mistakes on the set, things you seen that didn't match the time period.

Example of HAPPY DAYS not being in tune with the time period:

Various pinball machines manufactured in the early 1970s were seen in Arnold's, including a 1972 Bally produced machine called Nip-It. It is possible that the show's producers may have overlooked this, as pinball machines from the 1950s commonly known as "woodrails", have a more wooden look, compared to the machines used in the show.

The cars used in the Smash-up Derby sequence of the Pinky Tuscadero episodes would have been brand new or not even released yet when the episode was set.

The show, along with its spin off Laverne & Shirley, took progressively more liberties in terms of hair and clothing styles, which began to look more contemporary with the show's 1970s and 1980s production years. We seen the female characters wearing hairstyles that were not of the time period. The make-up for the 60's period was not with the times. Chachi and most of the male characters wearing jeans that appeared to have been a style that was not available in the 60's.

THAT 70'S SHOW:


A large number of the other props and products used on the show are not consistent with the period (flip-top drinks cans, barcodes on toys, etc, etc) or are not represented accurately (Betamax VCRs that could record too much material on one tape, etc).

In the episode where the guys go to Canada, in the RCMP office there's a map of Canada that shows Nunavut which only became a territory in 1999, not in 1978.

Factual error: In "I Can't Quit You Babe", Hyde and Jackie put "Abba's Greatest Hits" on the turntable and dance to "Dancing Queen". "Abba's Greatest Hits", released in 1976, did not contain "Dancing Queen" (the song was originally released on "Arrival" in 1977).

Eric uses 'Formula 409' in the modern bottle, when cleaning the stove.

When Jackie gets a job at the cheese house, there is a reference made to Sophie's Choice (1982). The movie did not come out until 1982 and the book was not published until '79.

In one episode, Red is shown at the kitchen table opening mail. He removes a credit card mailer, and the credit card clearly has a hologram on its face. Holograms were not used on credit cards until 1983.

Eric holds up Star Wars action figures for Red to identify. The figures he holds up are not the straight-armed figures from the 1970s, but are the posed figures from the 1990s. The episode takes place in 1979.

Donna justifies taking Kelso's van by reminding Eric that Kelso melted his G.I. Joe figure. Eric says, "The Real American Hero deserves better." G.I. Joe wasn't called "A Real American Hero" until the 1982 re-launch.

Hawkeye in Korea singing M-O-U-S-E (Part of the Mickey Mouse club theme song) despite the fact that the MMC started in 1955, 2 years after the Korean War ended :lol: (M*A*S*H)

I love finding mistakes like these, I found one a couple of years or so ago in the song 19 Something by Mark Wills, See if you can find it. :)


I saw Star Wars at least 8 times
Had the Pac-Man pattern memorized
And I've seen the stuff they put inside,
Stretch Armstrong
Yeah

I was Roger Staubach back in my back yard
Had a shoebox full of baseball cards
And a couple of Evil Kinevil scars
On my right arm
Well, I was a kid when Elvis died
And my mama cried

It was 1970-something
In the world that I grew up in
Farrah Fawcett hair-do days
Bell bottoms and 8-track tapes
Lookin' back now I can see me
And oh man, did I look cheesy
But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin'
Aww, It was 1970-something

It was the dawning of a new decade
We got our first microwave
Dad broke down and finally shaved
Them old sideburns off
I took the stickers off of my Rubik's cube
Watched MTV all afternoon
My first love was Daisy Duke
In them cut off jeans
A Space Shuttle fell out of the sky
And the whole world cried

It was 1980-something
In the world that I grew up in
Skating rinks and Black Trans Ams
Big hair and parachute pants
Lookin' back now I can see me
And oh man, did I look cheesy
But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin'
Aww, It was 1980-something

Now I got a mortgage and an SUV
But all this responsibility
Makes me wish sometimes
Sometimes....

It was 1980-something
In the world that I grew up in
Skating rinks and Black Trans Ams
Big hair and parachute pants
Lookin' back now I can see me
And oh, man did I look cheesy
But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin'
Aww, It was 1980-something

1970-something
Aw, it was 19-Something

Another mistake involving the Korean war was made on the fabulous Britcom "As Time goes by" where they refer to Lionel fighting in Korea, in 1954, a year after the war ended :eek:

also on "MASH" in one episode, Radar does an impression of John Wayne in a scene from the movie "McCLINTOCK" which didn't come out until-ready?-1963!!!
Also, the "GODZILLA" and "BONZO" movies were refrenced several times throughout the series, but both movie series didn't start until after the Korean war.
Another time, in one scene someone has a candy bar with a UPC "bar code" on the wrapper. But, those didn't start appearing until 1972.
Another time, someone mentions "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW" by that name, but the show was called "TOAST OF THE TOWN" up until 1956 or 57-again; after Korea.
Another time, Radar's seen reading a comic book that didn't come out until after Korea.

