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.
Double Identity - November 8, 1965 - S1-E6
Factual error: The episode takes place November 9, 1965. After the haircut incident they are seen moving away from a theater with Doctor Zhivago on the marquee, but the movie was released December 22, 1965, a month and a half after the scene is supposed to take place. (00:28:00)
The Color of Truth - August 8, 1955 - S1-E7
Factual error: The episode takes place in Alabama, however when Sam and the old lady are in the cemetery before Al shows up, there are mountains in the background.
Honeymoon Express - April 27, 1960 - S2-E1
Factual error: The date is April 27, 1960, and Al says the Francis Powers U-2 spy plane will be shot down in two days, namely April 29, but the plane was actually shot down on May 1, 1960, four days after the episode.
Disco Inferno - April 1, 1976 - S2-E2
Factual error: In this episode that takes place in April of 1976, everyone sits around watching an episode of Saturday Night Live with Bill Murray on it. Murray didn't join the cast until 1977.
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.
The Americanization of Machiko - August 4, 1953 - S2-E3
Factual error: In the scene where the guy is telling Machiko about the major league teams that wanted him, he mentions the Indians, Yankees, and Orioles. The episode is set in 1953 and the story is from before World War II. While there had been a minor league team called the Orioles up to that point, there was no major league team called the Orioles until 1954.
The Americanization of Machiko - August 4, 1953 - S2-E3
Factual error: The episode takes place in rural Ohio, however several times in the distance, large mountains are visible. Ohio has hills, but not large mountains.
Blind Faith - February 6, 1964 - S2-E5
Factual error: In the opening scene it is 1964 in New York City. A shot through Brooklyn Bridge shows the World Trade Center towers in the background. The Trade Center was not started until 1968 and not completed until 1973.
Blind Faith - February 6, 1964 - S2-E5
Factual error: The episode takes place in New York in February. During the scene with the Beatles arriving at the theater, we see a tree that has very green and full leaves on it. Trees with green leaves are visible in other parts of the episode as well.
Good Morning, Peoria - September 9, 1959 - S2-E6
Factual error: While it's done for furthering the plot, climbing a live AM radio tower would result in RF burns and would possibly be fatal. The man who cuts the transmission cable would be in a lot of pain or dead doing that in real life.
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)
So Help Me God - July 29, 1957 - S2-E9
Factual error: At one point when Sam is visiting Delilah in the courthouse he is hugging her and the Sheriff guarding the door comes in and sees them. As the sheriff is leaving, he has a patch on his arm that says "County Sheriff." As this episode took place in Louisiana, there would only be Parish Sheriffs, not a County Sheriff.
A Portrait for Troian - February 7, 1971 - S2-E11
Factual error: When the second earthquake happens, certainly we would see evidence of the water shaking but the water is calm. In a real earthquake, the water would be sloshing around.
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)
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)
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)
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)
Good Night, Dear Heart - November 9, 1957 - S2-E17
Factual error: At the end, Sam reads a poem from a Mark Twain book and says, "Twain wrote it when his daughter died." But the poem, famous because it was engraved on the daughter's headstone, isn't by Twain, but by poet Robert Richardson. Twain never claimed authorship, so Sam couldn't be reading it with Twain's byline from any of his books. (00:48:00)
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)
Answer: He means he's there to prevent there ever being the need for a shotgun wedding-that is, to stop the affair before there is a possibility of the girl getting pregnant.
raywest ★
Which would erase the child from history. That's my point.
Brian Katcher
Not if there was never any pregnancy to begin with. There was only the chance of one.
raywest ★