Goofs

Near the end of the film, while with his wife in a car on the way to the convention center, we see traffic in the opposing lanes. A white Cadillac passes by and about two seconds later those same cars, including the white Caddy, pass again.

When Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson) is watching the convention floor on TV monitors and talking on a walkie-talkie he is holding a coffee cup in his right hand when the shot is of his back but it disappears when the shot is from the front.

When Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson) enters the helicopter he sits in the right seat. When he exits, he exits from the left seat.

Several times, stock footage of actual political rally doesn't match scenes shot especially for movie. In several shots, no one is sitting in upper seats of auditorium that are nonetheless packed in newsreel footage of same alleged event.

At the end of the basement meeting between Bascomb (portrayed by Shelley Berman), Cantwell (portrayed by Cliff Robertson), and Russell (portrayed by Henry Fonda), Cantwell turns from Russell and walks away, and Cantwell's backside is seen 10-15 feet away from Russell before the camera switches back to Russell, and Cantwell's shoulder is seen 1-2 feet away from Russell's face.

During the roll call, the chairman of the Pennsylvania delegation begins his announcement by saying "Mr Chairman, the State of Pennsylvania....". Pennsylvania is actually a Commonwealth, and any leading politician would refer to it as such.

Henry Fonda, who has just quoted Bertrand Russell, is asked about Russell's having been fired from his post at City College. Fonda agrees that he was fired, and adds "for teaching free love." In fact, Russell was invited to speak on one occasion only at the college, but the college president withdrew the invitation on finding out that Russell advocated free love.

Cantwell threatens to sue Bascomb for libel if Bascomb speaks to anyone about his army record. Spoken defamation is slander; libel is published.

When Claypool suggests Russell go easy with integrating the cabinet, Russell reminds him Lincoln had suggested having a Black cabinet member. Claypool responds with, "Lincoln started the Civil War! I hope you're less ambitious." The South started the Civil war with the first shots.

As Cantwell is chasing Bascomb out the door of the basement fallout shelter. Bascomb runs into one of the stacks of water ration cans. Those cans held five gallons of water (8.34 pounds per gallon) and weighed approximately 42 pounds each. When they were hit they had a decided hollow sound, like they were empty, just props. Although now long turned stale, many of these rations remain tucked away in forgotten lower areas of buildings to this day. No one stores and stacks empty water cans.

During the roll call at the convention, the ailing president (Lee Tracy), the de facto head of this unnamed party, dies. William Russell (Henry Fonda) gets the news through a phone call, but apparently no one else does because the roll call goes on without interruption or any acknowledgment of this major event from the podium.