# Twists that everyone knows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830 "2020-12-11T13:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [December 12, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/61 "2020-12-12T13:02:04Z")
This one was no surprise within about a year of _Jekyll & Hyde_’s publication, though. It was so popular, that word got around pretty quickly. Then, there was a stage play based on it, with an amazing-for-the-time transformation scene, where the actor (Richard Mansfield) wore make red makeup invisible under the red lights during the lab scene, and then the lights were graduated to green, exposing the makeup slowly, which, along with facial expressions, posture change, and a fall to the floor that let him slip on some fake teeth, blew people’s minds. Remember, it was the dawn of electricity, so changing the lights with a remote (wired) switch, and probably a rheostat to boot, was cutting-edge technology at the time. Mansfield was so effective in the role, that people who’d seen his performance contacted the police to suggest he could be Jack the Ripper. Eventually, the theater decided to close the play until the Ripper crimes were solved. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/62 "2020-12-12T13:05:24Z")
The book and movie “Ender’s Game” has a twist that is so predictable that I’m sure any reader or viewer (I admit I never saw the movie, but I presume that the twist was included) will see coming way ahead of time. In fact it was mentioned in an article about writing science fiction as a plot twist to avoid, since anyone can see it coming! The book won a Hugo award anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/63 "2020-12-12T13:05:40Z")
This one is about the movie Titanic. So if you haven’t seen it then don’t click on the spoiler below. The boat sinks at the end. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/64 "2020-12-12T13:07:22Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > and I’ll bet the passengers and crew didn’t see that one coming. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/65 "2020-12-12T13:07:36Z")
Before I add an answer on topic, I want to comment on something that fascinates me. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > You mean when Burt Lancaster picks up the phone with an obvious calendar behind him showing the date is June 6, 1941? > > When it came out, everyone knew what that meant. I’m not sure it qualifies as a twist. Why is it when we discuss **From Here to Eternity** , we talk about Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr but when we discuss **Star Wars** , we talk about Luke and Han and Leia? Surely Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford are as iconic as Mr. Lancaster, but the only character names I can recall from _FHtE_ are Frank Sinatra’s Maggio and Ernest Borgnine’s Fats (which he does not care for). As to the OP, in a movie titled **The Sting** we might expect a clever ending, but because there are so many cons going on (only some of which the audience is in on) the climax is not when the two top billed stars are shot dead. The climax of the movie is a few minutes later when the ‘other’ mark (the audience is also a mark) is hustled out by a former foe turned ally (a con the audience is aware of, but not in on). It sure as hell was surprising to me when I first saw it (of course, I was 12 years old), and I consider it a twist as strong as the one in **The Sixth Sense**. And now a recommendation, the best double feature for this audience is **The Sting** followed by **A Big Hand for the Little Lady** which has a connection beyond the fact that stars of the two different movies were married to each other forever. (Also, one of the movies, **The Sting** features the real life father of Darth Vader.) ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/66 "2020-12-12T13:08:17Z")
Not sure if everyone knows, but every sci-fi fan knows the twist at the end of Ender’s Game. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/67 "2020-12-12T13:30:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The identity of Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects? > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The twist is that, given Soze’s identity, the entire story you just head about Soze is a lie: the narrator you considered to be reliable is 100% unreliable. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Psycho_ . The movie was made before I was born (and I watched it when I was in high school) so I’ve always assumed everyone knows the surprise ending. But I recently watched a YouTube channel where a young woman watches old movies and she had no idea what the ending was. There was a TV sitcom long since cancelled titled **Yes, Dear** which has episodes that pay homage to both of these movies. In one episode a neighbor they are trying to get to cooperate by signing a document has an unseen but overheard mother who is definitely him, and in a different episode the resolution of the story is based upon a version of **The Usual Suspects**. I am sure the show creators have other nods to iconic movies that I either do not recall or that went over my head when I first saw them. This ends the thread hijack, I just wanted to mention the show. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/68 "2020-12-12T13:31:24Z")
