Bloopers...

[survivor]

In the earliest surviving episode, Bill the soldier walks into the motel reception, and then is about to go into the kitchen. There is some unknown man sitting in the kitchen in shot and quickly notices the camera. He then quickly gets out of shot for another guy (who I have forgotten the name of) to make Bill go back behind the counter.

I have just watched this episold tonight & it looks to me like tony morton ( carlos ) who is actually in that position for the first scene of part two with Osephina & marilyn.

[paul ross]

Episode 2174 - Wilf says goodbye to Amy calling Amy, Mertle and then in the same scene poor old Amy can't remember the word 'penthouse'!! and Vince Parker has to say the word!!

[survivor]

That wouid be one for the books dont you think MERTLE TURTELL

[Anonymous]

Has anyone noticed in archive volume 4 the motel board outside main reception has the word restaurant spelt "restuarant"?

[Fairlawns]

Crossroads Archive Volume Three; Episode 1981 this is a delightful episode, however poor old Amy says to Brian about when his Mother had the shop at HEATHFIELD when it was HEATHBURY a long way from Warwickshire to East Sussex!

[paul ross]

Not sure if this comes under 'Bloopers' but a habit Carl Andrews (Joe MacDonald) had and that is apparent in the early 80s output: often he would come in through a door going "Oh du, du,du,du,du. . . " (as in singing to himself and suddenly stopping) I'm just watching him now and he has opened his front door and again he went "Oh du,du,du,du,du" (and again he suddenly stops singing). Earlier there was a scene where he came into the garage office and again he went "Oh du, du, du,du,du. . ." (Again stopping himself as he gets through the door)  He does it a lot in the garage. Also earlier Benny had come into the garage office and he went "Oh, du,du,du,du,du. . . ." (and he too suddenly stops) on seeing Adam Chance sat in the office. I think this must be added to the lists of the many peculiar happenings on Crossroads along with its ASTONISHING PREOCUPATION with SHERRY!

[paul ross]

Not sure about the 70s output but in the early 80s when the McCartney version of the theme plays over the end credits his name is sometimes missing.

[Mike of CAS]

That happens sometimes with the very short theme tune, if they're running out of time some usually credited people don't get credited.

[paul ross]

1982 - the first episode where Gorgina Moran arrives at reception and signs in under a different name - there is a scene in the office between Kevin and Glenda and if you turn your volume up you will hear a voice in the gallery speaking to the four camera operators...

80 on 4 next
81 on 3 next
82 on 4 next
83 on 3 next
84 on 4 next
85 on 3 next
86 on 4 next
87 on 3 next

80 = shot 80/cut 80.
3/4/ = camera 3/4.

In episodes in and around 1984 you can sometimes here the director speaking - again up the volume -
'Cue and cut'  
'Caption Graham'
'Caption/Music'.

The fantastic D Garfield story of 84 - Philip/Angela Reece sit in reception and you can here the director. . .

'Cue Kath and cut. . .  and cue Colin'.

1982 - Sharon sits next to Ashley on the sofa and in an embrace ...

Sharon
I do wish I could come with you.

Ash
Well then do.

Sharon
How though?

Ash
Where there's a will love.

Then we hear 'Caption/Music' for the End of Part One.

All the above must have happened only because the floor manager/s either were very near a mic or one of their headphones was turned outwards.

[Xrds1895]

This can also occur because radio headsets are being used. For the signal from these to be picked up and recorded is not at all unusual.

Indeed an episode of "Dr.Who" from late 1963 (the first episode of the first seven-part Dalek story) was deemed to be unfit for broadcast and re-shot in its entireity some weeks later as the gallery output had been accidentally recorded (albeit very quietly) onto the TX tape.

Whereas "Dr.Who" had the time to be able to go back and remount, sadly this is obviously not a luxury that our lovely soap was ever afforded.

However this is more likely the way that it happened, rather than the noise being picked up from a set of headphones. Boom mics will pick up what is directly in their line of fire. For the noise to have been recorded from a pair of headphones would suggest that the volume level when you had the headphones on would have been deafening!

[Xrds1895]

In one of the first episodes on Disc 2 of Volume 10 you can see Al Hunter Ashton, later Ray Grice, having a bit of a silent chat at recpetion in his walk-on days.

Not really a blooper but quite interesting nevertheless.

[paul ross]

I don't mean the headphones are covering both ears of the floor manager/s - I mean ONE of the earphones - not both. I have used this in the past whereby you flip one up - away from your ear - one of your two ears! so you can hear MORE than what is happening in the gallery! consequently the gallery can be picked up by a mic - depending on where it is and where the floor manager/s are.

[paul ross]

Bloopers:

I used to enjoy seeing the same crockery in several different Crossroads homes. That landlady story of 78 - can't recall her characters name is using Mavis Hooper's crockery -  my family used to have it as well!

[Mike of CAS]

There is a letter in the TV Times in 1977 about that - but its a teapot in Corrie thats done the rounds in practically every house! LOL

[Fairlawns]

This is nothing new in the 1950's I Love Lucy Shows the Ricardo's and Mertz's used the same crockery and it was a very obvious pattern.