Re: Continuity errors in Indy novels and physical impossibilities

Posted by Forrestall from spider-tl033.proxy.aol.com on July 27, 1999 at 20:55:31:

In Reply to: Continuity errors in Indy novels and physical impossibilities posted by Dale Dassel on July 27, 1999 at 19:02:06:

: Just a few interesting things I have noted ver the many years of
: reading and re-reading the Indiana Jones novels.

: INDIANA JONES and the SEVEN VEILS

: At the opening of the novel, Indy and company are excavating a
: Mayan pyramid in Guatemala. Here is a short excerpt from page 9.

: 'He was about to tell Deirdre to go and get Bernard when the
: mask slipped a couple of inches. He caught it and carefully removed
: it from the wall. "Well, that takes care of that."
: "Takes care of what?" she asked.
: "Never mind." He took off his shirt and wrapped the jade mask with it. "Take this down to Bernard for me, and tell him I've
: broken through." He carefully handed her the mask as he took
: the torch from her.'

: In chapter 2, Indy, Bernard, and Esteban become trapped inside
: the pyramid. Then something most remarkable occurs. Read this excerpt from page 25 to find out.

: 'Indy stood up and walked along the beam. It was plenty wide,
: and the ceiling was just overhead in case he needed to catch his
: balance. He'd taken only a couple of steps when he realized he
: had company. Something was nipping at his lower back. He stopped
: and wobbled, then grimmaced as he reached under his shirt and felt
: a bat burrowing its teeth into his skin. Rocking unsteadily, he
: ripped it free and flung it away. "Disgusting."'

: To top it off, in chapter 3, we discover what supposedly
: happened to the amazing disappearing shirt. Check out this
: brief section from page 32.

: '"I do not believe you." One Eye reached into a canvas satchel
: and held up the jade mask. It was no longer wrapped in Indy's shirt;
: One Eye was wearing the shirt. "You see the reason I doubt your
: word, amigo?"'

: Until this point, I had no idea that M.B.A. shirts were
: endowed with magical powers. I wonder what other amazing secrets
: we'll learn about Indy's gear? Next, we will focus on Indy's most
: distinctive outfit component: the fedora.

: INDIANA JONES and the SECRET OF THE SPHINX

: In chapter 2 of this story, Indy has been thrown in jail.
: Immediately we learn that all of his clothes were taken away,
: and that he was given a prison outfit to wear. For the record:

: 'The prison cell was dark, damp, lonely. Since his capture at
: Mount Hua, Indy had seen nothing but the back of an Imperial ARmy
: truck, and the interior of the prison, which he had entered in
: the of night. They had taken everything from him, including
: his clothes and papers , and had given him nothing in return
: except a uniform that was little more than rags.'

: A few pages later, Indy is dragged from his cell and into an
: interrogation room, where Master Sokai is waiting, along with
: Indy's gear, laid out on a bench.

: 'The soldiers placed Indy roughly in one of the chairs, then
: stood at attention behind him. On the bench were Indy's clothes,
: his satchel, his papers, the whip, holster, and revolver, even
: the ivory moon. The clothes had been cleaned and pressed.'

: Indy changes into his clothing as he engages in a witty
: conversation with Sokai. He puts his clothes on and laces up
: his boots. Part of it goes something like this:

: '"Sometimes," Indy said, "the s turn the whip against
: the masters."
: "An idealist," Sokai said. "How charming."
: "What do you want?" Indy asked as he donned his hat.
: Sokai picked up the ivory moon.

: Here's the incredible part, folks: On the VERY NEXT PAGE,
: Indy finds ANOTHER hat, and something even more remarkable
: occurs.

: '"I was so excited after I found this thing that I tripped
: going back down the mountain to tell my guide about it, that's all."
: Then he picked up his hat, brushed some dust from the crown,
: and placed it in the satchel. He slung the satchel over his shoulder.'

: The first mistake is obvious: how could Indy pick up the hat from the bench- the very same one that he had put on his head only moments
: before- and put it in his satchel. The second mistake is even more
: unbelievable: he puts the hat INSIDE the satchel.
: Anyone who owns a Mk-VII bag knows that it measures 11" by
: 10 1/2", AND is divided into several compartments. And we are to
: believe that he can place a Herbert Johnson HIGH CROWN fedora
: into this small bag and not crush it beyond recognition?
: Absolutely preposterous. But wait- there's more concerning Indy's
: amazing carry-all bag.

