# 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:** 202
**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:** [July 27, 2024, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4027 "2024-07-27T23:06:31Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > you forget finding a missing person. Oh, yeah-- I guess it isn’t a crime for an adult to disappear, and the police won’t always investigate it-- there has to be some evidence of kidnapping or foul play, or the person has to have absconded with $1,000,000 of embezzled money, or some kind of crime has to be involved. If you want to track down your ex to make him pay child support, you might need a PI. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4028 "2024-07-27T23:32:53Z")
> [@abcdefghij](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > When I was in NROTC in college decades ago, we spent a week with the Marines. We were each given an M-16 and hundreds of rounds of blanks for various simulated battle exercises (probably so many because we were the last group of the summer). However, our rifles were all fitted with [blank-firing adapters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank-firing_adapter) on the muzzles. > > 😡 I’m jealous. When I did that week, they gave us three blanks and told us to just say “Bang! Bang! Bang!” when we ran out. > > I only remember them saying the BFA was needed to make the action cycle properly. Of course, that’s the same week they wrapped three blocks of C4 around a 55gal oil drum with det cord and set the whole hillside on fire with the ensuing fireball, so I’m not sure safety was front and center in their minds. The main reason to use a BFA is to ensure the weapon works right. The safety factor is a bonus. Even with the BFA the firing failure rate is high. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4029 "2024-07-28T02:23:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The main reason to use a BFA is to ensure the weapon works right. The safety factor is a bonus. Even with the BFA the firing failure rate is high. Right, we were told at the time the purpose of the device was to ensure the action cycled correctly and to vent the propellant gases to the side. I do recall that the weapons fouled up very quickly and you had to dump in tons of CLP fluid to keep them from jamming, along with daily cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4030 "2024-07-28T02:28:50Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If you want to track down your ex to make him pay child support, you might need a PI. Or a child who is now 18, and may have run off. I knew a PI that specialized in worried parents. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4031 "2024-07-28T03:15:49Z")
In the 00s, I worked with a woman who had relocated from another city because of domestic violence, and a PI is indeed how her ex located her. No, he didn’t tell the PI that he was under a permanent restraining order. I don’t know what ended up happening to her. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2024, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4032 "2024-07-28T11:25:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Now, as you said- it is insurance fraud, divorce, and you forget finding a missing person. This is, of course, why TV gave us **Banacek** : a private eye of the ‘insurance investigator’ type who has no interest in solving murders; in the pilot episode, he — with aid from his well-read pal Felix Mulholland — instead sleuths an armored-car heist that may well have been an inside job. Oh, and the armored-car driver has been killed; solving one crime means solving the other. In the series finale, he — with aid from Felix — works a missing-persons case where the banker absconded with a million embezzled bucks. Also, a Vegas showgirl who knew the guy has been killed; solving one means solving the other. In between, there’s an episode where he — with aid from Felix — looks into the theft of an insured airplane; also, an airline employee has been killed. And there’s an episode where he — with aid from Felix — tries to track down an insured chalice that disappeared from a museum; also, the museum’s night guard has been killed. I hasten to add that, no, they’re not _all_ like that; consider NO SIGN OF THE CROSS, where a gem-encrusted cross of gold vanishes em route from Point A to Point B; yes, it was insured; yes, Banacek is on the case; yes, whoever stole the cross killed a guy. But — and this is what’s unique — Felix doesn’t show up in this one! ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4033 "2024-07-28T12:42:46Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I may have asked this before, but has there ever been a heist crew known for their distinctive elaborate matching disguises such as former US presidents, clown masks, nun costumes, Guy Fawkes masks or whatever? I think The Ex-Presidents from Point Break could have been inspired by the real-life Stopwatch Gang. They were a group of three bank robbers who frequently wore masks of presidents when they did their thing. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4034 "2024-07-28T16:01:46Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Now, as you said- it is insurance fraud, divorce, and you forget finding a missing person. > > This is, of course, why TV gave us **Banacek** : a private eye of the ‘insurance investigator’ type who has no interest in solving murders; in the pilot episode, he — with aid from his well-read pal Felix Mulholland — instead sleuths an armored-car heist that may well have been an inside job. Oh, and the armored-car driver has been killed; solving one crime means solving the other. > > In the series finale, he — with aid from Felix — works a missing-persons case where the banker absconded with a million embezzled bucks. Also, a Vegas showgirl who knew the guy has been killed; solving one means solving the other. > > In between, there’s an episode where he — with aid from Felix — looks into the theft of an insured airplane; also, an airline employee has been killed. And there’s an episode where he — with aid from Felix — tries to track down an insured chalice that disappeared from a museum; also, the museum’s night guard has been killed. > > I hasten to add that, no, they’re not _all_ like that; consider NO SIGN OF THE CROSS, where a gem-encrusted cross of gold vanishes em route from Point A to Point B; yes, it was insured; yes, Banacek is on the case; yes, whoever stole the cross killed a guy. But — and this is what’s unique — Felix doesn’t show up in this one! Sounds like we need a Felix Mulholland series. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4035 "2024-07-28T16:54:15Z")
