Other mistake: While Ransom Stoddard and his wife are on the train back to Washington, the conductor tells them that the train will be able to maintain a speed of 25 mph throughout the journey. The film is set around 1900, by which time trains were regularly topping 65 mph, and the outside scenery is moving faster than it would for something traveling at 25 mph.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
1 other mistake
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles
Continuity mistake: The colour of John Wayne's shirt changes from black to grey after entering the burnt out building. It can not be dust, as the covering is far too even and complete, and a couple of shots later it is black once more.
Ransom Stoddard: You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?
Maxwell Scott: No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
Trivia: Before the election begins, Tom says, "Herbert, you're too young to vote. Back to school." The actor who played teenaged Herbert was O.Z. Whitehead, and he was approximately 50 years old at the time of filming. Additionally, the actor who played Herbert's father, Amos, was Denver Pyle, and he was 9 years younger than Whitehead. (01:08:05)
Question: When Ranse confronts Liberty and reaches for the dropped gun, there appears to be something written at Ranse's feet in the dirt. What is it?
Answer: At first glance, it looks like the word "LEFT" in large, widely-spaced lettering. It's very unlikely that this would be a blocking cue, telling Jimmy Stewart to move left (which he does from that point). That's not the way blocking cues are done, for one thing, and a seasoned actor such as Jimmy Stewart wouldn't need such a cue. It's also very unlikely that it's a warning message from John Wayne who is hiding in an alley across the street, on Stewart's right. John Wayne didn't want anyone to know that he actually killed Valance, so he wouldn't alert Jimmy Stewart with any messages scrawled in the street. All hypothesis aside, it's probably just footprints in the dirt, an illusion of light and shadow.