# When The Public Imitates Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659 "2020-02-28T16:40:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/1 "2020-02-28T16:40:44Z")
Although it is often reported that A Clockwork Orange was ‘banned’ in the United Kingdom, the removal of the movie was actually Kubrick’s own choice. … The association of real-world acts of violence with the movie was deeply upsetting for Kubrick, and he decided to pull A Clockwork Orange from the British market. Can you think of any other examples? ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/2 "2020-02-28T17:01:50Z")
The 1993 football movie “The Program” had to be edited when two people were seriously injured copying a dangerous stunt from the movie [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Program\_(1993\_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Program_(1993_film)) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/3 "2020-02-28T17:07:56Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Although it is often reported that A Clockwork Orange was ‘banned’ in the United Kingdom, the removal of the movie was actually Kubrick’s own choice. … The association of real-world acts of violence with the movie was deeply upsetting for Kubrick, and he decided to pull A Clockwork Orange from the British market. > > Can you think of any other examples? > **[Why do rappers hold their guns sideways?](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/12/why-do-rappers-hold-their-guns-sideways.html)** > > As police chased Raymond "Ready" Martinez through Times Square on Thursday, the street hustler and aspiring rapper fired two shots, holding the gun... ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/4 "2020-02-28T17:08:35Z")
Not movies, but Stephen King has taken his novel [Rage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_(King_novel)) (written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym) out of print for fear it would inspire real-life school shootings. Goethe’s novel [The Sorrows of Young Werther](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrows_of_Young_Werther) supposedly inspired copycat suicides that led to it being banned in the 18th century. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/5 "2020-02-28T17:24:48Z")
Not withdrawn by the maker, but the subject of various bans and cuts, [Blackboard Jungle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackboard_Jungle#Cultural_impact). It’s kind of part of the British mythology that youths who should have been doing national service anyway indulged in copycat rioting and we’ve been going to hell in a handcart ever since. j ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/6 "2020-02-28T17:42:44Z")
Late last year (2019) in the UK, the film **Blue Story** depicting London based gang violence was blamed for some gang violence at showings in Birmingham (also in England.) A cinema chain banned the film while rivals contnued to show it. The ban was questioned as racist since the gangs in **Blue Story** were black while violent films with white characters ( **The Joker, The Irishman** ) were not being banned. The cinema chain then resumed showing the film. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/7 "2020-02-28T17:58:30Z")
One of the earliest examples of the impact on public behavior was from **It Happened One Night**. In the motel scene, Clark Gable undressed, revealing he wasn’t wearing an undershirt. Undershirt sales reportedly declined 40-450% in the year following the film’s debut. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/8 "2020-02-28T18:01:03Z")
Hollywood movies sometimes depicted gangsters wearing black shirts with white neckties (notably, Harry Lewis’ character in _Key Largo_ ). Supposedly, real-world mafiosi started imitating them. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/9 "2020-02-28T18:58:22Z")
A lot of organized crime figures started imitating _The Godfather_ when it came out. When _The Adventures of Superman_ was on the air, there was a fear of kids grabbing their capes and jumping out windows. One episode even had Superman stressing that only Superman could fly. Similarly, James Barrie added “fairy dust” to _Peter Pan_ because there were reports of kids trying to fly like in the play. It’s very common for names to become popular after they’re used in a movie. [Madison](https://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=madison&sw=both&exact=false) was almost unknown until _Splash_ in 1984. [Linda](https://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=linda&sw=both&exact=true) spiked after Katherine Hepburn in _Holiday_ in 1938. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/10 "2020-02-28T19:49:33Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > One of the earliest examples of the impact on public behavior was from **It Happened One Night**. In the motel scene, Clark Gable undressed, revealing he wasn’t wearing an undershirt. Undershirt sales reportedly declined 40-450% in the year following the film’s debut. 40-45% - wow, very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/11 "2020-02-28T20:07:14Z")
[Sideways](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/07/05/535038513/the-sideways-effect-how-a-wine-obsessed-film-reshaped-the-industry) caused a spike in the sales of Pinot Noir and a dip in tht of Merlot. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/12 "2020-02-28T20:43:08Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > One of the earliest examples of the impact on public behavior was from **It Happened One Night**. In the motel scene, Clark Gable undressed, revealing he wasn’t wearing an undershirt. Undershirt sales reportedly declined 40-450% in the year following the film’s debut. Film released in 1934. Dress standards were changing then, weren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/13 "2020-02-28T21:11:21Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Film released in 1934. Dress standards were changing then, weren’t they? Snopes says [undetermined](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-shirt-off-his-back/). ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/14 "2020-02-28T21:45:16Z")
I have no facts to put it into doubt; it just seems that dress standards were becoming more relaxed. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/15 "2020-02-28T22:36:33Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > I have no facts to put it into doubt; it just seems that dress standards were becoming more relaxed. Sorry if my reply was confusing. Snopes says that they found no good evidence for or against the proposition that Clack Gable made people stop wearing undershirts. It doesn’t really address dress standards otherwise relaxing except insofar as it speculates that they may have been. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/16 "2020-02-28T22:40:08Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Sorry if my reply was confusing. Snopes says that they found no good evidence for or against the proposition that Clack Gable made people stop wearing undershirts. It doesn’t really address dress standards otherwise relaxing except insofar as it speculates that they may have been. Thanks, not confusing at all. Back on topic, surely Saturday Night Fever. Maybe The Wild One. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/17 "2020-02-28T23:28:58Z")
I’m purely speculating here, but I don’t think it’s a crazy notion that Dennis Hopper rescued a [moribund brand of beer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snhiofL2Rh4) in Blue Velvet, and made it suddenly cool (while simultaneously rendering a different brand untouchable). ---
**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:** [February 28, 2020, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/18 "2020-02-28T23:54:25Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > I’m purely speculating here, but I don’t think it’s a crazy notion that Dennis Hopper rescued a [moribund brand of beer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snhiofL2Rh4) in Blue Velvet, and made it suddenly cool (while simultaneously rendering a different brand untouchable). Well, I sometimes go out with college students, and they do like PBR tallboys. Though one of their friends will inevitably accuse them of being a hipster… Side note: Haven’t seen anyone order a Heinekken since '77. Back then it was the “Classier than Bud” beer. Now we have _billlions and billllions_ of craft beers better than Bud. Oh, and I’ve had friends reference _Sideways_ when buying “a Pinot”. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/19 "2020-02-29T01:50:11Z")
A lot of criminals hold their guns using the [side grip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_grip) portrayed in movies. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659/20 "2020-02-29T14:40:08Z")
The Matrix, after that movie came out the sale of long black trench coats went way up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-public-imitates-movies/848659.md?page=2)