History Main / HangingByTheFingers

* ''WesternAnimation/The Rescuers'': Both Bernard and Penny wind up hanging by their fingers when they slip over the edge of the blowhole that floods the cave at high tide. Bernard is saved by Miss Bianca while Penny is pushed back into the cave by the advancing water.

* Sully and Randall's battle in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' climaxes with Sully hanging off the edge of a door over a chasm, while Randall prepares to stomp him off.

* Tested on ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'', and was deemed plausible that you could support your weight by your fingertips for a short time, though if you wanted to be pulled up, help would need to come VERY quickly. It's notably one of the only times [[IronButtMonkey Tory]] had been seriously hurt: he smashed his knee on a window ledge during the experiment and required stitches.

* Tested on ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'', and was deemed plausible that you could support your weight by your fingertips for a short time, though if you wanted to be pulled up, help would need to come VERY quickly. It's notably one of the only times [[IronButtMonkey Tory]] had been hurt: he smashed his knee on a window ledge during the experiment and required stitches.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': Beckett was hanging by a thread, only to get saved at the last minute by the other cops. She's ''very happy'' to be alive, as she later shows Castle [[spoiler:with a rather passionate kiss scene]].

* This happens in ''VideoGame/ZombieInfection'' when Sharpe fights the Sea Mutant, a ''kaiju''-sized boss, on the pier. The docks suddenly collapses, nearly throwing Sharpe over the edge if Sharpe didn't grab hold of the sides with his fingers; the player needs to control Sharpe and move him left and right to avoid falling shipping containers, otherwise he gets knocked into the Sea Mutant's maw and gets EatenAlive.

* ''Film/InTheLineOfFire'', subverted by Mitch during a rooftop chase where Frank slips and ends up in this position. Mitch creeps up to the ledge and rather than throw him, he genuinely tries to help him up.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': The Evil Monkey who lives in Chris's closet is thrown from the top of a skyscraper by an insane robot girl. He grabs onto a lege but his fingers lip off one by one. After the last one he falls, but is caught by Peter & Quagmire in a biplane [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou just before hitting the ground]].

If the creator wants to do {{Fanservice}}, they may show a female character from below with a gratuitous PantyShot. If PlayedForComedy, the rescuer may themselves fall and have to be grabbed by an even stronger person.

** Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack: Luke is first left hanging on a catwalk during his duel with Darth Vader. After Darth Vader finally defeats him Luke finds himself hanging on for dear life on one of the many weather vanes extending out from beneath the city.

** ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'': Lando is left hanging by his finders onto a blaster rifle that Han Solo extended over a Sarlacc that would love nothing more than to consume Lando for dinner.

* ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'': A young Obi Wan is left hanging over a reactor shaft before using the force to draw Qui-Gonn's lightsaber towards him, somersaulting over Darth Maul then [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe slicing him in half at the waist]], leaving both halves of him to fall down the shaft.

** In "WesternAnimation/ATaleOfTwoKitties" Catstello is hanging by an electrical wire when Tweety comes over and does the "This widdle piddy" gag to him as he releases Catstello's fingers.

* In ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'' #9, Indy attacks a Hovito Indian on [[ThePrecariousLedge a narrow ledge atop a skyscraper]] with his tuxedo jacket. Indy knocks the Indian off, but the Indian grabs Indy's jacket and yanks him off as well. Indy manages to grab hold of the ledge, but is left holding on only by his fingers. The {{cliffhanger}} has the Big bad sending another Indian to [[HandStomp stomp on Indy's fingers]].

* The opening scene of ''Film/{{Azumi}}: Death or Love'', have Azumi fleeing from a band of ninjas after her life, where she ends up diving off a cliff and hanging by it's side on one hand. Complete with a PantyShot as the camera pans upwards...

* ''Film/CircusOfFear'': While attempting to escape from the police with the cash, Gregor falls of a cliff. He drops the suitcase and is left cling to the cliff by his fingers. The killer arrives and [[HandStomp treads on his fingers]].

* Creator/MelBrooks's ''Film/HighAnxiety'' parodies this. In a climactic scene the protagonist (played by Brooks) has a slipping hold on a ledge until he is improbably hanging on by a single fingertip. Once he gets a morale boost from another character he manages to regain his hold and climb up.

** Macy in the ActionPrologue, after trying to fight TheDragon, Lung, to no avail and ending up being flung over a set of railings. Since Lung is the {{Sadist}}, his HandStomp method is to gleefully bends down to drive his knife ''slowly'' underneath [[{{Fingore}} Macy's fingernails]], slowly tormenting her until the pain gives away causing her to fall to her death.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': Beckett was hanging by a thread, only to get saved in the last minute by the other cops. She's ''very happy'' to be alive, as she later shows Castle [[spoiler:with a rather passionate kiss scene]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Emergency}}'' series: It's a relatively frequent occurrence, and just the occasion to deploy a turntable ladder truck or a [[FiremansSafetyNet jump pad]].

** Used as Juno's "ledge hanging" animation in Jet Force Gemini. His sister, Vela, hangs on to a ledge with two hands unlike him.
* ''VideoGame/JonathanKaneTheProtector'' have this happening to Jennifer near the final stage, where she missed a jump and falls down a shaft. As Jonathan you need to make your way downstairs, fighting mooks all the way, and open an exit to help Jennifer in. Her response happens to be one of the oldest in the book:

* In one of the climatic final episodes of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Toph is barely holding on to Sokka's hand when [[spoiler:Suki saves them by flying down with a stolen airship]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'': In the episode, "Stranger Invasion", this happens to Buzz after Zurg punches him , attempting to make him fall to his death, after tricking him by telling him he [Zurg] is his [Buzz]'s father.

* Very early in the run of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' this [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0067.html happens to Nale]], [[spoiler: and being the good twin Elan pulls him up because he's "The Good Twin"]]. Called back to later when Tarquin finds himself in [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0936.html the same predicament]][[spoiler: and Elan doesn't save him because he isn't a twin anymore (and Tarquin deserves it and Elan knows he'll survive)]].

* ''Literature/DragonAndDamsel'': Bernadette ends up clinging to the end of a slippy, broken stone bridge after nearly slipping and falling down the tall tower it's inside of. [[spoiler: She ends up losing her grip on the slippery wet stone, but is rescued just before hitting the bottom.]]