# 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:** 254
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5089 "2025-06-21T19:28:20Z")
If you’re about go through a door you’re not supposed to and/or that you don’t want to be seen entering, stop and look both ways (preferably with your hand already on the handle) - because that way you won’t look at all suspicious, will you? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5090 "2025-06-21T20:10:25Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Incidentally, are we allowed to count The Phantom? No, not the one who debuted in 1936; his married predecessor. (Uh, make that “predecessors.”) Yes, The Phantom was like 21st or so in a line of Phantoms, so getting married and having a kid or two was critical. Of course, from my dim memory of the comic strip, her main job was being kidnapped so he could rescue her. Also the same with John carter, Warlord of Mars. > [@Lumpy](#): > > Kind of hard to find a wife who’ll be happy with committing her son to continuing the cultlike mandate of her husband and his predecessors. What if you have five daughters in a row first? What if there are boy twins? If I remember, in the past there were several children and the best suited was picked. Also sometimes adopted. ---
**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:** [June 22, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5091 "2025-06-22T01:28:02Z")
I’ve been watching a lot of clips of relatively recent lawyer shows. Seeing just the highlights really highlights the crutches they rely on. One thing that stands out is no matter which show I’m watching our intrepid defense attorney can’t get out 3 words without hearing “Objection irrelevant!” I mean sure it happens. It’s a valid objection. But lawyers are allowed to lay a foundation to their questioning. There isn’t going to be an objection to every sentence that isn’t laser focused on the relevant testimony. Besides it’s rare that there are surprise witnesses. Many questions as to admissibility of testimony and evidence are taken care of pretrial. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2025, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5092 "2025-06-23T02:08:35Z")
Steve Martin: “I’ll have a shoe with a cheese on it, force it down my throat, and I wanna massage your grandmother, okay?” ---
**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:** [June 23, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5093 "2025-06-23T12:45:12Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > One thing that stands out is no matter which show I’m watching our intrepid defense attorney can’t get out 3 words without hearing “Objection irrelevant!” Followed by the judge saying “I’ll allow it, but you better have a point to all this, counselor!” ---
**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:** [June 23, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5094 "2025-06-23T14:00:15Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > One thing that stands out is no matter which show I’m watching our intrepid defense attorney can’t get out 3 words without hearing “Objection irrelevant!” > > Followed by the judge saying “I’ll allow it, but you better have a point to all this, counselor!” I prefer the TV version. It means witnesses testify for about three minutes. I’ve been on the stand for hours. It’s torture. I wish someone would have objected to the relevance of every question. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5095 "2025-06-23T16:34:35Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > One thing that stands out is no matter which show I’m watching our intrepid defense attorney can’t get out 3 words without hearing “Objection irrelevant!” I recall it mainly being phrased as a question addressed to the bench: “Objection! Relevance?” or sometimes “Objection! Immaterial.” ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5096 "2025-06-23T20:35:38Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Followed by the judge saying “I’ll allow it, but you better have a point to all this, counselor!” _The Lincoln Lawyer_ (the Netflix one) is a particular offender when it comes to this. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5097 "2025-06-23T23:16:07Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > Followed by the judge saying “I’ll allow it, but you better have a point to all this, counselor!” > > _The Lincoln Lawyer_ (the Netflix one) is a particular offender when it comes to this. That was the first one that came to mind. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5098 "2025-06-23T23:47:46Z")
Legal Eagle points this out in “A Few Good Men” after Nicholson’s character has been on the stand for about 2 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5099 "2025-06-24T17:38:03Z")
[Perry Mason objects](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qp9oJDPHs4) ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5100 "2025-06-25T22:37:27Z")
Somebody fools someone into thinking they’re being under fire by playing a recording of gunfire, usually from two really crappy speakers. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5101 "2025-06-25T23:27:20Z")
“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.” ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5102 "2025-06-26T05:48:20Z")
Or the similar “person shoots a gun, turns on a TV super loud to mask the gun shot and make people think it was the TV” It’s literally a 70 decibels vs 170 decibels ---
**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:** [June 26, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5103 "2025-06-26T16:55:59Z")
A trifecta. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5104 "2025-06-26T17:15:46Z")
In _Home Alone_’s defence, Kevin _did_ use firecrackers to accompany the TV speakers. At least, for the bit with Marv. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5105 "2025-06-26T19:43:40Z")
Yeah Home Alone 2 it was speakers only, HOTEL ROOM TV SPEAKERS ---
**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:** [June 26, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5106 "2025-06-26T20:24:16Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Or the similar “person shoots a gun, turns on a TV super loud to mask the gun shot and make people think it was the TV” I liked how they played with this trope in _I Love You to Death_ (using a record player instead of a TV): The gunman fires - and then his accomplice turns on the music half a second later. “You’re supposed to put it on BEFORE the shot!” “Yeah, they shoot too fast!” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5107 "2025-06-27T00:28:50Z")
Likewise in the series _[1899](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/EighteenNinetyNine)_ a Chinese girl on a houseboat gives herbal tea to her friend to “relax” her and she only intended to knock her out and take her berth on a steamer, but the friend dies. So the accidental murderer gets on the ship anyway. Eventually it turns out that the ship is in outer space. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2025, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5108 "2025-06-27T01:53:29Z")
That no season 2 of 1899 was made is practically a crime. [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=253) [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=255)