Trading Places (1983)

◄ Trading Places (1983)

Anachronisms

Winthorp's credit card is referred to as a 'Master Charge' card, despite the fact that MasterCard Incorporated changed that name to MasterCard in 1979.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The train that leaves Washington has an on level platform. Union Station did not have on level platforms until 1988.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Audio/visual unsynchronised

When Billy Ray is pan handling, the Police officers pick him up and his blanket falls on the sidewalk and appears folded and not folded in following scenes.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Character error

When Billy Ray is in the limo, Randolph Duke introduces himself and Billy Ray asks if the name Randolph is like Randy Jackson of the Jackson 5. Randy was not a member of the Jackson 5. He did not join the group until they became The Jacksons.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

In the final scene, under a bright sun somewhere in the tropics, Billy Ray and Louis are inexplicably wearing sweaters.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When pawning his watch, Louis tells the shop owner that it tells the time simultaneously in "Monaco, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome and Gstaad". Monaco, Paris, Rome and Gstaad are in the same time zone.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The Club says it was founded in 1776, yet when the chair announces "something rotten" has occurred, he remarks that it is the first time a member has stolen from another member in the Club's "280 year history". Since this movie came out in 1983, the club would only be 207 years old.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Continuity

When Valentine is in the Dukes' limo, rain on the rear window disappears and reappears repeatedly between shots.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Winthorpe's hair during his initial encounter with Ophelia on the steps in front of the courthouse/jail.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When Mortimer Duke is signing the paychecks, at least one of the shots is flipped horizontally. At first he signs with his left hand, then his right, then his left again. The part in his hair changes sides as well.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

After Coleman dumps the crepes into the garbage and answers the telephone, you can see that the pan looks clean.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When Billy Ray is giving the briefcase to Louis, the two baggage handlers walk past Billy with a bag of pretzels (the Keebler logo is shown). In the next shot, the baggage handlers are in the bar car.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

As Billy Ray is walking away from the two policemen his knees are wet. After crossing the street towards the Heritage Club, his knees are suddenly dry.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

After Valentine is challenged by the police officers and finally walks away, the camera cuts several times between him and them. The direction towards which he is walking, as shown by the houses in the background, switches back and forth a couple of times.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

During the scene at the restaurant, when the man begins telling Valentine the 'S Car Go' joke, Randolph and Mortimer are eating dessert. When the joke is over, the two are now eating dinner.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

In the park after the 2 cops expose Billy Ray, the cop on the right is standing with his legs slightly apart facing the camera. The shot from behind shows him standing with his hips to the right, one leg behind the other.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The Dukes park their limo on Locust Street heading west right before Billy Ray appears. Locust Street is one way heading east and all other times in the movie we see the cars heading east on Locust Street.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

At the end of the stock trading sequence, Louis and Billy Ray's trader ID badges, which have been a bright green, are suddenly the same gray color as Billy Ray's suit.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When Ophelia first takes Louis to her apartment, as she enters you can see that she's wearing pantyhose. Later in the scene when she removes her dress she's only wearing panties.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

On Valentine's 'first day on the job,' he enters the Dukes office and the sound of a door closing is heard after he enters, but the chase shot (behind Valentine) reveals the door to still be open, yet in the next shot, from the opposite side of the room, the door is closed.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When Louis is in the bank, he asks to withdraw $500, continues writing the slip, then changes his mind, to $1000, then tears off the slip. Most people enter the figure first. Louis would have amended the figure but his body language doesn't show this.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When the Dukes are propositioning Valentine inside the limo, the background scenery changes dramatically between shots.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The train leaving Washington DC has a different style locomotive than the same train shown later in a pass-by shot.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

In the first scene, Louis is going to work, you can see the streets, no snow at all. Later the same day, the Dukes are going to work and as you can see there is plenty of snow. Even later when Billy appears first in the park, plenty of snow.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When in her home, Ophelia states that "rent costs money." Yet just a few minutes earlier, she said she owned the home.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Errors in geography

When the President of the Heritage Club announces that there is a thief among them there is a Baltimore City Flag standing right behind him.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

