# 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:** 271
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5429 "2026-05-28T15:40:51Z")
That is a business model that would have been doomed to failure in my neighborhood, when I was young. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5430 "2026-06-12T14:40:07Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > There’s an AITF bit that’s punctuated by Archie flushing, but I don’t remember how it goes. Huge bump, but there were a **lot** of “bits” that were punctuated by a flushing toilet. First that comes to mind is the flashback to Mike and Gloria’s wedding. Edith is playing (badly) the Wedding March, then calls, “Gloooooriaaaaa!” “I’ll be right down — I’m waiting for Daddy!” “FLUSHHHHHHHHHHHH.” And more than once, the question “Is Archie/Daddy home yet?” was answered by a “FLUSHHHHHHHHHHHH”. And when Edith finally got the same flu bug she’d been nursing everyone else through, that was made clear by her fleeing upstairs, followed by a “FLUSHHHHHHHHHHHH”. Also, the later seasons of The Brady Bunch were concurrent with AITF. In the final BB season, when Greg was in the attic, Peter and Bobby were squabbling in the room they still shared, leading to a masking-tape line dividing the floor. Bobby taunts Peter: “And you know what else?..The bathroom’s on MY side of no-man’s-land!” Stomp stomp stomp…FLUSHHHHHHHHHHHH. (Just how powerful was the Bunkers’ toilet, anyway? Sounded like someone could lose a limb if they weren’t well clear of it when they pushed to flush.) ---
**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 12, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5431 "2026-06-12T15:07:24Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Also, the later seasons of The Brady Bunch were concurrent with AITF. In the final BB season, when Greg was in the attic, Peter and Bobby were squabbling in the room they still shared, leading to a masking-tape line dividing the floor. Bobby taunts Peter: “And you know what else?..The bathroom’s on MY side of no-man’s-land!” Stomp stomp stomp…FLUSHHHHHHHHHHHH. The phantom flush? Ghost toilet?? 👻 🚽 > **[Ever notice there's no toilet in The Brady Bunch house?](https://www.metv.com/stories/ever-notice-theres-no-toilet-on-the-brady-bunch)** > > Nine occupants and no toilet?! ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5432 "2026-06-12T15:29:59Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The phantom flush? Ghost toilet?? 👻 🚽 Yeah, invisible but audible! Also, I remember watching Kramer vs. Kramer on cable with my parents. The first morning after Joanna leaves, we see Ted (dad) get up, walk into the bathroom, then immediately exit. Son Billy gets up, same thing. My dad commented on how he wished he could be that fast, getting ready in the morning! Clearly a device to show they both did _something_ in the bathroom, but the audience didn’t need to know exactly what. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5433 "2026-06-12T15:52:16Z")
I dislike the dangerous hillbilly/country guy trope. I guess it dates back to _Deliverance_. I recently watched an old Jag episode. Harm’s vintage plane makes an emergency landing in a meadow. He and Mac hike out for aid. This is tv and of course Mac and Harm encounter three dangerous men who just shot and killed a game warden. The men even borrow bloodhounds from a friend to track Mac and Harm. Real life, they would have been welcomed into a rural home, given hot coffee, and then a 30 minute ride into town. Most country people look after each other. It’s a necessity when someone lives 25 miles from emergency services. ---
**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 12, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5434 "2026-06-12T18:10:45Z")
Even long before _ **Deliverance** _ there was the trope of the rural property owner (and, quite frequently, moonshiner) armed with a shotgun and prepared to repel “trespassers” at the drop of a pin. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5435 "2026-06-12T18:12:45Z")
Today it is the illegal marijuana dealer more often. And yeah in some places in CA, you might not get a nice welcome. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2026, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5436 "2026-06-13T03:02:28Z")
Revenoors, most often! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BGtJ9NtvU7Q/hqdefault.jpg "Laurel and Hardy , THEM THAR HILLS 1934") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGtJ9NtvU7Q&t=225/) ---
**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:** [June 13, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5437 "2026-06-13T17:17:09Z")
[[image]](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.twincities.com/2026/05/21/man-accused-of-shooting-wildfire-fighting-plane-says-he-was-crow-hunting/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiauczl24SVAxVtJUQIHUZDMuwQFnoECEUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2sQyPqpvzopz7FUBu0DrqZ) [Pioneer Press](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.twincities.com/2026/05/21/man-accused-of-shooting-wildfire-fighting-plane-says-he-was-crow-hunting/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiauczl24SVAxVtJUQIHUZDMuwQFnoECEUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2sQyPqpvzopz7FUBu0DrqZ) [https://www.twincities.com](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.twincities.com/2026/05/21/man-accused-of-shooting-wildfire-fighting-plane-says-he-was-crow-hunting/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiauczl24SVAxVtJUQIHUZDMuwQFnoECEUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2sQyPqpvzopz7FUBu0DrqZ) [Man accused of shooting wildfire-fighting plane says he was crow hunting](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.twincities.com/2026/05/21/man-accused-of-shooting-wildfire-fighting-plane-says-he-was-crow-hunting/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiauczl24SVAxVtJUQIHUZDMuwQFnoECEUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2sQyPqpvzopz7FUBu0DrqZ) May 21, 2026 — The 48-year-old claimed he was not aiming at the aircraft, but neighbors said shots were heard every time the planes passed. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5438 "2026-06-14T18:42:39Z")
And _Speed_. ---
**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 17, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5439 "2026-06-17T01:16:27Z")
When I was in Boy Scouts, we went on a hike out in the hell-and-gone. We came across an area that had been crudely fenced off, which had not been so indicated on our scoutmaster’s map. While we were deciding which direction to head off to next, an unsavory individual, wearing a gunbelt and overalls, came out and loudly informed us that this was private property and we should leave. _Now._ We thanked him and skedaddled as fast as decorum permitted. Talking about it later, we were pretty sure we stumbled onto a pot farm. ---
