# 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:** 279
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5589 "2026-08-26T11:48:05Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Does NO ONE care that that’ll take viewers right out of the movie/show? Not the writer? Or the writer’s best friend? Or a script editor? And the director presumably said “Yeah, that’s fine. We all hate this movie anyhow.” > > Is it that hard to get permission to use a brand name (many brands will pay for that kind of exposure)? > > Or at least make a convincing fictional brand. Some movies do a good job of creating and “mocking up” believable bottles and cans. One of the interesting things about Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories is that he made up a set of fake brands for items, and used them consistently, rather than promoting any real brand. So Archie drove Wolfe’s _Heron_ sedan, his gun was a _Marley_. Among the many locks cited was a _Wingate_. And Wolfe drank _Remmers_ beer. I like the fact that Archie cites the use of “Ciphogene” gas as a fumigant (maybe a made-up chemical instead of a brand name), and that Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle cite the use of this gas in their novel **The Mote in God’s Eye**. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5590 "2026-08-26T12:14:55Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Or at least make a convincing fictional brand. Some movies do a good job of creating and “mocking up” believable bottles and cans. Morley cigarettes: As Seen on TV in hundreds of shows like _The X Files_, _The Twilight Zone_, _Breaking Bad_, _The Walking Dead_, _Malcolm in the Middle_, _American Horror Story_, and _Beverly Hills, 90210_! Who can forget those iconic commercials of the rugged Morley man, riding up on his unicorn and lighting up a tasty, refreshing Morley cigarette. [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRuaFL_fVEgWHDwWx7grWGtvvfuLLyhS9UBj90ODPqCYTFjUC9sylq2JsE&s=10) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRuaFL_fVEgWHDwWx7grWGtvvfuLLyhS9UBj90ODPqCYTFjUC9sylq2JsE&s=10) ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5591 "2026-08-26T13:51:08Z")
Has any joker ever marketed “Beer­®” brand beer, or are there consumer laws against such a thing? ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5592 "2026-08-26T14:08:54Z")
Anyone remember the “Generic Products” back in the day? [![](https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/504219556_10222990063739556_2151557644085942841_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_tt6&cstp=mx768x1024&ctp=s768x1024&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=shH2VbNx5MkQ7kNvwEEvgkN&_nc_oc=Adq5ayGRSveTqVtBLwB5t4YaXI3YCP9rT0NjsyWZFILbdoU7PFsx2CpYZULSc_y_tRlCOYPuRhlZ7GJn4IUDWxts&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&_nc_gid=fya6BEvIJmYuPrRS4iSgYg&_nc_ss=78289&oh=00_AQH3CXidWTs6nL14BOrpuaBzl2sXtd9-jmetxivHhPgv_Q&oe=6A94D0BD) ](https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/504219556_10222990063739556_2151557644085942841_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_tt6&cstp=mx768x1024&ctp=s768x1024&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=shH2VbNx5MkQ7kNvwEEvgkN&_nc_oc=Adq5ayGRSveTqVtBLwB5t4YaXI3YCP9rT0NjsyWZFILbdoU7PFsx2CpYZULSc_y_tRlCOYPuRhlZ7GJn4IUDWxts&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&_nc_gid=fya6BEvIJmYuPrRS4iSgYg&_nc_ss=78289&oh=00_AQH3CXidWTs6nL14BOrpuaBzl2sXtd9-jmetxivHhPgv_Q&oe=6A94D0BD) Found a post about [the whole line of products](https://www.reddit.com/r/GenX/comments/ojjva7/generic_grocery_products_big_in_early_80sat_my/) (it was an '80s thing). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5593 "2026-08-26T16:20:22Z")
There are a whole bunch of prop brands that if you start looking closely, you’ll start seeing all over the place in sitcoms, cop dramas, etc. They do this so they don’t have to negotiate rights for something as silly as a sitcom episode where someone drinks a beer or uses detergent. I mean, when they do put Budweiser in a movie, you can bet that Anheuser Busch/InBev/whoever has paid a pretty penny for the privilege. And in some cases, the company may NOT want their product being used by the villain or something along those lines. Heisler beer is one of the most famous ones. [The Story Behind Heisler Beer: Hollywood’s Favorite Fake Brew - The Beer Connoisseur®](https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/heisler-beer-hollywood) Others you may have seen are [Morley cigarettes](https://fictionalcompanies.fandom.com/wiki/Morley), Jake Danzel’s Old No 2 whiskey (looks like Jack Daniels), Let’s Potato Chips, [Jekyll Island Lager](https://fictionalcompanies.fandom.com/wiki/Jekyll_Island), and [various other beer brands.](https://fictionalcompanies.fandom.com/wiki/Bilson_Brewing_Company) ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5594 "2026-08-26T16:35:36Z")
> [@bump](#): > > There are a whole bunch of prop brands that if you start looking closely, you’ll start seeing all over the place in sitcoms, cop dramas, etc. I used to think that Morley cigarettes were an ‘X-Files’ invention, since the Smoking Man famously smoked that brand, and they showed up again on ‘Breaking Bad’ because Vince Gilligan included them as sort of an Easter egg. But when I looked up Morley Cigarettes before I made that post, I was surprised to find that the fictional brand has actually been used in many TV shows, movies, and video games, dating all the way back to ‘Psycho’ in 1960. It’s the ‘Wilhelm Scream’ of fictional brand props! ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5595 "2026-08-26T16:45:00Z")
