# Stupid errors that crop up repeatedly in TV shows and movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866 "2014-03-29T23:33:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**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:** [April 3, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/261 "2014-04-03T13:38:38Z")
> [@Flywheel](#): > > I’ll tell you, **the\_diego** , but you really should end each transmission with the word “over.” Over! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJCfUm21BsI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJCfUm21BsI)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/262 "2014-04-03T14:24:36Z")
Worse than “over and out” or “roger wilco” which are never used together, when people say something a second time on the radio, they always say “I repeat, send in the clowns!” The proper way to say it is “I say again, send in the clowns.” When you say “repeat” that means you want another artillery strike just like the last one. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/263 "2014-04-03T14:44:32Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > 'Nother example I can think of was an NCIS episode featuring the American nuclear carrier _Seahawk_. Well, unless that was named after _President_ Seahawk, _Admiral_ Seahawk, or possibly Congressman or Senator Seahawk, I’m not seeing it happening. :dubious: The _Seahaw_k got a lot of use in JAG as well. Probably should have called it the USS _Bellisario_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/264 "2014-04-03T14:47:38Z")
**Intergalactic Gladiator** , that might depend on context. While a military radio operator might reserve the word “repeat” for artillery strikes, I doubt that CB truckers make the same distinction. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/265 "2014-04-03T15:01:36Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > It’s a pet peeve, really, but…errors in naming conventions. For ships, mostly, sometimes other vehicles. > > 'Nother example I can think of was an NCIS episode featuring the American nuclear carrier _Seahawk_. Well, unless that was named after _President_ Seahawk, _Admiral_ Seahawk, or possibly Congressman or Senator Seahawk, I’m not seeing it happening. :dubious: You don’t remember President Orville Seahawk? From West Dakota? He only served a single term. Hmmm…😉 Given that carriers have also been named for battles (The Belleau Woods and the Oriskany for example) one would think that writers would name fictional carriers after minor or obscure US military actions. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/266 "2014-04-03T15:08:08Z")
[quote=“amanset, post:112, topic:684866”] [/QUOTE] [Uncrop.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i3NWKbBaaU) ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/267 "2014-04-04T02:02:34Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I can’t lay my hands on a copy of the _AACR2R_ at the moment, but I’ve found several sources which quote it as saying that > > The chief source of information for motion pictures and > videorecordings is (in this order of preference): > a) the item itself (e.g., the title frames) > b) its container (and container label) if the container is an integral part > of the piece (e.g., a cassette) > > In other words, it a poor job of cataloging was done by the person who decided to catalog the film based on what the case said, because that’s not the top-preferred source. It’s like taking the title of a book from its cover instead of the title page and t.p. verso, like you’re supposed to. > > N.b., RDA may say something different, I really haven’t bothered trying to understand it. Actually, proper cataloging would use both forms. The title frames would, as noted, be the chief source of information, and so “Se7en” would be given as the title proper. A good cataloger would also add “Seven” as a variant form of title–both because it appears elsewhere on the piece, and because people will search for it that way. Recording different forms of a title is quite standard in library cataloging. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean that people are required to use a ridiculous form like “Se7en” in casual conversation. I think of things like that as matters of stylization, not normative spellings. To take another example, what about that TV show about medical interns that starred Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke? Does anyone write its title as [scrubs]? If not, why not? That’s how it appeared onscreen at the beginning of every episode. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/268 "2014-04-04T14:10:13Z")
Well, like you said, it should appear both ways in the catalog so you can search it either way. And where on earth were they still using checkout cards in 1995 besides an elementary school library? If Columbia freaking South Carolina could master the newfangled barcode long before then surely other places could handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/269 "2014-04-04T14:15:13Z")
