Stand By Me
Stand By Me mistake picture

Factual error: After Wil Wheaton fires a warning shot, he points the pistol at Kiefer Sutherland and pulls the hammer back to threaten him. However, this is a semi-automatic pistol, and the hammer would already be cocked after the shot he fired. (01:13:40)

Factual error: When the two drivers of the teenage gang are playing "Chicken" on a straight section of a two-lane highway, the center lines of the road consist of yellow hashmarks. Though the picture was set in 1959, center lines for passing zones on two-lane highways were painted white until 1971.

Factual error: There are aluminium cans in the general store. The first all-aluminium cans of this style weren't used in 1959, when the film is set. (00:24:05)

Factual error: Near the end of the movie, when the boys return to town, a garage door in the background is a modern metal roll-up type that was not available in 1959.

Factual error: When Gordy goes to get supplies at the store, as he is standing there the clerk is talking about Denny, and in the background on the shelf there is a bottle of Soft Scrub. It's supposed to be the 1960s, but Soft Scrub was not around until the early 80s. (00:25:00)

Factual error: When they find the dead body, the body looks like it has been dead for only a short while, his face even had a pinkish color to it still. Factually, the body would be a lot more decomposed after a few days, bluish or white in color from the blood pooling at the bottom of the body, since the body was on its back. (01:08:30)

Factual error: There's a scene with a house in the background that has the electric wires from the power pole going to a connection above the roof. In 1959, the connection would have been made under the eaves or on the outer wall.

Factual error: When the boys start their hike at the railroad yard, there is a modern transformer on a pole in the background. In 1959, they were smaller and black. (00:15:00)

Continuity mistake: When the boys are dunking each other in the swamp Gordie starts to wade away, when he passes the camera his hair is dry but when he reaches the bank it's wet again. (01:04:56)

More mistakes in Stand By Me

Mr. LaChance: Why can't you have friends like Denny's?
Gordie: Dad, they're okay.
Mr. LaChance: Sure they are. A thief and two feebs?
Gordie: Chris isn't a thief.
Mr. LaChance: He stole the milk money at school. He's a thief in my book.

More quotes from Stand By Me

Trivia: The scene with the leeches on Gordie was based on a real life experience that Stephen King had. Mr King has stated that he even has the scar to prove it.

Karoo

More trivia for Stand By Me

Question: In the train dodging scene, why didn't the loco crew brake at all? They definitely saw the boys in front. I know that trains have very long stopping distances compared to road vehicles, but still. And why didn't the boys try to signal the driver to stop? I get it that they panicked, but still wouldn't that be the first thing coming to one's mind in such a situation?

Answer: No, it wasn't that big of a train. He didn't even attempt to get off the throttle. That's all it would have taken for the boys to make it fairly easy. It was a straight-away track, no chance of it derailing by hitting the brakes. Like the man said above, if trains derailed that easily, we wouldn't be using them.

Answer: Throwing on brakes that heavily gives the train a chance of derailing and the train still wouldn't stop in time.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: To add to the other fine answers, and as mentioned, any attempt to make a sudden stop could have resulted in derailment. The conductor knew the train was about to go over an elevated track, and if it derailed, it would have plunged into the deep ravine, killing the boys anyway, as well as those on aboard. The best he could do was blow the whistle, gradually slow the train, and hope the boys survived.

raywest

Can't agree with the arguments about derailment. If trains derailed so easily, they would derail all the time. The train had only 4 or 5 cars. It would not have needed miles to stop. Simply reducing the throttle would have resulted in significant slowing. Plus, they did not stop to determine if anyone was hurt. That is criminal behavior.

Answer: A train that size would have needed miles to stop, and rapid braking could have caused derailment. The engineer was blowing his whistle so he saw the boys; there was no need for them to signal. The engineer and the boys knew their only chance was to get off the bridge.

Brian Katcher

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