I just learned that Back Stabbersis a real song, not something a character on Cold Case wrote. It made me think of Sam, from Quantum Leap, being behind the name Misfits.
Any other characters who are taking credit/blame for the work or actions of real people?
The Enterprise episode “Carbon Creek” not withstanding, Vulcans did not invent Velcro.
Not an invention but Marty McFly did not write “Johnny B Goode”.
Not an inventor but an example that I saw yesterday. On the new series Wicked City, one of the characters is described as the detective who solved the Hillside Strangler case.
Does the Op allow for things like Otto Titzling, the supposed inventor of the Brassiere?
His name, AFAIK, first appears in the book Bust Up! The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling in 1971, credited to Wallace Reyburn. With a title like that, it’s hard to believe anyone took it seriously, but apparently they did. The name appeared in an Trivial Pursuit clue, in Playboy (IIRC), and in a song performed by Bette Midler in Beaches. I’m sure Bette didn’t believe it, but couldn’t resist. The Wikipedia entry lists other references I hadn’t heard of.
http://www.alibris.com/Bust-Up-Story-of-Otto-Titzling-Wallace-Reyburn/book/13180172
Reyburn is also credited with the 1969 book Flushed with Pride, about how Thomas Crapper supposedly invented the flush toilet. Crapper was a real plumbing manufacturer (I’ve seen one of his toilets), but the use of “Crap” long predates him.
There’s Tim Robbins character in the Hudsucker Proxy who invents the hula hoop. “You know, for kids.”
Romy and Michele did not invent Post-Its.
Don Draper and the Coke commercial.
A Romulan did not write “Hamlet”.
Kilgore Trout did not write any of the works he is credited with (in spite of what Phillip Jose Farmer (and to a lesser extent Kurt Vonnegut) would have you believe).
Aliens had nothing to do with the construction of tombs in Egypt and South America (although there is a parking garage in Detroit that I think they may have been involved with.
Philo T. Farnsworth did not have anything to do with the invention of the television (the name is just too bogus).
Sam also invented the Heimlich maneuver (he performed it to save someone’s life in front of Dr. Heimlich), inspired a young Woody Allen to write Play it Again Sam, invented Trivial Pursuit, wrote the lyrics for Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue,” taught Chubby Checker to dance the twist and Michael Jackson to moonwalk, and gave Sylvester Stallone the idea for Rocky.
In Sneakers, one of the crew was the inventor of Napster, but had the code stolen from him while he was taking a nap.
Robert Wagner’s character in Stars and Stripes Forever did not invent the Sousaphone.
Forrest Gump did not invent the “have a nice day” t-shirt, nor the “shit happens” bumper sticker.
Or, “It’s Toasted”. Or coining the term “Carousel” for the slide projector.
I think it was in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, not Sneaker, that a character claimed to have invented Napster.
In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Judge Doom invented the freeway. (“Traffic jams will be a thing of the past!”)
Roxy the grim reaper in Dead Like Me invented legwarmers; her best friend murdered her and stole the credit.
Not quite the same thing, but Arthur Dent was the guy that urban legends actually happen to.
Of course not. It was a Klingon. :dubious:
In a special case, Don Ameche invented the telephone. He was playing Alexander Graham Bell, but Ameche’s name became attached to the invention, so much so that it was common slang of the era to say, “I need to use the Ameche” and people would know what you meant.
In The Wild Wild West (TV show), Dr. Miguelito Loveless invented television and the airplane.
Just in case anyone gets confused, this isn’t a reference to Futurama, but to the actual inventor of TV (who was indeed Philo T. Farnsworth).
The same Farnsworth also invented a tabletop fusion device. It’s not a practical power source, but it does actually fuse hydrogen into helium, and is sometimes used for research purposes.