**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 17, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5440 "2026-06-17T01:41:04Z")
Here in Oklahoma, the pot farms are easily identifiable because their fences are much better than any other agricultural farms. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5441 "2026-06-17T14:46:26Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Erskine walks into a bar to meet an informant, and he asks for a beer. The bartender gives him one - in a can! The barkeep pops the top\* and pours it in a glass. I guess this bar was one where “We serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast, and we don’t need any [beer drinkers] around to give the joint atmosphere!” > > \*I don’t remember if he pulled the tab (rare then) or used a church key. Bars serving beer in a can or bottle isn’t uncommon. Generally (by law I think) they have to open the can for you. Sometimes (but not always) they pour it into a glass. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5442 "2026-06-17T15:20:13Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > The silliest example of that is maybe a Mission Impossible one where (from memory) the guy is crawling through a duct which is directly over the top secretest room in the world. The whole place is loaded with sensors. He’s hanging upside down over the desk, and a single drop of sweat threatens to trigger the alarms. All of which could have been avoided with sensible sized ducts. If it makes you feel any better, we learn in the latest MI film that the CIA analyst who was responsible for protecting the data Ethan Hunt stole was banished to some Cold War Arctic radar outpost for 30 years because of it. Right, like it’s the data nerd’s fault and not the HVAC duct contractor. Or the laser web guy. Seriously! Who designs these security systems? Sure, we could have put it in a heavy metal vault with a combination lock that’s anchored to the foundation of a building full of armed guards and conventional motion sensing alarms. Instead, we went with the contractor who for a little more can install an intricate system of laser only an acrobat can flip through, thermal sensors next to the unguarded thermostat that can raise the room temperature to make the sensors ineffective, some fail-safe electronic locks (we actually meant to order “fail-secure”. Fail-safe means they open when the power is cut.) A complex electrical grid that can be disabled if you overload it or disable the backups in just the right way. Ventilation ducks large enough for the cleaning staff to keep the dust away. We can save money by having the cameras sweep back and forth in a regular pattern. Maybe a key consisting of a combination of 5 pieces of jewelry and odd electronic parts that we can hide around the world and assemble when we want to access the vault. So really, unless you have a 5 person team consisting of a gymnast, race car driver, autistic math genius, an electrician, and someone not afraid of dark, kind of enclosed spaces, there is no way anyone is getting into this vault! ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5443 "2026-06-17T15:40:40Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > the CIA analyst who was responsible for protecting the data Ethan Hunt stole was banished to some Cold War Arctic radar outpost for 30 years because of it. Right, THAT bothered me more than the original theft. What I posted in the movie thread: This guy has been “assigned” to this remote station for 29 years? He couldn’t you know, quit? Does he still get paid? Where does he spend his money? How does he get supplies? Can he take his 4 weeks a year vacation? When did he have time to learn…whatever language his wife spoke? Where did he meet her? Where was the wedding? And what exactly does he do, if no one gets all the data he is collecting? And he’s keeping it on 12 inch floppy discs! ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5444 "2026-06-17T16:05:27Z")
I would think that in a restaurant that people occasionally do little glances around the room. It would probably stand out if it shows people in the background glancing towards the table with the actors. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5445 "2026-06-17T22:57:38Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > This guy has been “assigned” to this remote station for 29 years? He couldn’t you know, quit? Does he still get paid? Where does he spend his money? How does he get supplies? Can he take his 4 weeks a year vacation? I heard of some guys that were sent to rather undesirable posts. Yes, you can quit. Yes, you still get paid. The base is supplied on a regular basis. Yes vacations, etc. But 30 years is a wrong amount, since we can assume he had been working for some time before, (at least five years) and you can retire at age 50 and 20 years in. So, whoever wrote that didnt bother to fact check. But yeah, some posts are not happy places, I know if you were sent to Bishop CA, that was considered to be a punishment. But some people liked it (skiing was supposedly good). ---
**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 17, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5446 "2026-06-17T23:21:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I know if you were sent to Bishop CA, that was considered to be a punishment. But some people liked it (skiing was supposedly good). Don’t forget the wild and crazy campus scene: > **[Deep Springs College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Springs_College)** > > Deep Springs College (known simply as Deep Springs or DS) is a private junior college in Deep Springs, California. With the number of undergraduates restricted to 26, the college is one of the smallest institutions of higher education in the United States.\[a\] Though it offers an associate degree, most students transfer into a four-year college after completing their studies. Those enrolled pay no tuition and are given room and board. > Founded in 1917 as Deep Springs Collegiate and Preparatory,... ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5447 "2026-06-18T02:02:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I know if you were sent to Bishop CA, that was considered to be a punishment. In the CHP, the threat was to get sent to Needles, CA. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5448 "2026-06-18T03:11:37Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Don’t forget the wild and crazy campus scene: Two wild and crazy guys! > [@pirviii](#): > > In the CHP, the threat was to get sent to Needles, CA. About the same level of “fun.” 🤪 As Mark Twain put it- “Fun? yes, but of a mild sort.” [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=270) [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=272)