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Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road (1958)

Goofs

Thunder Road

Edit

Continuity

In the opening, where Luke's '50-'51 Ford rolls over and is immediately able to drive off, as it rolls ,it's obviously resting on its side. Editing gives the impression that it landed on all four wheels.
During the opening chase between Doolin and the Treasury agents, the agents are driving a 1957 Chevrolet with a grill mounted emergency light. However, in one scene of the chase, the car changes to a 1957 Ford without the emergency light. (This Ford was part of another chase later in the movie.) The Chevrolet then reappears for the rest of the chase.
When Lucas Doolan is being chased by Kogan's goons, he pulls a knob, spraying oil on the road. The goons go over the cliff, and it is obvious the car going over the cliff is a different car. It does not even have a rear bumper or tail lights.
When Barrett talks to Robin, not only does the background change to a soundstage, but Robin's hair is shorter.
When Luke and Francie are sitting on a sofa, he has his right arm around her shoulder. In a closeup, her right hand is up, caressing his hand; after the cut to mid-shot, her right hand is holding a drink.

Factual errors

Vernon Doolin (played by Trevor Burdette) makes the statement that people have been making moonshine in the area for "250 years." Since the movie takes place in the mid-1950s, that would mean that moonshine had been made since approximately 1705, give or take. The only people living in Tennessee or Kentucky in 1705 were Native Americans, who did not make moonshine. Settlers didn't start arriving until the mid-1700s.
Doolin drives a '51 ford with grille and trim changes to make it look like a '50. (Dialogue refers to it as a '50 when Moultry wishes to buy it.) The trunk handle, however, is the original '51. When he pulls the plunger to dump oil on the road, the camera looks down on the trunk of a '50.
At the beginning, after the moonshine runner has evaded the T-men in "Raider One", Troy Barrett calls into "Raider Base" to update their status. After a short discussion, Barrett says, "Over and out", which is an oxymoron in radio communications. "Over" means the person is expecting a response back, whereas "Out" means the conversation is finished and there will be no further conversation; it is not correct to use the two terms together. Also, neither Barrett nor Raider Base had used "Over" earlier in the conversation, so it is incongruous that Barrett would end it that way.

Incorrectly regarded as goofs

Revealing mistakes

When Robin is stopped after school and questioned by Agent Barret, the background changes suddenly to a painted woodland scene.
When Luke's rear side window is shot out, the sound of breaking glass is heard. However, auto glass doesn't shatter like regular glass, so it would not sound like that.
In the final chase, Lucas flicks a cigarette in the face of his pursuer when he comes alongside. This means his window was down. Yet, just before that, the smoke from the cigarette can be seen gently drifting in the cabin of the car. That could only happen if the windows were up (or down, if the cars were on a sound stage).
When Lucas says "... just snip off clean when you brushed by 'em." and then "I was just a little old boy...," his voice sounds totally different in the latter line to how it does in the first, showing that the second part was dubbed in post production and the sound mix is off.
In an early chase scene, a passenger in a car is shooting, and twice the paper from the blanks of the shooter's gun go flying onto the car.

Anachronisms

According to the title song, "On the first of April 1954.....", yet the police cars are 1957 Chevys and 1957 Fords, which didn't exist in 1954.

Audio/visual unsynchronised

When Lucas walks into Kogan's speed shop, Lucky tells him they have fast engines in their cars too. His line is dubbed.

Crew or equipment visible

Errors in geography

The movie was filmed in and around Asheville, NC. However, some of the scenes take place in Memphis, TN. In one of the Memphis scenes, Lucas Doolin pays a visit to the mob boss, Kogan, who is trying to horn in on his family's moonshine business. Doolin parks his car in front of a building with "Asheville Pharmacy" on the window.

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Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road (1958)
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By what name was Thunder Road (1958) officially released in India in English?
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