Continuity mistake: Early in the courtroom scene there is a shot of Gregory Peck that is reversed. The part in his hair is not on the same side of his head that it is in the rest of the film.
Continuity mistake: When Bob Ewell is on the witness stand and Atticus asks him if he ran for a doctor, Atticus is hovering over Ewell and his visible shadow behind Ewell reflects this. When the camera shifts to Atticus, he is a good 10-15 feet away. When the camera returns to Ewell, Atticus' shadow is still there.
Continuity mistake: When the children go to the courthouse and up to the courtroom door, there are two solid doors with covered panels (that do not let light through), with a clear transom window above the doors. However, when the children boost Dill up to see into the courtroom, the doors' top panels are clear windows. (00:20:50)
Continuity mistake: When the kids roll the tyre down the street with Scout in it, the tyre is seen heading straight about to crash against a pole. Shot changes and the tyre has magically moved 6 feet to the left and is now heading to the house.
Continuity mistake: As Jem, Scout and Dill are walking up to the courthouse, they pass a group of men playing checkers. One of the men speaks to Jem and the three stop momentarily. As they respond to the man, two black women as extras pass by them, walking toward the street. The next shot is a continuation of the scene with overlapping dialogue, however, the two black women are nowhere to be seen and there is a white woman with a white hat where the two black women should have been. Jem, Scout and Dill pause on the handrail before running up the steps, and as the camera pans back, all three women are once again walking past the old men.
Continuity mistake: Whenever the porch swing at the Radley house is tousled by the wind, the wind doesn't appear in the following shots at all.
Answer: The film is set in Maycomb, Georgia, not Mississippi. There's no explanation, so any answer is speculation. However, Atticus usually wore a three-piece suit, so it was a vest, not a sweater. It was likely a lightweight material and was a typical style of the era. Atticus probably considered it a more professional look for a lawyer. Most likely this was a movie wardrobe decision, giving Atticus a scholarly appearance and persona throughout the film, even if in reality, it wasn't practical.
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