100 Details From "Indiana Jones," "Star Wars," And "Back To The Future" That Make These Movies Even More Fun
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Back to the Future
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1.The Atomic Kid.
In "Back to the Future," Marty's nuclear powered Delorean disappears into "The Atomic Kid." from MovieDetails
According to Back to the Future co-writer and producer Bob Gale, in the first two drafts of the screenplay, "...the whole clocktower sequence at the end wasn't there: It was going to be the radiation from an explosion at a nuclear testing site that would power the time machine back to 1985." The Atomic Kid is a 1954 movie about a man who is exposed to nuclear radiation on an atomic bomb test site.
2. The foreshadowing clock tower.
Back to The Future - The opening credits have a clock foreshadowing Doc hanging off the city clock from MovieDetails
3. The clock tower clock being unloaded.
Back to the Future III (1990): When Doc and Marty are asking the train conductor for tips, the Clock Tower clock is being unloaded in the background. from MovieDetails
4. The beer George drinks.
In Back to the Future (1985) before Marty travels back and changes the past, helping his father gain self-confidence, George drinks Miller Lite. When Marty returns to 1985 the more confident, richer George now drinks Miller High Life the "Champagne of Beers" from MovieDetails
5. The drummer at the school dance in 1955.
In Back to the Future (1985), when Marty plays “Johnny B. Goode” with the band, the drummer plays in a swing style since he’s never heard rock drumming before from MovieDetails
6. The property Marty crashes into when he time travels for the first time.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman were time-travelers in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.
7. Biff's casino requires smoking. LOL.
There's a 'Smoking Required' sign outside of Biff's casino in 'Back to the Future II' (1989) from MovieDetails
8. The Statler family.
In Back to the Future the Statler family ran the transportation business in Hill Valley. In 1885, Joe Statler's business was called Honest Joe Statler, which advertised "fine horses sold, bought, and traded". In 1955, it changed to Statler Studebaker. In 1985, it was Statler Toyota. from MovieDetails
9.The Asian population of 1887 Hill Valley is shown in the background multiple times.
Considering that the Western side of the transcontinental railroad was built almost entirely by Chinese immigrants and a mid-construction railroad is a major plot element of Back to the Future Part III, not to mention the important fact that Chinatowns were a major part of the Old West, this makes perfect sense.
10. The very beginning of Part II.
The ending of Back to the Future is shared by the opening sequence of Back to the Future: Part II. However due to recasting Jennifer and the five years that had past for Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the sequence was completely reshot for the second film. from MovieDetails
11. Doc's two slots for 1864 money.
In Back to the future II (1989), Doc's money case has two slots for the year 1864 but the bills look entirely different. This is because during the American Civil War (1861-1865) there were 2 different currencies for both the United States and the Confederate States. from MovieDetails
12. The judge who tells Marty that "The Power of Love" is too loud.
In Back To The Future when Marty auditions for the school dance, he plays The Power of Love by Huey Lewis & The News. Huey Lewis is the judge that tells him he’s “just too darn loud.” from MovieDetails
Maybe this was obvious in 1985, but time has turned it into a subtle detail.
13. The poster next to Marty in the third movie.
In Back to the Future 3 (1990), the year in this scene is 1955 and Marty says: Clint Eastwood would've never wear anything like this. By his side there is a poster of Revenge of the Creature (1955) which marks the film debut of Clint Eastwood. from MovieDetails
14. Needle's gang at the end of the series.
At the end of Back to the Future III (1990), in Needle's truck there's one member of Biff's gang from each time period. Chris Wynne from the west is in the passenger seat, in the back are J.J. Cohen from the 50s and Ricky Dean Logan from the future. from MovieDetails
15. The clock and toilet.
In Back to the Future Doc says he slipped off a toilet while hanging a clock. You see that toilet and clock in BTTF3. from MovieDetails
16. This newspaper in Biff's 1985.
The newspaper has a column that reads- Nixon to seek fifth term: vows to end Vietnam war by 1985, in 'Back to the Future II' (1989). Presumably, Biffs corruption had far reaching effects. from MovieDetails
17. And Part II's 2015 newspaper's predictions.
Back to the Future Part II (1989) makes several predictions in its fictional 2015 newspaper, such as a "Queen Diana", "Tokyo stocks up" (due to Japan's then strong economic growth), a female president, and "thumb bandits" hinting the fingerprint payment system shown later in the film. from MovieDetails
33 years after this movie came out and still no female president. How grand.
