Great Scott! 22 Running Gags And References In The 'Back To The Future' Trilogy

Let's be honest: you have to have a cold, Biff Tannen-grade heart not to love Back to the Future. The trilogy really has it all: great jokes, timely action and more than a passing nod to enduring love and friendship. And Doc Brown's hair. Let us never forget Doc Brown's hair.

It's also the series that gave us Rick & Morty.

But most importantly, you can just feel the pure joy the filmmakers had making the trilogy. They went the extra mile at every turn, from the writing to the acting to the aesthetics of the film. Yeah, DeLorean, yeah (even if it was a pain).

As such, Writer Bob Gale and director Robert Zemeckis sure didn’t skimp on adding fun little details into the Back to the Future trilogy. From references to previous movies they’ve done together, to clocks they both had as kids, here’s a list of clever stuff and Easter eggs in one of the greatest franchises of all time.

22

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK. MAN WITH TO FUTURE NO NAME THE Every time Marty. reacts dramatically when being called a chicken, the scene is a homage to the Spaghetti Western anti-hero character played by. Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. `CRACKED.COM — Source

21

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK DOC'S TRAIN TO FUTURE SHIRT THE NUMBER In the second film, Doc is sporting a shirt that not only predicts what happens in the third movie, but also makes another appearance in Back to the Future Part III when Doc uses it as a bandit mask. CRACKED.COM — Source

20

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK ROGER RABBIT TO FUTURET CAMEO THE TREE Happy Faces STATE OLD 10E 1962 INAC bother gerrier LAVA LAME The character can be seen in the antique shop store window: Who Framed Roger Rabbit was also directed by Robert Zemeckis and, of course, starred Christopher Lloyd. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

19

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE GEEK NOD TO FUTURE THE POWER CRM 114 In the opening scene where Marty plugs. his guitar into Doc's amp, the code on the amp reads 'CRM114. It's a fictional piece of radio equipment that's been used in Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, as s well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 'CRACKED.COM — Video clip, Wiki

18

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK HEY, MCFLY! TO FUTURE RUNNING GAG THE In all three films, when Marty goes into a diner or a saloon, he orders a drink that he never gets to enjoy. because every time he gets interrupted by a Tan'nen yelling, Hey, McFly! CCACKED.COM — Clip, clip, clip

17

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE FILM TO FUTURE III THE IIIA PART SEQUELS Phatches THEATRE- DRIVE-IN NOW SHOWING FRANCIS IN THE NAVY MA AND PA KETTLE AT WAIKIKI ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY The three films playing at the drive-in are all Universal sequel films. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE TO FUTURE TIME MACHINE THE REFERENCE SAS The entire opening sequence with the clocks is a homage to the 1960 film that also opens with a collection of clocks. 'CRACKED.COM — Time Machine opening scene, BttF opening scene

15

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK ZZ TOP TO FUTURE TII THE PART CAMEO! The band performed an acoustic version of Doubleback at the 1885 Hill Valley Festival: Because of their epic beards, they were .mistaken for extras on.set. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

14

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK WESTERN TO FUTURE III THE PART VETERANS CAMEO During the Palace Saloon scene there are three old-timers sitting at a table betting on Marty's fate. They're played by. Western veterans Dub Taylor, Harry Carey, Jr., and Pat Buttram. 'CRACKED.COM — Video clip, source

13

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK A REFERENCE TO TO FUTURE A GALE ZEMECKIS THE MOVIE town ELMO USED CARS SAMPLE is THE When Marty rides to school holding onto the back of a Jeep, he skates past a sign that says Used Cars. It's a reference to the .1980 movie with the same title. 'CRACKED.COM — Video clip, IMDb

12

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE THREE TO FUTURETT THE MUSKETEERS MUSKETEERS THE !III LIKE MUSKETEERS THE FOUR TO BE CONTINUED... The sequel ends with a teaser for the third movie to come, and the bit was inspired by Richard Lester's 1973 The Three Musketeers who had a teaser for The Four Musketeers at the end. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

11

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK TWIN PINES MALL TO FUTURE NO MORE THE TWIN PINES MALL LONE PINE MA .AM The mall is Where the time travel in the DeLorean happens, and Doc recalls how it was once the land of a pine tree farmer. When Marty goes back to 1955, he runs over one of the pair of pine trees in the farmer's front yard, and when h returns to 1985, the mall is now called Lone Pine Mall. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

10

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE SAFETY TO FUTURE LAST! CLOCK THE 12 1 2 9 3 4 AXIS 765 7 5 6 In the opening shot of Doc's array of clocks, there's one with a man dangling from a clock arm It's a reference to Safety Last!, a silent film from 1923 that featured actor Harold Lloyd dangling from a huge clock; the same way. Doc does at the end of the film. `CRACKED.COM — Source

