# 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:** 273
**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, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5469 "2026-06-23T14:18:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > One of the girls came out with the cake and they said Surprise! A girl jumped out of a cake for your birthday? Nice birthday surprise! I know you mean she brought a cake out, not jumped out of one, but that brings to mind another example of the OP— I’ve seen any number of sitcoms and a movie or two with a scene where a girl was supposed to jump out of a giant fake cake, usually with some hijinks or something going wrong, but I wonder how often that’s happened in real life? Probably rare, if at all. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5470 "2026-06-23T18:28:52Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I know you mean she brought a cake out, not jumped out of one, but that brings to mind another example of the OP— I’ve seen any number of sitcoms and a movie or two with a scene where a girl was supposed to jump out of a giant fake cake, usually with some hijinks or something going wrong, but I wonder how often that’s happened in real life? Probably rare, if at all. According to Google, yes, a girl jumped out of a giant pie in 1895, and after that from fake cardboard cakes. > **[Where Did Women Jumping Out of Cakes Come From? | Ripley's Believe It or Not!...](https://www.ripleys.com/stories/women-jumping-out-of-cakes)** > > Women jumping out of cakes has become a trope of vice and epicurean fantasy in American culture, but do you know how this tradition began? ---
**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, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5471 "2026-06-23T22:19:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > According to Google, yes, a girl jumped out of a giant pie in 1895, and after that from fake cardboard cakes. Thanks, interesting historical article. Still, I think it fits the OP, which specifies ‘almost never happens in real life’ and I think ‘scantily clad girl jumping out of a giant dessert’ has happened far more often in fiction than IRL. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5472 "2026-06-24T00:32:27Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Still, I think it fits the OP, which specifies ‘almost never happens in real life’ and I think ‘scantily clad girl jumping out of a giant dessert’ has happened far more often in fiction than IRL. I will grant that. Very funny lampshade funny was in the Addams Family. Now, on this subject, and I am not sure about “almost never happens” but I will sate much more common in media than IRL is a huge cake that appears- only to be smashed, after by a fight or something. That meme annoys me. If you see a huge cake in TV or Film (except on a cooking show), it is a a goner. ---
**Author:** ![Cachalot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@Cachalot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cachalot)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5473 "2026-06-25T18:05:48Z")
Again similar to your cake is the giant pie in the face fight that frequently occurs on TV. I seriously doubt that has ever happened in real life. ---
**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 25, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5474 "2026-06-25T21:28:56Z")
If only because the filmed pie fights are actually pans of whipped cream, whereas getting hit in the face with an actual heavy pie would hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Cachalot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@Cachalot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cachalot)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5475 "2026-06-25T22:28:56Z")
Except that they are generally chocolate cream pies. Not so heavy. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5476 "2026-06-25T23:21:00Z")
I thought banana cream was the traditional weapon. ---
**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, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5477 "2026-06-25T23:59:03Z")
Coconut custard or GTFO. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DWnHtMU1TZU/hqdefault.jpg "Pickup Pie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWnHtMU1TZU) ---
**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, 2026, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5478 "2026-06-26T06:08:34Z")
We can’t talk about pie fights without this [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MIRPaKgPwEs/hqdefault.jpg "Bugsy Malone - Dramatic Finale") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIRPaKgPwEs) ---
**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, 2026, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5479 "2026-06-26T07:26:38Z")
That was a good one but there’s the granddaddy of them all. The soundtrack by Henry Mancini is “The Pie in the Face Polka.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RCneye8GuSo/maxresdefault.jpg "The Largest Pie Fight Ever FIlmed! | The Great Race | Warner Archive") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCneye8GuSo) ---
**Author:** ![Cachalot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@Cachalot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cachalot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5480 "2026-06-26T18:45:26Z")
Well some kind of cream pie… ---
**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 26, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5481 "2026-06-26T19:42:03Z")
I just realized something. Based on the sitcoms I’ve watched there in most groups there is usually one person that is a clueless idiot. Since the groups I’ve been in, I’m not aware of clueless idiots. I guess that means the clueless idiot is me. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5482 "2026-06-26T19:50:56Z")
During filming of this fight Tony Curtis actually got hit with overspray and near misses; he had to change to a fresh costume several times. ---
**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 27, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5483 "2026-06-27T00:10:33Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > Since the groups I’ve been in, I’m not aware of clueless idiots. I believe the saying goes “If you’ve been playing poker for half an hour and don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy”. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5484 "2026-06-27T02:18:37Z")
The pie fight in Laurel & Hardy’s silent film _The Battle of the Century_ way back in 1927 is a close second, or possibly even bigger. The fight in _The Great Race_ supposedly used 4000 pies. Wikipedia says _The Battle of the Century_ used between 3000 and 10,000 pies. Pretty impressive for such an old film, and I’d say it probably deserves the title “granddaddy of them all”. ---
**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 27, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5485 "2026-06-27T02:56:53Z")
As I said about five years ago… > [@CaptMurdock](#): > > I have been to several company dinners or other events where people dressed very nicely, all in a room together. In some instances the food was on a couple of tables to serve buffet-style. Fair enough. > > I have never seen a table at any such gathering filled almost-to-overflowing with pies and cakes. > > I have never seen an argument break out where one patron picks up a pie to hurl into the face of the other. > > I have never seen this sort of altercation escalate to where everyone in the room is now throwing pies at one another…usually with uncanny accuracy where **every** cream pie impacts a man or woman in the face, splattering messily and burying their features in cream and fruit and flaky brown crust. > > I have never seen an entire room of dinner-party guests flinging such pastries at one another, looking like an army of snowmen. > > Never. I must not go to the right parties. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5486 "2026-06-27T08:11:18Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > usually with uncanny accuracy where **every** cream pie impacts Except Bugsy Malone … [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3WjSUzbtr-A/maxresdefault.jpg "Bugsy Malone 1976 Full Movie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WjSUzbtr-A&t=2021) ---
**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 27, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5487 "2026-06-27T16:55:24Z")
BTW: we’re so used to it being a colorful sobriquet that we forget that at the time “bugsy” was equivalent to calling someone “psycho” today; and that a mobster who really was “bugsy” might kill you for calling them that in their hearing. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5488 "2026-06-27T22:30:04Z")
Foster’s picture reminded me of JonBenét Ramsey. [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=272) [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=274)