# Blunt force trauma to the head=safe, where did this trope come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075 "2012-01-29T10:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/21 "2012-01-29T20:33:01Z")
My problem is the victim will not only wake up OK, but will remain asleep for exactly as long as needed. Need tem minutes to open a safe? No need to tie anyone up just bop them with a ten minute bop. As far the UFC, if you could visit a dressing room after a knock-out you would see lasting effects almost every time. My first coach kept his hotel address pinned to his gym bag so he would know where he was staying. He could function but usually could not remember where to go if he received a knock out. Dizzienss, memory loss, slow speech and vomiting can occur for hours. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/22 "2012-01-29T21:16:29Z")
Then there’s the [rear naked choke hold](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_naked_choke) (popularized by Jack Bauer on the TV series, 24), banned by most (all?) law enforcement because (ding ding ding) it’s not safe. [Don’t fight it!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVY6p4TjnsM) _This choke, in either the figure-four or clasped-hand variation, is an extremely dangerous technique if used thoughtlessly or improperly. When applied as a blood choke in particular, the brain is immediately deprived of oxygen, leading (as mentioned above) to unconsciousness and ultimately (if not released) to brain damage or death._ ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/23 "2012-01-29T21:22:44Z")
I don’t know where the trope comes from, but I did notice that poor Tintin got knocked out at least 5 times in his movie. Kid could really use an MRI. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/24 "2012-01-29T21:28:38Z")
People getting knocked out with [blackjacks](http://www.bladesandbows.co.uk/ekmps/shops/bladesbows/images/large-billy-blackjack-cosh-with-wrist-strap-552-p.jpg) was a comic book staple in the 1930s and 40s. Don’t know if it originated there or if they borrowed it from movies. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/25 "2012-01-29T22:05:49Z")
What ever happened to the good ol’ [judo chop](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHxgb9o0ALY)? It always worked for spies and private eyes in the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/26 "2012-01-30T03:51:55Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Remember that scene where Hamlet hit Ophelia on the head with a coconut and she woke up thinking she was Gertrude? Then they had to hit her on the head with \*another \*coconut. C’mon, don’t forget the details, like all the hilarious mixups while she was “Gertrude”… Elizabeth Satchell and Jean Simmons (and more recently Helena Bonham Carter) played up the slapstick aspects of the dual role. But Shakespeare should get the credit. He pulled out all the stops with these scenes, with Hamlet’s bumbling just making things worse. Keep in mind, it was Professor Rosencranz who realized that a second blow from a coconut was needed (nobody remembers this correctly, which makes it a great bar trivia topic). ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/27 "2012-01-30T04:03:04Z")
In the Doc Savage series, I think they used some sort of odorless nerve gas that was contained in glass ampoules that were in the crook of their arm. It only lasted a minute or so, enough for Doc Savage and the crew to get out of harm’s way. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/28 "2012-01-30T04:09:49Z")
Ive always had the same beef with how Hollywood bullets kill instantly in one shot no matter where they hit the target. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/29 "2012-01-30T04:17:58Z")
Can anyone find the scene in [Morons from Outer Space](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089622/)where they try and knock a guard unconscious? Best knock-out scene ever. Um… can anyone find someone else who remembers the movie? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/30 "2012-01-30T04:21:23Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Can anyone find the scene in [Morons from Outer Space](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089622/)where they try and knock a guard unconscious? Best knock-out scene ever. > > Um… can anyone find someone else who remembers the movie? I can remember at least one other scene mocking the “knock out the guards and steal their uniforms” cliche, where the guards emerge from the room after the struggle and our beat up protagonists follow 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/31 "2012-01-30T04:37:30Z")
> [@digs](#): > > C’mon, don’t forget the details, like all the hilarious mixups while she was “Gertrude”… Elizabeth Satchell and Jean Simmons (and more recently Helena Bonham Carter) played up the slapstick aspects of the dual role. > > But Shakespeare should get the credit. He pulled out all the stops with these scenes, with Hamlet’s bumbling just making things worse. Keep in mind, it was Professor Rosencranz who realized that a second blow from a coconut was needed (nobody remembers this correctly, which makes it a great bar trivia topic). While I agree with most if this cogent analysis, I feel you do a disservice to your scholarship by omitting to mention the vital role played throughout by the swanee whistle. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/32 "2012-01-30T16:23:45Z")
