Plot hole: R.J. Fletcher is shown as a ruthless businessman who knows everything there is to know about Channel 62 - who owns it, how much it's worth, who is running it, the financial troubles it is having and so on and so on. He is also fully aware of the telethon and the fact that George is selling the station as a going concern for a total of $75,000.00. It is simply asking too much of audience credulity or 'suspension of belief' to think that such a hard-headed businessman would not work out that he could, using stooges, buy a controlling interest in the station for $37,501.00, saving himself a small fortune and closing the station down over the objections of his minority shareholders. Something this blatant could not possibly be a character mistake - he is already planning on buying the station for the full price (from Big Louis) so don't tell me he wouldn't just switch plans and buy it from George instead!
Plot hole: Throughout the telethon we see volunteers taking pledges over the telephone. As with all telethons the vast majority of pledges will be paid by cheque. Instant bank transfers were unknown in the days the film was set and the telethon ends at midnight, at which time American banks are most certainly shut! How does George manage to have $75,000 in CASH for Big Louie on site that very night? Not every single pledge would (or could) go out to the remote site to pay in cash - not at that time of the night, anyway - and he couldn't raise more than the required sum as this was a share offer and an oversell would reduce the value of individual shareholder's equity.
Factual error: George comes up with the idea to raise money via a public share issue in Channel 62 around mid-morning, and promptly announces the telethon on the air and by midnight of the same day they have the money they need. One problem. Even if George had access to a compliant attorney and Channel 62 was already a company authorised to issue shares, a public issue would take at least ten days to organise. There are all sorts of notice periods and filing dates to which the share issuer must adhere. I know - I've done it.
Continuity mistake: In the beginning during the Indiana Jones parody one of the men pulls a gun on Weird Al with his left hand. Then Al lashes his whip, slicing his arm clean off. Then we see a RIGHT arm fall to the ground, gripping the gun in its hand. [Explanation: The live scene was shot one morning, and the actor who had his arm whipped off was cleared and went home. After lunch the prosthetic arm was delivered, and it was the wrong arm. They were on such a tight budget that they couldn't delay the shot, and flipping the negative (so right becomes left and vice versa) wasn't an option because the scene with the small pond had already been shot, and couldn't now be shown in reverse. This is from Weird Al's website, www.weirdal.com.] (00:01:40)
Visible crew/equipment: Just after our two heroes have been fired from Big Edna's, a black Porsche crosses the screen treating us to a perfect reflection of the sound man, complete with boom and Sennheiser microphone. Really, it's that clear. (00:07:55)
Continuity mistake: As Philo sets up his camera in Fletcher's office, he has a pencil in his mouth. In a subsequent shot, the pencil is gone. He did not remove the pencil as he was working on the camera the entire time. (This is even mentioned in the DVD commentary.). (01:00:15)
Visible crew/equipment: In the scene where George and Stanley first meet, a microphone can be seen overhead as Stanley relays his woes to George (in an older video version).
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Fletcher tells Teri he cares about the people in the town as much as a 'a festering bowl of dog snot' Philo is recording the whole thing. Later on Philo broadcasts the whole scene and you can notice that this is a different recording. Fletcher's voice and expressions are completely different from the scene with Teri. (01:11:10 - 01:22:35)
Continuity mistake: Al Yankovic had some moles on his face removed during the filming of UHF. In some scenes he has moles on his face and others he does not. (00:06:35)
Revealing mistake: In an older video version, the 'Hollywood' George blows up in his Rambo dream was revealed as a prop screen: the upper edge was visible. (01:18:40)
Continuity mistake: When Philo realizes that Stanley is in Fletcher's office, we see the head thug and Stanley walking over to the desk. The camera then cuts to inside of the office, where everybody is around the desk. When George and Philo rush in moments later, the same video of the thug and Stanley walking over to the desk is playing again. (01:14:15)
Continuity mistake: When George and Joe go to the bar, Joe's beer mug rotates between a close-up of the two, and the crowd shot while watching the first appearance of Stanley on U-62. (00:40:10)
Continuity mistake: While Uncle Harvey is in the pool, there are several items lined up behind him. Notice that the sandals are on the extreme left. After Harvey falls in the pool, the sandals hop over to the extreme right, next to the radio. (00:56:00)
Continuity mistake: Stanley's pants get oatmeal on them when he picks up the kid. The amount of oatmeal changes in the following shots.
Continuity mistake: At the end, when the homeless man is showing RJ his Rolex, his arm is extended out in front of RJ. When RJ starts to cry, the shot cuts and the homeless man's hand is suddenly on RJ's shoulder.
Revealing mistake: When the silver bowl flies off the shelf, the stick used to pop it off the shelf slowly retracts, showing it was done from behind the wall.
Continuity mistake: After George declares victory, Kuni is seen touching the corner of the tote board, then jumping down to celebrate. A second later, he's back up at the board as the numbers fall. Much too fast, as the places are well over fifteen feet apart and the stage for the tote board is elevated.
Continuity mistake: Fletcher lays the cash-laden briefcase on the car trunk, then has a discussion with Harvey about giving George a chance. Harvey takes off in the limo and the briefcase has disappeared, with no motion by Fletcher to grab it.
Continuity mistake: In the bar, George and Bob's drinks go from about eight inches apart, to almost two feet apart between angles at the end of Stanley's speech.
Revealing mistake: After demonstrating the table saw, Joe looks at the blood squirting stump. As he raises his hand, you can glimpse his real thumb tucked under his hand.
Suggested correction: They were selling stock at the telethon to those in the crowd. At $10 a share, they only needed to sell 7500 shares, and who is to say people didn't buy multiple?
Because they had $75,000 in CASH that night, if they sold 7500 $10 shares to the crowd at the station in order to raise that cash, then the people who pledged their money over the phone and who could not or did not go to the site at the end of the telethon have been cheated out of their money. Lawsuits are coming up.
Not necessarily. Nowhere does it say that they were selling ONLY 7500 shares. That was what they needed to raise the $75,000, but it doesn't mean that was the hard limit. Those pledging over the phone would still get their shares.
If they didn't give anyone any money, they couldn't be cheated out of their money.
Bishop73
Suggested correction: There's nothing to suggest the people on the phone were paying by cheque over the phone. They made their pledge over the phone but came in person to pay in cash and to pick up the stock. That's why there was such a big crowd of people in attendance with cash in hand.
Bishop73