A Christmas tree on the lot with a wooden X-stand affixed to the bottom. Armored car guards loading sacks marked with giant dollar signs. There are some things that, it seems, are stereotypical images constantly used in movies, comic strips, and on TV, but just never happen in real life. For example, have you ever actually seen any of these?
1. A Boy Scout Helping a Little Old Lady Cross the Street
It’s the ultimate cliché when describing the friendly and courteous Boy Scout, but have you ever really seen such a youngster in uniform aiding an elderly person at a crosswalk?
It’s possible that this association came about as a result of the repeated re-telling of a true story that occurred in 1909. William Boyce, an American businessman, got lost in the foggy London streets during a visit to England, and a Scout approached him and guided him to his destination. When Boyce offered the youth a tip, the Scout declined, stating that he could not accept money for a good deed.
2. A Reporter with a “Press” Card in his Hatband
True, very few reporters wear fedoras these days, but even in the dress-up days of the 1930s and ’40s, did real-life newspaper folks ever display a tiny PRESS placard on their hats?
Despite the old movies that show police giving Melvyn Douglas or Clark Gable access to a crime scene by virtue of the card in their hatband, real-life reporters of that era did not flaunt their status. If, for example, their paper had recently been critical of local government then law enforcement officials would not be so eager to give them special treatment.
3. A Person Drinking Liquor from a Jug Marked “XXX”
This cliché most likely developed from an artist’s immediate need to emphasize that that’s not imported mineral water the “hillbilly” in the scene is swigging. Let’s face it, what bootlegger with half a brain is going to mark his jugs with such an open invitation to revenuers?
4. An Angry Wife Chasing Her Husband with a Rolling Pin
Domestic violence is no joke, obviously, but have you ever seen an episode of COPS in which the battered and bleeding husband states, “My wife… she hit me with a rolling pin…!”?
5. Two Men Assuming the “Put Up Your Dukes” Stance Prior to a Fight
We’re not talking professional boxing, we mean two guys who start out trading verbal barbs with one another and then let their tempers escalate. As a rule, when men get enraged to the point of fisticuffs, do they actually take the time to crouch down, pose, and circle around or do they just start punching?
6. A Newspaper Boy Yelling “Extra! Extra! Read All About It!”
It was the de facto transitioning device used in hundreds of old movies, but have you really seen a kid in knee breeches hawking papers by yelling “Extra!”?
TV would have us believe that these enterprising newsies spread information as quickly as the Internet does today, seeing as the cry of “Read all about it!” was always heard mere seconds after a major event (like the bombing of Pearl Harbor) occurred.
7. A Classmate Being Punished by Wearing a Dunce Cap
Even back in my elementary school days – when errant students could still get “the paddle” without fear of the teacher being sued – I never saw any miscreant forced to wear a pointy hat.
8. A Police Officer Shouting “Calling All Cars” into His Radio
Many movies and TV shows up until the 1950s have emphasized the urgency of a crime situation by a cop calling “calling all cars, calling all cars…” into his car radio. Did an actual cop on the beat have the ability to make such a call?
Probably not. The very first police car two-way radios were installed in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1933, and relied on a central dispatcher to make district-wide “broadcasts.” The 10-code (as in, “10-4″ or “We’ve got a 10-33″) originated in 1937, not only to reduce the use of speech on radio and save time, but also as a way to describe a particular situation without alarming those bystanders within earshot.
9. An Organ Grinder with a Monkey
Any time a movie or TV show wants to portray an old-timey ethnic neighborhood, nothing sets the tone better than an organ grinder (preferably a stereotypically Italian man) with a trained monkey collecting coins from bystanders.
Even though celluloid organ grinders are usually shown surrounded by a happy and appreciative audience, in real life hurdy-gurdy men earned money by being annoying, not entertaining. Their music box played the same snog over and over and the only way to make them move along was by giving them a coin.
10. A Burglar Wearing a Lone Ranger Mask
This type of concealment is technically called a “domino” mask, from the Latin dominus (meaning “lord or “master,” but not “Kemo Sabe”).
11. A Goat Eating a Tin Can
Forget pigs, when a cartoon or comic strip wants to depict the ultimate omnivore, the goat is their go-to animal. And as a demonstration of their gluttony, they are usually shown munching on an old tin can.
Once upon a time a real-life goat might have occasionally been observed licking a discarded can, but that was because it liked the taste of the paste that was used to affix labels to cans back in the very old days. Goats are actually quite finicky about what they’ll consume, though they do “mouth” objects to get a feel for them and to determine whether they are edible.
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What visual clichés would you add to the list?
Note: We’re taking a dinner break but will be back starting at 9:11pm with three more 11 lists.
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