18. Including there being a cure for cancer.
In Back to the Future part 2 (1989), when Marty is reading the newspaper you can briefly see a cure for cancer has been discovered. from MovieDetails
19. Marty's due diligence in Part III.
In Back to the Future 3, when Marty wakes up in 1885 on the McFly Ranch, he checks to see if he’s wearing pants before getting out of bed (at 23:36). In the previous movies, his pants have been removed when he wakes up in bed from being knocked out. from MovieDetails
20. Doc inadvertently describes the first time Marty traveled through time.
In “Back to the Future 3” (1990), Marty asks why the drive-in as the time-travel location. Doc says “You don’t want to crash in to a tree that existed in the past.” A reference to Marty crashing in to one of the pine trees in the first movie. from MovieDetails
21. The influx of malls.
In Back to the Future (1985) we see a dying city center. Besides boarded up stores there is a partially shown sign suggesting that the businesses (e.g. Zales Jewelers) actually migrate towards the mall. from MovieDetails
22. Doc and his multiple watches.
In Back to the Future, Doc is so obsessed with time that he is constantly wearing two watches. from MovieDetails
23. The Eastwood Ravine.
In Back to the Future 3, Marty returns to the railroad in the area named Eastwood Ravine, which was originally named Clayton Ravine. Clara Clayton was saved while "Clint Eastwood" was believed to have fallen to his death. from MovieDetails
24. The clock tower's consistent damage.
At the beginning of Back to the Future (1985), there's no damage on the clocktower ledge. When Marty comes back to 1985 at the end, you can see the damage from when Doc was up there to send him back in 1955. from MovieDetails
25. Including in 2015.
In Back To The Future 2, the ledge on the clock tower that Doc broke in Back To The Future is still broken from MovieDetails
26. And that guy Marty's talking to.
In Back to the Future Part II (1989), the elderly man raising money to save the clock tower in 2015 (who also inadvertently gives Marty the idea to buy the Sports Almanac) is the mechanic who removed the horse manure from Biff's car in 1955. from MovieDetails
The mechanic is played by Charles Fleischer, who voices Roger Rabbit. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is another movie directed by Robert Zemeckis.
27.The time-machine train's a white-wall-tire look.
28. The 2015 eye colors.
Back to the Future part II (1989) Marty and Biff have different eye colors than Marty Jr. and Griff. So they don't look exactly the same. from MovieDetails
29. Doc's family's estate.
In Back To The Future 1 - Newspaper Clips in Emmett Brown's house explain how he got money to create experiments for over 30 years while never working for money. He sold his large family estate. from MovieDetails
30.Part II's antique store.
In Back to The Future II (1989), the antique store is full of easter eggs; a VHS copy of Jaws (directed by BTTF's executive producer Steven Spielberg), a JVC camcorder (used by Marty to record Doc's experiment in the first film), and a Who Framed Roger Rabbit doll (directed by Robert Zemeckis). from MovieDetails
31. Doc and his models.
In Back to the Future 1 Doc apologizes to Marty for not painting his model of the town, in BttF 3 he has a fully painted model of the trains route. from MovieDetails
32. The license plate on the 2015 DeLorean.
In Back to the Future part 2 (1989) the futuristically modified DeLorean has a barcode license plate from MovieDetails
33. The advertisement for a trip to Cuba.
In Back to the Future part II, a travel service ad can be seen in 1955 for a 10 day trip to Cuba (before the missile crisis) from MovieDetails
34. The Courthouse Mall in 2015.
In back to the future part 2, the hill valley court house was turned into a mall in 2015 due to the abolishment of all lawyers. from MovieDetails
35. The photographer in Back to the Future Part III.
In BTTF part 3 (1990), the photographer that takes a picture of Marty and Doc is played by Dean Cundey, who was director of photography on all three Back to the Future movies. from MovieDetails
36. Baby Joey's outfit.
In Back to the Future, Marty’s uncle Joey is a convict. When Marty goes back in time, baby Joey is seen in black and white stripes. from MovieDetails
Marty says to him, "Better get used to these bars, kid."