also on "MASH" in one episode, Radar does an impression of John Wayne in a scene from the movie "McCLINTOCK" which didn't come out until-ready?-1963!!!
Also, the "GODZILLA" and "BONZO" movies were refrenced several times throughout the series, but both movie series didn't start until after the Korean war.
Another time, in one scene someone has a candy bar with a UPC "bar code" on the wrapper. But, those didn't start appearing until 1972.
Another time, someone mentions "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW" by that name, but the show was called "TOAST OF THE TOWN" up until 1956 or 57-again; after Korea.
Another time, Radar's seen reading a comic book that didn't come out until after Korea.
Wow! M*A*S*H seems to have a lot of those errors. :eek:

Wow! M*A*S*H seems to have a lot of those errors. :eek:
Yup, not to mention that the doctors would never have gotten away with wearing those 1970s haircuts in the 1950s army! ;)

Yup, not to mention that the doctors would never have gotten away with wearing those 1970s haircuts in the 1950s army! ;)
:rofl:

Just like those shows set in the 50's but the styles are clearly 70's. ;)

someone on here mentioned once that, also on "MASH" the nurses would never have gotten away with having long fingernails in the O.R. like they did.

also, "MASH" had A LOT of mistakes in continutey. So did "THE ODD COUPLE".

For The Wonder Years:

At the skating rink in Episode #10, "Steady As She Goes", in the background one can see an arcade machine with the word TATARE on the back. It appears that ATARI was doctored, with "T" added at the beginning and three vertical lines added to the "I". I don't know when these Atari arcade games came out, but I know the Atari 2600 video game console that hooked up to the TV set came out in 1977. You know, the one with the cartridges that had "Combat" and "Space Invaders"! This episode was from 1968 or 1969.

In Episode #66, "The Accident", the song "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger plays in the background at the end. That song wasn't released until 1978, and the episode took place in 1971. (There are other such musical anachronisms in the show, but I won't list them all.)

In Episode #105, "Alice In Autoland," at "Pistol Pete" Pedermeir's used auto dealership at least one of the cars had a price of $3199 or close written across the windshield. This was 1973. Wasn't $3199 the price of a new, or even luxury, car back in the early 1970s? (Recall that in Episode #30, "The Family Car", from the 1989-90 season that Jack was offered $250 for his car, which was ten years old at the time, and that angered him!)

I might come up with more down the road.

I love finding mistakes like these, I found one a couple of years or so ago in the song 19 Something by Mark Wills, See if you can find it. :)


I saw Star Wars at least 8 times
Had the Pac-Man pattern memorized
And I've seen the stuff they put inside,
Stretch Armstrong
Yeah

I was Roger Staubach back in my back yard
Had a shoebox full of baseball cards
And a couple of Evil Kinevil scars
On my right arm
Well, I was a kid when Elvis died
And my mama cried

It was 1970-something
In the world that I grew up in
Farrah Fawcett hair-do days
Bell bottoms and 8-track tapes
Lookin' back now I can see me
And oh man, did I look cheesy
But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin'
Aww, It was 1970-something

It was the dawning of a new decade
We got our first microwave
Dad broke down and finally shaved
Them old sideburns off
I took the stickers off of my Rubik's cube
Watched MTV all afternoon
My first love was Daisy Duke
In them cut off jeans
A Space Shuttle fell out of the sky
And the whole world cried

It was 1980-something
In the world that I grew up in
Skating rinks and Black Trans Ams
Big hair and parachute pants
Lookin' back now I can see me
And oh man, did I look cheesy
But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin'
Aww, It was 1980-something

Now I got a mortgage and an SUV
But all this responsibility
Makes me wish sometimes
Sometimes....

It was 1980-something
In the world that I grew up in
Skating rinks and Black Trans Ams
Big hair and parachute pants
Lookin' back now I can see me
And oh, man did I look cheesy
But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin'
Aww, It was 1980-something

1970-something
Aw, it was 19-Something
idk...that they got a microwave kind of late? Those came out in/around 1967, not the 80s. Other than that, I don't know the mistake.

In Episode #66, "The Accident", the song "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger plays in the background at the end. That song wasn't released until 1978, and the episode took place in 1971. (There are other such musical anachronisms in the show, but I won't list them all.)
Funny, I initially had the word ANACHRONISMS in my thread title but thought that may throw people off. :lol: :wave:

there was a failed sitcom on WB several years ago called "Do Over" that was about an adult who hit his head and suddenly was a kid again in 1981 with his present day knowledge. One episode I remember about that show was based on going to The Empire Strikes Back on it's opening night and he knew the ending and everyone was pissed off at him.

However, The Empire Strikes Back opened in 1980, if it was fall 1981, anyone who was into Star Wars knew what happened in that movie and it wouldn't have just opened, LOL

I saw an episode of "THE ODD COUPLE" once, and in one scene Oscar picked up the phone from his desk at home; and walked over to the steps and made a phone call. He hung up just as Felix came in the front door. They walked over to the kitchen, talking, then back to the living room. But now, the phone was mysteriosly back on Oscars desk!!

In any period television series, there's bound to be several deliberate and blatant anachronisms which cannot be easily prevented...

idk...that they got a microwave kind of late? Those came out in/around 1967, not the 80s. Other than that, I don't know the mistake.


I thought I replied to this but obviously not. The microwave isn't the correct answer although you are correct about it being invented before the 80's. The correct answer is: Had the Pac-Man pattern memorized. This could not have been accomplished during the 70's because the game wasn't introduced until July, 1980 in the U.S.