# IMDB "Goofs" - who ARE these people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971 "2010-05-19T04:19:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/21 "2010-05-19T17:05:03Z")
I’ve corrected a goof - IMDB used to say that Jack Sparrow couldn’t have slid down the rope in the first \*\*Pirates \*\*movie as his hands were chained together. Not so - the movie very clearly shows him holding his wrists together to double up the chain, then he tosses the doubled up chain over the rope and catches it in his hands, then slides down the rope. I couldn’t stand to have an incorrect goof in there (especially because I was obsessed with the movie at the time), so I submitted a correction. My correction used to show up as an “Incorrectly regarded as” thingie, but now it’s been removed entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/22 "2010-05-19T17:23:47Z")
I occasionally notice “goofs” related to my profession (cook). For example, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Riker is cooking scrambled eggs for the other officers, it’s implied that cooking is a hobby of Riker’s. Yet I was completely distracted by the ridiculous way he was holding the wire whisk he was using to scramble the eggs. It wasn’t “wrong” per se, it was just extremely awkward, and an experienced cook wouldn’t hold it that way. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/23 "2010-05-19T17:26:42Z")
Quick question re: _Inglourious Basterds_: would it be a proper Goof solicitation if I posted that there was no effin’ way in hell that the Germans would have had a mere two guards for the entire place, and that instead there would have been at least an entire SS Regiment at (inside, outside) the theatre? Or is this just something I have to take on faith in the Tarantinoverse, and let it go? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/24 "2010-05-19T17:45:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Most of it is just how your personal knowledge of a subject comes into play. Exactly. For example, I’m a record collector. The presence of the _Let It Be_ LP in _Apollo 13_ or '70s Who reissues in _Quadrophenia_ may be utterly trivial anachronisms, but to me they stuck out like a sore thumb–I didn’t go looking for them. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/25 "2010-05-19T17:48:40Z")
Speaking of the Quadrophenia movie, I also noticed those reissue albums. Another thing I saw was a 70s era Camaro when the movie was set in the early 60s. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/26 "2010-05-19T17:52:42Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > For example, in Iron Man 2, Stan Lee is listed in the credits as “Himself” even though he shows up on screen as Larry King (with the suspenders and all). Not having seen the movie, I wonder how he is credited onscreen. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/27 "2010-05-19T17:55:52Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > I’ve never done it myself, but I believe it would be possible to submit your reasoning to turn this into an ‘incorrectly reguarded as goof’ entry - they add your reasoning to explain why this is not, in fact, a continuity error. > > If you actually care enough to go through that, of course. 😉 Once, several years ago, I submitted an “Incorrectly Regarded as Goof” to IMDb for _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_. Short Round wears a New York Giants baseball cap; somebody had mis-identified it as a Mets cap and listed it as an Anachronism. After I sent in my correction I checked periodically for, I don’t know, a year or so I guess. It didn’t get changed, and I eventually just sort of forgot about it. This thread reminded me of that, so I went and looked again. My correction is not there, but niether is the original “goof,” so I suppose that’s just as good. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/28 "2010-05-19T17:56:43Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Not having seen the movie, I wonder how he is credited onscreen. 😕 He’s credited onscreen as “Himself”. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/29 "2010-05-19T18:00:59Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > 😕 He’s credited onscreen as “Himself”. OK. I inferred from your message that you were referring to the IMDB credits, not what you had seen actually listed onscreen, since they’re not always the same. It’s fine where it is, and I’m not going to mess with it, but technically, this sort of discrepancy should be listed under the “crazy credits” entry. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/30 "2010-05-19T18:03:00Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > It’s fine where it is, and I’m not going to mess with it, but technically, this sort of discrepancy should be listed under the “crazy credits” entry. 😕 I’ve never seen a mistake in the credits listed under the Crazy Credits section. Shouldn’t, by definition, a mistake go under Goofs? ---
**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:** [May 19, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/31 "2010-05-19T18:12:08Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > 😕 I’ve never seen a mistake in the credits listed under the Crazy Credits section. Shouldn’t, by definition, a mistake go under Goofs? Think of it as a special subset of “Goofs.” One “classic” example is the movie “Gone With the Wind,” which in the onscreen credits have the Tarleton twins’ names flip-flopped. Brent is credited to George Reeves, and Stuart is credited to Fred Crane. However, when you see the scene in the movie, you can see that that is not correct. The IMDB guidelines refer to documenting the credit as it appears onscreen, which is not always correct–and supply correcting information as a trivia, goof, whatever item. At one time, the GWTW entry accurately reflected the inaccurate credit, but someone has changed it. However, they have left the “crazy credit” in place. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/32 "2010-05-19T18:26:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sometimes mistakes are just blatant. I don’t know about the milk bottle, nor do I care. But someone noticed it. Like when _Flight of the Intruder_ came out, the bar code on the _Flying_ magazine jumped out at me. (And I happened to have had that issue.) The first commercial use of a bar code didn’t happen until 1974, after the events of the film. I just happened to know that bar codes weren’t used then, and I happened to have that magazine; so it jumped out. Some people see things that jump out at them, and they have to make sure everyone knows they know. Hence, the ‘goofs’. > > Personally, I find many of them interesting. I like them too, but it is the “someone should be fired” crowd that spoil the fun a tad. > [@ftg](#): > > Note: I have never submitted a goof to IMDb but I have been seriously tempted on many occasions. > > Here’s a [recent example](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12438073&postcount=83) of the kinds of things I notice. (And I didn’t even bother to list Troy’s toothpick moving around too fast during the “Troy made God mad.” scene. That’s just too minor to care about.) > > I have been recently rewatching a TV series and have noticed a ton of goofs. Fewer than