37. Clara waiting for Doc in the background.
Back to the Future 3 (1990) when Doc and Marty are planning where to get the Delorian up to 88 mph, you can see Clara in the background waiting to be met by Emit. Since he decided to not meet her she took a wagon on her own and almost crashed into the ravine forcing Emit to save her. from MovieDetails
38. Marty has a guitar pick in his pocket.
Like a true guitarist, in Back to the Future Marty has a guitar pick mixed in with his pocket change from MovieDetails
39. Doc's shirt in Back to the Future Part II.
In Back to the Future 2, Docs shirt design has two horses chasing a steam train, foreshadowing the events of the next film. from MovieDetails
40. And the shirt finds a new use in the third movie.
Doc Brown's bandana from Back to the Future: Part III is made from his shirt from Back to the Future: Part II. from MovieDetails
Indiana Jones
Lucasfilm Ltd. / Via media.giphy.com
41. Dan Aykroyd and the Temple of Doom.
Steven Spielberg and Dan Aykroyd have been friends for decades, and even swapped cameo roles in the 1980's. Spielberg appeared as a ticket agent in 'The Blues Brothers' (1980), and Aykroyd had a brief appearance in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' (1984). from MovieDetails
42. The truth behind the famous fly.
During the scene in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981) where Indy holds up the Nazis w/ a rocket launcher, an actor appears to swallow a fly during dialog but it actually flew away. Steven Spielberg noticed it & decided it would be funny to cut out a few frames so the fly would not be seen flying away from MovieDetails
43. Indiana's eyes.
In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, after drinking ‘The Blood of Kali’, you can visibly see the light in Indy’s eyes go out. from MovieDetails
44. The club name in the Temple of Doom.
At the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indie escapes from a club with a familiar sounding name from MovieDetails
45. The trick to hide the Ark of the Covenant doesn't work in the Last Crusade.
In The Last Crusade (1989), Sallah tries to use the same trick that allowed the Ark of the Covenant to hide, but unfortunately for Mr. Brody it has the opposite effect. from MovieDetails
46. Spielberg mimed an actor their lines in Temple of Doom.
In The Temple of Doom (1984), D. R. Nanayakkara, the actor who played the Village Shaman, didn't speak a word of English. So, Steven Spielberg would sit behind the camera and mime to him. The long pauses in his dialogue aren't for dramatic effect, they are him waiting for the next line. from MovieDetails
47. The prayer in Raiders when the Ark is opened.
In "Raiders of the Lost Ark", when René Belloq opens the Ark he recites "בריך שמיה", an actual Jewish prayer which is said in synagogues when the Torah Ark is opened. He omits the end of the prayer – which consists of a blessing to the Jewish people. from MovieDetails
48. The hat.
In the last scene of the chase sequence in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, actor Ronald Lacey wasn’t present so the filmmakers improvised (Credit to @lauzirika) from MovieDetails
49. The map showing Palestine.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) the map shows Palestine in the place of Israel. This is because the movie is set in 1936, and Israel was not declared as a state until 1948. from MovieDetails
50. The truth behind the precious valuables.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) the Nazis offer the Sheikh "Precious valuables your highness. Donated from some of the finest families in Germany." The last crusade is set in 1938, the same year as Kristallnacht and the destruction and repossession of most Jewish goods and property. from MovieDetails
51. The illumination.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade early in the film while Henry is illustrating his grail diary he says "Let He who illuminated this, illuminate me". At the end of the film (decades later) when Indy asks what Henry "found" on the adventure he states "Illumination". from MovieDetails
52. Dr. Tyree.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indy tells his class “If it's truth you're looking for, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall.” This line was added by Harrison Ford as a reference to a real-life friend of his; a ‘Professor William Tyree’ at Ripon college. from MovieDetails
53. "This is a joke."
In Indiana Jones 3, when the Sultan agrees to equip the Nazis with his troops in exchange for the car, you can clearly hear someone in the background saying "Di maskhara" in Arabic which literally means "This is a joke" from MovieDetails
54. Indiana's Boy Scouts badge.
In Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989), the heart insignia on Indy's chest is a Life Scout badge. Life Scout is the second-highest rank in the Boy Scouts. from MovieDetails
55. The James Bond attire.
Stephen Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond film, but Eon studios said no. When he told George Lucas this, they decided to create Indiana Jones, and in this scene in Indiana Jones 2, Indiana Jones is dressed as James Bond. from MovieDetails
56. The Palace guards.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) All the Pankot Palace guards switch to a more relaxed stance once Chattar Lal shakes hands with Indiana Jones from MovieDetails
57. The R2-D2 and C-3PO moment.
In "Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark", when Indy finds the ark, R2-D2 and C-3PO can be seen. from MovieDetails
