# Something odd in Back to the Future TV airings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227 "2010-08-24T00:13:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/1 "2010-08-24T00:13:10Z")
I have already complained about editing out Doc getting shot and the word terrorist, but I can understand why it was done. But I don’t get this. On the DVD and Laserdisc (and VHS too I assume, but I haven’t checked) Jennifer’s phone number on the flyer is 555-4823 but on TV right now (on nick@nite) her phone number is 555-0123 I guess 555-4823 became a real number or something ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/2 "2010-08-24T00:20:55Z")
i don’t think any 555 number is real. that really is odd. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/3 "2010-08-24T01:00:45Z")
Did the original scene have a swear word in it or something else that might need to be edited out? Maybe they filmed an alternate scene w/o the part needing edited and that’s what the show on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/4 "2010-08-24T01:06:00Z")
4823 is probably her friend’s number. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/5 "2010-08-24T02:38:21Z")
I just compared my DVD to [this YouTube clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2zLXaA1J_4), and it’s indeed changed. I had a theory similar to **Bob Ducca** ’s (notice that they did alternate takes so “holy shit” could become “jeez louise,”), but all the handwriting is exactly the same, except for the 2 changed digits. Wikipedia led me to [this article](http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/06/technology/personal-555-number-is-still-mostly-fiction.html), which indicates that numbers above 555-0199 have been available for real since 1994, but are difficult to activate. > [@](#): > > And the numbers still work in movies and television shows, although when real-life assignments began nine years ago, only 100 numbers, from 555-0100 to 555-0199, were reserved for fiction. Recent films do not always heed the limits, but does it really matter if the cellphone number for Vin Diesel’s character in the 2001 film ‘‘The Fast and the Furious’’ (555-6439) is actually assigned to Katrina Contee of Maryland? Only one of them, the movie character, can afford to put it into service. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/6 "2010-08-24T02:40:42Z")
You caused 300 bucks damage to my car you little son of a bitch. I’m gonna take it out of your ass. becomes on TV: You caused 300 bucks damage to my car you little son of a bitch. I’m gonna take it out of your hide. Why is ass worse than bitch? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-odd-in-back-to-the-future-tv-airings/551227/7 "2010-08-24T19:58:06Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Why is ass worse than bitch? I heard comedian Tim Wilson on the radio say that they draw the line at actual body parts. That is why you can use made up things like ass-bag but not real ones like asshole.