Back to the Future Question
 

In the first BTTF movie, why does Doc Brown say "I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady." When learning that Ronald Reagan is the president? They were divorced in 1948 and by 1955 (when it takes place), Reagan had already been married Nancy for a few years.

Never thought of it like that...I just assumed they were married!

I think simply because she was another (female) movie star and if a movie star had become president, it's only fitting that another celeb. would be first lady. It was a comment, I suppose, on the absurdity of an actor or celebrity becoming President.

Also, he goes on to mention Jerry Lewis as Secretary of the Treasury (I believe) so it's not exclusive to Reagan/Wyman relationship.

Probably for the same reason THE HONEYMOONERS episode (Man from Space) was on Marty's grandparents TV, even though that episode didn't air until AFTER Oct. 1955.

Bob Gale just didn't do his homework.

That's how I took it. Of course I didn't know who Jane Wyman was until this thread so I just figured she was an actress.

You don't remember the sprawling epic that was FALCON CREST? Friday nights on CBS, right after DALLAS. ;)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...tJaneWyman.jpg

I knew Jane Wyman was an actress although I didn't know that she and Ronnie had been married......if that matters.

Thank you for not asking a question about the time travel aspect of the movie.

If someone came back in time and said "Ben Affleck is the President", it would be funnier to respond "I suppose J-Lo is the First Lady!" than "I suppose Jennifer Garner is the First Lady!"

Doc's line about Jane Wyman might also have been designed to show that he's consumed by his experiments and not quite up to speed on his celebrity marriages.

That's the way I've always thought of it.

No. No it wouldn't.

thats not as hard to swallow as old biff in alternate 2015

Here's a better question -- when Marty was trying to convince Doc that he was from the future, why didn't he show him his digital watch. We know Marty has one, because it started beeping in the diner and Lou looked at him funny.

He probably just didn't think about showing his watch to Doc.

The movie takes place in November so it was after October. Nov 12, 1955 was the date of the storm. Didn't he arrive on Nov 5th?

Yes, he did arrive on Nov. 5, 1955. But the original airdate of the episode
"The Man From Space" was December 31, 1955.

If Marty set the time machine to arrive back in 1985 10 minutes ealier to save Doc, wouldn't an infinite amount of Martys be arriving as time progressed. Every month 4 new Marys would be running around 1985 :p

That would have made for a very interesting sequel.

I have a question about Back to the Future. Did they invent the phrase "This is heavy"? Or did kids back in the 80's actually say that?

I was born in 1980, so I may not qualify, being so young. However, I did not ever say "This is heavy".

Maybe there was some atmosphereic changes to Hill Valley in the 1980's that made Marty coin the phrase.


I might be exempt from answering because i too was young at the time but...

I don't remember anyone using the phrase and i don't recall any other movies using the phrase either.

Whattaya mean?

Same here. BTTF was the first time I ever heard anyone say "this is heavy" in the context it was used in that film.

I'm pretty sure it was a common phrase at the time. Usually meant, "this is a lot to deal with."

I really don't remember people saying 'heavy' in the 80's. I think it was more of a 60's - 70's hippie term. Come to think of it, i'm sure if you watch a handful of Brady Bunch episodes it'll be in one of them.

Oops...forgot the date he went back, but I knew the HONEYMOONERS episode definitely came later...thanks for the clarification Lunatikk.

:lol:

I could never figure out how Maggie McFly in the old west could look EXACTLY like Marty's mom Lorraine. Lorraine wasn't an original member of the McFly family - in 1955 she was Lorraine Baines, and later married George McFly.

I think this was covered in a previous thread. But it was explained as all McFlys being attracted to the same type of women.

Yeah, but that always sounded to me like Robert Zemeckis realizing he goofed so he had to come up with some kind of excuse!

I had heard that the reason she was in Part 3 was because it wouldn't be a Marty waking up and thinking it's his mom joke without Lea Thompson.

Part 3 had alot of things in it that were a play on things from the other movies.

Example: Marty and Doc saying the other characters "catch phrase".

I lived in 1985 for about a year or so, and do remember people saying "This is heavy." Whether or not they picked it up from the movie, I don't know.

SOME of us lived in 1985 for a year! :lol:

Not directed at you but...


CHRIST! Does E V E R Y T H I N G have to be explained to death??? It's like asking why don't George and Lorraine think "Hey, Marty looks like that Marty from 1955?" Just enjoy the freaking feature. Damn!

This is movie talk so we are talking about movies..

Now if anyone could explain the drastic change in Jennifer's appearance.

http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/bac...ia-wells-6.jpg http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/bac...eth-shue-6.jpg

Side effect of plutonium.

I believe the more dense (Heavy!) atmoshpere that exsists in 1980's Hill Valley causes some unsusal side effects in certain humans. Mutation and altered physical appearance are only a few of unwanted side effects.


;)

If I were to make an ultimate BTTF cut, it would cut out any of the ending of part I and seague straight into part II's intro. While you still end up with a slight cunnundrum of Marty instantly recognizing her, I would like to believe that through Marty's alteration of the Hill Valley history, Jennifer's parents were also affected. Likely, while still maintaining the same time of conception, one different move may have led to one different sperm, thus altering Jennifer's DNA explaining her change in appearance. However, since "it comes from upbringing," Ms. Parker's personality and history growing up has remained nearly unchanged, thus her unwritten future still leads her to become a future Mrs. McFly. Honestly this change in actresses for Jennifer could really bring much added scientific legitimacy to the Back to the Future saga if viewed in the right way! Marty's just lucky there wasn't a Y chromosome in the mix!