Factual error: At Portobello Market, when the kids are eating, there's a sign that reads "cookies." No chance there would have been anything like that in 40's London. It would definitely have read "biscuits."
Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)
1 mistake since 29 Feb '24, 11:53
Directed by: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Roddy McDowall, Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Sam Jaffe
Mr. Browne: Observe the fundamental weakness of the criminal mind. You will believe no one or anything.
Trivia: The English translations for the majority of the German dialogue towards the end of the film, as taken from recent BBC TV airings:
(Outside the house just before Mr Brown enters back in)
Guard: Yes, Yes everything is fine.
(as Mr Brown tries to stop Cosmic Creepers yowling)
Guard: What's that?
(after the guards enter Miss Price's house after hearing the yowling)
Guard: It's just a naughty cat, poor thing.
(after capture of Miss Price, the guard sees Mr Brown as a rabbit)
Guard 1: Jagged hare, this will be good.
Guard 2: Idiot, Do you want to wake up the whole village!
(on the battlefield, prior to Miss Price casting her spell)
Guard 1: Colonel, The bridge is ready to blow.
Guard 2: The railway, road and quay are ready.
Colonel: Good. We detonate in ten minutes. Get everything primed for then.
(start of the march)
Colonel: It's got to be some kind of trick.
Guard: Pretty good trick!
(first sighting of Miss Price by the Germans)
Guard: It's a witch sir!
Colonel: Don't be a fool, there's no such thing as a witch!
(after seeing the size of the army of advancing inanimate objects)
Guard: Shall we retreat sir?
Colonel: Retreat? We are German Soldiers! We do not retreat!
(as the Germans are running away)
Colonel: Hold the line or I will shoot you! You are German soldiers!
(back at the house after having been forced to retreat)
Colonel: There is the witch.
Guard: You said there was no such thing as a witch.
(prior to blowing Miss Price's house up)
Colonel: What are you waiting for, leave nothing behind. Quick, detonate it.
Question: How accurate, bar the dancing obviously, is the Portobello Road presented in the film compared to how it could/would have looked in the real August 1940?
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.
Answer: Don't know what it was like in the forties, but we were there in 2010. Wonderful place to visit. So animated. Not only were their vendors, but there were Street entertainers as well. What I found amusing was before you get to the part of Portobello Road where there were these vendors, you had to go past the stately homes with gated grounds. Expensive cars with pull into the drives. Wouldn't happen here in the United States.