Goofs for
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) More at IMDbPro »

• Continuity: In the first scene after the introduction, in full daylight, Russell remarks to Carol that they have been "married two hours." In the next scene, later the same day, she tells her father that they got married "last night."
  
  
• Factual errors: The animated diagram shown to the audience while Russell is dictating his memo depicts satellites in circular orbit at different altitudes with the same period, which is impossible.
  
  
• Plot holes: Russell makes a tape recording of what he fears will be his last message. He mentions that the flying saucer sound can be found on the same tape, and says he is stopping recording because the machine's battery is running low. For no reason he then switches the recorder to playback, without rewinding. Its offspeed playback then reveals the message in the sound. This means he must have been placing his message on a part of the tape where, if the battery had not run low, it would have obliterated the sound.
  
  

• Continuity: During the offspeed playback, the reels are turning at close to normal speed, certainly at least half normal. For the high-pitched sound we heard earlier to have concealed an unnoticeable spoken message, the speed discrepancy would have had to be more than a factor of 10.
  
  
• Factual errors: The language translation computer shown is a differential analyzer, a special-purpose analog device. It could not be programmed for such a task.
  
  
• Factual errors: Mercury is at perihelion every 88 days, not "twice every 3 months."
  
  
• Factual errors: While overall levels of solar activity do have an effect on climate over the long term, and a major disturbance in solar activity would affect weather, it is certainly not correct, as stated, that simple sunspot activity has "a direct effect upon our weather."
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the final clamactic battle in the skies over Washington, there are several shots of Dr. Marvin speaking into a hand-held microphone. You'll notice as his lips move that what he is saying clearly doesn't match the dialogue heard.
  
  
• Continuity: In the opening scene as Russell gets in and out of the car, the car seats change colors.
  
  
• Continuity: The flying saucer chases a B-29 Superfortress that turns into a B-17 Flying Fortress when it is destroyed.
  
  
• Continuity: While they are aboard the flying saucer, Carol Marvin is shown to be hugging her husband in some shots and not in others.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the opening scene, a military jet is seen flying, but the sound effect is of a propeller-driven plane.
  
  
• Continuity: The position of the tape when playing the flying saucer sound changes inconsistently from one shot to another.
  
  
• Continuity: When they are leaving the lab for D.C. with the new gun the truck stops by trees in a level field but when the alien destroys it the truck is by a steep hill.
  
  
• Continuity: When Maj. Huglin shoots the alien that has just killed Prof. Kanter the alien falls forward and it's helmet comes loose but when they turn alien over to examine it the helmet is back on tightly.
  
  
• Factual errors: In his taped report, Dr. Marvin states that the satellites will be placed in orbit by multi-stage rockets, however, the rockets in the launch scenes are single-stage Viking and V2 rockets.
  
  
• Continuity: In the first scene Dr. Marvin is recording his report on the tape recorder when the saucer appears, as the sound of the saucer becomes audible, he says "Do you hear something? Listen." A moment later after the saucer has "buzzed" the car, he tells his wife "Pull over." However, when they play back the recording, all that is heard is the saucer sound; the two comments are not on the tape.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: The car interiors don't match. They must have used a Ford interior for all scenes. He is driving a 1955 Mercury. Outside shots show a light and dark interior of a Mercury and inside it is all Ford.
  
  
• Errors in geography: The bank of the Chesapeake Bay is mostly flat. The shot looks like Malibu, California.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: In the beginning of the film Dr. Marvin and his wife are driving in the desert in a Mercury. After the attack on Sky Hook, Dr. Marvin and his wife are on a plane to Washington, DC. Later in Washington, DC, when Dr. Marvin goes to his hotel, he gets out of the very same car that he was riding in back in the desert.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the opening scenes, a military jet (F-84) is shown. During the close up scenes of the pilot, the type of canopy does not match the type of aircraft flown.
  
  
• Continuity: In the scene when Carol goes near the missile to test TV reception, the scene is shot from ground level. According to prior scenes the TV was to be mounted in the missile.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: In the tower scenes with the General and the sergeant, the clouds in the background do not move.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the scene where the destroyer is to be destroyed, the gun mounts are single 5" mounts. When the destroyer is firing her guns, a twin 5" mount is shown. When the destroyer is shown to explode, the actual film clip used is of a battleship exploding.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the screen inside the saucer shows external picture of it rising from the surface, the plume of the rocket that took the footage is clearly visible.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Even though Ray Harryhausen told Joe Dante that all signs of suspension wires were painted out by hand, a wire can be seen when the saucer encounters the bomber.
  
  
• Continuity: When the saucers near the U.S. Capitol building are shot down they have ray guns extended on their underside. But as they crash into the Capitol building and dome, the ray guns are gone.
  
  

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