# Films/TV Based Very Loosely On Real-Life Incidents **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848 "2005-01-09T05:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/1 "2005-01-09T05:02:53Z")
On a **Star Trek** board which I frequent, I made mention of the fact that the original series episode, _The Enterprise Incident_ is very very loosely based on (inspired by) “The Pueblo Incident,” the real-life capture of an American Naval vessel by the North Koreans in January 1968. So, can you think of other historical incidents that served as fodder for films and TV? I’m thinking of incidents like the one I mentioned, not films that are universally acknowledged to be based **directly** on real life, but rather ones loosely inspired by (possibly to avoid law suits and the paying of fees for rights, etc.). Hitchcock did a film sorta kinda barely based on Leopold and Loeb, the two killers from the 1920s, didn’t he? Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/2 "2005-01-09T05:18:22Z")
Well, there was _The Terminal_, which was _very_ loosely based on the story of [Merhan Karimi Nasseri](http://www.snopes.com/travel/airline/airport.htm) - although Nasseri reportedly was compensated. _Open Water_ takes off from the real-life premise that two scuba divers were stranded, but of course all we really know is they were never found. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/3 "2005-01-09T05:27:57Z")
I recall reading a news story in the mid-90s about an ambulance sent to pick up a deceased woman’s body. The drivers and EMTs were overcome by strange unidentified noxious fumes, or somesuch, emanating from the body. A few months later, I flipped past the **X-Files** and saw the incident thinly-fictionalized. FWIW, did they ever figure out what was emitting from the real-life unfortunate lady’s body? Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/4 "2005-01-09T05:31:07Z")
The Star Trek episode where the Romulans first appeared is a salute to _Run Silent, Run Deep_ which was based on a novel by a former sub commander during WW II and is supposed to contain accounts based on his experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/5 "2005-01-09T05:32:04Z")
"In 1994, thirty-one-year-old Gloria Ramirez, now known on the Internet as the “Toxic Lady”, was rushed to the emergency room of Riverside General Hospital in California… While drawing blood, a nurse noticed a strange, ammonialike odor and fainted. A doctor took a whiff of the syringe and also passed out. By the time the incident was over, four additional ER workers had fainted and twenty-eight other people were affected…" –from _The Real Science Behind The X-Files_, Anne Simon, Ph.D. Very, very weird stuff. I’ll try to find a link to see what’s up with her. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/6 "2005-01-09T05:33:22Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > "In 1994, thirty-one-year-old Gloria Ramirez, now known on the Internet as the “Toxic Lady”, was rushed to the emergency room of Riverside General Hospital in California… > > While drawing blood, a nurse noticed a strange, ammonialike odor and fainted. A doctor took a whiff of the syringe and also passed out. By the time the incident was over, four additional ER workers had fainted and twenty-eight other people were affected…" > –from _The Real Science Behind The X-Files_, Anne Simon, Ph.D. > > Very, very weird stuff. I’ll try to find a link to see what’s up with her. [**Cecil**](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_107.html) knows all. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/7 "2005-01-09T05:34:20Z")
Anal Star Trek Geek Mode: Actually, Paul Schneider, who wrote the episode (_Balance of Terror_) says he based it on **The Enemy Below**. Sadly, I’ve not seen either film. Nor have I read the novel(s) they were based on. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/8 "2005-01-09T05:34:58Z")
Update: from [this site](http://www.parascope.com/en/toxic1.htm), Gloria’s autopsy was inconclusive, and there’s still debate as to what caused the toxic fumes. Creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/9 "2005-01-09T05:36:05Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [**Cecil**](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_107.html) knows all. Arrrgh! I’m going to slink out of this thread now. _exits, tail between legs_ ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/10 "2005-01-09T05:47:03Z")
This technique is so well known in novel writing that there’s a name for it: [Roman a clef](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_a_clef). Quite a few movies use it. Law and Order actually runs ads that its plots are “ripped from the headlines.” Jacqueline Susann’s novel [Valley of the Dolls](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Dolls) and the movie that followed it were thinly veiled fictional accounts of real life celebrities’ lives, and led to similar books (and movies based on those books) by people like Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins. In short, there’s a TON of that stuff out there. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/11 "2005-01-09T05:51:13Z")
^^^Indeed. What are the more “fun,” interesting, or infamous ones? Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/12 "2005-01-09T06:10:02Z")
The Hitchcock film you’re thinking of is [_Rope_](http://imdb.com/title/tt0040746/). The Waltons series was supposed to be based on the experiences of one the producers growing up during the Depression. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/13 "2005-01-09T06:16:09Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > "In 1994, thirty-one-year-old Gloria Ramirez, now known on the Internet as the “Toxic Lady”, was rushed to the emergency room of Riverside General Hospital in California… > > . This led to a _Law and Order_ episode, as well. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/14 "2005-01-09T06:48:30Z")
There’s a movie called _Mockingbird Don’t Sing_\*, which is based on Genie. [Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=295923) my thread about Genie in GQ. I don’t want to repeat the story, so just check out the link if you’re interested. But, I don’t know how loosely based the movie is because I haven’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/15 "2005-01-09T16:35:07Z")
Weren’t the books that **Little House on the Prairie** was based on autobiographical? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/16 "2005-01-09T16:40:28Z")
^^Yes, semi, at least, though probably gussied up by Laura and her daughter when they wrote them. But the show was clearly based on these, and credited them. What I’m looking for is more like taking a real-life Cold War incident and turning it into an episode of an SF program, or taking the death of an unfortunate woman and making it the plot of an SF or lawyer show. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/17 "2005-01-09T22:32:55Z")
_Murder On The Orient Express_ - there is a backstory to the incident on the train, a tale of kidnap and murder - which appears to be inspired by the Lindberg baby. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/18 "2005-01-09T22:45:11Z")
A famous one is **The Fugitive** (both series and the movie) being somewhat based on the infamous Sam Shepherd (or was it Shepard?) case. A supposed intruder wearing a bright red wig who supposedly killed Mrs Shepherd becomes an intruder with one arm who did kill Mrs. Kimble, etc. I always thought this one was close enough for Sam to sue over. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/19 "2005-01-09T23:30:54Z")
There are so many! “The Godfather” alone is filled with characters who are thinly disguised versions of real people (Moe Greene = Bugsy Siegel, Johnny Fontaine = Frank Sinatra, etc.) and stories/subplots based on either real events or rumored events involcing real people. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848/20 "2005-01-10T00:03:29Z")
I’m amazed no one’s brought up Ed Gein. Robert Bloch’s story, _Psycho_ (which became the Hitchcock movie) was inspired by the Ed Gein murders and the lurid stories that came out after Gein’s arrest. Another movie, \*Deranged!, \* with Roberts Blossom, actually comes closer to the facts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-tv-based-very-loosely-on-real-life-incidents/283848.md?page=2)