Revealing mistake: When the critical boy who ingested the ant poison is being wheeled into the ER's treatment 3, we can see Johnny laughing, and obviously since absolutely nothing about the situation is funny, we know it's Randolph Mantooth just cutting up during the take.
Revealing mistake: After Station 51 reaches the burning house, when Engine 210 rolls up and lays out a supply line, as the camera zooms in to the back of Engine 210, we can see the large, red, rectangular material that is adhered to the engine with the number 210 printed on it.
Revealing mistake: When Squad 51 is dispatched to the man who has difficulty breathing, once they arrive and it cuts to a closeup, at the top of the screen there is a small dark film square that moves towards the left corner, and then it stays there in the following shots facing Johnny, until he contacts Rampart on the Biophone.
Propinquity - S3-E20
Revealing mistake: When Johnny and Roy are figuring out how to free the woman trapped in her wrecked car, the flames spread and Johnny's pant leg catches fire, but as he's trying to smother that flame, the strip of fire stunt gel that was smeared on his pant leg is visible.
Revealing mistake: Squad 51 has a flashing light-bar mounted on the roof of the vehicle. There is about 4-5" of space between the length of the light frame and the roof, which means that Squad 51's surrounding environment is easily visible through that gap in normal shots. The hiccup here are certain close-ups of Gage and DeSoto while they're 'driving', because that gap is covered (with red to match the vehicle) and sometimes, when it's daylight, the gap is dark. The same thing happens with the space behind the cab unit (seen through the window), with the red blocking the opening.
Revealing mistake: When Engine 51 and/or Squad 51 are dispatched, the shots of the vehicles when they are first dispatched, while en route to the call or en route to Rampart, etc, in many instances, are stock footage or repeat shots which show the same traffic, same parked cars, same people, etc., from previous episodes.
Revealing mistake: En route to the pick-up truck hanging from the freeway on-ramp, there is a flipped shot of Engine 51 and Squad 51 as they drive under the freeway before the camera pans in towards the car. Some giveaways are the reversed '51' on Engine 51 and the reversed 'road construction ahead' sign.
Revealing mistake: When Roy's in the ambulance with the man who was rescued from under The Boat, he's on the Biophone with Rampart, and just after Roy says, "So we've occluded the arterial flow in the right arm," in the next shot from inside the ambulance, we can see that they pass a couple of parked GlamourTrams. The ambulance drives around Universal's lot while shooting the footage inside the moving ambulance, en route to Rampart.
Daisy's Pick Blind Date - S4-E7
Revealing mistake: When John and Roy bring the hypothermic patient into treatment 3, Morton uses the laryngoscope, but the problem here is that when it's placed we can see that the laryngoscope is actually at the side of the patient's face.
The Tycoons - S5-E23
Revealing mistake: After Roy and Johnny get to the hospital with the 18 month old baby who stopped breathing, when Johnny is rushing up the hallway giving mouth-to-mouth to the baby, we can see that the happy little baby is wide awake and even smiling.
Revealing mistake: When Station 51 is dispatched to a man trapped at World Picture Corp, just as they reach the entrance to World Picture Corp, the Sheraton-Universal is seen on the corner, and the street sign for touring Universal Studios is visible as well. (00:19:45)
Revealing mistake: After Station 51 is dispatched to the 'plane crash into a structure', when Engine 51 pulls over to lay the dual lines at the hydrant, we can see up the block on the left, the back side of the apartment complex where they are headed, and most of the back windows are boarded up. The following scene takes place at the front doors of those apartments, where people supposedly live. The show used some real locations (not just Universal's sets) where there had been real fires, to film carefully controlled fire scenes.
Revealing mistake: At the gas station with the broken pump nozzle, Captain Stanley and the station attendant head to the garage area to see the main shut-off circuit box, which is located at the far right corner of the garage, but in the next shot, we can see the attendant's reflection behind Roy, and he's standing somewhere else off camera, not where he's supposed to be in the next shot with Captain Stanley.
Cook's Tour - S1-E4
Revealing mistake: After Squad 51 is dispatched to the 'electrocution in a house', while Johnny goes to the garage to turn off the power, Roy waits at the doorway to go inside to the victim. In this interior shot facing the doorway, we see what is supposed to be the brick chimney at the side of the house next door, and the top of that set is visible. Plus the fact that this chimney is not nearly as deep as the one they passed by in the exterior shot.
Revealing mistake: When the Bengal tiger is on the roof, just after the officer warns, "If that cat tries to leave this roof, he's dead before he hits the street," there is a closeup of the tiger and the empty landing below the billboard. A few shots later, after Les steps on the glass, there are pieces of meat scattered on the landing below the billboard, so the trained tiger will jump onto it.
Revealing mistake: In at least three episodes, which include 'Saddled', 'Peace Pipe' and 'Women', the same corner restaurant/hot dog stand (with a striped orange/white awning and green vinyl bar stools) is featured. That would be fine, if it weren't for the fact that in each episode the street it is located on has a different name and different cross streets. It is obviously a set on the Universal Studios lot.
Revealing mistake: When Squad 51 is dispatched from the stationhouse, the exterior shots show buildings, traffic, trees, etc., they pass along the way. In some close-up shots of Gage and DeSoto while en route, too much of the vehicle's left and/or right sides are visible, which actually shows nothing but a blank screen behind them.
Revealing mistake: When Johnny and Roy are in the squad heading to Rampart after freeing the girl's toe from the bathtub, they get dispatched to 'possible electrocution' and we can see the white tape with "Kevin" inside Roy's helmet. (00:37:30)
How Green Was My Thumb? - S3-E17
Revealing mistake: When Roy brings the man with a laryngeal obstruction into the ER and is taken quickly to treatment 1, his head is tilted back and Early places a laryngoscope into the patient's mouth and says that he sees the obstruction. The problem is that we can see that the laryngoscope is actually at the side of the patient's face. Then, when Early uses the forceps to remove the obstruction, once again we can see that it does not go into the patient's mouth.
Revealing mistake: At the site of the hang gliding accident, just after the glider falls, in the long shot when Johnny and Chet pull the unconscious victim higher on the cliff, the victim is supposed to be unconscious, yet we see him use his right leg to push himself higher up to help John and Chet pull him up.
Answer: I believe you are speaking of the old man, Mr. Wilson. He's played by J. Pat O'Malley.
Bishop73
Correct, it was J. Pat O'Malley...he also played the grandfather with his grandson when their rocket exploded, and also played "Old Bill" in the episode with Ann Prentiss, where Gage saves the little girl from the burning tree house, and her mother falls in love with him.