Best comedy movie mistakes of 1940

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The Great Dictator picture

Continuity mistake: During the middle of the film, a butler comes in and out of the Dictator's office several times repeatedly. The door is open and shows the corridor outside the office, casting the shadow of a window off-screen. The shadow changes from small to big bewteen shots.

Sacha

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The Mummy's Hand picture

Factual error: When Kharis is being examined by Petrie, he says that the lines on his face were caused by him being buried alive. In the next sentence he goes on to say that Kharis shows the best example of the embalmer's art that he has ever seen. Strange - if you're planning on burying someone alive you wouldn't embalm them first - that process would kill them!

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His Girl Friday picture

Continuity mistake: There is a scene when they are all in the press room when he's inside the desk. As Hildy goes to get water you can see she's wearing the black heels she's been wearing throughout the movie. In the next shot as she walks behind the table, if you look through the table legs you can see she's wearing a pair of flat white slippers/loafers.

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The Philadelphia Story picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where a drunk Connor visits CK Dexter Haven at his home after Uncle Willie's party, Dexter's pyjamas and dressing gown change from shot to shot. First his pyjama top is done up, then it is open, then done up, then open again.

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Road to Singapore picture

Continuity mistake: In the first fight scene aboard the boat, Ace's hat falls off his head. He then breaks through a door and falls down. As he stands up, the hat reappears on his head.

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Busman's Honeymoon picture

Continuity mistake: Near the beginning Harriet Vane produces tokens for herself & Lord Peter Wimsey of miniature handcuffs with one cuff "open to symbolise we're giving up on crime". She puts hers on as a bracelet. Immediately after & several times throughout the film it's clear hers is a set of closed handcuffs.

Christopher Walters

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The Shop Around the Corner picture

Continuity mistake: As he is talking, Jimmy Stewart is writing on small boxes and placing them in a pile. He sets one down, and when the camera changes, he's suddenly got one in his hand again. (00:27:35)

Jack's Revenge

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Go West picture

Continuity mistake: Baxter and Beecher are riding in a horse-drawn wagon. As they go across a bridge, the train carrying the Marx Brothers approaches. Baxter and Beecher leap off the bridge, one jumping to the right and one jumping to the left, but they are side by side when they land in the river below.

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Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip picture

Continuity mistake: After Mickey hides Pluto in his suitcase in Burbank, Mickey picks up his cane and runs to the train, then when Mickey actually jumps onto the train caboose he's only carrying his suitcase, he does not have his cane, nor does he have Pluto's suitcase (which had been filled with bones) with him. The cane reappears on the train later, and at the end Pluto's suitcase mysteriously reappears when Pete throws it at the duo in Pomona.

Super Grover

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Saps at Sea picture

Continuity mistake: Stan puts the half-folded newspaper down on the boat's galley table. One shot later, the paper is completely unfolded and covering the table. (00:46:05)

Jean G

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My Favorite Wife picture My Favorite Wife mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Ellen tells her mother-in-law about her whereabouts in the Indian Ocean, Irene Dunn's hand is held high up on the column, and at the base in the following shot. (00:09:35)

Sammo

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Puss Gets the Boot picture

Continuity mistake: After the mouse is revived by water from Jasper, he goes up to the cat and you can see that the mouse's left hand is under Jasper's mouth, but in the next shot his hand is now near the whisker area.

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The Bear's Tale picture

Continuity mistake: When Papa Bear is drinking from the hot water tap after eating the hot porridge, the tap handle changes position between shots.

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Donald's Vacation picture

Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the cartoon, you can see the front of Donald Duck's kayak has nothing on it. But after he is soaked by a waterfall, a lever appears out of nowhere. The lever disappears in the next shot, but when he arrives at the campsite, it is back again.

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You Ought to Be in Pictures picture

Continuity mistake: When Porky is searching for his contract in the waste-paper basket in Leon Schlesinger's office, he leaves some paper on the floor. But when Leon tells him to go back to work, we cut to Porky and the paper has gone.

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A Wild Hare picture

Continuity mistake: When Elmer first sees rabbit tracks, there are two big tree trunks in the background, but when we cut to Elmer in the next shot, the trunks have disappeared.

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Elmer's Candid Camera picture

Continuity mistake: When Elmer is reading his book at the beginning of the cartoon, you can see it reads "How to Photograph Wild Life" on the spine, but when we see Elmer in the next shot, the words have gone.

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