Best TV mistakes of 1972

Please vote as you browse around to help the best rise to the top.

Emergency! picture

The Indirect Method - S5-E6

Factual error: When Roy is electrocuted and falls from the roof, after Karen uses the defibrillator paddles on Roy, she lifts both paddles, looks at the EKG monitor and says "He's converted." How exactly could Karen have known that he's converted? It's impossible for the EKG monitor to show anything at all. Either the defib paddles have to be in contact with Roy's body for the "quick-look" to get a reading, which they weren't, or the ECG electrode discs have to be on Roy's chest connecting him to the EKG monitor, and they weren't. As an aside, just watching Marco having problems attaching the air mask, and quickly glancing up towards the camera frustrated, then giving up is priceless.

Super Grover

More Emergency! mistakes
M*A*S*H picture M*A*S*H mistake picture

Divided We Stand - S2-E1

Visible crew/equipment: In the opening scene where General Clayton is explaining the 4077 to the psychiatrist, the scene changes to the outdoor set and the camera pans to the right. As the camera pans past the hospital, a white 1970s era shuttle van can be seen driving into the set in the upper right corner of the screen. (00:01:35)

John Hunt

More M*A*S*H mistakes
More Sanford and Son mistakes
More The Bob Newhart Show mistakes
Are You Being Served? picture

German Week - S3-E6

Revealing mistake: When Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas make their toast with the German mugs, Mr. Lucas' mug breaks but Mr. Humphries' does not. A moment later, when Mr. Humphries notices the mug has not broken, you can see that he crushes the mug with his hand.

More Are You Being Served? mistakes
The Waltons picture

The Rumor - S6-E14

Visible crew/equipment: At the mill, when John tells Buck that Willie Brimmer might be at the Montgomery cabin with Jim-Bob, in the next closeup of John we see a billowy trail of cigarette smoke at the bottom right corner of the screen, but the only people standing there are Elizabeth, John, and Buck, and none are smoking. Presumably, it was someone offscreen smoking too close to the camera (similar to a mistake in 1978's "Halloween"). (00:26:05)

Super Grover

More The Waltons mistakes
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids picture

The Prankster - S1-E11

Continuity mistake: Just after Otis makes the ghost sounds from inside the house, it shows the gang standing together outside the house. Otis is with them outside, which is impossible, as he is inside the house pretending to be the ghost.

Mark English

More Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids mistakes
The Sixth Sense picture

With This Ring, I Thee Kill! - S1-E7

Factual error: Rhodes views the silent movie and the film breaks, leaving the last frame frozen on the screen. Wouldn't happen. When 16mm film broke in 1970s projectors, any portion that jammed in the mechanism was exposed to intense heat from the projection lamp, and would burn. (00:35:30)

Jean G

More The Sixth Sense mistakes
More Kung Fu mistakes
More Banacek mistakes
More El Chavo del Ocho mistakes
Maude picture

Maude Takes a Job - S2-E7

Continuity mistake: Towards the end of the episode, Maude makes Walter breakfast and lists some things she will get done around the house. One is to paint the kitchen chairs. She spray paints the chair with Walter in it - the amount of spray paint on Walter's jacket changes thoughout the scene, especially when Maude is on the phone turning down a job.

Randy DeShong

More Maude mistakes
More Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus mistakes
Emmerdale picture

Show generally

Factual error: 14/11/2013: Amy sails to Ireland from a ferryport in Yorkshire. Ferries to Ireland do not sail from any port in Yorkshire. Yorkshire only has coastline on the North Sea, on the east side of Great Britain, not the Irish Sea, on the west. A ferry from Yorkshire would have to sail right round the country to get to Ireland. We know they're still in Yorkshire, as the paramedics who are called have "Yorkshire Ambulance" on their jackets.

Necrothesp

More Emmerdale mistakes

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.