Corrected entry: In the famous 'I coulda been a contenda' scene, Brando is on the right side of the taxi, ie. behind the driver, Steiger is on the left. Steiger decides not to kill him, tells the cabbie to stop and tells Brando to get out. We then see the cab from the outside as Brando gets out on the left - Steiger's side.
On the Waterfront (1954)
1 corrected entry
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Starring: Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb
Continuity mistake: When Johnny Friendly is threatening Charlie about keeping Terry from testifying, they are seated at a table across from each other. There is a bottle of alcohol in front of Charlie. In most of the scenes of Charlie behind the bottle, the label can be seen in full. In a couple of scenes, the bottle is turned to the right and only shows a partial label. Charlie was obviously not handling the bottle.
Terry Malloy: I coulda been a contender! I coulda been a somebody!
Trivia: During the McCarthy Red Scare, director Elia Kazan decided to name suspected Communists in Hollywood and was severely criticized for doing so. It's widely believed this film was his attempt at vindication by portraying Terry Malloy as a hero who testifies in court against his friends.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Correction: Taxicabs of that era typically had extra space between the front and back seats, to allow passengers to exit onto the sidewalk without having to exit onto the street or inconveniencing other passengers.