Goodfellas
Goodfellas mistake picture

Factual error: Early in the film, when Henry Hill is selling Pall Mall cigarettes out of a car trunk and is arrested, there are UPC price codes visible on the cartons of cigarettes. UPC codes were not used on products in the 1950's when the scene is taking place. They were introduced in the mid 1970s. (00:13:20)

Factual error: When Henry meets with Jimmy after his arrest, the scene takes place in 1980, yet a 1984 or newer white Corvette is seen parked across the street at the end of the scene. (02:14:50)

Factual error: In the scene at Idlewild airport, the actors walk past the rear of an easily identified 1965 Chevy Impala. Occasionally Chevrolet introduced vehicles early, but never two years early.

Factual error: In one scene we are introduced to Idlewild Airport in 1963. We're shown a couple of aircraft in flight and one of the aircraft is a Boeing 747 in the livery of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The Boeing 747 didn't enter commercial service until 1969. Additionally, one of the 747s shown is actually a 747 'SP' (for 'Specual Performance') a version of the Jumbo Jet with a shorter fuselage which did not enter service until the mid 1970s.

Factual error: In the scene where Henry pistol-whips Karen's neighbor, Henry is driving a 1966 Chrysler, when it 1964 at the latest. We know this because at the end of the movie it says that Henry and Karen were divorced in 1989 after 25 years of marriage. That means they were married in 1964.

Factual error: The title of the scene says "Idlewild Airport 1963" but they are leaning against the trunk of a 1965 Chevrolet.

Factual error: When Henry and Karen are racing to Karen's mother's house when the helicopter is following them, the driveway Henry pulls up in has a 1982 or newer Pontiac Bonneville, but the scene was supposed to take place in 1980.

Factual error: When Henry Hill is at the hospital, the doctor gives him a 10 mg Valium pill which is brown. In reality, Valium 10 mg is light blue and has a "V" shaped hole in the center of it. The pill appears to be an Ecotrin, which is a coated aspirin tablet.

Factual error: When Henry and Jimmy go to Morrie's to collect jimmy's money, Morrie's commercial seems to be running on a loop, presumably via VCR. VCR was invented in 76 and available in the US a year later. This scene was before then.

steven_frankel

Factual error: Unless Henry was intoxicated or heavily medicated during his sleep, it would have been impossible for Karen to have climbed on top of him in bed, point a gun at his head, without him ever feeling her body on top of his.

Factual error: In the scene at Idlewild airport, the actors walk past the rear of an easily identified 1965 Chevy Impala. Occasionally Chevrolet introduced vehicles early, but never two years early.

More mistakes in Goodfellas

Tommy DeVito: You know Spider, you're a fuckin' mumbling stuttering little fuck. You know that?

More quotes from Goodfellas
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: False. Joe Pesci told the anecdote to Scorsese in the earliest stages of the movie. Scorsese asked him to add it during previous script readings and further rehearsals while notes were being taken by crew members. Then it was finally shot following those rehearsals and notes. In this video all the actors involved tell how Scorsese works and even he himself says he rewrote that scene 4 times. Minute 13:04: https://youtu.be/_bbzUZuxEB8.

Sacha

I have actually seen interviews where they admitted it was improvised. The reactions from the other actors was genuine.

lartaker1975

Just submitted a link to a video where they tell how they improvised during rehearsals and then scripted it.

Sacha

More trivia for Goodfellas

Question: In the scene where Tommy believes he is being made, right after he walks into the room you hear him say "Oh no!" right before he is shot. Tommy obviously realizes that he was set up. However, what is it that he sees in the room that tips him off?

Answer: He was expecting a crowded room full of friends congratulating him. Also it was common knowledge among the mafia that being walked into an empty room when you were due to be made meant you were about to be executed, so Tommy likely knew he'd met his end just moments before the shot.

William Bergquist

Answer: A man being 'made' is an event shrouded in ceremony. The top people in the family are there, among others to congratulate the new soldier. Tommy walked into an empty room.

Just as others have pointed out, the film implies Tommy realised something was wrong the moment he walked in and saw the place was empty...no other "made men" there for the ceremony. However, I always wondered why he hadn't caught on to what was happening when he saw there were only a couple vehicles parked out in the driveway.

Answer: Either the fact that the room was empty (being made is a big ceremonial event with many people) or he felt the gun pressed against the back of his head right before they shot him.

Answer: There should have been more people waiting for him.

Answer: Wasn't the floor covered with a plastic sheet? That would have given it away.

Or it was a floor with no carpet (tiled, I believe)...easier to mop up.

More questions & answers from Goodfellas

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