Goofs for
La Bamba (1987)

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• Anachronisms: When the DJ announces the sad news that Holly, Richardson, and Valens have died in a plane crash, he plays the song "Sleepwalk" by Santo and Johnny as a tribute to the fallen musicians. The crash occurred on 3 February 1959 and the song "Sleep Walk" was not released until July 1959.
  
  
• Factual errors: Bob finds drawings of Woody Woodpecker in a trash bin on the Columbia Pictures studio lot. The Woody cartoons were produced at Walter Lantz's studio at Universal.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: As Bob is tearing down all his artwork after coming home drunk he bumps into the concrete wall of the basement which bends and shakes from his body weight.
  
  

• Continuity: When Richie and his brother Bob get into a shoving match, Bob pulls on Richie's sweater and yanks his tie out of kilter. A few seconds later, Richie's tie is tucked in and his sweater is smoothed down, but not enough time has elapsed for him to have done this to himself.
  
  
• Factual errors: When the radio DJ is talking about the dead stars at the end, he states that the Big Bopper was from Louisiana. He was, in fact, born in Sabine Pass, Texas (now within the city limits of Port Arthur), and raised in Beaumont, Texas.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The garbage truck that Bob rides is from the 1970s.
  
  
• Anachronisms: In the 1950s there were no yellow line on the roads, however, when we see a shot of Ritchie and Donna driving off, the lines on the roads are yellow.
  
  
• Factual errors: The real Bob did not find Woody Woodpecker cels. Bob actually found Disney cels at "Disney Studios".
  
  
• Miscellaneous: There was never a "love triangle" between Ritchie, Bob, and Rosie. This was actually based on a situation the director, Luis Valdez and a brother of his.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The style of the choppers ridden by Bob and his friends is from the late-'60s or early-'70s.
  
  
• Anachronisms: On the plane trip to Philadelphia when drinks are served they are in a clear plastic glass not manufactured until the mid-1970s. In fact airlines of the 1950s used the real thing, usually etched with their logo. Even the dinnerware was real then.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: When Richie goes to see Bob, right after Bob takes his first beer after being "on he wagon", a crewmember can be seen going across the outside of the window through the curtain.
  
  
• Continuity: When Ritchie is showing his mother the new house, the shadows are halfway up the walls. When Bob pulls into the driveway with his two sisters, the shadows are totally gone. And when Ritchie opens the door into the house the shadows are there again.
  
  
• Continuity: Ritchie and Bob walk into the back door of the Cowboy Palace but in the next shot they are walking from the front door to the stage.
  
  
• Continuity: When Bob takes Ritchie to the brothel, Ritchie chooses to relish the music rather than the women. Bob is left with the women and as Ritchie approaches the stage, you can see Bob in the background putting his arms around a woman. In the next shot, Bob is just approaching the same woman.
  
  
• Anachronisms: In one of the scenes when Bob takes Ritchie to the Tijuana brothel, there is a heavy set woman who approaches Bob and Ritchie and asks them, "Hey mijo, traes ganas?" If you look carefully, you can see that she does not even move her lips/mouth as she is talking.
  
  
• Factual errors: While the scene is true about the coin toss between Ritchie and a member of Buddy's band, Ritchie Valens was not sick as seen in the movie. The Big Bopper was. He begged Holly’s band mate (and future country music star) Waylon Jennings for the chance to ride on the plane because he was coming down with the flu. The coin toss took place between Ritchie Valens and Tommy Allsup.
  
  

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