Marty McFly steals the name Clint Eastwood when he travels back to 1885 inBack to the Future Part III, but the trilogy finale has another clever nod to the cowboy movie legend. After the first sequel,Back to the Future Part II, delivered a fun but forgettable adventure,Back to the Future Part IIIended the trilogy on a strong note. Marty and Doc Brown head to the late 19th century to correct a historical wrong, and the third film generally streamlined the story after the convoluted middle installment.
One of the film’s running gags is that Marty assumes the name Clint Eastwood to blend in with the locals, and it even changes the name of Clayton Ravine to Eastwood Ravine in Hilly Valley’s future. Bythe ending ofBack to the Future Part III, Marty is back in his own time, and he is able to straighten out the timeline. Though the name Clint Eastwood is an Easter egg all its own,Back to the Future Part IIIstill makes another subtle nod towards the actor/director by digging deep into his lengthy filmography.
Back To The Future’s Revenge Of The Creature Poster Nods To Clint Eastwood’s First Movie
Eastwood First Appeared In The Universal Monsters Sequel
Early inBack to the Future Part III, Marty and Doc are at a drive-in theater in 1955 where they must send the former back in time to prevent Doc from being murdered in 1885. While trying out a gaudy cowboy outfit in an attempt to blend in with the past, Marty makes a quip that Clint Eastwood never wore such ridiculous duds. In the backgroundthere is a poster for the 1955Creature from the Black Lagoonsequel,Revenge of the Creature, which happens to beClint Eastwood’s very first film.
A thirdCreature from the Black Lagoonfilm, entitledThe Creature Walks Among Us, premiered in 1956.
Unlike a lot of actors who rocketed to stardom quickly, Eastwood spent several years paying his dues in uncredited roles and walk-on parts. InRevenge of the Creature, Eastwood plays a lab technician who has a humorous scene regarding lost mice. The future western legend wasn’t given much to do, but his single line showed off a sample of the chemistry that he would make a career out of in the near future.BTTF 3makes a subtle joke by having the poster in the background, with 1955 Doc being ignorant of who Eastwood isat that point.
Eastwood’s appearance inRevenge of the Creatureis a mere footnote in the Oscar-winner’s career, but it shows just how much Hollywood has changed. It seems absurd that Eastwood would have such humble beginnings, but that’s how the studio system operated in 1955. It would actually take nearly a decade for Eastwood to reach stardom, with his turn inA Fistful of Dollarsmaking him the household name that he still is today. Interestingly,Eastwood’s career has spanned three of the four main points intheBack to the Futuretimeline(1955, 1985, and 2015).
The Same Back To The Future Scene References Another Early Eastwood Role
During the same scene inBack to the Future Part IIIin which the poster forRevenge of the Creatureis shown, the poster for another early Clint Eastwood movie is also teased. Hanging near the bathrooms right next to the aforementioned movie poster,a poster for the science fiction horror filmTarantulacan also be seen. The 1955 giant spider movie is often regarded as a ’50s B-movie classic, but it also features one of Clint Eastwood’s other early uncredited roles. In the film,Eastwood appears as an unnamed Jet Squadron leaderwho flies over the desert.
Eastwood would continue in uncredited roles throughout 1956 and 1957
LikeRevenge of the Creature, Eastwood isn’t given much to do inTarantula, though he fills the role of a rugged fighter pilot quite convincingly. Eastwood appeared in four films throughout 1955, all of which were released by Universal. Only one of his four 1955 films actually credited the young actor, and he played the role of Jonesy in the filmFrancis in the Navy,which was the sixth installment of the popular Francis the Talking Mule series. Eastwood would continue in uncredited roles throughout 1956 and 1957, before working his way into named parts.
Francis in the Navyis also listed on the marquee during the drive-in scene inBack to the Future Part III.
Revenge of the Creature
Francis in the Navy
Jet Sqaudron Leader
Uncredited
Though the Easter egg regarding Eastwood’s early career is interesting, it’s also likely not very historically accurate. While it’s true that Universal releasedRevenge of the CreatureandTarantulain the same year,they were released months apart and not on the same double bill.Revenge of the Creaturewas released alongsideCult of the Cobra, whileTarantulawas often paired withRunning Wild. Considering how strict distribution was then and now, it’s unlikely that the drive-in theater inBack to the Future Part IIIwould have screened the two films at the same time.
