Why is an amount of money never mentioned in films/TV, but rather it is avoided by being written down or said over a silent phone line or something like that? This is a convention that irritates me a lot.
Counter-examples gratefully appreciated.
“I want my $2!” from Better off Dead.
Is this a serious thread or am I being whooshed?
No, she’s right. When it’s really huge sums of money, I’ve noticed that they’ll write it down or talk around it, but never come out and say it. Or at least that’s what they used to do. I just assumed it had something to do with the amount seeming dated due to inflation in later years.
“One Millll-ion dollars.”
I actually thought of that one right after posting the thread.
I guess I am thinking about more mundane situations with (large amounts of) money - hiring someone for example, or writing someone a cheque (I’ve seen it on ‘Murder One’ and ‘The Ninth Gate’ in the past two days).
It probably is something to do with worrying about the ‘one million!!! dollars’ inflation problem, but the coyness about it is just strange. So I guess counter-examples I’m looking for would be non-humorous examples of actual numbers being stated in those type of situations.
Afraid of bugs?
I’m guessing it’s caution and/or laziness on the part of the writer. If an actual dollar amount is named (especially, but not only, if the writer hasn’t taken care to make sure it’s an appropriate amount), there’s a good chance that some viewers will think, “That’s awfully high (or low)! I wonder what the significance of that is.”
My theory is that it’s to give the movie or show a longer shelf life. If the amount is mentioned it could take you out of the story as you think “really? $200k for that? When was this made?”
I remember as a kid asking my parents why this happened. Their explanation was exactly this–when you’re just supposed to understand it’s a large sum or something, if they actually named the amount it may not express the same thing years later (see also: “One Meel-yion Dollars!”). The exact amount of the ransom or sale price doesn’t really matter, and being specific may be a problem in future viewing.
Amounts are often mentioned in films and TV.
From Seinfeld seasons 1-3:
Jerry offers Elaine $50 to steal an egg roll.
Jerry pays a hooker $50.
Jerry attempts to sell Elaine his couch for $150.
Jerry gives Elaine $182 as a gift.
A woman steals George’s $350 suit.
The cable guys ask Jerry for $400.
George buys a $600 sweater marked down to $85.
Jerry writes a check for $875 to cover the damage to Becky’s car.
George guesses that Jerry paid $1,000 for a jacket.
Jerry hides $1,500 in his laundry.
Jerry’s rental car has $2,866 of damage.
Jerry’s investment “fluctuates” by $4,000.
Jerry loans Elaine $5,000 to get an apartment that rents for $400 a month.
A painting of Kramer sells for $5,000.
Elaine says her brother-in-law almost lost $15,000 by saying something he shouldn’t have.
Kramer estimates a library fine at $50,000 - $100,000.
Kramer says adult diapers are a $600 million a year industry.
That’s true but when it comes to salaries or wages specific amounts are rarely if ever mentioned, especially on UK TV.
Well, duh. That’s because you guys are socialists. I didn’t think you even had salaries.
I agree money is often not mentioned. In a Friends episode, Chandler writes down the amount of money he has available to pay for a wedding and it is understood to be a lot.
I remember in an old Mary Tyler Moore episode, Lou accidently lets slip that Ted makes $30,000 a year as a news anchor. The audience actually gasps, and Murray rips the pocket off Ted’s blazer when he finds out he makes that much money. It seems a tad dated nowadays, but not nearly as much as the clothes and hair.
In the case of salaries, I don’t think the reticence is strictly about not wanting to date a series (as madmonk28 illustrates, a series will inevitably become dated for other reasons).
Stating how much money a character makes gives the audience a reason not to identify with that character, either because the character makes so much money he or she can’t possibly have the same problems as the viewer, or they make so little money they’re obviously a loser. Most people tend not to discuss their salaries in real life in part for the same reason.
Another reason could be that many TV characters could not afford the kind of lifestyles they’re depicted as leading on realistic salaries, so it’s best to leave them undefined. (How did the Bundys afford that house on a shoe salesman’s salary?)
But I think overall the coyness about discussing dollar amounts is exaggerated. You notice when people conspicuously avoid saying an amount, but not so much when they casually mention it in conversation. In the same way, people notice when there is a baguette sticking out of a grocery bag and then start claiming that there’s always a baguette in the groceries.
Similar on the episode of The Golden Girls where Blanche considers selling the house. They never say what amount was offered except that the first offer ‘more than she thought the house was worth’ and the second offer was double that.
It was mentioned once that both Archie Bunker and Homer Simpson made 5 dollars an hour.
Many people do, however, discuss salaries with spouses and partners which is something we seldom witness on TV.
That’s always been my take on the matter.
A good example is the late 1970s movie, “Heaven Can Wait”, when the rich guy who’s body was inhabited by the recently deceased football player played by Warren Beatty, purchased the Los Angeles Rams for what was then the absolutely ridiculous and hilarious amount of $30 million. (I’m going from memory, so if that figure isn’t correct, well, ok). With the price of NFL teams now in the $500 M range, that $30M amount seems quaint.
Let’s not forget the old TV series “The Millionaire” in which an anonymous benefactor gave individuals a vast sum of… you guessed it.
On the “Rockford Files” didn’t he seem to mention his rate a lot? I still remember it. $500 a day, plus expenses.
Since he definitely wasn’t rich (lived in a trailer) I think it was intended to remind the viewer that Rockford didn’t really work all that much since that was a pretty high rate.