_Archer_ made fun of this trope. A character was conveniently knocked out for about 20 minutes. The rest of the episode had him complaining about all the doctor visits and MRIs he required. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/33 "2012-01-30T17:13:12Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I liked how TOS of Star Trek sort of played with this by giving Spock the “Vulcan Neck Pinch” which would be a pretty useful thing to have in real life, but is worthless in the Star Trek universe, since everyone else can basically do the same thing with a blow to the head. Or, more commonly, a tap on the back. > [@Peanuthead](#): > > What ever happened to the good ol’ [judo chop](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHxgb9o0ALY)? It always worked for spies and private eyes in the 1960s. Yes, that’s what I mean. > [@Spoke](#): > > I don’t know where the trope comes from, but I did notice that poor Tintin got knocked out at least 5 times in his movie. Kid could really use an MRI. Have you read the comics? He got knocked out all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/34 "2012-01-30T20:05:27Z")
In the short lived TV show _Sledge Hammer_, they parodied a scene from the movie _Witness_. One episode had Detective Hammer silently creeping up on someone in a farm setting. He hits the bad guy over the head with the butt of his pistol. Said bad guy reacts exactly like someone would in real life, he proceeds to scream and beg Hammer to not hit him again. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/35 "2012-01-30T20:13:29Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Or he’s hit in the back by a knife thrown from across the room, with the same result. > > A cliche that I like is in older movies and TV, especially 1940’s and 50’s: > > A guy is shot at very close range with a Colt .45. > > He does one sudden twitch, as if he’d been jabbed with a thumbtack, slowly collapses. In my childhood memories he might utter “Ya GOT me” before the collapse. > > . In his memoir _Quartered Safe Out Here_, author George MacDonald Fraser (of “Flashman” fame) wrote that when he was serving as a soldier in Burma in WW2, he once saw an example of someone behaving in real life exactly as one would expect from the then-current movies: a fellow soldier shot by the Japanese during an advance falls, rolling over and over, and exclaiming “they got me, the dirty rats got me!” ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/36 "2012-01-30T20:18:17Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Then there’s the [rear naked choke hold](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_naked_choke) (popularized by Jack Bauer on the TV series, 24), banned by most (all?) law enforcement because (ding ding ding) it’s not safe. [Don’t fight it!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVY6p4TjnsM) > > _This choke, in either the figure-four or clasped-hand variation, is an extremely dangerous technique if used thoughtlessly or improperly. When applied as a blood choke in particular, the brain is immediately deprived of oxygen, leading (as mentioned above) to unconsciousness and ultimately (if not released) to brain damage or death._ And that choke hold has saved the lives of more cops than you can imagine. But of course the powers that be have now decreed that it can’t be used. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/37 "2012-01-30T20:23:05Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > And that choke hold has saved the lives of more cops than you can imagine. I’d love to see stats on that one. ---
**Author:** ![Neo-Calredic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/96bed5/32.png) [@Neo-Calredic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neo-Calredic)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/38 "2012-01-30T20:29:14Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > And don’t forget it’s counterpart: getting stabbed in the abdomen with a knife causes the victim to grab the wound and collapse to his immediate death. This one drives me crazy. Protagonists can survive rifle shots to the torso in most movies, yet sticking a five-inch knife blade anywhere in a bad guy’s body is immediately fatal. Not sure why a much slower-knife blade is deadlier than a bullet… ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/39 "2012-01-30T20:30:32Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > In his memoir _Quartered Safe Out Here_, author George MacDonald Fraser (of “Flashman” fame) wrote that when he was serving as a soldier in Burma in WW2, he once saw an example of someone behaving in real life exactly as one would expect from the then-current movies: a fellow soldier shot by the Japanese during an advance falls, rolling over and over, and exclaiming “they got me, the dirty rats got me!” At least he fell and rolled. My shootees do a little hiccup twitch before going down like a slowly deflating balloon. . ---
**Author:** ![enigmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@enigmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigmatic)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075/40 "2012-01-30T20:31:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Or being shot in the shoulder and having no long term problems. I just started a website dedicated to this stuff, last two articles covered [shooting your characters](http://www.techtropes.com/writing-resources/how-to-shoot-characters) and [what doctors could plausibly do when things get weird](http://www.techtropes.com/writing-resources/heroic-interventions) I’ve not got round to head injuries yet, although the difficulty of rendering people unconcious _safely_ came up in the last article. Board veterans may also appreciate the [Death-ray](http://www.techtropes.com/writing-resources/death-rays-101-laser) article 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head-safe-where-did-this-trope-come-from/611075.md?page=3)