Continuity mistake: When Hub and Walter are talking by the lake, Hub's, and later Walter's, blanket repositions itself each time the camera cuts back. (01:08:45)
Continuity mistake: As Walter and Mae arrive at the Uncle's house, Mae gets out of the car and fixes her make up. In the wide shot she does not have her parasol in her hand. The close up shows her parasol in her hand. (00:04:40)
Continuity mistake: The arrangement of eggs and sausages on Walter's plate keeps changing during his first breakfast at his uncles' house. (00:15:00)
Continuity mistake: At the diner when the punk disturbs Hub, Walter is holding his bottle with both hands. But in an overhead shot, he holds it only with one and the other arm is under the bar.
Factual error: In the scene where Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and Haley Joel Osment are in a general store/coffee shop and the young punks come in, there is a Coca-Cola machine shown that has the "Wave" logo and a slogan that was used in the 1970s, not in the time period in which the movie took place (1950s/60s). (00:47:20)
Continuity mistake: After Walter jumps out of the car to go back to the Uncle's. Walter is running along the left side of a bridge. There are two wide shots from below the bridge showing him running on the right side of the bridge. (01:28:05)
Continuity mistake: Walter unlocks the chest and pushes the chain on the lid to the side. When the camera angle changes the chain is pointing towards him. (00:12:10)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Hub fights the young punks, the level of Haley Joel Osments's drink keeps changing. (00:48:55 - 00:50:45)
Continuity mistake: When Mae drives off leaving Walter. He is standing with his suitcase on the right side of the road. Camera cuts to the dogs chasing after the car, and when it cuts back to Walter he is standing on the left side of the road. (00:07:20)
Continuity mistake: When Walter puts the blanket over Hub's shoulders one can tell from the reflection that the moon is across the lake. However, Walter's shadow on hub indicates that the moon is behind him. (01:06:00)
Continuity mistake: When Walter goes to bed in the tower room the light that appears through the windows is much too bright for the little petroleum lamp he was carrying. (00:10:30)
Continuity mistake: When Walter and his mom arrive at the uncle's house, he pulls one foot back into the car and then leaps back to avoid the dogs. The camera pans back and both feet are still on the ground. (00:04:20)
Other mistake: The uncles fire shotguns a lot in the movie, but the guns have no recoil. Shotguns kick very hard which would be easily seen.
Continuity mistake: When the lion cage is standing in the yard, sunlight and shade keeps changing. First the cage is fully in the shade, but when the uncles approach the sun is shining on it. When the cage is open, the light on Garth and on the lion's fur comes from opposite directions. After the cage is closed it's back in the shade again. (00:36:05)
Continuity mistake: When the four punks are sitting in the car outside the McCann compound one of them whines "I wanna go home." While he does that he holds his nose and bends his head back. When the camera changes to a wider angle he does the same move again. (00:52:15)
Continuity mistake: When Walter's mother last drives off, all the dogs jump at Walter's window, then sit right next to the car. When the car pulls away however, the dogs are a few feet back and not in a line, but when the camera cuts back to the dogs, they are where they were to begin with. (01:26:25)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where the boys tear off the side of the lion's crate, what you see them tear off is much smaller than in the next shot. (00:51:30)
Continuity mistake: When the first salesman holds up some papers they get shot out of his hand. They get blown into confetti (rather strange result of a gunshot, though), but when the salesman is gone the papers are lying on the ground intact. (00:08:40)
Continuity mistake: In the first scene the uncles fly their airplane under a bridge past a police car that's doing speed checks. While they do so we see the police officer wake up twice. (00:01:00)
Continuity mistake: When the Acme Animal Movers deliver the lioness, the delivery guy standing on the flatbed has a glove on his right hand when he says, "King of the beasts," but in the overhead shot the right glove is off, then next shot it's back on again. (00:37:00)
Answer: An accident. They were inexperienced pilots trying dangerous barnstorming stunts. A fitting end for two adventurers afraid of nothing.
Brian Katcher