Facts that don't seem to add up

[minor muppetz]

I thought I'd start a thread for "facts" about television shows and movies that are widely sourced, yet there seems to be something off about the facts, maybe some holes in the facts. Maybe the ones who provided the facts just made up or exaggerated parts of the facts to sound more interesting, or perhaps a creator or writer made a joke once, a joke that got taken seriously by fans and historians, and then at some point forgot the real facts and that they made up a joke, saw something that was sourced by their joke and thought it to be true.

First, I'll talk about Fleet Scribbler from The Muppet Show. It is sourced that the writers came up with the idea for the character and then presented him at a press party, where the press loved him and put him all over the publicity (has anybody here seen any of the publicity regarding the character, by the way?). Then they put him on the show, found that the writers hated him, but had to use him for a little while longer, due to all the publicity they had gotten.

Here's where things seem wrong. His first appearance was in one scene in the Rich Little episode, surrounded by other reporters. I don't see how the writers could have hated him for that small scene. He then made his first and only major appearance later, in the George Burns episode, and I reckon they hated him during or after that episode. He didn't appear again until next season's epsiode with Raquel Welch, in a situation where any character could have been used. I assume the Rich Little episode was recorded first (not sure if the backstage plot for the George Burns episode had been written yet), but if they were going to keep him on for awhile and then slowly write him out, it seems they changed their minds, or didn't get around to it until the next season (I guess they REALLY didn't want to keep using him for awhile).

Here's another example, this time not Muppet related:

It is widely sourced that on Happy Days Gary Marshall always wanted Fonzie to be dressed in a leather jacket, but ABC was initially against this, until being convinced to allow Fonzie to wear his leather jacket when riding his motorcycle (some sources say that ABC also allowed him to wear his leather jacket when working on a car). I've seen sources that say that after this the writers had Fonzie on his motorcycle at all times until it was okay for Fonzie to wear it otherwise.

But there are some things wrong with this fact:

• Fonzie was first shown in his leather jacket in the fourth episode. And in his first scene wearing his leather jacket, he doesn't ride his motorcycle. In fact I don't think he rides a motorcycle at all in that episode.
• I can name a number of times in the first season when he wore his leather jacket but didn't ride a motorcycle, including the dance sequence in "The Deadley Dares" (though it can be argued he rode his motorcycle to the dance, and just didn't remove his jacket), at the party in "Because She's There" (but it was part of his costume), and a scene in another episode, in which Richie wants to be more than just friends with a girl whom Potsie and Ralph initially are after. I'm pretty sure there are other instances that I can't remember right now.
• There were plenty of times in the first season where Fonzie rode his motorcycle but wore his first season windbreaker as opposed to his leather jacket. Even later in the first season.
• Fonzie was never on his motorcycle at all times. Some sources say that Fonzie was even on his motorcycle indoors, but I only know of a few instances where that was the case. Actually, the only one I know of off-hand was the episode where Ralph accidently breaks Fonzie's motorcycle, and at the end Fonzie gets on his newly-repaired motorcycle indoors, ironically wearing his mechanics outfit as opposed to his leather jacket. And ironically, that clip was used in a Nick at Nite promo about the history of Fonzie's leather jacket, illustrating an example of him being on the motorcycle at all times "even inside". And I don't think he actually drove it indoors. I also recall Gary Marshall talking about this in the 30th anniversary reunion special, saying that when the censors approved of Fonzie wearing his leather jacket when riding motorcycles, he sent his writers a memo, instructing them not to write scenes with Fonzie off the motorcycle.

Well, are there any such widely-sourced facts that you question or have seen holes in the facts of?

 

[kendricktamis]

Amazing Facts...I never heard this kinda things before.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Well the Fonzie thing is a good example of an eye-catching headline. But usually real life is a little more complicated.

 

[D'Snowth]

I could go on and on and on and on and on and on about M*A*S*H.

Like when the show first started in 1972, the network censors prohibited them from saying certain words, like "virgin", however, there's two episodes from the series' second season where the word is used...

NURSE: Wadar, can I ask you a question?
RADAR: Sure.
NURSE: Evewybody hewe says you a viwgin... is that twue?
RADAR: *Pause* I... I really don't know...

****

TRAPPER: Radar, I get the feeling we woke you up at around 3:00 this morning...
RADAR: It was half past two.
HAWKEYE: Did we say why?
RADAR: You wanted to sacrifice a virgin.
HAWKEYE: Did we?
RADAR: I was too tired.

Not only that, but the producers speak of other problems with the network during the first year, including not being allowed to show blood on camera, and being forced to use a laugh track for the entire episode, even in operating room scenes; however, there are several episodes where the doctors' gloves are wet and red during surgery, and there was only ONE episode from that first season where the laugh track was left on during a scene in O.R.

 

[Drtooth]

Every famous movie or TV quote is often misquoted.

Play it Again Sam DIDN'T exist.

McCoy NEVER interjected with a certain mild cuss word before saying I'm a Doctor, not a ______.

And I HATE anyone that thinks Porky Pig says "Budde budde budee That's All Folks." That's like someone saying, "Oh yeah... Bug's Bunny says 'Hut's mop, duck!'" He REALLY says "The-uh-the-uh-the That's All Folks." His stutter usually lead to him saying something similar, yet different. His long history of cartoon shorts have told us that... at LEAST get that right before you start all over misquoting it.

 

[CensoredAlso]

McCoy NEVER interjected with a certain mild cuss word before saying I'm a Doctor, not a ______

Just speculation but that might have been at least reinforced by the old Saturday Night Live parody of Star Trek, where Dan Ackroyd played Dr. McCoy:

Spock (Chevy Chase): Do you notice any else odd about their clothing, Doctor?

McCoy (Dan Ackroyd): I'm a doctor, not a tailor, ::insert mild cuss word:: !
Lol

 

[Drtooth]

Most phrases associated with certain celebrities, politicians, and fictitious characters are usually from parodies (mostly SNL)... did Mr. Rogers ever say "Can you say __________? I knew you could!" And yet, every parody or mention of Mr. Rogers has him saying that.

 

[mr3urious]

Don't forget "Beam me up, Scotty.". The closest that was ever used on Star Trek was "Scotty, beam us up.".

Also, "We don't need no stinkin' badges!" is from Blazing Saddles. The original version from Treasure of the Sierra Madre was actually "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!".

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Don't forget "Beam me up, Scotty.". The closest that was ever used on Star Trek was "Scotty, beam us up.".

For the record, though "Beam me up, Scotty" was never actually said on "Star Trek", William Shatner does have Captain Kirk finally say that in one of his "Star Trek" books (and sorry, but I forget which one right now.)

Rick does say, "Play it, Sam" in "Casablanca" though.

And I'm pretty sure Sherlock Holmes never said, "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books- but Basil Rathbone may have said it in one of the movies or something.

The line from Mister Rogers about "Cay you say______? I knew you could." is taken from Eddie Murphy's parody on "Saturday Night Live"- "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood"

I love Weird Al's parody of a parody in "UHF" - From "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" to "Blazing Saddles" to "UHF", in which the line becomes- "We don't need no stinking badgers!"

 

[minor muppetz]

Speaking of misquoted dialogue, I saw on a TV special counting down the best TV catch phrases that Rickey Ricardo never said "Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do."