# 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:** 123
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2442 "2023-02-20T00:53:19Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > you hear the gun cocking or the sword being unsheathed. And the sword being pulled free of the leather scabbard makes a metal-on-metal sound. Even as a little kid I thought “Wait a minute, if there’s really metal inside that ‘sword holster’ (too young to have much of a ‘weaponry vocabulary’), it’d be dulling the edges of the sword…” (I was also too young to consider that they could dub in that sound after they shot the scene. I just assumed everything was ‘live’.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2443 "2023-02-20T01:03:01Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Even as a little kid I thought “Wait a minute, if there’s really metal inside that ‘sword holster’ (too young to have much of a ‘weaponry vocabulary’), it’d be dulling the edges of the sword…” Some sword scabbards have a small bit of metal at the throat, called a “Chape” and yes, that is usually of softer metal. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2444 "2023-02-20T03:51:49Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > You left out “Our Man” Derek Flint, my all-time favorite. I got the disk from Netflix a while back. It didn’t age well. I do have the Red Phone as my ringtone, though. > [@DrDeth](#): > > But why DO people run down the middle of the street when being chased by a car.? Because there’s no room on the sidewalk for the camera dolly, duh. And speaking of car chases, why do cars parked at the side of the street always seem to be right in front of a ramp that makes the car in the street roll over? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2445 "2023-02-20T04:36:55Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Unnecessary sound effects. Whenever someone raises a gun or moves a sword, you hear the gun cocking or the sword being unsheathed. Same as when a train is running, with no level crossings in sight, and it sounds its whistle. And every time a cat is shown, you hear a “Mrowr!” It’s obviously a train. And it’s obviously a cat. We don’t need the unnecessary sounds, especially since neither the train nor the cat would make them, in the displayed circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2446 "2023-02-20T05:50:55Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > We don’t need the unnecessary sounds, especially since neither the train nor the cat would make them, in the displayed circumstances. What if blind people are watching? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2447 "2023-02-20T06:42:43Z")
> [@up2eleven](#): > > People who get shot, stabbed, or otherwise seriously injured and they’ll limp about for a bit, but then they get in a fight and suddenly have full strength and range of motion. Well, to be fair, getting shot or stabbed doesn’t always mean serious injury. And getting into a lives-at-stake fight, people in real life too sometimes exhibit astonishing strength and stamina, injuries be damned, for a while. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2023, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2448 "2023-02-20T07:10:39Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > And every time a cat is shown, you hear a “Mrowr!” Oh, that reminds me – every time you see a rat in a movie or TV show, it will be squeaking. Rats only squeak when they are in pain, or sometimes when they fight. If a rat is walking along and squeaking, something is seriously wrong with it. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2023, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2449 "2023-02-20T13:20:57Z")
The latest talk in the [Star Trek Picard Season 3 discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-picard-season-3-discussion-open-spoilers/979922) thread is complaints about how dark many of the scenes are, which got me to thinking about other shows (such as every iteration of CSI) in which the lab / working areas are always dim, lit only with a couple colored gels, like nightclub lighting. Not banks of fluorescent lighting that banish every shadow. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2450 "2023-02-20T13:32:11Z")
Those CSI type shows used to drape the characters in shadows from Venetian blinds regardless of windows. The half-lighting they use now in some of those procedurals shows for “dramatic effect” is laughable. I saw one where (pretty sure it was supposed to be day time) half the characters’ faces were completely obscured with shadow, like the place was lit by candles. They even have deep shadows in operating rooms! I guess if all scenes were lighted realistically, everything would look like a sit com, not that they’re much better. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2451 "2023-02-20T14:20:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Some sword scabbards have a small bit of metal at the throat, called a “Chape” and yes, that is usually of softer metal. The ‘chape’ is usually at the other end of the scabbard. The bit of metal at the throat is generally called a ‘mouth’ or mouth fitting. There is sometimes another bit halfway along with a loop to hang the scabbard from. In short, there’s quite a lot of metal in some scabbards. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2452 "2023-02-20T15:08:42Z")
But if they are outside at “night,” you can see everything. Speaking of CSI Las Vegas: I think I wore some type of warm outer garment about 5 times in the 3 years I was stationed there. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2453 "2023-02-20T16:11:32Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > If a rat is walking along and squeaking, something is seriously wrong with it. In a similar vein, every single soaring bird cries like a red-tailed hawk, especially eagles. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2454 "2023-02-20T16:28:00Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’ve dealt with leeches a few times in my life. . Leeches make excellent bass bait. I have pictures of my daughter playing with them when I took her out fishing at 6 years of age. She is grossed out today _just looking_ at the pictures. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2455 "2023-02-20T17:42:51Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > What if blind people are watching? I saw what you did there. Or what I hope you knew you were doing. I grinned. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2456 "2023-02-20T17:51:51Z")
People who are blind or visually impaired do commonly watch movies - and generally use the same verb. A lot of movies are now more accessible with audio descriptions. (Not that anyone would advocate that in movies cats should always meow and trains should always toot their horn for that reason - that part was tongue in cheek.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2457 "2023-02-21T00:07:31Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Because there’s no room on the sidewalk for the camera dolly, duh. LOL! 😆 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2458 "2023-02-21T00:14:43Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > The ‘chape’ is usually at the other end of the scabbard. The bit of metal at the throat is generally called a ‘mouth’ or mouth fitting. Yep, got it backwards. Or the Throat. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2459 "2023-02-21T17:39:48Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > > [@nightshadea](#): > > > > i was watching an old 60s pi show called “hawaiian eye” > > God help me, I used to watch that show! I must have been about 12. If I remember correctly it was a spinoff of _77 Sunset Strip_. I remember an episode where Cricket (Connie Stevens) did brown face to pass as a native. !!?!! I liked the show as a kid, but it’s gotta be way cheesy. I don’t think it was a spin-off of _77 Sunset Strip._ It was just made by the same production company. Speaking of which, whenever the number 77 came up in class during elementary school, most of the kids would automatically snap their fingers twice and say “Sun Set Strip.” It was fun looking for their non-existent office when driving on Sunset. > [@Askance](#): > > Or run directly straight away from someone pointing a gun at their back? Would it kill you\* to dodge a little ? Serpentine, Shelly! And my addition: when someone is cooking at home, they often have a stalk of celery for no reason that they take a chomp out of to emphasize a line. I’ve seen this tons of times, but just saw it yesterday in an old _Gidget_ show. We were watching for the clothes and hair styles. A real trip down memory lane. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2460 "2023-02-21T17:46:01Z")
How many times can you sheath/ unsheath a quality sword before it starts eating its scabbard? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2461 "2023-02-21T18:37:41Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > People who are blind or visually impaired do commonly watch movies - and generally use the same verb. A lot of movies are now more accessible with audio descriptions. Oh. I didn’t know they used the same verb. And I probably should have known, being a deaf person who is entirely dependent on subtitles. [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=122) [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=124)