Some funny HP anachronisms....

Good points!

1. I've often wondered whether there are any guys in prison for murder who thought that whacking a guy on the back of the head would result only in him being unconscious for a few minutes, like they saw on TV.

3. I'm amazed at that. Was that the way it was done in real life? How many times did that go wrong? If they would have a roadblock set up to catch a dangerous criminal by posting only one officer there, I guess it's no wonder they overestimated their power by having the criminal in the front seat.

4. I don't think it was around then.

6. I think I recall that being the recommended safety precaution then. Impractical and I don't remember anybody actually doing it. But the show had to set a good example.

"All necessary truth is its own evidence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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I always remember the episode where someone is making a civilian car look like an HP car by putting white contact paper with an HP emblem on it on the doors.

When the HP apprehend the suspects, Mathews tears the paper off the doors and throws it on the side of the road. Not only does he litter, but also destroys evidence.

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Some funny HP anachronisms....

Overall good points however an anachronism is something that is out of place for the time period depicted due to it not existing at the time. You're thinking of characteristics of police work from that era.

Every point you make are things that did in fact exist at the time of the series. You may be surprised that some police agencies transported prisoners in the front seat of police cars well into the 1990's- the Ford Mustang (Fox body Special Service Package) was a two door coupe and there was no way to put a prisoner in the tiny rear seat. Also, I saw Dan shoot tear gas into a home from a helicopter. While CS was developed in the 1950's it was likely the older and more popular CN gas.

Miranda v. Arizona was not decided until 1966, so the decision had no legal effect in 1955-1959 while the show aired. Note that in early to mid-60's Dragnet episodes Miranda warnings are not read.

An example of an anachronism would be the officers using 40 caliber semi-automatic pistols that had not been made yet.

Joe "We're authorized" Fontana: I can do this all day, Mitch. How about you?

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Like others have said, good points. I'll add a couple;

8. Matthews (or any one else for that matter) never aims his gun, just shoots from the hip (and with PERFECT accuracy).

9. Total lack of any type of safe firearms handling. For example; using a gun to point to something or someone, Matthews literally tossing his pistol back and forth from hand to hand during scenes, snapping/flinging the cylinder on their revolvers shut with a flick of the wrist (both unsafe & could damage the gun's "crane").

10. Tires always squeal on dirt, gravel, grass, wet pavement/concrete, and pretty much ANY surface.

11. Keying the radio microphone when talking/transmitting (PTT button) is completely optional as is which side of the mic to talk into.

I could go on and on but you get the idea. I did some reading on the series and about Broderick Crawford. It seems that Crawford had quite a drinking problem during the time that he was starring in this series. His drinking was so bad that sometimes shooting would have to be wrapped-up early because Crawford could barely stand let alone recite his lines or drive a car. Speaking of cars, Crawford lost his driver's license due to DUI's so there were times that he couldn't drive on public streets. Sure enough, if you watch some of the later episodes he's being driven by someone else a lot more than ever before. His DUI reputation along with him throwing the CHP chief's name around when he was pulled-over, cost the show it's official backing by the California Highway Patrol. That's why the uniform patches, badges, and the car emblems were made more generic later-on in the series. Also this was why the narration was changed to say "somewhere out West" rather than California.

Even with all of the mistakes and hokey acting, I still enjoyed/enjoy watching this historic old series. I too enjoy all the old cars and scenery.

Rule #1 - Remember... it's a movie & NOT reality
Rule #2 - If you can't remember #1... Get a life!!

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