jimba

Piano Man - November 10, 1985 - S3-E15

Continuity mistake: The old Ford pickup Sam steals to chase them is noticeably different than the one we see being driven later, including the front end, side, and roof damage, different side mirror type, no antenna on driven truck, and a different license plate number. (00:35:50)

jimba

Show generally

Factual error: Many of the episodes are set in the 1950's or early 1960's, but we always see three-prong electrical outlets in the buildings. Three prong electrical outlets only came into common use in the mid to late 1960's, and were required starting in 1969. While they existed before that, they were only installed in specific use situations.

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Leap of Faith - August 19, 1963 - S3-E3

Revealing mistake: The newspaper Father John holds up has the headline "Youth Hit By Train", but the article text under it talks about Diane Feinstein's election race against John Van de Kamp for California governor in 1990, the year the episode was filmed. Other article texts do not match either. The text under the Bangladesh Flood article talks about Germany's reunification, which also happened in 1990, after the Soviet collapse. The paper is a copy of the Los Angeles Times with the titles and date changed. (00:05:10)

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Maybe Baby - March 11, 1963 - S2-E20

Factual error: At the beginning when escaping, the song playing on the radio in the truck is "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels, which was released in July 1963, four months after the episode's date of March 1963. (00:04:00)

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Leaping in Without a Net - November 18, 1958 - S2-E19

Visible crew/equipment: When driving to Denver we see the trucks with trailers go around a curve, and two modern cars are briefly visible on the right along with the knee of a crew member. The cars are probably the parked cars of the camera crew. (00:36:25)

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Her Charm - September 26, 1973 - S2-E15

Factual error: When they arrive at the Federal Building, an exterior shot shows a green Karmann Ghia exiting with California license plate 1MMW713, except 1XXX plates first were issued in 1980. A blue California plate for the time should have been just XXX. (00:06:20)

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Pool Hall Blues - September 4, 1954 - S2-E18

Factual error: After Eddie tells his helper to get rid of Sam's/Charlie's pool cue Alberta, we see an exterior street shot with an elevated subway going by, with a lot of 1970s and 1980s cars parked and driving by. Not quite appropriate for the 1954 setting. (00:35:40)

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Good Night, Dear Heart - November 9, 1957 - S2-E17

Revealing mistake: When Sam is talking to the sheriff in the parlor and says it can't be prosecuted, he walks in front of a mirror and we see the real doctor in the mirror, except we see the real doctor standing up just as he becomes visible, and Sam's shoulder just to the left. They used the mirror's angle to fake the mirror image, and probably panned the camera over the other actor's head as it swung around which is why he had to stand up. (00:38:40)

jimba

Her Charm - September 26, 1973 - S2-E15

Revealing mistake: When Al is helping Sam find Dana in the forest, his feet keep kicking up or moving the dirt and leaves, which a hologram shouldn't be doing. (00:39:00)

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Her Charm - September 26, 1973 - S2-E15

Factual error: Sam is wearing a Casio calculator watch, which we are shown up close when he is driving the laundry van. The first calculator watch was made by Pulsar in 1975, and Casio's first calculator watch was released in the 1980s, long after this episode's 1973 date. (00:15:25)

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Another Mother - September 30, 1981 - S2-E13

Factual error: When the boys are talking to Jackie to get her to cooperate with their plan, the song Shake It Up by The Cars is playing, except the show is set at September 30, 1981, and the song was released in November 1981. And it wasn't a pre-release demo version on the radio since the song was still being mixed at Syncro Sound Studios in early October. (00:23:00)

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Animal Frat - October 19, 1967 - S2-E12

Factual error: When Sam is in the library, there are multiple book titles visible that were published after the show's date of 1967. The clearest is when Sam and Duck tussle, the book "Men How To Understand Your Symptoms" falls on Sam - this book was first published in 1986. (00:29:00)

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Jimmy - October 14, 1964 - S2-E8

Factual error: The episode is set in 1964. When Frank and Jimmy first arrive at the dock and some of the dock workers are harassing Jimmy, there is a nice set of period appropriate cars in the foreground that the other dock workers are around, but in the background we see street traffic with 1980s cars driving by. (00:10:50)

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Her Charm - September 26, 1973 - S2-E15

Revealing mistake: When driving to the cabin, the mileage markers on the roadside indicate they are in Los Angeles, nowhere near Boston or Baltimore. (00:20:30)

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Thou Shalt Not... - February 2, 1974 - S2-E7

Visible crew/equipment: When Sam and Shirley go out of the bake sale to talk and she admits to having an affair and begins to cry, Sam reaches into his coat for a handkerchief, and a mic briefly drops down and is visible in the upper left of the screen. (00:29:00)

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What Price Gloria? - October 16, 1961 - S2-E4

Continuity mistake: When Sam goes out of the window to save Gloria, part of the ledge breaks off, but in the near shots it is broken off almost to the corner near Gloria, while in the shots from below most of the ledge is still intact. (00:35:45)

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Disco Inferno - April 1, 1976 - S2-E2

Factual error: The episode takes place April 1, 1976, and Sam performs a stunt for the "Earthquake" movie featuring Charlton Heston, but Earthquake was released in 1974, so was filmed long before 1976.

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