> [@bump](#): > > when they do put Budweiser in a movie, you can bet that Anheuser Busch/InBev/whoever has paid a pretty penny for the privilege Lagavulin must have made a slew of new customers from _Parks and Recreation_. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5596 "2026-08-26T17:01:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > So Archie drove Wolfe’s _Heron_ sedan, his gun was a _Marley_. Among the many locks cited was a _Wingate_. And Wolfe drank _Remmers_ beer. Yes, mostly, but Archie did mention a Cadillac once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5597 "2026-08-26T17:02:55Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > This. It wasn’t so long ago—certainly within many of our lifetimes—that bars had one tap for draft beer. Just one. No choice; if you wanted draft; you got what the draft of the day was. I remember one “Twilight Zone” where the lead character (played by Richard Deacon) walks into a bar and asks for a beer. The barman just draws one off the tap. But that was sixty-plus years ago. And is still true in Japan. It is very common to have only one beer on Tap. You just ask for 生ビール (Nama biiru) and they serve you the one beer they have on tap, usually from one of the major beer companies like Asahi, Kirin or Sapporo. You can get a variety of other beers but they are in bottles or cans. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5598 "2026-08-26T17:09:00Z")
> [@icon](#): > > And is still true in Japan. It is very common to have only one beer on Tap. You just ask for 生ビール (Nama biiru) and they serve you the one beer they have on tap, usually from one of the major beer companies like Asahi, Kirin or Sapporo. You can get a variety of other beers but they are in bottles or cans. The same is true in most regular bars/pubs in Germany. So this “I’ll have a beer” thing in movies never bothered me, I even never noticed it before this thread, because that’s normal to me. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5599 "2026-08-26T17:34:06Z")
Also, if you are a regular, the bartender may already know your preference. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5600 "2026-08-30T13:17:31Z")
In TV and movies, baseball umpires pronounce the words “strike!” and “ball!” clearly, instead of grunting “HOOOO!” or “HAWWW!” like in real life. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5601 "2026-08-30T16:19:19Z")
This was now going on 40 years ago now but when I was stationed in Germany we always ordered beer by type. Pils, weizen, alt… Sometimes they had something exotic like Guiness. Mostly it was the variety of whatever the local brewery was. Ein Pils bitte was the usual order. I’m sure there were fancy bars somewhere with more variety but not where I went. Bar culture might be much different now I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5602 "2026-08-30T16:25:35Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Bar culture might be much different now I don’t know. No, that’s basically still the same in German bars. Of course there are many local differences, in some regions Pils is the standard, in others Alt (Lower Rhine region) or Weißbier (Bavaria), and don’t ever order Alt in Cologne or Kölsch in Düsseldorf. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5603 "2026-08-30T18:44:01Z")
One of the clubs i frequented served Eichbaum. We were kind of in between Eichbaum and Binding areas. I felt a strong pang of nostalgia when I heard the brewery was shutting down after 350 years. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5604 "2026-08-30T20:06:40Z")
I’m in a region (Sauerland) that’s mostly divided between Krombacher, Veltins and Warsteiner, so Pils rules. But many bars also have one Alt on tab. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5605 "2026-09-01T12:34:35Z")
Speaking of ordering drinks in a bar, I think this may have been mentioned already (maybe even by me!), but something I see all the time that bugs me is: someone orders a drink, then something comes up…not even an emergency, usually. They might just check their watch and say “eh, it’s getting late. I better get going”. Then leave their untouched drink. WTF? I don’t care if someone says there’s a gas leak in the bar and it’s about to blow up-- I’m finishing that drink I just paid for before I rush out of the building. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2026, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5606 "2026-09-02T05:32:28Z")
It’s the same with food isn’t it. Drives me mad. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2026, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5607 "2026-09-02T06:31:47Z")
Hitmen always take a few seconds to make sure their guns are loaded before they get on with the job. You’d think they’d see to this important detail before they even leave home. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/5608 "2026-09-02T12:48:17Z")
We watch true crime docs pretty consistently. It’s not at all unusual for crime scene investigators to find fired casings AND an unfired round or two at a shooting. It seems likely that the shooter cycled the action even though he/she already had a round chambered. If I were a hitman (and I don’t know where to apply to be one, to be honest). I’d probably double-check or chamber another round myself if i had the time and noise wasn’t a problem. [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=278) [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=280)