Best drama movie factual errors of 1955

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Mister Roberts picture

Factual error: When Roberts makes a deal with the Captain, he demands that the Captain grant liberty to both sections (i.e., the entire crew), leaving only Roberts and one enlisted man aboard as the deck watch. All U.S. Navy ships must have enough personnel aboard at all times to get the ship underway immediately, if necessary, which is why the crew is divided into watch sections.

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East of Eden picture

Factual error: The movie takes place around the time of WWI, definitely before 1923. In the carnival scene, the calliope is heard playing "Ain't She Sweet". This was the number one song ... in 1927.

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The Night of the Hunter picture

Factual error: After Harry Powell disappears from in front of Ms. Cooper's yard, a barn owl swoops down on a rabbit. We can hear the owl's wings flap even though barn owls make no noise when they fly.

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Strategic Air Command picture

Factual error: When Jimmy Stewart is almost down to the runway during the bad weather, the aircraft exterior shots show the type of cloud tops found only at high altitude, not low to the ground.

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Bad Day at Black Rock picture

Factual error: The opening scene shows Spencer Tracy on a crack streamliner in the desert east of Los Angeles, featuring red and orange coaches. Such equipment was used by the railroad on only two trains, neither of which crossed the desert east of Los Angeles, and both of which had matching red and orange locomotives. In the film the train is pulled by a dark gray locomotive normally used only to haul freight, and in a close-up shot the number in the locomotive is preceded by an X, which in the language of railroading refers to an extra train.

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The Cockleshell Heroes picture

Factual error: When the lorry was held up at the level crossing the locomotive has an early British Rail logo. It should have been The Southern Railway.

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The Dam Busters picture

Factual error: The system devised to get the height right was, in the film, said to have been thought of by the 617 Sqn crews following a visit to the theater. In reality it was devised by the 'boffins' at Farnborough.

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Suggested correction: See many previously posted 'mistakes' of this type and the standard correction: this is not a documentary and never pretended to be. It is a war drama and many facts were changed to fit the action.

Those correction are often made in fallacy. Dramas based on historical accounts have liberty to change small or inconsequential things, like adding a person that may have never existed, or change a relationship for dramatic purposes. Despite not being a documentary, unless it's a fantasy film, changes in historical facts are mistakes (for example, a drama can't have the Eiffel Tower in London just because it's not a documentary).

Bishop73

Suggested correction: This was the version given in Brickhill's book. The real story wasn't published till many years after the film was made.

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Storm Over the Nile picture

Factual error: In the last British battle at Omdurman near the end of the film, the British bugler is shown wearing a Pattern 1903 bandoleer - not made until well after the film is set.

Andrew Upton

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Lady and the Tramp picture

Factual error: At the end of the movie, Lady has four puppies, three Spaniels, like her, and one mixed breed, like Tramp. Realistically, they would all be mixed breed with characteristics from both parents.

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