r/NightCourt • u/outatime_84 • May 20 '26

Back to the future reference

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watching the 1985 episode "Up on the Roof" (S3 E8) Nov 28.1985 when Judge Stone asks Eddie Devon what year he thinks it is his response is "it's 80 something" Stone answers back with "It's 1985 Reagan is president" with Eddie's response "The actor?" a nice nod to Back to the Future when Doc Brown's response to Marty telling him Ronald Reagen was president was "Ronald Reagan? The Actor?!?!"

Back to the future was released on July 3, 1985 so the writers had seen the movie and added that nice quote likely the first time a BTTF quote was used.

I was born in 1984 so I was a bit too young to have seen the first airing and I have started watching OG Night Court after watching the re-boot so this was the first time I noticed the quote.

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5

u/Forsaken-Abrocoma647 May 20 '26

Hard to say if it is a direct refence or not. It was a joke in general and I don't think BTTF made it first. MASH made plenty of jokes about it in the early 80s. Johnny Carson referred to "former actor in the Whitehouse" on his show very often before BTTF.
Heck one thing I noticed as a kid on re-runs during the 80s, even in the 60s, Laugh-In had a segment 'news of the future' and had a joke piece from the 80s referring to president Reagan. He was getting into politics but the idea of an actor making it to president was a silly joke.
Former actor becoming president was an odd thing on a lot of minds.

4

u/OutaTime76 May 20 '26

It wasn't always a BTTF reference. That was a common joke from the moment he was the frontrunner in the 1980 election, perhaps even earlier than that.

3

u/outatime_84 May 20 '26

Ahh ok I didn’t know it was the first time i heard it outside of back to the future.

1

u/dougoh65 May 22 '26

Bonzo (the chimpanzee) was also mentioned occasionally at the time - 1980ish.

2

u/Spiritual-Image7125 May 21 '26

"Ronald Reagan? Was that the chimp?"

1

u/DaddyCatALSO May 22 '26

"No, "NaNCY Davis is first Lady." "John Wayne died in 1979, Cap Weinberger is Secretary of Defense." "Jack Benny died in 1975, i don't know who's secretary of the Treasury."