# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 115
**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 3, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2282 "2023-01-03T16:27:14Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > One of my college roommates could do that! She showed me how, and I never figured it out myself. “Taking your bra off without removing your shirt” is the modern and slightly more risque version of “Taking your vest off without removing your jacket”. I remember seeing it in the old 1960s Time-Life book on Mathematics as an example of Topology in Action. Of course, the “vest” version is the way a guy would look at it, back in the male-dominated world of math in the 1960s and earlier. Most male mathematicians probably didn’t wear bras. And if they did, they wouldn’t publicize it by doing a demonstration with one. Hence the vest/jacket. Woman have undoubtedly been doing the bra/shirt thing a lot longer. If I had to wear a bra all day, I’m sure I would when I got home. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2283 "2023-01-03T17:10:21Z")
I read that Time-Life book too, and found a copy on eBay that I bought. Our twelve-year old granddaughter likes looking through it, and it probably inspired her to join the school’s math league. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2284 "2023-01-03T17:30:20Z")
When my aunt died we all gathered at the lawyer’s office. Of course we all lived in the same area, but it was only maybe 20 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2285 "2023-01-03T20:50:04Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Three guns fired seven times, so “21 guns”. Maybe 21 at once is for HoS? You guys are mixing up things and combining two separate customs. A “gun” is not a rifle. A “gun” is a cannon or large artillery piece. A 21-gun salute involves 21 individual and distinct shots fired from a cannon or cannons. Regardless of how it is done, you will hear 21 booms. This is an honor reserved for the President, reigning monarch and heads of state. While a President’s funeral would involve a 21 gun salute, they are not limited to funerals–they are a “salute”, after all. Additionally, the firing of rifles during a Soldier’s funeral has nothing at all to do with a 21 gun salute. Those are rifles, not gun, after all. What you’re hearing during a Soldier’s funeral is something called a “3 Shot Volley”. The firing party can consist of not more than 8 and no fewer than 5 shooters. Regardless of how many shooters make up the firing party, you will hear only 3 booms. They all fire in unison, three distinct times. The number of people in the firing party has no significance. Having 7 present to shoot 3 times is not a “21 gun salute”, nor is having 8 a “24 gun salute”. It’s a three shot volley performed by a single firing party consisting of 5, 6, ,7 or 8 people total. The 3 shot volley is not a salute. It’s a tradition specific to funerals and goes back to signaling a pause in the fighting to allow both sides to remove dead from the battlefield. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2286 "2023-01-04T01:27:29Z")
Thanks for that explanation. ---
**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 5, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2287 "2023-01-05T13:58:08Z")
Here’s one I see _ **all the freakin’ time** _, and I just saw it in the trailer for the new scary doll movie “Megan”. Someone picks up a nail gun and uses as a weapon, shooting nails from a distance at the person they are fighting or defending themselves against. Thing is though, you can’t do that-- nail guns have a sliding safety guard that you need to retract by pushing the nail gun against the thing you’re nailing, or else it won’t fire a nail. I’m sure there’s a way to override the safety, but in TV / movies someone is just picking up a nail gun as an improvised weapon while running through a construction site and using it without time to modify it at all. Mrs. solost is no stranger to rolling up her sleeves and using a nail gun on a construction project, so this drives her crazy as well. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2288 "2023-01-05T15:17:58Z")
And even if you do disable the safety, it doesn’t work. [Of course there’s a YouTube video.](https://youtu.be/hZUeQBqBdIg) ---
**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 5, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2289 "2023-01-05T15:49:24Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > And even if you do disable the safety, it doesn’t work. [Of course there’s a YouTube video](https://youtu.be/hZUeQBqBdIg) Interesting, although, it’s been awhile since I used a nail gun, but I don’t remember the guard being that easy to pull back with one hand while pulling the trigger with the other hand. Seems like it defeats the purpose. Maybe the guy in the video modified his nail guns to more easily do that…? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2290 "2023-01-05T15:55:10Z")
In **Lethal Weapon 2** Murtaugh uses a nail gun against two baddies sent to kill him, but he presses the gun against their bodies when he pulls the trigger. Too bad the nails they show sticking out of the guy aren’t nail gun nails. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2291 "2023-01-05T18:01:38Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > So I’m okay with the trope being “factual”, it’s showing the dream from a neutral standpoint, not what the person dreaming actually sees, because that’s the default viewpoint of the media. _Lady In The Lake_ was filmed entirely from Phillip Marlowe’s PoV ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2292 "2023-01-05T18:59:27Z")
The first person PoV throughout the film was an innovation and its reception seems to confirm that the audience will prefer the “neutral” viewpoint. [From Wikipedia:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_in_the_Lake) > Reviews of the film were not appreciative of the new approach. Most critics gave the director credit for trying an experimental technique but felt that it was a “gimmick”, and that the experiment had been a failure. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2293 "2023-01-05T22:37:27Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _All in the Family_ was kind of ground breaking in that they featured occasional toilet-flushing noise (usually to go along with the dialog), though the bathroom was rarely if ever actually shown. Supposedly, when filming _Psycho_, Hitchcock got pushback from the studio over the bathroom scene. Not because of the violent stabbing attack, or the blood circling the drain, but because it was the first film to show a flushing toilet. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2294 "2023-01-08T23:46:09Z")
At least that was more realistic than the nail gun scene in **The Color of Night** where not only is someone shot at a distance (nailing their hand to the wall) but with pinpoint accuracy. I’m no handyman, but even I know nail guns don’t have rifled barrels. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2295 "2023-01-08T23:54:03Z")
What are you telling me? That I should get rid of the nail gun I keep under my bed for self protection? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2296 "2023-01-09T00:01:14Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > At least that was more realistic than the nail gun scene in **The Color of Night** where not only is someone shot at a distance (nailing their hand to the wall) but with pinpoint accuracy. I’m no handyman, but even I know nail guns don’t have rifled barrels. Even little Maggie Simpson has perfect aim with a nail gun: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv6uRhFAXtE) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2297 "2023-01-09T00:17:34Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > There are no bathrooms. > bathrooms do not exist, only implied. Unless you need to hide in a stall before a brutal bathroom gun/fist fight where someone is smashing a porcelain toilet or sink with their head. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2298 "2023-01-09T00:18:35Z")
Never mind ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2299 "2023-01-09T02:01:19Z")
Similarly, in even the most realistic war movies, if there’s somebody with a flamethrower if they get shot just once they explode into a ball of flame. IIRC even with multiple direct hits the tank won’t ignite since a bullet doesn’t cause a strong enough spark to ignite the liquid. You’d have to go out of your way to fire an incendiary bullet to get that kind of reaction which also isn’t that common a round. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2300 "2023-01-09T02:59:30Z")
I saw an unfortunate young father whose 2 year old picked up a nail gun and embedded it deep. It happens. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2301 "2023-01-09T05:19:01Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > On _Live PD_ they quite often read a suspect their Miranda rights on the scene. In fact on last nights show they did it twice after arresting two different suspects. This definitely is something that _does_ happen in real life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=114) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=116)