Revealing mistake: When Frank takes the orange juice from the tray Johnny 5 is holding, the tray moves with the glass for a second. This is because the orange juice glass was glued to the tray, so Johnny wouldn't drop it. (01:05:25)
Revealing mistake: Some shots used in the scene where Johnny runs from the Nova helicopter were shot using the small toy version of Johnny. There were no mountains in the area and a small version was filmed heading towards some big rocks with the camera on the ground to give the impression they were in a mountainous area. (01:30:15)
Revealing mistake: When Number 5 is leading Number 3 into the toilet and moves at the last minute, you see Number 5 falling over, but in the next scene, he's perfectly fine.
Revealing mistake: After Johnny blocks the gunshots from Frank, he begins to flip a coin and imitate John Wayne. You can see the thin wire connected to the coin on the left side of it.
Answer: Astoria, Oregon is just across from Washington state on the Columbia River. The Highway 101 bridge connects Washington to Astoria, and it takes mere minutes to cross. Unlike Washington, Oregon has no state sales tax, so many Washingtonians who live near the border shop there, and their cars would be seen. Also, there are several vintage paddlewheel river boats belonging to a river cruise company based in Astoria. From a distance, they are a similar size, shape, and white color as a Puget Sound ferry. That is probably what you saw cruising on the Columbia River.
raywest ★