What mistakes have you noticed in movies/tv shows that happen in the BP era like Daniel Boone, Patriot etc?

[billraby]

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. In the final showdown when the three guys take turns staring at each other a car drives by in the background.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The History channel with Kelsey Grammer has a series on the American Revolution. On various shows they repeatedly use some of the same reenacted battle scenes. One of them, for a short second, shows a close up of a percussion lock on some kind of musket being shot. Other than someone like us it would never be noticed. But, it is a blunder.

 

[springfield art]

I hate those movies set in the pre-Civil War era yet everyone has a ctg. belt and Peacemaker-type revolver. One I saw recently that was set in 1850's San Francisco, (sure, what ever you say!) yet they all had prop-room belts & revolvers with cartridges, etc. Despise them! In "One Eyed Jacks", the future Godfather shot three shots so fast with his revolver that a modern semi-auto would be hard pressed to keep up the speed! All B-Westerns are boring, formulaic, lazy, cranked-out productions! Enjoyed as a kid, but maturity dulls the thrill! Just me bloviating!

 

[Kansas Jake]

Started to watch Arizona on Grit Tv last night. The 1940 one. What struck me was the large number of wagons and the number being pulled by oxen. Also it looked much more authentic than many westerns made today. Sorry I didn’t watch more but it was past my bedtime. I may have to see if I can find it to watch.

 

[Cori]

Started to watch Arizona on Grit Tv last night. The 1940 one. What struck me was the large number of wagons and the number being pulled by oxen. Also it looked much more authentic than many westerns made today. Sorry I didn’t watch more but it was past my bedtime. I may have to see if I can find it to watch.

I am always impressed when I see oxen.

 

[Tony Rothrock]

In "The Patriot", the "Aim small, miss small" scene. How did that little kid, Samuel I think, reload those guns for his brother, that are longer than he is tall, while laying down behind a downed tree for cover?

 

[Marshhawk]

And that's just in The Patriot alone!

Got to agree with you on that one.

 

[DTCoffin]

The last one (2 actually in the same scene)I remember seeing that made the biggest impression is in The Patriot when the Continentals are charging down onto the dragoons .
One of the patriots is charging down the hill and his long gun is flopping around like a piece of rubber the second one is the dragoon leader firing his horse pistol and hitting ( and knocking down) a patriot at what appears to be a fairly long distance.

 

[FlinterNick]

Title says it all. What mistakes have you noticed in movies/tv shows that happen in the BP era like Daniel Boone, Patriot etc? Eventhough they try not to slip anachronisms, sometimes you can spot things that just don't fit with the era or even something in the background or an actor who forgot to take off his watch or whatever. Next weekend being Canada Day, I'm gonna have a 3 days weekend and have a second look at one or two movies and try to spot mistakes, out of place or out of period things for fun.

Gee where to begin.

Let me start with the series TURN which i could watch over and over, however….

The sound the chains rattling every time a flintlock is cocked makes me ask who the hell designed that special effect.

 

[Mike in FL]

Don’t think it’s been mentioned, but what ruined watching the Revenant was shooting the flintlock with the frizzen open during the bear attack

I noticed that. Seems like such an obvious error would have been noted.

 

[Mike in FL]

How many western have we seen with revolvers clearly showing empty chambers, yet they still shoot and kill. I can remember only one but forgot which where lead bullets were visible. To me that continued error is still very much alive.

 

[springfield art]

Another thing! Having each and every "shot" accompanied with a "pe-ow!" ricochet sound, even thought the shot didn't hit a rock or steel in order to caroum off with the typical "whine" of a true ricochet. Drives me crazy.

 

[springfield art]

I'd like to see more smoke but that won't happen in the older and "B" movies!! Like actual black powder smoke.

 

[mikesto44]

The Reverent was a ok film but way to many blunders.
Him laying inside that horse..? In winter..? Also the Indian snipers in the trees while they were making camp..? But that's Hollywood but the Patriot was good except for him riding up with the flag with the stars and stripes. Don't think they had that figured out yet....but maybe...

 

[Cayman like]

I'd like to see more smoke but that won't happen in the older and "B" movies!! Like actual black powder smoke.

I thought that frontier series was the stupidest thing I ever watched..
They only shot muzzleloaders a few times in the whole series. Someone really conned the money people to get this turd made.

 

[GreyGus]

Gee where to begin.

Let me start with the series TURN which i could watch over and over, however….

The sound the chains rattling every time a flintlock is cocked makes me ask who the hell designed that special effect.

Much of TURN was filmed not far from where I was living at the time. I was selling a lot of original tinware at the time at my booh in an antique mall. I went to check my booth and all the tinware was gone, the lady at the desk said one woman had bought it all, and had also left me a note. Turns out she worked for the prop department of the series and was buying stuff for military camp scenes and wanted to know if I had more stuff. I invited her to my house and let her pick what she wanted from the inventory in my garage. She bought lots of tinware, wool blankets and iron ware. (Those are my cooking tripods in the Hessian camp scene) most of my stuff is appropriate for the 1840 - 1870 time frame, when she would pull out stuff that I knew to be incorrect for the rev war period, I would try to talk her out of buying it. Her response, “we hate people like you who pick our movies apart, but 99% never notice. She was actually quite nice, even invited me out to the set, I regret not going.

 

[RRidgely52]

Much of TURN was filmed not far from where I was living at the time. I was selling a lot of original tinware at the time at my booh in an antique mall. I went to check my booth and all the tinware was gone, the lady at the desk said one woman had bought it all, and had also left me a note. Turns out she worked for the prop department of the series and was buying stuff for military camp scenes and wanted to know if I had more stuff. I invited her to my house and let her pick what she wanted from the inventory in my garage. She bought lots of tinware, wool blankets and iron ware. (Those are my cooking tripods in the Hessian camp scene) most of my stuff is appropriate for the 1840 - 1870 time frame, when she would pull out stuff that I knew to be incorrect for the rev war period, I would try to talk her out of buying it. Her response, “we hate people like you who pick our movies apart, but 99% never notice. She was actually quite nice, even invited me out to the set, I regret not going.

What is the movie "Turn"...

 

[GreyGus]

A TV miniseries from a few years ago about George Washington’s spies, “Loosely” based on true events.

 

[tiklikker]

Another thing! Having each and every "shot" accompanied with a "pe-ow!" ricochet sound, even thought the shot didn't hit a rock or steel in order to caroum off with the typical "whine" of a true ricochet. Drives me crazy.

I think the Spaghetti Westerns only had that one sound effect for every gunshot.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Its always amusing to to see '92 Winchesters and '73 Colts in John Wayne's CW era movies.

And it has always bothered me to see Jeremiah Johnson splashing around in the icy creek in leather boots. Even a city boy would know better. But then, he also bought a .36 caliber "real Hawken".