Another dog cliche’ that seemed so common on 60s/70s TV was the only sound the dog would make was plaintive whining. Probably dubbed in.
This isn’t a dealbreaker cliché, but it’s still a dealbreaker:
“He’ a wiseass.”
“More like a smartass.”
Click. Next.
“I know we’ve just gotten divorced and you’re the lead detective on a developing serial killer case with the clock running out on the latest captive victim, but it’s Ellie’s first grade bassoon recital tomorrow. It would mean a lot to her if you could come.”
“I’ll be there. I promise.”
Shows up late for recital, stands at the back. Takes a phone call: serial killer is on the steps of city hall holding a chainsaw to the victim’s neck.
Makes eye content with his wife, points to phone, mouths “Gotta go–work!”
Wife shoots him a look of angry disappointment, shakes her head and silently cries.
It’s been a long time since we wrote “Finish” stories, in which people got a story started and everyone added to it. But I think it would be fun to have such a story started. One character MUST be a cop who is just before retiring.
But a real hero will get to city hall, save the girl, disarm and handcuff the serial killer and make witty remark to Commissioner who threatened to fire him, al in time to be back at the recital just as his daughter is finishing up her piece, so that when wife turns to look despairingly at blank space where he previously was, to her surprise and joy …
Anything including wild horses which has a shot of a horse rearing and pawing the air, accompanied by a shrill whinnying sound.
In TV sitcoms, young, single people and couples without kids always live in apartments, whether they live in a major city or tiny rural town (like Schitt’s Creek). And families with kids always live in single family houses.
A town like Schitt’s Creek would be highly unlikely to have multi-story apartment buildings with interior hallways like how Stevie’s apartment was portrayed. If anything maybe there’d be an apartment on the second floor of the cafe or general store, or a room above someone’s garage. But rents are probably cheap enough there that she could afford a small house. Or mobile home. Or, it was pretty common for older family run motels to have an apartment behind or above the office where the owner’s family lived. In exterior shots the Schitt’s Creek Motel clearly has a second story above the office. If it were a real motel that’s probably where the apartment would be. In reality Stevie would probably be the one living at the motel.
Another that I’m sure has been mentioned in other threads, but I don’t think here.
Middle-ages, fantasy, etc. battles often involve two armies with swords and stuff mixing and then a bunch of one-on-one fighting between guys with melee weapons. No organization, formations, coordinated movement, or anything like that. Maybe an arrow barrage or two before the big charge, but then just a whole lot of single combat.
It’s my understanding, and I’m not a military historian, I just watched a bunch of History channel in the 90s, that usually in those types of melee battles the first army that broke formation was the one that lost. The army that stayed coordinated, with soldiers supporting each other, and presenting a coherent fighting force were far more successful.
Where it breaks me out of the story is I just start thinking about how one decent military commander and some well trained and disciplined soldiers could wipeout the Nilfgaard in an afternoon.
Oh this is a fantastic post you made! I’ve noted that too. Now sometimes there are exceptions, but not too oftern.
Did you see Spartacus, with Kirk Douglas? One does see some depiction of Roman formation fighting in that movie. And the slave army, while trying to get itself together, knew they would have good opponents and worked to get organized. But in the end they simply didn’t have the training.
One of the things I liked about the Hawkeye series on Disney is that his wife supported him. Rather than accusing him of not loving his family enough or otherwise nagging Hawkeye, she supported him because even knowing he might miss Christmas.
Would it be against the spirit of the thread to include plot points rather than just dialogue?
Isn’t that what Titus Pullo got in trouble for in the first episode of Rome? Breaking ranks and engaging in personal combat?
There’s a reason some authors like to kick Roman legions into outer space or fantasy realms.
Gawd, I wish that series had had more seasons.
Plus they were overwhelmed by the extra forces Crassus brought into play after the first clash.
I was impressed by their showing a large army doing formation in that film. Although if you really want to be impressed by pre-CGI army formations, have a look sometime at the Russian version of War and Peace
I have heard about it but have not had the chance to see it. I should try harder to get it.
The cinema on Market Square in Cambridge, England, showed War and Peace at the end of every quarter back in the '70s. It would start at midnight and end around eight hours later. (You could drive all the way to Scotland in that amount of time.)
I sat through it three times while I was living there and would always start nodding off around 04:00, just when the Battle of Borodino starts. I would be jolted awake by the entire French cavalry charging down on me on the wide screen!
Is is worth watching on a regular TV screen? As I said, I do wan’t to see it, especially after seeing three or four clips.
It’s hardly the same, believe me. The wide screen images are incredible.
It’s early Wednesday evening and I just saw that early Thursday(2:30AM) War and Peace is going to ne on, the whole thing. I may stay up to see part of it. If I’d known sooner I could have adjusted my sleep schedule for it, but at this point I don’t think I could do the whole thing.
I hope you have a big screen TV! 
I wish I did. It’s ordinary size, not small but not huge. 
At least no commercials, it’s on TCM.