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

[lexington1]

I could probably go on all night, but this is my latest favorite. The 'scoped' Baker rifle from the movie Napoleon. A beautiful Baker rifle, but What? is going on with that scope????

 

[Jay Templin]

Okay, question. I just watched the pilot of Little House on the Prairie for the first time in about 50 years and noticed Pa toting a powder horn. Were people still using powder horns in the early 1870s or had everyone switched to more modern guns? This was possibly meant to show Pa was from the backwoods and couldn't afford a modern gun, or was possibly a mistake. I don't know what kind of gun he owned in real life, and remember very few details about guns from having read the books decades ago. People might want to check out the movie. The gun in shown in detail, particularly in the scene where Pa is gone and Ma is waiting in the house alone. Guess he either didn't have his gun with him or they had a second gun...I think he's supposed to have left her with the gun. Oh, and yes, there is one scene in which he fires directly at the camera, luckily without the tragic consequences that have accompanied other such actions. Thanks for any insights.

In the book Little House in the Big Woods, which was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s recollection of her childhood in the early 1870s, she describes in detail how her father cast roundballs for his rifle and mentions his powder horn, so clearly some people were still using them. And when I was in junior high school in the 80s, one of my social studies teachers told us about how he would hunt squirrels in the Depression with a rifled musket his grandfather had brought home after the War Between the States. Heck, I went out and shot a deer with a muzzleloader just a couple of months ago!

Jay

 

[Packrat]

I get upset with Poetic License, Take the movie The Revenant, you already had a good story, (Hugh Glass and the Grizzley)and decided that you could improve on it. In this movie Ashley gets killed, not in real life, he went on to be fairly famous. Than Glass tracks down Fitz and kills him. In real life Frit joins the army and is pout of Glasses reach
Just my .02 worth

 

[Eutycus]

New blue jeans and no patches whatsoever on the old clothes.

 

[Eutycus]

They are always accurate on TV and the movies. Look at some of the shots that were made in “The Magnificent Seven.”

That Magnificent Seven (original) is another bee in my bonnet. Calvera only had 40 men to start with. Each of the "seven" shoots 4 or 5 early on. There's still 40 banditos left at the final battle.

 

[Howard Pippin]

I get upset with Poetic License, Take the movie The Revenant, you already had a good story, (Hugh Glass and the Grizzley)and decided that you could improve on it. In this movie Ashley gets killed, not in real life, he went on to be fairly famous. Than Glass tracks down Fitz and kills him. In real life Frit joins the army and is pout of Glasses reach
Just my .02 worth

we seem to have a tendency to forget that movies are for entertainment and that's their only redeeming feature. I must admit I quit watching movies quite a few years ago and I even question some of the documentaries that I watch because they sometimes don't get things real right. The one that did get me down that road of not watching where some of the ones based on the Bible when I discovered things that I thought I learned from the movies were wrong many, many, years ago. If you enjoy the movies, by all means watch them for the entertainment value and not for learning anything. When I hear about all the mistakes that you guys catch, I find it quite entertaining and I'm sure if I watched I would see the same things, no thanks. The real story about Hugh Glass is to me even better than what I understand they talk about in that movie. It had To be one of the greatest survival treks in all of our history.
Squint

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

Agreed. Movies, TV, etc. are for entertainment. For the most part, authenticity is not a top priority. A number of years ago, they were filming an episode from one of the forensic/investigative shows in our office for like A&E, or Discovery, I don't remember which.

The production director told us all he wanted was for their audience demographic to stop channel surfing, say this looks cool, and watch the rest of the show. He wasn't interested in how we actually did things.

 

[Cayman like]

we seem to have a tendency to forget that movies are for entertainment and that's their only redeeming feature. I must admit I quit watching movies quite a few years ago and I even question some of the documentaries that I watch because they sometimes don't get things real right. The one that did get me down that road of not watching where some of the ones based on the Bible when I discovered things that I thought I learned from the movies were wrong many, many, years ago. If you enjoy the movies, by all means watch them for the entertainment value and not for learning anything. When I hear about all the mistakes that you guys catch, I find it quite entertaining and I'm sure if I watched I would see the same things, no thanks. The real story about Hugh Glass is to me even better than what I understand they talk about in that movie. It had To be one of the greatest survival treks in all of our history.
Squint

Having worked as a seizmograph crew in North Dakota in 1981/82 when it was often WAY below zero I often thought about 'Old Glass walking up the Missouri River in December to get revenge and his beloved rifle back
He was one tough man! Our boss let us go back to our motel at noon when the few times it got 80 below wind chill...thought we might freeze to death. Brrr. Lol.

