My wife and I was actually in an elevator two years ago that had an elevator operator. It was very old and had one of those scissor doors. The control was a sliding lever with "up" and "down". On our way down the operator remarked how while the elevator was very old it was still in great shape. I quipped that I hoped that went for the cables as well.
It's been a long time for me to have seen one. I remember the department stores operator would announce what was on each floor from the bargain basement upward for clothing, furniture, appliances, etc. He also had to jiggle it around to make sure the elevator was aligned exactly to the floor. They were just part of the passing scene, now gone forever.