranglehold it had on American telecommunications for almost 100 years. However, Shaw’s recognition for his achievements still eluded him even after his death, never receiving recognition for his inventions which are used today by billions of people every day. His story and the documentary attempt to educate how corporate America can profit from someone's inventions, but not share their benefits with the creator.