Goofs

When Wilson runs the concentration camp footage for Mary Longstreet, there are several shots of her face with the flickering light from the screen reflected on her face. When the film runs out of the projector, the light on her face continues to flicker as if film is still running instead of being a stable white light.

Towards the end of the film, it's snowing. Professor Charles Rankin Orson Welles is in the clock tower with Mary Longstreet Loretta Young and Mr. Wilson Edward G. Robinson. Wilson tells Rankin that the town's people are surrounding the church. The camera shows the crowd crossing one corner, and there's no snow on the pavement. However, a bit further up the street where there's thick snow, three men cross the road leaving no footprints.

In the beginning of the film, Wilson breaks his pipe near the base. When next seen, the pipe is taped near the mouthpiece.

Mr.Wilson is hit on the back of the head and knocked out in the gym. Afterwards, he has a medical patch on his forehead. Wilson is hit with a wooden ring attached to a rope that is swung at him from behind. The ring is swaying in flight and may very well have swung around and hit Wilson on the temple or he could have hit his forehead when he fell face first on the gymnasium floor.

Late in the film, Mary climbs the vertical ladder to the bell tower, but in a close-up the ladder is at a slight angle.

When Wilson delivers the ice cream to Mary's party, he is carrying it in two paper bags and holding them together by the tops with just his fingers The bags appear to be weightless and he transfers them easily between his hands with only a finger grip on the top of the two paper bags and is holding them up with ease with his elbow bent.

Right before they open Meinike's suitcase, both Mr. Wilson and Mr. Potter are shown moving the same checker piece. This may, indeed, be a simple continuity gaff. However, it may also mean to indicate that neither man's mind is focused on the game at hand. The checker pieces are not laid out properly and it appears that Potter cheats while playing and Wilson doesn't care or is distracted. Wilson is only playing to get information from Potter.

The postcard given to Meinike by the photographer contains an address in Harper, Connecticut on one side and a photo of the town's church with a clock tower on the other. The scene then segues from the photo to the actual church location however all the elements of the real church are exactly identical to the photo. This includes the same open and closed windows. Additionally, the time on the real clock and the one in the photo are exact. The time on the clock being exact is explained that the clock has been broken for a long time, so it is not inconceivable that the time is exact.

In the coffee shop, Professor Rankin drinks a coke and is supposed to walk away without paying. But before Mr. Potter tells him that that he has to pay a nickel for the coke, Rankin anticipates Potter's dialog and reaches into his pocket for a coin. Rankin then catches himself and waits for Mr. Potter to deliver his dialog before giving him the coin.

At the end of the movie Wilson says he is not coming down the church ladder because it has been tampered with and is damaged. He asks Potter to get a replacement new ladder. The ladder is wooden and is likely custom built as it is at least 40 feet long to reach the clock tower. Mr Potter states he will get him another ladder as if another similar ladder would possibly be available.

Near the start of the movie, when Meinike gets off the ship and is going through passport control, he says to the officer "I am traveling for my health", but his lips don't move.

In the final checkers game between 'Professor Charles Rankin' and 'Mr Potter,' parts of a crew member's back and head can be seen reflected in the mirror behind Potter. Potter stands up, Rankin says "You know, uh, Mr. Potter, you're a bad influence," and as the camera pans to follow Potter, the crew member (probably the focus puller) can be partially seen in the mirror. He leans out of view momentarily, but then leans into view again as the camera pans back with Potter.

Two palm trees are visible in the first scene depicting the fictional Connecticut town.

When Konrad Meinike visits a photographer 5&1/4 minutes into the film, the shadow of a boom mic can be seen moving in the upper left corner of the screen.

As Rankin is talking to Mary on the payphone at the drugstore, he draws a backwards swastika on the notepad whereas the Nazis used a forward swastika on their emblem.

During the checker games, the pieces are positioned incorrectly during the game. Also, the moves that Mr. Potter makes are not legal moves.

This is not an error. Mr. Potter cheats when his opponent isn't paying attention to the game. Both Mr. Wilson and Mr. Rankin allow Mr. Potter to cheat, it serves their purposes.

Professor Rankin is in the café and the owner tells him the soda is a nickel. Rankin gives him a large coin (possibly a half-dollar), but does not get any change.