9

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE STATLER TO FUTURE DEALERSHIP THE HONEST Joe Statier Products You FINE HORSES sou NOUGHT Fc TRADED TOYOTA FOOTHER STATLER TOYOTA NOTICS DWN There's a sight gag in the movies about the Statler .dealership in Hill: Valley. In 1885 it's called Honest .Joe Statler, buying nd'selling horses. In 1985 the name of the dealership is Statler Toyota, and in the 1955 timeline the Studebaker dealership is called Statler Motors. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

8

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK SHOUTOUT TO FUTURE TO A THE CREW MEMBER RON WOODWARD for SINGA CLASS PRESIDENT At the 1955 Hill Valley High School there's a poster. , advertising Ron Woodward for Senior Class President: The right man for the job. Ronald Woodward was the movie's key lighting grip. CRACKED.COM — IMDb

7

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS MARTY'S BACK WARDROBE FROM TO FUTURET THE FIRST MOVIE THING Happy 'When Marty visits the shop Blast from the Past in 2015 in search of the Grays Sports Almanac, there's a mannequin in the store window dressed in Marty's famious jacket from the first film an inside joke from the creators. `CRACKED.COM — Source

6

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS MUSO CAMEO BACK TO FUTURETT THE Needles, Douglas J. Sports: Joggin Slamball.Tennis Po Flea, the bassist of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, were easy to spot playing Douglas J. Needles, in Back to the Future III, but he also had a part as Needles in the second film where he's trying to convince Marty to go in on a dodgy deal. Some people couldn't recognize him all caked in old man makeup. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

5

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS GEORGE 'BUCK BACK TO FUTURET FLOWER THE one AMERICAN STYLE ALL SEATE 5.00 The actor plays Red, the town's bum, but he also has a reference in the first movie where his 1973 movie, Orgy American Style, can be seen playing at the Hill Valley cinema in 1985. `CRACKED.COM — IMDb

4

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE KIT-CAT TO FUTURE CLOCK THE -9 3. 7 5. Writer Bob Gale and director Robert Zemeckis added this specific clock because they both had them when they were kids. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

3

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE HISTORY OF TO FUTURETT THE IIIA PART THE FRISBEE In 1885, Marty invents the frisbee when he picks up an empty tin of Frisbie's Pies and throws it at Mad Dog Tannen There was a real Frisbie Pie Company in Connecticut in the late:19th century, and students would toss the tins to each other, yelling Frisbie! The toy company Wham-O started selling frisbees in 1957, misspelling the name of the Frisbie Pie Company. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS BACK THE EDDIE VAN TO FUTURE HALEN CAMEO THE In one scene that also references both Star Wars and Star Trek, Marty inserts a cassette tape into his walkman, and blasts his young dad's ears off with the sound of a shredding guitar. Even though the cassette says Edward Van Halen no one could figure out what song it was, but the musician not only confirmed it was him, he also said it wasn't a song-just him recording loud noises. 'CRACKED.COM — Source

1

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES AND MEANINGS A FISTFUL OF BACK TO FUTURETT DOLLARS THE Biff Tannen watches the scene from this 1964 Spaghetti Western movie where Clint Eastwood's character gets shot, only to reveal that he's wearing a piece of iron like a bulletproof vest. Marty walks in on Biff praising the movie...and it explains why Marty use's the same stunt in Back to the Future Part III. 'CRACKED.COM — BttF Part II clip, BttF Part III clip

Must Read

Everything That Isn’t A Cockroach That Can Also Survive A Nuclear Bomb

Turns out, there’ll be a whole lot of insects tanking a nuke

Authors: By Eli Yudin
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 0

Isn’t It Weird to Add Celebrities to a Game Where They Get Shot?

Wow, I just took out my favorite singer with a headshot

Authors: By Eli Yudin
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 1

I Would Feed My Right Hand to A Gator to Stop Adam Sandler From Making ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

An alligator ended Chubbs Peterson’s golf aspirations — could it close down Sandler’s sequel dreams, too?

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 5

Roseanne Barr Almost Starred in ‘Married… With Children’

And she would have had babies with screaming Sam Kinison

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 0

PICTOFACT

24 Funny Times Something Completely Backfired on Someone

‘Grass caught on fire’

Authors: By Ian Garner
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 2

Rob Schneider Pivots From Cancel Culture Comedy to His Other Shtick

After driving away the anti-woke crowd with his holiday gala meltdown, Schneider will try to win them back with some old-fashioned Christian entertainment

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 2

35 of the Funniest Tweets from April 24, 2024

20 of the Dumbest Things Done by Police Officers

These Are Ray Romano’s Three Favorite Episodes of ‘Everyone Loves Raymond’

Nathan Fielder Says Emma Stone Is Great at Comedy Because She’s ‘Near Un-Offendable’

12 Trivia Tidbits for Wednesday, April 24, 2024