# First appearance in a movie of a- **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 25, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146 "2023-04-25T01:58:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/1 "2023-04-25T01:58:02Z")
What is the oldest movie that depicted someone using a silencer on a gun? I would have thought it went back at least as far as the 1940s film noir potboilers, if not even further to the classic 30’s “gangster” films. But I haven’t found anything more recent than the 1960s. Can anyone improve on that? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/2 "2023-04-25T02:17:59Z")
1962s Manchurian Candidate might be the first. They explained the device as if it wasn’t something people were use to seeing in movies. I might as well be the first to mention that silencers don’t really work like they’re shown in movies. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/3 "2023-04-25T02:35:54Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > 1962s Manchurian Candidate might be the first. [1962’s Dr. No, though.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YELwJtgDkO8) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/4 "2023-04-25T02:41:51Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I might as well be the first to mention that silencers don’t really work like they’re shown in movies. There’s a whole Tropes page just for that: [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HollywoodSilencer](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HollywoodSilencer) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/5 "2023-04-25T15:41:48Z")
I have not actually seen this movie, but possibly: [So Goes My Love (1946)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038959/reference/), a biopic (such as they were back then) of Hiram Maxim, gun silencer pioneer. ETA: The original working title was “Genius in the Family.” ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/6 "2023-04-25T16:11:17Z")
I remember watching a 1950’s era Soviet movie about WWII that depicted the use of a Bramit suppressor on a Mosin Nagant rifle. But for the life of me I can’t remember which movie that was now. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/7 "2023-04-25T16:20:39Z")
The Guns of Navarone (1961) features someone armed with the suppressed version of the STEN gun. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/8 "2023-04-25T22:47:01Z")
Just wanted to point out that the title of this thread is [**First appearance in a movie of a -**](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146) So it doesn’t have to be limited to silencers. What’s a prop/costume/career that’s common now, but not in the past (and where DID they start showing that?). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-appearance-in-a-movie-of-a/983146/9 "2023-04-25T23:05:25Z")
> [@digs](#): > > So it doesn’t have to be limited to silencers. > **[Sharktopus (TV Movie 2010) ⭐ 3.2 | Action, Adventure, Comedy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1619880/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_3_nm_0_q_sharktopuys)** > > 1h 29m | TV-14 First - but not the last - appearance in a movie of a sharktopus.