half are listed on IMDb and I only missed a few that are listed. Again, seriously tempted. > > As to the type of goof mentioned in the OP, I noticed in one episode of “Mad Men” that a kid had a comic book that I didn’t think had been published by that time frame. A quick check at Wikipedia confirmed this. I merely owned that comic and remembered how old I was when it came out, etc. It’s just a combo of personal experience and a good memory. That’s all. > > I am surprised at how some people don’t notice obvious things. E.g., a few years ago there was some back and forth with Roger Ebert in his “Answer Man” column about a weird reflection during the funeral scene in _The Godfather_. I noticed it years ago on first viewing. It’s as plain as day. And yet Ebert, who has seen the film many times still didn’t see it after it was pointed out to him! He denied it was there and had to be specifically directed to the exact moment where it occurs before he saw it. And this is a guy who watches movies for a living! > > Note that I _pay attention_ while watching TV and movies. E.g., I realized right away what was going on in the _The Sixth Sense_. Still an enjoyable movie. I have no idea how on Earth people thought this movie had a twist ending. At the very latest, what were these people thinking during the “I see dead people.” speech? Don’t they realize that the kid is saying this for a reason? Sheesh. **Pay attention**. > > You don’t really have to watch something multiple times to catch these. > > BTW: Goof in OP. It’s “IMDb” not “IMDB”. See, easy-peasy. People don’t like sitting next to you on airplanes, do they? 😛 > [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I occasionally notice “goofs” related to my profession (cook). For example, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Riker is cooking scrambled eggs for the other officers, it’s implied that cooking is a hobby of Riker’s. Yet I was completely distracted by the ridiculous way he was holding the wire whisk he was using to scramble the eggs. It wasn’t “wrong” per se, it was just extremely awkward, and an experienced cook wouldn’t hold it that way. This is kind of a non-goof. I love cooking, but I have no idea how to hold a whisk. There is a difference between being a hobbyist and being a trained culinary professional. Either way, it is virtually impossible to watch your own profession portrayed on screen. I am an attorney and I cannot stand watching legal shows or movies. I keep objecting for the characters. People tell me, “you should watch (legal program)!” and I politely decline. Drama always gets in the way of reality (the rules of civil/criminal procedure are NOT sexy), so you either avoid it or deal with it. I avoid it! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/33 "2010-05-19T18:42:15Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > 😕 He’s credited onscreen as “Himself”. I haven’t seen Iron Man 2 yet, so is he actually referred to in his scene in the movie as “Larry King”, or with some other name (other than his own), or does he just host a talk show where he appears to be imitating/spoofing Larry King? If it’s the latter, I’d say that isn’t a goof at all - if he wants to claim his character in the movie is himself, then that’s who it is. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/34 "2010-05-19T18:44:29Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I haven’t seen Iron Man 2 yet, so is he actually referred to in his scene in the movie as “Larry King”, or with some other name (other than his own), or does he just host a talk show where he appears to be imitating/spoofing Larry King? If it’s the latter, I’d say that isn’t a goof at all - if he wants to claim his character in the movie is himself, then that’s who it is. He plays Larry King and is referred to as such on screen. Why is this so hard to believe for everybody? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/35 "2010-05-19T18:45:21Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I occasionally notice “goofs” related to my profession (cook). For example, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Riker is cooking scrambled eggs… I was always amused that the burner Nelix used in _Star Trek: Voyager_ was off the aft-end of a GE J-85 turbojet engine. (I have one of those pieces.) He must have liked to cook over high heat! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/36 "2010-05-19T18:47:45Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Quick question re: _Inglourious Basterds_: would it be a proper Goof solicitation if I posted that there was no effin’ way in hell that the Germans would have had a mere two guards for the entire place, and that instead there would have been at least an entire SS Regiment at (inside, outside) the theatre? Or is this just something I have to take on faith in the Tarantinoverse, and let it go? I think you just have to take it on faith. I mean, you can certainly argue about it, but I don’t think it qualifies as a factual error, since the world of IG is clearly not our own. At best, if it had to be listed in IMDb, it would be under “Incorrectly regarded as goof:” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/37 "2010-05-19T18:51:12Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > He plays Larry King and is referred to as such on screen. > > Why is this so hard to believe for everybody? It’s not hard to believe at all; we just didn’t know. Thanks for clearing it up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/38 "2010-05-19T18:56:10Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Goofs: Unlike the book, the movie gives you no indication who the damn protagonist is. Funny, the title is _No Country for Old Men_, and I only counted one character who could conceivably described as an old man among the main characters. I knew exactly who the protagonist was. And I’ve submitted quite a few Goofs to IMDb. They usually get in. My Trivia submissions have a lesser track record. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/39 "2010-05-19T18:57:49Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It’s not hard to believe at all; we just didn’t know. Thanks for clearing it up. 🙂 You’re welcome, I just think this thread has turned into some kind of Abbott and Costello routine. **JB:** Stan Lee is credited as Himself but he’s really playing Larry King. **The Rest:** But what is he credited as? **JB:** Himself. **The Rest:** But who does he play? **JB:** Larry King. **The Rest:** Are you sure? **JB:** Third base! ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971/40 "2010-05-19T18:58:36Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It’s fun. I’ve caught a few myself (in **Remember the Titans** , when the team goes into the shotgun, someone says, “Who do they think they are, the New York Jets?” But no pro team, including the Jets, used the shotgun in the time frame of the movie, so it would not be recognized as a pro formation, nor as one the Jets used). You goofed on your goof. the shotgun was already a few years old when the Jets employed it in 1971 to try to protect Joe Namath’s knees. When did _Remember the Titans_ happen? 1971. They were contemporaneous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-goofs-who-are-these-people/539971.md?page=3)