# Explain this movie cliche **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612 "2004-02-28T13:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/1 "2004-02-28T13:03:02Z")
You know the one, in a war/spy thriller we have a scene where a submarine or a group of special forces is lurking somewhere in the night. Along the bottom of the screen a note appears giving the time date and location (in the movie). As the message comes up each letter is accompanied by a small electronic bleep or a click. This seems to have appeared films from as far back as I can remember watching TV in the 80s and 90s. Where does it come from? Was this something that older computers did when they displayed information on screen? Cheers Pushkin ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/2 "2004-02-28T14:04:35Z")
Pretty much, yeah. Old computer consoles used to beep when they printed something to make sure that they got attention. The clicking is to emulate the old teletypes. They may also be trying to replicate modem noises. Besides, it sounds cool and all. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/3 "2004-02-28T14:13:20Z")
OMG. This question now officially makes me feel old at 32! 🙂 I’ve always taken this cliche so much for granted that I never figured you young’ens had no idea why they were what they were! ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/4 "2004-02-28T14:14:31Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Besides, it sounds cool and all. Doesn’t it 😃 Pushkin 1413 hrs In front of a computer screen (Insert your own clicks as appropriate when reading) ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/5 "2004-02-28T17:18:10Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > This seems to have appeared films from as far back as I can remember watching TV in the 80s and 90s. **GOLLY, way back in the 80’s and 90’s!** That was last century wasn’t it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/6 "2004-02-28T17:21:32Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > **GOLLY, way back in the 80’s and 90’s!** That was last century wasn’t it? 😃 Yeah, I’m getting old now. My sisters can’t even remember The Littlest Hobo when it was on TV 😛 ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/7 "2004-02-28T21:09:25Z")
**Pushkin** I’m old enough to remember **“The Littlest Hobo”** when it was a syndicated show in the mid 1960’s. I’ll bet you weren’t thinking of _that_ one were you? Now I feel very old. Sorry for the thread hijack but it was a story that had to be told. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy150](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@Crazy150](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy150)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-movie-cliche/231612/8 "2004-02-29T00:03:10Z")
Well, maybe it’s to make sure that people notice that somethings actually being written on the screen? You know that it would be a shame if people thought it was Central time, when it was actually Pacific…