Continuity mistake: Before Dr. Marvin removes the helmet from the dead alien, Maj. Huglin is holding his rifle in his right hand. In the next shot he's using his right hand to remove the helmet. Then in the shot after that he's not touching the helmet at all. (00:56:15)
Continuity mistake: When they remove the helmet from the dead alien the front of Dr. Marvin's hair is combed differently than it was earlier in the scene. Carol's hair changes also throughout this scene. (00:56:20)
Continuity mistake: The alien helmet that we see on the desk as the generals introduce themselves to Carol and Dr. Marvin is not the same one we saw earlier. This one has a large lip on the bottom and the one that he removed from the dead alien did not. (00:56:20 - 00:59:35)
Continuity mistake: We see the head of the alien up close twice and each time the gravel underneath is raked differently. (00:56:25)
Visible crew/equipment: After Maj. Huglin shoots and kills the alien it's ship attacks a bomber and you can see the wires holding it up as they reflect the stage lighting. (00:57:05)
Deliberate mistake: As the alien spaceship attacks a bomber we see it superimposed through the windshield. The pilots never react because they're not actually seeing it and are poorly directed. (00:57:10)
Deliberate mistake: As the alien ship attacks and destroys the bomber with it's ray gun we see stock footage of a different WWII bomber being destroyed by the German Air Force. (00:57:15)
Continuity mistake: We see the alien ship before it destroys the Pacific Paint Company with what looks like a beautiful cloud filled sunset behind it. In the next shot as the building blows up the sky is cloudless. (00:57:30)
Deliberate mistake: After the alien ship destroys the bomber, Dr. Marvin picks up the helmet and they all start to run back to the car. In order to save time in repositioning the camera they start out 50 feet behind where they just were in the previous sequence and run back to the exact same spot. (00:57:50)
Continuity mistake: The alien translating device from the helmet that Dr. Marvin places on the table is not the same one he was just holding. The shade, shape and shadow on the table all change between shots. (00:59:50)
Continuity mistake: After listening to the alien translating device from the helmet the general says, "I'll show you how it works" and Maj. Huglin turns to look at Carol twice between shots. (01:00:40)
Continuity mistake: After the general says, "I'll show you how it works" they all turn and follow him. In the next shot they're in an entirely different room. (01:00:55)
Factual error: This mistake involves the scene with the "translating computer". This scene was actually filmed at the University of California's Engineering Lab, and the machine (called a differential analyzer) really was in use at that time. A photo of this exact machine can be seen in the November, 1951 issue of 'Radio and Television News' on page 70. Here's the mistake: In front of Dr. Marvin, is an X-Y plotter, used to plot graphs from the machine. When the camera zooms in on it, the camera now shows a pantograph, which is a mechanical device to duplicate drawings or sketches. Out of camera view, a crew member is writing the message, and the 'output' end of the pantograph is then shown doing the 'writing.' That machine (or any computer in the 50's) would be incapable of translating a foreign language, let alone an alien one. (01:00:55 - 01:01:30)
Continuity mistake: As Dr. Marvin tries on the alien helmet the microphone on the table that Carol spoke into when they demonstrated the alien translating device is standing straight up. In the next shot it's moved sideways. (01:02:45)
Continuity mistake: As the aliens announce their intentions to the people of earth Dr. Marvin walks up to a radio in the back of the lab and says, "If I'm right they'll sail into Washington in broad daylightÂ…". If you look closely the radio is pointing to a different station that it was when we saw it previously in the scene even though no one has gone near it. (01:04:35)
Audio problem: As the aliens announce their intentions to the people of earth Dr. Marvin walks up to a television set in the back of the lab and turns it on. We hear the over-dub of the aliens speaking through the television set but it's obvious that the unit never comes on. (01:04:55)
Continuity mistake: After the aliens announce their intentions Dr. Marvin and the generals meet together back at the Pentagon office. Dr. Marvin's hanky in his jacket pocket is arranged differently between shots. (01:07:05)
Deliberate mistake: After the aliens announce their intentions Dr. Marvin meets with Carol back at their hotel room. He tells her that she must take a flight alone back to Palm Springs and then leaves the room. In the end of the scene she picks up a copy of The Evening Star, which is an obvious prop as it has no date on it. (01:08:50)
Visible crew/equipment: The general gets a phone call just as Carol gets ready to leave his office at the Pentagon and he tells her, "You better get down to the shelter". As he says this the camera zooms in and it's shadow can be seen on his desk. (01:12:00)
Continuity mistake: During the final attack the cloud cover is continuously changing. One minute it's clear, than over cast, then wispy cirrus clouds, then puffy cumulous clouds all between shots. (01:13:00)