58. Short Round's score.
In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), John Williams gave Short Round his own hero theme music. Anytime he is in action, the theme plays, just like Indy’s. from MovieDetails
59. The Nazi pilot in Raiders.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the Nazi pilot is played by Frank Marshall, the producer of the Indiana Jones movies. from MovieDetails
60. The foreshadowed ending of the Last Crusade.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) The ending is foreshadowed when Indiana and Walter Donovan are discussing the Holy Grails location from MovieDetails
61. The chin scar explanation.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade young Indi gets trapped with a lion and uses a whip which cuts his chin. Later in the film present day Indi has a scar. Thought this was a pretty cool little detail. from MovieDetails
Harrison Ford's real-life scar came about when he was driving to work (pre-fame) and crashed into a telephone pole. He slammed into the steering wheel headfirst, and then he had what he referred to as "inept emergency surgery," leaving the whole ordeal with the scar on his chin.
62. (At least some of) the Nazi uniforms in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), the Nazi outfits are genuine World War 2 uniforms, not costumes. They were found in Eastern Europe by Co-Costume Designer Joanna Johnston. from MovieDetails
The costume designer Anthony Powell studied the uniforms in depth and shared his images and drawings with co-costume designer Joanna Johnston, who then found the real uniforms with her team.
63. There are some meaningful flower lapels.
In 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, anyone with a lapel flower tries to kill Indy. Indy even signals Elsa is bad by giving her a flower when they meet. from MovieDetails
64. And the shadow of the Ark.
(Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981) Have you ever wondered how the shadow of the ark was made? It makes you laugh how such a simple thing leads to the final climax with some of the best visual effects ever made from MovieDetails
Star Wars
LucasFilms/Disney / Via media.giphy.com
65. Darth Vader's skeleton.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983): Darth Vader's skeleton is briefly visible from several different angles when struck by the Emperor's lightning. Many artificial components are visible, including his mechanical right arm, a respirator, and at least 3 replacement vertebrae. from MovieDetails
66. The budget considerations.
The original Star Wars's budget was low enough that they had to get creative when solving problems, like using white gaffers tape to hold together broken stormtrooper armor. from MovieDetails
67. The scar explanation this time.
In Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Harrison Ford’s famous chin scar was added to Alden Ehrenreich in order to make him resemble Ford more from MovieDetails
68. The Phantom Menace credits.
In Star Wars Phantom Menace, Jabba the Hutt was an elaborate costume with no actor so they got creative with the credits from MovieDetails
69. The lightsaber sound.
In the First Star Wars movie our Immediately Recognizable Lightsaber Sound was a Mistake...While carrying a tape recorder with a Broken Mic Cable the Shielding had Come Off and the sound was Recorded as he Walked by a Television...the Sound is the Electrical Feedback from the Television's Tube. from MovieDetails
70. The tripping.
R2-D2 trips a battle droid in the background in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) from MovieDetails
71. The John Williams cameo.
Composer John Williams makes a cameo as a bartender on Kijimi, in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019): from MovieDetails
72. The speeder.
In Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), all the wide shots of Luke flying across Tatooine in his speeder were achieved by placing a mirror underneath a version of the prop with a motor and wheels. from MovieDetails
73. The Millennium Falcon seats.
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Chewbacca’s seat in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit is visibly dirtier than Han’s from MovieDetails
74. The battle droids.
In Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002) the battle droids and clones resemble their makers. from MovieDetails
75. The pink R2 unit.
In “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) a pink R2 unit can be seen on the resistance base with the designation R2-KT. The founder of the 501st fan organization created the droid to watch after his daughter “Katie” who had terminal brain cancer. The droid visits children’s hospitals to this day. from MovieDetails
The 501st Legion is an organization that, in their own words, "is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Warsthrough the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work..."
76. The Raiders reference.
In the background of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) the golden idol from Indiana Jones: Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981) can be seen. from MovieDetails
77. The oil paintings.
Some of the sets of the first Star Wars trilogy (1977 - 1983) were hand painted with oil paintings on plexiglass panels from MovieDetails
78. The docking bay.
In Star Wars A New Hope (1977) docking bay 94 has a big stylized “94” outside the door that I’ve just managed to notice after 34 years of being a human. from MovieDetails
79. The background gesture in Revenge of the Sith.
In Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005), you can see one B1 BattleDroid in the background telling his friend to look at Grievous activate his lightsabers. from MovieDetails
80. The dropped parka in The Force Awakens.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Han drops his parka on the floor when he arrives at Starkiller base. When he leaves, Chewbacca hands it back to him, and he reacts with confusion. This part was improvised by Chewbacca's actor Joonas Suotamo, who went off script, confusing Harrison Ford. from MovieDetails