: INDIANA JONES and the UNICORN'S LEGACY

: In the opening chapter of this story, Indiana Jones discovered
: an underwater cavern which he intends to explore. He comes back
: outside for matches, and is about to re-enter the cave with his
: lovely companion, Mara Rogers. On page 15, he is preparing to
: dive, by connecting them together with his bullwhip.

: 'Indy stepped into the stream. He thought of a response about
: how she could warm him up, but kept it to himself. "Lucky you."
: He reached into his pack and took out his whip.
: "Let's not lose each other."

: AH-HA!!! The trusty little Mk-VII, a mere 11" by 10 1/2"
: can hold a fully-coiled twelve-foot David Morgan bullwhip inside?
: Not in this lifetime- or any other. Believe me, after ordering
: my own Mk-VII I was excited with the prospect of keeping my own
: David Morgan bullwhip inside it for safe keeping. How naive of me.
: If you only could have seen the look of acute disappointment on
: my face when I discovered that it was never going to happen.
: In closing, I hope you have enjoyed reading about the
: continuity errors found in these great novels. Continuity errors
: can be found consistently in films and television, but it is truly
: a rare occurrence when they are found in books. Keep your eyes
: peeled, fellow readers- you just might discover a few that I missed-
: aside from Martin Caidin saying that Indy has a leather shouder bag
: and carries his whip by the belt loop. And, please don't read anything
: into the way I worded my report, I just wrote it that was to maximize
: comedic content and, hopefully, make it more amusing and enjoyable
: for you, the reader. I have nothing against these authors OR their
: small continutity errors, which in no way detract from the stories
: they write. Good luck, fellow believers! :)

: -Dale Dassel
:

Also, in Sky Pirates, the bad guys use a .44 Magnum which did not exist until 1956. .44 Special yes, Magnum, no. Forrestall

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: 
: :      Just a few interesting things I have noted ver the many years of
: : reading and re-reading the Indiana Jones novels.

: :                 INDIANA JONES and the SEVEN VEILS

: :      At the opening of the novel, Indy and company are excavating a
: : Mayan pyramid in Guatemala. Here is a short excerpt from page 9.

: :        'He was about to tell Deirdre to go and get Bernard when the
: : mask slipped a couple of inches. He caught it and carefully removed
: : it from the wall. "Well, that takes care of that." 
: : "Takes care of what?" she asked. 
: :      "Never mind." He took off his shirt and wrapped the jade mask with it. "Take this down to Bernard for me, and tell him I've 
: : broken through." He carefully handed her the mask as he took 
: : the torch from her.'

: :      In chapter 2, Indy, Bernard, and Esteban become trapped inside
: : the pyramid. Then something most remarkable occurs. Read this excerpt from page 25 to find out.

: :      'Indy stood up and walked along the beam. It was plenty wide,
: : and the ceiling was just overhead in case he needed to catch his
: : balance. He'd taken only a couple of steps when he realized he
: : had company. Something was nipping at his lower back. He stopped
: : and wobbled, then grimmaced as he reached under his shirt and felt 
: : a bat burrowing its teeth into his skin. Rocking unsteadily, he
: : ripped it free and flung it away. "Disgusting."'

: :      To top it off, in chapter 3, we discover what supposedly
: : happened to the amazing disappearing shirt. Check out this
: : brief section from page 32.

: :      '"I do not believe you." One Eye reached into a canvas satchel
: : and held up the jade mask. It was no longer wrapped in Indy's shirt;
: : One Eye was wearing the shirt. "You see the reason I doubt your
: : word, amigo?"'

: :      Until this point, I had no idea that M.B.A. shirts were
: : endowed with magical powers. I wonder what other amazing secrets
: : we'll learn about Indy's gear? Next, we will focus on Indy's most
: : distinctive outfit component: the fedora.