 

[vintovka]

Circa mid 80's (?) wen on a buying trip down to the MGM studios prop sale in Burbank CA, Bought lots of stuff including mostly TD springfields, parts, bayonets misc knives and junk that was tossed in old ammo boxes. Found this in the mix and haven't really looked at it all this time. Its going to the estate sale soon and thought it would be cool if anyone had spotted it in an old film old series. Several of the trapdoors were the faux flintlocks seen in series like davy crockett or western. It is a faux flint blade with a aged wood handle wrapped with string. Pretty convincing even in hand.

 

[Cori]

In the book Little House in the Big Woods, which was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s recollection of her childhood in the early 1870s, she describes in detail how her father cast roundballs for his rifle and mentions his powder horn, so clearly some people were still using them. And when I was in junior high school in the 80s, one of my social studies teachers told us about how he would hunt squirrels in the Depression with a rifled musket his grandfather had brought home after the War Between the States. Heck, I went out and shot a deer with a muzzleloader just a couple of months ago!

Jay

I am reading the book again and you are absolutely correct. Chapter 3 is titled "The Long Riflle" and describes everything about making bullets, cleaning, and loading the gun, including the powder horn, shot pouch, and patch box. Only thing it doesn't mention is pouring powder into the little side compartment--I think it's called the pan? It seems to me they did that on Daniel Boone, poured powder in there as well as down the barrel. Was that an older style gun which required that and Charles Ingalls's gun would have been a newer style requiring only pouring powder down the barrel, or did Laura leave an essential step out of the description? Thanks.

 

[bpd303]

did Laura leave an essential step out of the description?

Yep...

 

[Cori]

Yep...

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Decaprio was mauled by that grizz and then at the Oscars there’s not even a scar on him??? What’s up with that?

 

[Snooterpup]

The dog and I watched “ A Time for Killing” with Glen Ford and a cameo of a very young Harrison Ford. Its story is imprisoned Confederates escape and are tracked down. Almost all in both armies are shot and killed with 1873 trapdoors, lever action Winchesters and 1873 Colts. A Whitworth was mentioned as a sniper rifle but couldn’t really been seen. Nary a one correct firearm in the movie. Not worth the effort, even the dog was unimpressed.

 

[[email protected]]

Maybe mentioned already, but one of the biggest fails I have seen was in the movie Sniper 3 with Tom Berenger. He picks up a Russian Mosin Nagant and sagely says, "98 Mauser, finest rifle ever made"!

 

[Pratt]

How about those western movies where every cowboy in town wore a six gun in a quick draw holster rig? History says that the weapon of the cowboy was a rifle. Pistol isn't much good on the plains.

 

[Pratt]

How about those western movies where every cowboy in town wore a six gun in a quick draw holster rig? History says that the weapon of the cowboy was a rifle. Pistol isn't much good on the plains.

 

[[email protected]]

How about those western movies where every cowboy in town wore a six gun in a quick draw holster rig? History says that the weapon of the cowboy was a rifle. Pistol isn't much good on the plains.

I reckon all those revolvers made by Colt, Remington, Smith and Wesson and others had no use then eh? Revolver is pretty handy to have when the rifle is in the scabbard....

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I'm currently viewing my way through 6 seasons of Daniel Boone tv series. On season 2. Ya know the more I watch it the more I think it's not filmed in Can-tuck-ee at all!

Great show though, really enjoying it.

 

[[email protected]]

Anyone ever watch 'Hawkeye' from the early 1990's? Had Lee Horsley and Lynda Carter. Based of course on the Cooper series of stories. Well known Indian actor Rodney A Grant is Chingachgook.
It was only on for one full season back then and I dont recall watching it, but I really enjoy it now, cornball though it is at times, pretty entertaining and high rewatch value.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108798/