In Scooby Doo the ghost/monster is really the friendly character from the beginning of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/69 "2020-12-12T13:32:33Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > Why is it when we discuss **From Here to Eternity** , we talk about Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr but when we discuss **Star Wars** , we talk about Luke and Han and Leia? Surely Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford are as iconic as Mr. Lancaster, but the only character names I can recall from _FHtE_ are Frank Sinatra’s Maggio and Ernest Borgnine’s Fats (which he does not care for). In my case, I was pointing to a specific scene (even though I brain farted on the date). In _Eternity_, the only scene people know about these days is Lancaster and Kerr rolling on the beach. Most moviegoers these days haven’t seen any more of it. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/70 "2020-12-12T14:13:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In my case, I was pointing to a specific scene (even though I brain farted on the date). In _Eternity_ , the only scene people know about these days is Lancaster and Kerr rolling on the beach. > > Most moviegoers these days haven’t seen any more of it. I got that (and I made a very similar mistake here myself setting a next meeting for an online book club into next Spring!) But I could not tell you anyone’s character name from that movie, I refer to them as the actor who played the role Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Jack Warden, etc. But I never say: “Harrison Ford shot first in the cantina scene” or “In the third movie Carrie Fisher wears a brass bikini and strangles her captor”. Same with Bogie, I know his character was named Rick in **Casablanca** but I only refer to him as ‘Rick’ when I am watching old episodes of **Magnum P,I.**. When watching Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama I may refer to the antagonist as _Col. Jessup_ or as _Jack Nicholson_ depending upon the circumstance. The one exception to this in older movies is Basil Rathbone; when watching either **The Mark of Zorro** or **The Court Jester** I may refer to him as _Sir Guy_ or as _Sherlock Holmes_ and when watching **The Adventures of Robin Hood** as _El Capitan_ or _Ravenhurst_. I know most of his character names and purposely misuse them, for anyone else from that era I usually know the actor’s name but rarely the character’s name. Just find it odd. NOW, I am done hijacking this thread! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/71 "2020-12-12T14:24:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In my case, I was pointing to a specific scene (even though I brain farted on the date). In _Eternity_ , the only scene people know about these days is Lancaster and Kerr rolling on the beach. > > Most moviegoers these days haven’t seen any more of it. I saw it probably 20 years ago when I was watching a ton of old movies. That’s literally the only thing I remember about the entire movie and I’d expect most people around my age (40) would be more familiar with the spoofed scene in Airplane. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/72 "2020-12-12T14:41:18Z")
A ventriloquist and a dummy? These days, the twist would be that everything is fine… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/73 "2020-12-12T14:44:54Z")
_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ did a great variation on that cliche. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/74 "2020-12-12T14:56:18Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > **A Big Hand for the Little Lady** I loved that movie. I was only about 15 when I saw it, and would watch anything with Joanne Woodward in it. I knew something was going to happen, but I had no idea what. Actually, the very end surprised me more than the Big Reveal. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/75 "2020-12-12T17:03:17Z")
> [@f.coli](#): > > The book and movie “Ender’s Game” has a twist that is so predictable that I’m sure any reader or viewer (I admit I never saw the movie, but I presume that the twist was included) will see coming way ahead of time I read it around 2007-2008, and I actually did not see it coming. I guess I’m the gullible target audience. I genuinely took it as a book about training kids for a coming war. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/76 "2020-12-12T17:05:10Z")
> [@f.coli](#): > > The book and movie “Ender’s Game” has a twist that is so predictable that I’m sure any reader or viewer (I admit I never saw the movie, but I presume that the twist was included) will see coming way ahead of time. IIRC, I did not see the twist coming when I first read the book many years ago. “Predictable” is in the eye of the beholder, and is dependent on the reader/viewer’s level of experience and on whether they’re expecting a twist of some sort. I suspect that at least some children today are still surprised that [the monster at the end of the book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monster_at_the_End_of_This_Book:_Starring_Lovable,_Furry_Old_Grover) is Grover. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/77 "2020-12-12T17:48:18Z")
I apologize if I offended anyone. I did not intend to be insulting. I just remember being exasperated and disappointed when the twist was revealed. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/78 "2020-12-12T17:50:38Z")
Did anybody read or see “The Odessa File?” I thought that twist was pretty obvious in the book, but not so much in the movie. I remember, in fact, the theater audience gasping when Peter Miller revealed it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/79 "2020-12-12T17:54:14Z")
If you have to ask, “Did anyone see this movie?”, then it’s probably not a “twist everyone knows.” The thread really is about twists that have become iconic in themselves, so much so that they are often referenced in other movies and shows. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/80 "2020-12-12T18:04:54Z")
Now that I think about it, probably the most known twist has to be the ending of _Gaslight_. Anyone who speaks English and is older than about 13 probably knows how to use “gaslight” as a verb, and therefore can be said to “know,” in a sense, the ending of the movie, yet may not even know that it is a movie. In other words, you could see the movie for the first time, and completely misunderstand why it’s call “Gaslight”-- and not realize that the ending is supposed to be a surprise. Also, what about the one at the end of _Witness for the Prosecution_? I saw this movie when I was about 12, and did not see it coming, and loved it (the Agatha Christie original part, not the part that Hollywood was obliged by the Hays’ code to add). On the other hand, when I showed it to my husband, when he was about 36, he completely saw it coming. I don’t know whether it’s being an adult, or whether the meme is sort of just “out there” now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830.md?page=5)