What Movies Teach Us

Not only are movies entertaining folks, they're also based on reality . . . or maybe not quite. I got a kick out of this list of film cliches that you only need to see about 10 movies to know are hilariously true. So, to repeat, movies teach us:

• During all police investigations it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.


• If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St. Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.


• All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets which reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.


• All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French Bread.


• It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.


• Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.


• The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No-one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building you want without difficulty. There is never any dust or lint in them either.


• If you need to reload your gun, you will always have more ammunition - even if you haven't been carrying any before now.


• You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.


• Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.


• If your town is threatened by an imminent natural disaster or killer beast, the mayor's first concern will be the tourist trade or his forthcoming art exhibition.


• The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.


• A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.


• If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long.


• When paying for a taxi, don't look at your wallet as you take out a bill - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.


• Kitchens don't have light switches. When entering a kitchen at night, you should open the refrigerator door and use that light instead.


• If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.


• Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning even though their husband and children never have time to eat it.


• Cars that crash will almost always burst into flames.


• The Chief of Police will always suspend his star detective - or give him 48 hours to finish the job.


• A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a baseball stadium.


• Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.


• Although in the 20th century it is possible to fire weapons at an object out of our visual range, people of the 23rd century will have lost this technology.


• Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.


• It is not necessary to say hello or goodbye when beginning or ending phone conversations.


• All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.


• It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.


• It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.


• Police Departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.


• When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.


• You can always find a chainsaw when you need one.


• Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at that precise moment.