I miss **Banacek**. The solutions to the thefts were always so ingenious. Especially the one where the prototype car (and the flat car it was riding on) vanished from the middle of a moving train. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4036 "2024-07-28T17:30:22Z")
When I was living on a hippie farm in the 1970’s we live-trapped a skunk and a friend picked up the trap, tied it to the roof of her old Rambler, and drove it about ten miles up into the hills. I went with her – she got it off the roof, put it on the ground, opened the door and watched while it walked away. No spraying at all. She did go on to be a wildlife rehabber. I’ve had some close encounters with skunks but if you stay calm and unthreatening they just move leisurely onward. Now dogs and skunks are entirely different. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4037 "2024-07-29T02:42:16Z")
For a rare movie example of BFAs in use, and also an example of someone intentionally making a gun unsafe to induce an “accidental” shooting, see the 2000 film Tigerland. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4038 "2024-07-29T22:30:43Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Blanks are not harmless. They are dangerous. You don’t fuck with any load put into a firearm. Bullet or blank, they can all kill. Yeah - as others have said, there have been numerous tragic, avoidable deaths due to blanks. You may not kill the person you’re aiming at across the room, but they are NOT safe. I have to wonder why the everlasting HELL they don’t have complete FAKE guns, mandatory, on any movie / TV set that requires such. It cannot be that hard to paint a chunk of wood shiny black (or whatever), maybe even install a moving “trigger” if appropriate. Then just add the damn sound effects. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4039 "2024-07-30T00:18:20Z")
This is done—you can buy perfect replicas of anything from a police .38 to a Barrett .50, and they’re all inoperable. This makes them ideal for props. Real weapons loaded with blanks are used when the producer or director wants 100% realistic effects. I’ve noticed lately that muzzle flashes are often being added in post-production, along with enhanced sound effects (which go back a long way). Sometimes a shooting happens so fast that you hear the bang but don’t see any flash at all. (There’s none when Jules shoots Flock of Seagulls in _ **Pulp Fiction** _, but I doubt few viewers realize it.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4040 "2024-07-30T00:26:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > This is done—you can buy perfect replicas of anything from a police .38 to a Barrett .50, and they’re all inoperable. This makes them ideal for props. Real weapons loaded with blanks are used when the producer or director wants 100% realistic effects. > > I’ve noticed lately that muzzle flashes are often being added in post-production, along with enhanced sound effects (which go back a long way). Sometimes a shooting happens so fast that you hear the bang but don’t see any flash at all. (There’s none when Jules shoots Flock of Seagulls in _ **Pulp Fiction** _, but I doubt few viewers realize it.) Once I noticed the CGI muzzle flashes and CGI blood in the John Wick movies that’s all I see. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4041 "2024-07-30T01:54:06Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > It cannot be that hard to paint a chunk of wood shiny black (or whatever), maybe even install a moving “trigger” if appropriate. Then just add the damn sound effects. Show the slide work, shell eject, the cylinder turn? They do make some very good blank firing replicas that can do all that. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4042 "2024-07-30T01:59:29Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Blanks are not harmless. They are dangerous. You don’t fuck with any load put into a firearm. Bullet or blank, they can all kill. In the movie Sleuth, Laurence Olivier puts a gun up against Michael Caine’s temple and pulls the trigger. Of course in movie-universe the round is a blank so does no physical harm to him. One assumes it was a prop gun and effects were added afterwards. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4043 "2024-07-30T02:18:59Z")
Another thing I noticed in _ **Pulp Fiction** _ is that the slide on Jules’ .45 doesn’t move when he “shoots” Flock of Seagulls. I don’t think the hammer falls either. Nor is a shell ejected. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2024, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4044 "2024-07-30T02:26:41Z")
I was watching _ **Foyle’s War** _ the other night, and there was a scene where a thug threatened a young man by putting a pistol to his head. Only one cartridge in the cylinder was live, and the rest were blanks. (A sadistic version of Russian Roulette.) I don’t know how they did it, but the powder burns on his face and the eventual round through his forehead were very convincing. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4045 "2024-07-30T14:21:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Once I noticed the CGI muzzle flashes and CGI blood in the John Wick movies that’s all I see. Fortunately, most (I hope!!) of us have no idea what a real muzzle flash etc. would sound like. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4046 "2024-07-30T15:10:56Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > A college class with a bell indicating class is over? All the time on TV. Nowhere in real life. I know its been a while, but I remember mine did. Ten minutes before the hour there was some identifying sound. Maybe one on the hour, too. Could have been a buzzer. I could be totally cornfused, but I don’t think so. > [@Asuka](#): > > dedicated lunch periods My university had a dedicated cafeteria. Breakfast hours were 6-8:30, lunch 10:30-1, and dinner 4:30-7. You stood in line with your tray and got your meal from a line of hash slingers, just like on TV. And then took your tray to The Trough when done. They had a soda fountain machine and a soft serve machine. It actually wasn’t that bad. So, cafeteria? Most definitely. “dedicated lunch period”? Sort of. Food fights? Never! > [@digs](#): > > It makes me wonder how many writers and directors went to college. We know they never look at maps when having their characters drive somewhere. > [@silenus](#): > > Especially the one where the prototype car (and the flat car it was riding on) vanished from the middle of a moving train. I love bannercheck but often the solutions were impossible, this being one of the worst. Still, I wish we had more seasons. They only reason it stopped was so his didn’t have to give up money from the show to his soon-to-be ex-wife. [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=201) [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=203)