Here is the latest in a series of examinations into urban legends about movies and whether they are true or false. Click here to view an archive of the Movie urban legends featured so far.

MOVIE URBAN LEGEND : Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace stole the trophy for the twist dancing competition in Pulp Fiction.

One of the most memorable sequences in Quentin Tarantino’s classic 1994 film, Pulp Fiction, is when Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) compete in a twist competition at a 1950s style restaurant (Vincent was assigned by his boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), to take care of Mia while Marsellus is out of town).

Later, when they return to Wallace’s home, they’re carrying a trophy from the competition. A very popular theory has popped up, though, that they actually STOLE the trophy. Is that true?



The legend is based on a scene in Butch Coolidge’s story within the film. Butch (played by Bruce Willis) has to go back to his apartment to get the gold watch that had been left from Coolidge father to son for generations. This is a problem, of course, as Butch has just won a fight he was paid to throw by Marsellus Wallace. This scene takes place a day after the Vincent/Mia dance competition.

And here, as Butch walks to his apartment via the back way, you can hear the radio mention “Jack Rabbit Slim’s,” the name of the restaurant where the twist competition happened. People have long claimed that you can hear them report on the radio that a trophy had been stolen from the restaurant. That is not true. It is just a commercial for Jack Rabbit Slim’s. It says “…and $5 milk shakes! Visit Jack Rabbit Slims nearest you…”

It’s just a nice piece of universe-building by Tarantino.

The legend is…

STATUS : False

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