Continuity mistake: When Ponyboy is getting jumped, the Socs try to stick a handkerchief inside Ponyboy's mouth in the close-up, but next shot the handkerchief disappears while the Socs run away. Special edition only. (00:02:40 - 00:05:20)
Continuity mistake: In the rumble scene when the camera is moving in a line to show all the Greasers, it shows Two-Bit and Ponyboy to Darry's left. When the shot switches to Darry telling Ponyboy to stick close to him, Ponyboy and an unknown Greaser are to Darry's right. (01:19:00)
Continuity mistake: In the scene outside the theater where Bob and Randy confront Ponyboy, Two-Bit and Johnny for being with Cherry and Marcia, if you look behind them, Marcia gets in the Mustang twice.
Continuity mistake: When Dally falls off his chair in the drive-in movie theater, you can hear Ponyboy's laughter above them all. When the shot changes to Cherry, you can see Ponyboy with a serious face on in the background but you can still hear him laughing.
Factual error: Even though this film is set in 1965, Burlington Northern locomotives can be seen. The railroad was formed in 1970. Also, an EMD GP40-2 can be seen at the beginning of the film, but the first ones were built in 1972.
Factual error: When Ponyboy and Johnny leave the bar after going there to see Dally, there is a song playing on the juke box called 'Jack Daniels if you please' by David Allan Coe. This song was written and released in 1978 but the movie takes place in the '60s.
Visible crew/equipment: When Pony Boy, Dally and Johnny are pulling up to the burning church, just before the first one jumps out of the car if you look through the windshield you can see the water truck that's going to put out the fire after they shoot the scene.
Plot hole: The pictures used in the newspaper article regarding the fire are obviously taken after Ponyboy and Johnny ran away since Pony's hair is blond and Johnny's is short (their hair was cut and dyed after they ran, ruling out the photos being old school photos), yet Johnny's face is free of burns. This would mean the pictures were taken while they were hiding in the church, which would be impossible.
Continuity mistake: In the shot where Johnny has just killed Bob, the Soc, Bob is lying with his head to the side. But when Johnny cleans his blade from Bob's blood, Bob is facing upward in the background.
Continuity mistake: When Dallas is helping the kids out of the church during the fire, the boards covering the window change from shot to shot; first they are ripped out so you can see his waist and then they are as high as his chest.
Continuity mistake: When everyone is at the movies and Cherry throws her soda in Dally's face, he's dripping wet; you can see him blinking soda out of his eyes. A few lines of dialogue later, his face is completely dry, even though he didn't wipe it off with anything. It couldn't have dried so fast.
Continuity mistake: In the drive-in scene where Ponyboy and Cherry get up to get popcorn and soda, Ponyboy leaves with the popcorn Dallas gave him. They both purchase more popcorn and soda in the snack bar yet when they return to their seats, Ponyboy only has the popcorn he left with and Cherry has nothing.
Continuity mistake: In the first few scenes Johnny's scar keeps changing size.
Continuity mistake: When Dally robs the magazine store, as he takes the money and runs away you see the shop keeper reach downwards for his gun, but in the next shot his hand is up in the air holding it. It's far too quick for a normal person to carry out.
Continuity mistake: There is blood on the edge of the fountain after Johnny stabs Bob; the blood vanishes in the rest of the shots.
Continuity mistake: When Ponyboy and Randy are talking, the camera keeps switching back to Two-bit making fun of the other Socs. When it does this you can see Ponyboy and Randy in the background. If you look carefully at Randy his arms are resting down the side of the car, but when the camera goes back to him as a close up his arms are resting on the roof of the car. This happens several times.
Revealing mistake: When Two-bit Mathews returns from the hospital gift shop with a copy of "Gone With The Wind", he hands the book to the nurse asking her to make sure that Johnny gets it. The book he hands her is an obviously used paperback with the upper front top right corner and pages all bent back. Shouldn't a gift shop sell NEW items? The book is only shown from the non-title side so they could have used any paperback for the prop as long as it looked like it wasn't several decades old.
Factual error: The story is set in 1965, yet it shows many modern (as of filming in 1983) pieces of medical equipment, such as disposable plastic nasal cannula, modern plastic IV tubing and cut offs, etc. Also most hospitals in the 1960s still had open wards with many patients cordoned off by curtains, instead of private rooms as depicted in the movie.
Deliberate mistake: During the rumble scene it's raining and everyone gets wet and muddy. Right before the Socs surrender, we see one of the Socs whose clothes are completely dry and clean. He's wearing a light blue shirt.
Suggested correction: That was to show he was the toughest of the Socs' group and that no one took him down. This was not part of the book but a choice by the director.
Continuity mistake: In the church when Ponyboy is reading Sodapop's letter, Dally is in the background with his left hand on his leg. When the shot switches to Dally, his hand is not on his leg, and he is lighting a cigarette. When the shot switches back to Ponyboy, Dally's hand is back on his leg.
Suggested correction: They could just be an old photo. Taken a year or two back, plenty of time for them to look roughly the same but have their hair change wildly. Could have dyed his hair and then stopped or cut the hair and then let it grow.
Ponyboy's reaction to his blonde hair after Johnny dyes it is one of disgust; he did not dye it blonde ever before. Plus, it wouldn't make sense for him to dye it blonde again if he was trying to disguise himself.