# Mean Mr. Mustard’s List of Original (I believe) Cinematic Sure Things **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies, chess\ **Created:** [January 10, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911 "2024-01-10T19:19:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/121 "2024-01-19T22:37:56Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > And when two spacecraft encounter each other, they’re both oriented on the same horizontal and vertical axes, just as if the were ships meeting in an ocean. Ah, yes, the Flat Galaxy Theory. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/122 "2024-01-20T00:08:15Z")
If the documentary’s soundtrack features gentle circus waltzes, they were heavily influenced by Errol Morris If _Green Onions_ by Booker T and the MGs, everyone in the scene is bone-cool, baby. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/123 "2024-01-20T01:18:40Z")
**Trivia challenge:** In what movie released in 1973 does “Green Onions” precede a drag race? ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/124 "2024-01-20T06:23:04Z")
“American Graffiti “ ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/125 "2024-01-20T06:43:48Z")
**Labdad** beat me to it. But yes, that’s my answer too. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/126 "2024-01-20T14:33:49Z")
If the main character in a horror movie is suddenly attacked and mortally wounded by the Evil Thing early in the movie, it’s 99% sure to be not a crazy plot twist, but just a nightmare the main character wakes up from, bolting upright in bed with a scream. Psych! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/127 "2024-01-20T14:44:02Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > “American Graffiti “ Not in the cast of American Graffiti, but the carhop in its TV incarnation Happy Days was Beatrice Colen. She was the granddaughter of playwright and Algonquin Roundtable member George S. Kaufman. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/128 "2024-01-20T19:52:38Z")
… And _ **American Graffiti** _ is correct. Well done! 👍 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/129 "2024-01-20T19:57:53Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **Trivia challenge:** The “007” insert in _ **Goldfinger** _ replaced the original shot. Before the substitution, what was the number on the readout of the nuclear device? > > ( **NB:** The corresponding line of dialogue was not changed. Few people noticed because the audiences were laughing over the readout.) No takers for this one? Watch the scene in the movie and you’ll know the answer! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/130 "2024-01-21T03:03:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **rivia challenge:** The “007” insert in _ **Goldfinger** _ replaced the original shot. Before the substitution, what was the number on the readout of the nuclear device? Had to be “002”, since Bond says something about “a couple more ticks” before the bomb went off. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/131 "2024-01-21T03:07:50Z")
Close, but no cigar. ☹ The line is “Three more ticks and Mr Goldfinger would have hit the jackpot.” So the number was “003.” Either one of the producers or the director (I don’t remember which) couldn’t resist changing it to “007.” The interior of the device, like that of “Fort Knox” itself, was purely imaginary. They were the work of production designer Ken Adams, who had been ordered to create a “cathedral of gold” because the US government wouldn’t supply any details about the construction of the facility. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/132 "2024-01-21T10:14:40Z")
Only evil geniuses listen to classical music. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/133 "2024-01-21T17:59:39Z")
In any car chase or exciting auto race, standard shift cars only shift back toward the driver - which immediately gives them a turbo boost of speed, even if they’re already in fifth gear. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/134 "2024-01-22T02:33:46Z")
If a female character is doing her makeup while looking into a mirror affixed to a bathroom cabinet, she will swing it open and the mirror will reveal either a masked intruder, her evil estranged husband, or a monster. ---
**Author:** ![truthseeker3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@truthseeker3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthseeker3)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/135 "2024-01-23T13:18:58Z")
If you are seeking treasure - and what world-famous document would be complete without a cryptic map written in invisible ink? - you will need to retrieve a clue from a peculiar statue or gnarly tree. When you find it, the person least invested in the project must stand a short distance away - ideally, tossing a few witty barbs at the rest of the team - so that when the mechanism (which will remain undisturbed and perfectly balanced, regardless of how many rival treasure-seekers and intervening years there might be) is finally located, the MacGuffin will roll neatly to their feet. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/136 "2024-01-23T22:07:58Z")
> [@truthseeker3](#): > > If you are seeking treasure - and what world-famous document would be complete without a cryptic map written in invisible ink? - you will need to retrieve a clue from a peculiar statue or gnarly tree. Yeah, that idea of a clue leads to another clue, which lead to yes another- etc- doesnt gel with me, since at least one of those clues will have gone bye-bye. In National Treasure- the very first clue- the frozen ship- the chances of finding that is tiny. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/137 "2024-01-27T03:26:58Z")
If the main character is a recovering alcoholic, they will relapse at some point. This will usually involve lying to a close loved one and having their lie and relapse discovered by said loved one. The response of the significant other / close friend / family member will usually be something along the lines of “I would have been ok with it if you just hadn’t lied to me,” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/138 "2024-01-27T12:13:22Z")
Anyone lighting a cigarette will cup their hand around the flame to shield it, whether or not there is a breeze. This sometimes happens even while indoors. mmm ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/139 "2024-01-28T01:56:41Z")
Caught the end of “Back to the Future 3” and another sure thing is that if a car/person/other object of importance is hit/demolished by a train, the train will not slow down or stop in any way, shape or form. ---
**Author:** ![truthseeker3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@truthseeker3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthseeker3)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/140 "2024-01-29T00:31:54Z")
I might have to play cinematographer’s advocate here. A quick google search says that trains typically weigh between 4,000 tons and 20,000 tons, while SUVs typically weigh 2-3 tons - meaning that even a relatively small train outweighs a large SUV by a factor of a thousand. That’s roughly equivalent to a small car running over a squirrel. Having a fully loaded freight train basically not notice anything smaller than a semi is not particularly unrealistic. And those suckers don’t exactly stop on a dime either. Then again, if you object to fully loaded freight trains barreling through densely populated metropolitan areas at top speed, I’ll let you have it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911.md?page=8)