On the train from Washington to New York, the sound of the train passing railroad crossings is heard several times. Due to the speed of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor line, there are no railroad crossings like that.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Factual errors

When Winthorpe is in the cab and Valentine is in the limo and they see each other, the street they are on, outside Independence Hall, is two-way traffic. This was only done for the movie. In real life, this is a one way street heading east. You can see the white lines on the street dividing the travel lanes, rather than a double yellow line which would be needed for it to be denoted as a two-way street.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

At the Christmas party when Winthorpe jumps on the table waving the gun, the clocks show that it is 1905 in Los Angeles, 2205 in Philadelphia and 0205 in London. Daylight Savings Time was not observed between late October and late April so London would be five hours, not four, ahead of Philadelphia.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

You can't just walk in off the street and trade in the NY Mercantile Exchange - you have to be a registered trader for one of the member brokerages of the exchange. Louis and Billy Ray should never have been allowed in the pits.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Among the portraits on the walls in the Heritage Club is a painting of J.P. Morgan, a highly significant financier in the early 20th century. If these portraits are meant to be of founding members of the club, Morgan is out of place; he spent his youth in Connecticut, and most of his adult life in New York. He never lived in Philadelphia, making his membership in the Heritage highly unlikely.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Winthorpe's car, a Mercedes Benz 600 Grosser - is unique in that it features a complex hydraulic system that runs everything from the windows to the suspension. The car would need time to run and generate enough hydraulic pressure for the suspension to raise the car to proper operating height. It would not be possible for Coleman to just start the car and drive to work as is done in the beginning of the movie.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

You cannot bail someone out of jail over the telephone, no matter how much money you have. Apparently, the Dukes did just that for Valentine.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The bank manager asks for all of Winthorpe's credit cards. The bank does not have the authority to repossess anyone's credit card except the one issued specifically by them.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

FCOJ is subject to daily trading price movement limits. The 'swings' shown would trigger 'limit up' and 'limit down', and trading would be suspended for the day by NYMEX.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Miscellaneous

In the large room when framing Louis, everyone is instructed to place the contents of the jacket pocket of the person to their right on the table. The people lining the walls have no such tables. The people on the right end have nobody emptying their left pockets.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Plot holes

Mr. Beaks could have easily escaped the gorilla cage. His hands were not tied so he could have taken off the gorilla mask and got help.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Revealing mistakes

The scene in the corridor of the train shows it to be a flimsy set as it shakes when people move quickly down it.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When Louis is walking past the restaurant in the rain, the scene switches to him a number of times and you can hear the hard rain falling. The first time the camera shows a close up of Louis however, the camera is still inside the restaurant yet the sound of rain falling is heard, drowning out the crowd noises in the restaurant that are heard continuously (other than when Valentine is making his prediction about the Russian wheat crop) when the camera is inside.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The windows on the outside of Winthorpe/Valentine's house do not match the inside, and the foyer appears to be absent from the outside.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

The road in which Winthorpe and Valentine meet in the taxi and limousine is delineated by a white line. Yellow lines are always used to delineate opposing lanes, while solid white lines delineate the right edge of a traffic lane, and sometimes lanes going in the same direction.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

When the members of the club are asked to dig inside the pocket of the man to their right and to put the content in front of them, the row of members in the back of the room do not have any table or any support on where to put said content, as they are only sitting on chairs.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

During early scenes in the movie there's a fair amount of snow on the ground, but later scenes show a completely dry and snow-free Philadelphia. In fact, one overhead shot of Constitution Hall and the surrounding park shows green grass and leaves on the trees - highly unlikely in Philadelphia at Christmas time.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink:

Spoilers

The goof below may give away important plot points.

Character error

When Harvey (James Belushi) enters the luggage car on the train, interrupting the mini-hostage situation with Clarence Beeks holding the others at gunpoint, his line includes, "It's almost New Year's Eve!" Since the party was being held along the train, one would assume that it was already New Year's Eve and he meant to say, "It's almost New Year's Day!" Of course, he was obviously inebriated.
Share this

Facebook | Twitter | Permalink: