History Main / ScriptSwap

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart Sells His Soul", Bart replaces the hymn sheets and music at the local church with those of Music/IronButterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", labeled as being titled "In the Garden of Eden" by "I. Ron Butterfly". When Reverend Lovejoy picks up on the swap (nearing the end of the entire ''17 minute-long'' song), he remarks that it "sounds like rock and/or roll."

* In ''Anime/SengokuOtome'', when the girls put on a play, [[BitchInSheepsClothing Ieyasu]] changes Nobunaga's script so she will assault the others, ''during an orgy scene''. Nobunaga notices that script seems different, but shrugs it off. Before Ieyasu's plan can succeed, the stage catches fire, forcing everybody to run.

** The third game of ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'' has this done with a series of records for the Two-O Duo's dance routines, including introducing two new ones, combining this trope with ProgrammingGame. Coach Z is smart enough not to dance off the stage if that's what the music suggests, but he's not smart enough not to [[spoiler:air-punch his partner square in the face]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode [[Recap/SouthParkS3E17WorldWideRecorderConcert World Wide Recorder Concert]], When the boys are able to confirm that the {{brown note}} works, they decide to prank some rival kids by altering a copy of the sheet music to include said note and taping it their hotel room door. The only problem is that they added a post-it note saying "Revised music for tomorrow", so when one of the organizers of the titular event comes along...

** In the cartoon, a similar plot happens when Judy enters a song writing contest to win a date with Jet Screamer, with George intentionally replacing her entry with Elroy's secret code message in order to sabotage her. This turns out to be a SpringtimeForHitler as the coded message, "Eeep, Opp, Ork, Ahah", causes Judy to win.

* ''Fanfic/OldManHenderson'' and his party wipe out a large portion of the local Hastur cultists through one of these. The cultists, still putting up the facade of a harmless new church, organizes a mass prayer at the local school hall complete with a Powerpoint presentation with the prayer itself. Henderson's party, in a vulnerable moment, swap out one of the slides with a summoning incantation for lesser abominations of a ''rival'' cult. Cue all of Hastur's cultists suddenly stuck in a room with abominations of a rival god.

* ''Fanfic/Checkmate'': During the 64th Hunger Games, the Capitol Rebels hack into the teleprompter of Claudius Templesmith's predecessor as he recites the Hunger Games. Partially due to being high on drugs, it takes him a painfully long time to notice that he's revealing the overt acts of Rebellion that the Capitol has been trying to cover up, resulting in his [[UncertainDoom removal from the job]].

* In ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'', Chico and Harpo swap the sheet music of an entire orchestra so that they all start playing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the middle of the opera.

* ''Fanfic/Checkmate'' ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8852698/1/Checkmate]]'': During the 64th Hunger Games, the Capitol Rebels hack into the teleprompter of Claudius Templesmith's predecessor as he recites the Hunger Games. Partially due to being high on drugs, it takes him a painfully long time to notice that he's revealing the overt acts of Rebellion that the Capitol has been trying to cover up, resulting in his [[UncertainDoom removal from the job]].

* On ''Series/TheWestWing'', President Bartlett is forced to nominate complete non-entity "Bingo Bob" as a replacement V.P. to avoid a long confirmation battle, and his speech writers complain bitterly, going so far as to pen a resounding denunciation of this ridiculous lobbyist lapdog. [[HilarityEnsues Inevitably]], it ends up on the president's teleprompter by mistake. In a partial aversion, Bartlett merely gives a surprised blink and then improvises a glowing introduction, because he is just that awesome. (And the V.P. actually requests a copy, saying he needs to be aware of what people are thinking of him.)

A Script Swap occurs when either [[UnfortunateItemSwap by accident]] or by [[ReplacedWithReplica external mischief]], someone winds up reading or following a different document than what they're supposed to, and does so without at any point noticing the mixup.

A Script Swap occurs when either [[UnfortunateItemSwap by accident]] or by external mischief, someone winds up reading or following a different document than what they're supposed to, and does so without at any point noticing the mixup.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', the CIA holds a telethon to raise funding in order to keep their torture program. Roger, who came up with the idea, becomes enraged by Stan who takes credit for it and vows to get revenge by sabotaging the telethon. One of the tricks he pulls is messing with the teleprompter so that instead of making the joke "CIA stands for Central ''Insanity'' Agency", Stan ends up saying "Stan Smith was born with both male and female genitalia".

* On ''Series/TheWestWing'', President Bartlett is forced to nominate complete non-entity "Bingo Bob" as a replacement V.P. to avoid a long confirmation battle, and his speech writers complain bitterly, going so far as to pen a resounding denunciation of this ridiculous lobbyist lapdog. [[HilarityEnsues Inevitably]], it ends up on the president's teleprompter by mistake. In a partial aversion, Bartlett merely gives a surprised blink and then improvises a glowing eulogy, because he is just that awesome. (And the V.P. actually requests a copy, saying he needs to be aware of what people are thinking of him.)

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode {{Recap/SouthParkS3E17WorldWideRecorderConcert World Wide Recorder Concert}}, When the boys are able to confirm that the {{brown note}} works, they decide to prank some rival kids by altering a copy of the sheet music to include said note and taping it their hotel room door. The only problem is that they added a post-it note saying "Revised music for tomorrow", so when one of the organizers of the titular event comes along...

* ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'': Ron is noted to be especially vulnerable to this trope, as he'll read ''anything'' written for him on the teleprompter verbatim. Veronica takes advantage of this at the height of their feud and switches out his usual signoff catchphrase for "Go fuck yourself, San Diego!" Ron reads it without missing a beat, then obliviously wonders why everyone in the newsroom is freaking out.

* Invoked in ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', with Bruce making another newscaster go completely offscript, the writing staff desperately trying to get him back on track.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart Sells His Soul", Bart replaces the hymn sheets and music at the local church with those of Music/IronButterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", labelled as being titled "In the Garden of Eden" by "I. Ron Butterfly". When Reverend Lovejoy picks up on the swap (nearing the end of the entire ''17 minute-long'' song), he remarks that it "sounds like rock and/or roll."
* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' the gang replace the score for a charity concert with one containing the {{brown note}} so that it will be heard around the world

** In the cartoon, a similar plot happens when Judy enters a song writing contest to win a date with Jet Screamer, with George intentionally replacing her entry with Elroy's secret code message in order to sabotage her. This turns out to be a SpringtimeForHitler as the code message, "Eeep, Opp, Ork, Ahah", causes Judy to win.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', the CIA holds a telethon to raise funding in order to keep their torture program. Roger, who came up with the idea, becomes enraged by Stan who takes credit for it, and vows to get revenge by sabotaging the telethon. One of the tricks he pulls is messing with the teleprompter so that instead of making the joke "CIA stands for Central ''Insanity'' Agency", Stan ends up saying "Stan Smith was born with both male and female genitalia".
* In the second ''WesternAnimation/GeraldMcBoingBoing'' cartoon "Gerald [=McBoing-Boing=]'s Symphony", Gerald is asked to stand in for an orchestra for the premiere of a new symphony. Unfortunately, some of the pages from his sound effects script get mixed in with the score, and so the music is often interrupted by sound effects. At first Gerald is fired for his mistake, until messages come pouring in praising this new piece of "avant-guard" music.

* In the WesternAnimation/ChillyWilly cartoon "The Legend of Rockabye Point", Chilly puts a clarinet on the sleeping guard dog's mouth, causing it to make noise as he snores and waking him up. The polar bear gets him back to sleep by pulling out the sheet music for "Rock-a-Bye, Baby" and playing it on the clarinet. Chilly then switches the sheet with one for circus music, waking the dog up again.

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* In ''Theater/{{Hamlet}}'', Hamlet replaces Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's letters to the King of England, which originally requested that the king execute Hamlet, with letters that order the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead.

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* In ''{{Hamlet}}'', Hamlet replaces Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's letters to the King of England, which originally requested that the king execute Hamlet, with letters that order the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead.

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* ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'': At the height of Ron's feud with Veronica, she takes advantage of the fact that Ron will read ''anything'' written for him on the teleprompter and switches out his usual signoff catchphrase for "Go fuck yourself, San Diego!" Ron reads it without missing a beat, then obliviously wonders why everyone in the newsroom is freaking out.

-->''"Okay. The game is Cue Card Rummy. I deal."''