In the scene where the car comes speeding up from behind them, the car is mid-1950's Buick or Cadillac convertible. When they come across the car a few moments later after it is wrecked, the car that we see is a late-1940's Plymouth.
shareThe scene with the car is actually the only scene I recall from the movie.
The violent end in store for the people in that car really freaked me out as a kid which was the last time I saw this movie.
I thought the strangest goofs were when Ray Milland shoots the hoods at close range with a shotgun and there's not a drop of blood nor a hole in the victims cloths or body. And how did they gang rape the daughter without removing her dress or getting the clean white dress the least bit dirty?
shareThanks to the infamous Hayes Code, detailed gunshot wounds could not be shown.
And even though you could imply rape, you couldn't actually mention it if it had been portrayed. This is why the word rape wasn't spoken in this movie.
One goof is when they meet the Army Command Car at the end. When backlit, the soldier nearest Miland's auto is holding a BAR (the machine gun), but when the camera shifts to show both soldiers from behind, he is holding a Garand (semi-auto only).
shareJust watched that scene frame by frame and all I see are two M1 Garands.
That actually makes it a bigger goof.
And of course you can tell, by the flat pouches, that their cartridge belts are empty. Also, they must have been National Guard troops since by 1962 the regular Army had long been re-equiped with the M14. (Which, of course, would have made the "machine gun" fire logical.)
Did you notice when Milland asks for handguns in the hardware store, Mr Johnson picks up a tray with three revolvers and one automatic. On that tray is only ONE box of ammunition which just so happens to be for the .45 auto.
Mr Johnson then says, "This 45's magnesium, light as a feather," and then hands what is obviously a full sized model to Ray Milland. The Colt Government (as well as the Star and Llama pistols often used as "stand-ins" in Hollywood) was 100% Steel (except for the stocks). The only lightweight .45 auto in the world at that time was the Colt Commander and it had what was then termed a "Duraluminum" frame and a shorter barrel.
Then when Milland asks, "How do you load it?" Johnson loads the magazine and says, "Just slip it back in." Racking the slide to load the chamber was never mentioned, but when Milland picks it up, he inserts the magazine and racks the slide.
Later on Milland remarks that Marilyn is "pretty good with a rifle." How does he know this since there was no scene with her firing a gun nor any previous dialogue mentioning it?
A few more goofs: Rick (Frankie Avalon) whined about it being 4:10 in the morning when they were leaving for their fishing trip. But it was broad daylight out.
Also: when Harry and Rick were busy demolishing the bridge, there was a brief shot of the mother and daughter sitting in the back seat of the car, presumably peering anxiously at the father and son. Yet in the next shot, shown from the opposite direction, we see that their view of father and son (and the bridge they were demolishing) was totally blocked by the big camper trailer right behind the car. So, the only thing the two women could possibly have been looking at would have been... the front of the camper.
Also: in the part where they were trying to get traffic to stop on a busy highway so they could merge in, the stock footage they showed of the highway appeared to be that of a four- or five-lane freeway, and didn't really match up with the surroundings of the Baldwin's car and camper on the side road.
"I've always tried to teach you two things. First: Never let them see you bleed. Second: Always have an escape plan." - Q
Regarding the highway...
After Milland ignites the trail of Gasoline to get the traffic to stop, a car stops partially through the flames. When it starts moving the rear half is engulfed in flames. It's obvious there was some sort of fuel poured over the car.
Perhaps not a real goof, but more along the lines of a tactical error is when they come across the man who passed them and had crashed his car. Milland doesn't check his pockets for money or anything else, nor does he check the vehicle for anything they could have used.
And real caves of that size are filled with insects and bats. The floor would be covered in guano and beetles.
I would have taught my daughter to shoot to kill. And not to go off alone when there were bad guys in the area. And To never leave the cave unarmed.
I would have everyone carrying a good knife too. Something double edged about 8" long. like a K-Bar. And teach them how to fight with one.
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."
-Dennis
Th stunt drivers were pretty evident.
Sometimes there was only 1 person in the car when should be 4.
Other times it was an old man instead of the boy driving.