81. The blue squadron.
Star Wars (1977) originally had Red and Blue Squadron attacking the Death Star, but blue conflicted with the blue screens, so it was changed to gold. In Rogue One (2016), Red, Gold and Blue squadron attack Scarif, where Blue Squadron is destroyed, leaving them unavailable for the events in Star Wars from MovieDetails
82. The light and the dark.
In Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005), when Anakin and Obi-Wan speak for the last time as friends, Anakin is standing in the dark and Obi-Wan in the light, representing their status within the Force. from MovieDetails
83. Poe's native planet.
While filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Oscar Isaac requested that his character Poe Dameron specifically be a native of the planet Yavin IV. This is because the scenes on Yavin IV in the original trilogy were filmed in Guatemala, where Isaac is actually from. from MovieDetails
84. The words on the bomb.
Star Wars The Last Jedi (2017) - one of the bombs during the assault has “Han says Hi” written on it from MovieDetails
The words are written in Aurebesh, which is basically the alphabet for the English language in Star Wars.
85. The sandcrawler.
The Sandcrawler in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) was infact only 2ft long but clever camera work created the giant scale. from MovieDetails
86. The tracking droid.
In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) after the pod race you can see one of the tracking droids Darth Maul sent to find the queen in the background while Qui-Gon is talking to Watto. from MovieDetails
87.Rise of Skywalker's festival.
In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) C-3PO mentions that the Festival of the Ancestors on Pasaana takes place every 42 years. Rise of Skywalker was released 42 years after the original Star Wars in 1977. from MovieDetails
88. The fractured nose and cheekbone.
In the beginning of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, the injuries sustained by Luke Skywalker in the Wampa attack, were used as an explanation for the injuries Mark Hamill suffered in a car accident in 1977 where he suffered a fractured nose and cheekbone. from MovieDetails
89. The back of the Millennium Falcon.
In Star Wars, the Millenium Falcon's design was made to include several large vents along the back of the model in order to prevent the interior lights for the engine from melting the model. from MovieDetails
90. The anagram in Rogue One.
In Star Wars: Rogue One the planet with the imperial labor camp that Jyn is first held at is an anagram for Obi Wan. from MovieDetails
91. The coughs in Revenge of the Sith.
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) some of the coughs that General Grievous makes are actually George Lucas’. They were recorded without him knowing, and slipped into the film by Matthew Wood, the sound editor. from MovieDetails
92.The Hidden Fortress.
In the original Star Wars (A New Hope) General Motti is about to say "hidden fortress" when Darth Vader cuts him off with a force-choke. The Hidden Fortress is an Akira Kurosawa film that inspired Star Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hidden_Fortress#Influence from MovieDetails
The Hidden Fortress is a 1958 film about two peasants who bring a pair of people, who the peasants don't know are a princess and a general, across enemy lines in exchange for gold.
93. Sofia Coppola in Phantom Menace.
94. The Bad Robot Productions mascot.
Doidsmith, Babu Frik’s lab in 2019’s Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker features many of the droids throughout the series, but also the Bad Robot mascot of JJ Abrams own studio, Bad Robot Productions. from MovieDetails
95. Anakin's Force connection.
In Star Wars: Episode III, Anakin's faster retrieval of his lightsaber, during his duel with Obi Wan, shows his stronger connection with The Force as The Chosen One from MovieDetails
96. The real-life C-3PO cameo.
Anthony Daniels, the actor for C-3PO, has a cameo in the club scene of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) from MovieDetails
97. Leia and Finn's number.
In Star Wars A New Hope(1978) and Star Wars The Force Awakens(2015), The Inmate number of Princess Leia and the Soldier number of Finn is the same. from MovieDetails
98. The charred wall in Empire Strikes Back.
In this shot from The Empire Strikes Back (1980), you can see the charred spots on the walls where Vader deflected Han's blaster fire from MovieDetails
99. Luke's hand.
In return of the Jedi (1983) the shot that Luke’s robotic hand received is still there in The Last Jedi (2017) from MovieDetails
100. And the twist to end all twists.
In order to prevent the twist of Vader being Luke's father being spoiled in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the line written in the script and spoken during filming was "Obi-Wan killed your father", with it later dubbed over. Of the main cast, only Mark Hamill was informed before release from MovieDetails