I saw some kid’s cartoon that had the _ **H**.M.S. Titanic_ hit an iceberg in it. Someone didn’t do the research. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/270 "2014-04-05T02:57:07Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Sorry, but the biggest plot hole in Seven/Se7en is Brad Pitt’s motivation - he is from a small town and wants to live in “the City”, but “the City” is a fucking hellhole. Why would anybody _want_ to live there? 😉 Well, I have the same opinion of Manhattan, and pretty much anywhere on Long Island but there are an awful lot of people who live there. [Way too crowded, housing is too expensive in most instances, and especially Manhattan just plain feels claustrophobic to me.] But there are plenty of people who would go nuts living where the minimum drive to get anywhere from my house is 15 minutes to the nearest tiny town [a grocery, a drugstore, a diner and a few other odds and ends. We got a chinese takeout 3 years ago … so at least there is something edible that we don’t have to cook ourselves. The diner … not so much.] > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The _Seahaw_k got a lot of use in JAG as well. Probably should have called it the USS _Bellisario_. 🙂 ROFL, I like the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/271 "2014-04-05T03:32:00Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I saw some kid’s cartoon that had the _ **H**.M.S. Titanic_ hit an iceberg in it. Someone didn’t do the research. Maybe they were threatened with a lawsuit by [**RMS Titanic Inc.**](http://www.prxi.com/company/rms-titanic-inc.html) for using the name without permission. It wouldn’t surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/272 "2014-04-05T10:05:31Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Or the helmet strap undone or completely gone - how is that helmet supposed to stay on their heads? Willpower? This is actually historically accurate. US soldiers during WWII believed that the force from a concussion could rip your face off if you left the chinstrap on. This caused the army to redesign the chinstrap to breakaway during the end of WWII but many soldiers continued to wear it unfastened through Korea and Vietnam. [cite](http://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-2696,00.html) [cite](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=156195) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/273 "2014-04-05T10:54:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Actually it comes right in between Se6en and Se8en. Actually, between Se7em and Se7ep. ---
**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:** [April 5, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/274 "2014-04-05T16:31:12Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > This is actually historically accurate. US soldiers during WWII believed that the force from a concussion could rip your face off if you left the chinstrap on. Watch here, starting around 6:35: It was Caje who told the new guy to unbuckle his helmet, not Saunders. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/275 "2014-04-06T03:56:42Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Indeed. Another one is nuns in formal habits. Except for some of the newer traditionalist orders, nuns haven’t worn habits for over thirty years. I saw a nun in a habit just today. She was in public, walking along the sidewalk. A very pretty brown robe with a belt and a dangling knot thing – like a Dominican? Or Franciscan? And a brown wimple with a white lining. Actually a very attractive ensemble. [Here is an image of something much like it.](http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/7382/708/1600/981693/nuns_01.jpg) The figure in the center is very close to what I saw, although without quite so much of a white shoulder piece. Mostly all brown. Anyway…some nuns still wear habits! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/276 "2014-04-06T04:30:07Z")
The sound made when someone drops a handgun on the floor. I don’t know why but whenever someone drops a handgun on the floor, you hear a “tinny” sound like a tin object fell on the floor. Most handguns are heavy and don’t make that kind of sound at all. The sound they actually make is more like a “thud”. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/277 "2014-04-06T10:31:06Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > The sound made when someone drops a handgun on the floor. > > I don’t know why but whenever someone drops a handgun on the floor, you hear a “tinny” sound like a tin object fell on the floor. > > Most handguns are heavy and don’t make that kind of sound at all. The sound they actually make is more like a “thud”. And if you drop it the wrong way it makes a “bang” sound. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/278 "2014-04-06T12:45:57Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I saw a nun in a habit just today. She was in public, walking along the sidewalk. A very pretty brown robe with a belt and a dangling knot thing – like a Dominican? Or Franciscan? And a brown wimple with a white lining. Actually a very attractive ensemble. That’s a Jedi. There’s a cosplay convention in town. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/279 "2014-04-06T15:29:06Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > And if you drop it the wrong way it makes a “bang” sound. They tested this on _ **Mythbusters** _ once. Unless there’s something seriously wrong with it, a firearm will not go off if it’s dropped. I once saw a flintlock musket go off as its handler was loading it; he slammed the ramrod home and it blew out clear through his hand. This happened because the weapon hadn’t been properly reassembled after cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/280 "2014-04-06T16:28:29Z")
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