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Goldie Hawn and William Atherton in The Sugarland Express (1974)

Goofs

The Sugarland Express

Edit

Continuity

Throughout the film, Captain Tanner's unmarked blue Dodge Polara is shown to have full-size factory hubcaps. When he is crashed into by the local sheriff trying to "76" the hijacked patrol car, Tanner jumps out and the car now has typical police dog-dish hubcaps.
While Lou Jean is leafing through the mail-order catalog in the car, the gold stamps behind her in the back seat disappear, then reappear between shots.
During the first chicken-eating scene, the chicken bucket is with Lou Jean. In the next scene inside the car, Slide asks for something and Lou Jean pulls a wet nap from the bucket and gives it to him. The next scene has the bucket between Slide and Clovis. Time between shots doesn't allow for this because the background song, "When my Blue Moon Turns to Gold," is playing uninterrupted.

Incorrectly regarded as goofs

While the Border Patrol's purpose is indeed to protect the United States against illegal entry and not vice versa, they are still a law enforcement agency that can be called upon to assist other state or federal agencies (as depicted in the film) to prevent wanted felons fleeing the United States jurisdiction during a pursuit. This has happened numerous times in reality and as such they are completely justified in firing at Clovis's car during their attempted escape.
There is an Exxon station shown near the prison. The movie is based on events of May 1969. Standard Oil did not change Esso to the Exxon brand until 1973.

The movie does not take place in 1969, it was merely based upon a real life event that occurred in 1969.
Although this story is set in 1969, the film displays a slew of early-1970s model automobiles, including most of the police cars.

The story is not set in 1969, it was merely based upon a real life event that occurred in 1969.
In 1969, dashed center lines down the road would have been white not yellow. MUTCD introduced all yellow striping in late 1971 and between then and 1975, the roads would be repainted. Texas had white lines up until around the middle of 1973, but the film was made after the conversion to MUTCD '71 hence yellow striping on the roads in the area.

The movie does not take place in 1969, it was merely based upon a real life event that occurred in 1969.
Although the film takes place in 1969, the 1973 film Sssssss (1973) is playing at the drive-in theatre.

The movie does not take place in 1969, it was merely based upon a real life event that occurred in 1969.

Crew or equipment visible

In the final chase when one of the patrol cars crashes a camera is clearly visible.
When the helicopter with Lou Jean's father lands at the stadium, although he is seen leaving the helicopter in the close shots on the ground, in the wide shot of it landing, he is not there. Instead, a cameraman is visible in the father's seat, holding a 35mm movie camera, shooting the father's POV footage of the landing.

Errors in geography

The "Texas" of this film is a figment of the filmmakers' imagination. The trip from just outside Houston to Sugar Land takes two days, and Sugar Land is a few miles from the Mexican border. In fact, Sugar Land is a municipality southwest of Houston, not much more than an hour from anywhere in the Houston metro area. And Houston is on the Texas Gulf Coast, a half days' drive from the border.

The road signs during the film, Val Verde County destination and sun setting in the West, clearly show the progression towards Mexico and fictitious "Sugarland" in the movie's title. Ironically, the Beauford Jester Unit when the prison escape takes place is about 8 miles from the City of Sugar Land, Texas.
When the three are driving to the foster home and singing gospel, two shots of supportive crowds standing at the roadside appear to be in much hillier, California-looking topography than the high shot of the car or the rest of the movie in general.
From the title, the spelling is "Sugarland" and the foster home is in Val Verde County on the Texas/Mexico border. The comments conflating "Sugar Land" in Fort Bend County with the escape to Mexico are incorrect. Lots of area of Texas have names that are unofficial and would not appear on maps at the time the movie was made; making the proximity to the Mexico border viable.

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Goldie Hawn and William Atherton in The Sugarland Express (1974)
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By what name was The Sugarland Express (1974) officially released in India in English?
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