# 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:** 117
**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 29, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2322 "2023-01-29T01:22:02Z")
Further proof that marriage is **EVIL!** 😡 ---
**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 29, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2323 "2023-01-29T03:50:03Z")
_Forget the Past, his fate and fame shall be An echo and a light unto eternity!_ ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2324 "2023-01-29T04:29:44Z")
Quicksand ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2325 "2023-01-29T05:42:05Z")
That seemed like a pretty bland reply to the question. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2326 "2023-01-29T06:46:24Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > who then trips backwards, falls and hits her head and dies instantly. I’m pretty sure that show has used the ‘someone falls over and hits their head and dies’ trope multiple times. > > I mean, of course people can die that way. Falls are a common form of accidental death (usually from a height, though). Don’t know about that. I regularly see cases where a person died from brain injuries sustained from only falling backwards and hitting the back of their head on a hard surface. Starting from c. 5 feet off the ground, the nugget will reach potentially lethal velocity by the time of impact. The instant death from such a fall is what’s more unrealistic. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2327 "2023-01-29T10:33:02Z")
When any sort of disaster strikes a city or town the first thing the locals do is go to the towns Welcome sign and cross our the city name and put WELCOME TO HELL. ---
**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 29, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2328 "2023-01-29T15:20:22Z")
_ **Falls are a common form of accidental death./The wedding is perfect in every way, but never happens.** _ True story: When I was working on my high school’s yearbook, the staff stumbled on one from another school that was in our library. It contained a tribute to an alumnus who had survived a tour of duty in Vietnam and returned to Podunk to marry his childhood sweetheart. While the happy couple were about to take their vows, the groom tripped on the carpet and fell. He hit his head on something hard (the steps to the altar, I think) and died instantly. We all had a good laugh over that one! 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2329 "2023-01-29T16:27:12Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I know this sounds silly, but the line you had about people running and not getting winded reminded me of a scene I remember in the film Red Sonja, with Brigitte Nielsen and Arnie. In one scene they are sword fighting. going at it all out, and yes, they do get tired, sitting down finally and huffing and puffing. Sure, it was a fantasy film but that was a bit of realism I didn’t expect, I remember an episode of Rockford Files where he’s chasing some guy through Hoover Dam (or a similarly large dam) and finally the guy being chased has to stop and sit down on some steps to catch his breath, and Rockford comes running up behind, equally out of breath, clamps a hand on the guy’s shoulder and wheezes “Gotcha!” and then they both just sit there panting. It was hilarious. ---
**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 30, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2330 "2023-01-30T00:24:02Z")
There was at least one episode of _ **Cannon** _ in which William Conrad (a hefty dude fer sure) had to lie down and catch his breath after chasing a bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2331 "2023-01-30T00:31:06Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wIPIxvtjBUE/hqdefault.jpg "Nike "Horror"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIPIxvtjBUE) ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2332 "2023-01-30T02:02:27Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > The instant death from such a fall is what’s more unrealistic. My friends room mate, was punched, fell back hitting his head on the curb and he died. I didn’t know him very well, he was kind of a douche. ---
**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 30, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2333 "2023-01-30T02:19:40Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Quicksand Quicksand happens in real life. My horse and I fell into some in a rain-saturated gravel quarry when I was 14 and although we were able to (separately) swim to safety, it scared us both to death. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2334 "2023-01-30T02:25:25Z")
Well, that right there shows you the difference between real quicksand and TV quicksand. Nobody ever swims out of TV quicksand. Once you’re ankle deep in it, you’re a goner. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2335 "2023-01-30T03:46:51Z")
Where was Lassie? ---
**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:** [January 30, 2023, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2336 "2023-01-30T04:03:01Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Cops and bad guys shooting at one another with snub-nose .38s at great distances. And actually hitting one another. Just saw Bloke on the Range pull off hitting a target from 90+ yards with a black powder hand gun. I would have to ask the husband which video it was on, but I think it was on Gun Jesus’ channel on youtube. I would imagine that those two shooters could pull off nailing someone with a handgun from a great distance. [in respect, I can only manage something like that type of shooting at around 45-50 meters] ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2337 "2023-01-30T04:21:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > There was at least one episode of _ **Cannon** _ in which William Conrad (a hefty dude fer sure) had to lie down and catch his breath after chasing a bad guy. They were considering Conrad for Matt Dillon. He was the voice of Marshal Dillon on the radio series. But he was a bit too hefty even in the mid '50s. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2338 "2023-01-30T06:22:14Z")
Radioactive components spill out causing giant mutant animals to run amok in the movies. Real life, not so much in real life (ho-ho). Can you imagine a 20 foot tall kangaroo? Ha! [![](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_965/52cb6cbb0428d24450c70bf71a4d22bc.jpg) ](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_965/52cb6cbb0428d24450c70bf71a4d22bc.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2339 "2023-01-30T12:39:25Z")
I was caught in quicksand as a 4 year old, with limited swimming ability. Thankfully my dad was close by and managed to locate me underwater/sand and pull me out. I have vivid memories of going down, eyes open but unable to see anything. Also - on the unrelated topic of toilets, one rather famously makes an appearance in Pulp Fiction, when Vincent Vega is caught with his pants down by Butch Coolidge. ---
**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 30, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2340 "2023-01-30T13:41:56Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Nobody ever swims out of TV quicksand. Once you’re ankle deep in it, you’re a goner. Humans often can get out if they don’t panic and try to lie as flat as possible. Horses often die if they don’t have someone to pull them out. Heavy bodies, skinny little legs. I know of two local horses who would have died (of exhaustion and shock probably, not drowning) but for heroic efforts to save them. Same very wet year, different areas of the county. Not really quicksand just very deep liquid mud. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2341 "2023-01-30T14:24:02Z")
I can only assume we’re about to find out. > **[Officials search for missing radioactive capsule in Western Australian - UPI.com](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/officials-search-for-missing-radioactive-capsule-in-western-australian/ar-AA16T7x4)** > > Authorities and officials in Western Australia were scouring a highway on Monday in search of a capsule containing a radioactive substance that went missing earlier this month while in transit. [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=116) [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=118)