: :             INDIANA JONES and the SECRET OF THE SPHINX

: :      In chapter 2 of this story, Indy has been thrown in jail.
: : Immediately we learn that all of his clothes were taken away,
: : and that he was given a prison outfit to wear. For the record:

: :      'The prison cell was dark, damp, lonely. Since his capture at
: : Mount Hua, Indy had seen nothing but the back of an Imperial ARmy
: : truck, and the interior of the prison, which he had entered in
: : the      of night. They had taken everything from him, including
: : his clothes and papers , and had given him nothing in return
: : except a uniform that was little more than rags.'

: :      A few pages later, Indy is dragged from his cell and into an
: : interrogation room, where Master Sokai is waiting, along with
: : Indy's gear, laid out on a bench.

: :      'The soldiers placed Indy roughly in one of the chairs, then
: : stood at attention behind him. On the bench were Indy's clothes,
: : his satchel, his papers, the whip, holster, and revolver, even 
: : the ivory moon. The clothes had been cleaned and pressed.'

: :      Indy changes into his clothing as he engages in a witty
: : conversation with Sokai. He puts his clothes on and laces up
: : his boots. Part of it goes something like this:

: :      '"Sometimes," Indy said, "the      s turn the whip against
: : the masters." 
: : "An idealist," Sokai said. "How charming."
: : "What do you want?" Indy asked as he donned his hat. 
: : Sokai picked up the ivory moon.

: :      Here's the incredible part, folks: On the VERY NEXT PAGE,
: : Indy finds ANOTHER hat, and something even more remarkable
: : occurs.

: :      '"I was so excited after I found this thing that I tripped
: : going back down the mountain to tell my guide about it, that's all."
: :    Then he picked up his hat, brushed some dust from the crown,
: : and placed it in the satchel. He slung the satchel over his shoulder.'

: :      The first mistake is obvious: how could Indy pick up the hat from the bench- the very same one that he had put on his head only moments
: : before- and put it in his satchel. The second mistake is even more
: : unbelievable: he puts the hat INSIDE the satchel.
: :      Anyone who owns a Mk-VII bag knows that it measures 11" by
: : 10 1/2", AND is divided into several compartments. And we are to
: : believe that he can place a Herbert Johnson HIGH CROWN fedora 
: : into this small bag and not crush it beyond recognition? 
: : Absolutely preposterous. But wait- there's more concerning Indy's
: : amazing carry-all bag.

: :               INDIANA JONES and the UNICORN'S LEGACY

: :      In the opening chapter of this story, Indiana Jones discovered
: : an underwater cavern which he intends to explore. He comes back
: : outside for matches, and is about to re-enter the cave with his
: : lovely companion, Mara Rogers. On page 15, he is preparing to
: : dive, by connecting them together with his bullwhip.

: :      'Indy stepped into the stream. He thought of a response about
: : how she could warm him up, but kept it to himself. "Lucky you."
: : He reached into his pack and took out his whip. 
: : "Let's not lose each other."

: :      AH-HA!!! The trusty little Mk-VII, a mere 11" by 10 1/2"
: : can hold a fully-coiled twelve-foot David Morgan bullwhip inside?
: : Not in this lifetime- or any other. Believe me, after ordering
: : my own Mk-VII I was excited with the prospect of keeping my own
: : David Morgan bullwhip inside it for safe keeping. How naive of me.
: : If you only could have seen the look of acute disappointment on
: : my face when I discovered that it was never going to happen.
: :      In closing, I hope you have enjoyed reading about the
: : continuity errors found in these great novels. Continuity errors
: : can be found consistently in films and television, but it is truly 
: : a rare occurrence when they are found in books. Keep your eyes
: : peeled, fellow readers- you just might discover a few that I missed-
: : aside from Martin Caidin saying that Indy has a leather shouder bag
: : and carries his whip by the belt loop. And, please don't read anything
: : into the way I worded my report, I just wrote it that was to maximize
: : comedic content and, hopefully, make it more amusing and enjoyable
: : for you, the reader. I have nothing against these authors OR their
: : small continutity errors, which in no way detract from the stories
: : they write. Good luck, fellow believers! :)

: :                                 -Dale Dassel
: :

: Also, in Sky Pirates, the bad guys use a .44 Magnum which did not exist until 1956. .44 Special yes, Magnum, no.    Forrestall

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