Great Proofing Errors through the Ages

[desperance]

Oh look, '70s TV geekery. Worse, English '70s TV geekery. But I've just watched a rerun of the first-ever episode of Up Pompeii, and I do just love this.

The episode is based around the Miss Vestal Virgin competition, AD 72 (okay, look, it's British '70s humour, okay? Never mind that, just watch the numbers). The characters say so, and it's written on the posters advertising the event. Then, at the event, there's this big banner at the back, which reads 'Miss Vestal Virgin, AD 79'. And no, it's not a particularly curly 2, it's definitely a 9. And at some point during filming, someone must have noticed. But rather than correct it, reshoot it, remake the props, they just ignored it - only the next time we visit the event, the end of the banner has been judiciously wrapped a couple of times around its pole, so that the 9 has completely disappeared. Oh, how good is that...?

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

My jury is still out about Up Pompeii, which was basically a rip off of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Howerd's Lurcio was pretty much a rip off of Phil Silvers' stage character. On the other hand, maybe it is like comparing Zero Mostel's Max Bialystock to Nathan Lane's. They are the same, but different. Disengage critical brain and put your laughing tackle in gear.

I think that's exactly right - and adding, of course, that Howerd recreated the Zero Mostel parts (Prologus/Pseudolus) in the original London production of "...Forum", so was perhaps more entitled than anyone else to carry it forward into a spin-off UK TV production.

And I do agree with you about Claudius too, but I did need to see it again to be sure. Vivid memories from adolescence are no true guarantee of quality.

Wasn't 'Scum' banned originally from the TV? I remember seeing it as a film release, in '79 or '80, but I thought it went to the movies because it wasn't allowed on TV.

[martyn44.livejournal.com]

'Scum' was, of course, banned before transmission, unlike War Games and Culloden (not exactly dramas but very 'dramatic') which were only banned after transmission, once the horses were well and truly scared.