# Insider References in Movies...latest edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538 "2012-09-03T13:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/1 "2012-09-03T13:46:22Z")
…like (to use a classic example) the fact that the hot rod’s license plate in _American Graffiti_ is the name of Lucas’ previous movie, THX 1138. In the new bike-messenger chase movie _Premium Rush_, bad guy cop Bobby Monday (played well by Michael Shannon) uses the alias “ **Forrest Ackerman** ” throughout the movie. Forrie Ackerman was a well-known and loved sci-fi and horror supporter, collector, and fanzine publisher who died recently. No connection to bikes that I know of - just a nice _homage_… What else from more recent movies? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/2 "2012-09-04T12:12:27Z")
Monday morning _bump_ Too obscure? I thought folks on the SDMB might’ve heard of [Ackerman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_J_Ackerman) (wiki link)… ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/3 "2012-09-04T12:15:03Z")
Luke also mentions Cell Block 1138 when he and Han bust Leia out of the detention center. In the Incredibles, Elastigirl uses a jet with the callsign IG99. That was the code for the directors previous movie, Iron Giant, from 1999. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/4 "2012-09-04T12:31:32Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > In the Incredibles, Elastigirl uses a jet with the callsign IG99. That was the code for the directors previous movie, Iron Giant, from 1999. I had no idea. I love Iron Giant and Brad Bird’s work. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/5 "2012-09-04T12:44:31Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Luke also mentions Cell Block 1138 when he and Han bust Leia out of the detention center. > > In the Incredibles, Elastigirl uses a jet with the callsign IG99. That was the code for the directors previous movie, Iron Giant, from 1999. There are plenty of references to THX 1138 in Lucas’ stuff, and things related to his stuff. The two examples cited have plenty of company. For example, when you’re waiting in line at Disney’s \*Star Tours[/.i], you hear an announcement that vehicle witbh identification plate number THX 1138 left its lights on. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/6 "2012-09-04T14:05:08Z")
Of course I (and most long-time science fiction fans) know who Forrest Ackerman is. Was there any particular point to naming a character in _Premium Rush_ after him? If not, this doesn’t strike me as particularly interesting. A good inside joke ties together several references. If it doesn’t, it’s no more interesting than hearing that the screenwriter used the name of a teacher he hated in high school as the villain’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/7 "2012-09-04T14:31:50Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > In the new bike-messenger chase movie _Premium Rush_, bad guy cop Bobby Monday (played well by Michael Shannon) uses the alias “ **Forrest Ackerman** ” throughout the movie. Forrie Ackerman was a well-known and loved sci-fi and horror supporter, collector, and fanzine publisher who died recently. No connection to bikes that I know of - just a nice _homage_… It’s even more blatant than that. The loser dick always says “Forrest _ **J.** _ Ackerman” with a slight emphasis on the “J.” Every time he said his name it kept taking me out of the film. Poor Forrie. Why couldn’t the douchebag bike messenger have that name? He’s an asshole, but he’s pretty much the good guy (besides, well, being a douchebag bike messenger). Edit to add, no, there is no point to it Wendell. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/8 "2012-09-04T14:39:05Z")
Depending on how recent, **Flushed Away** has Roddy looking through his closet for clothes. One of the outfit’s that flash by are those worn by Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit films, which were produced by the same company, Aardman Animations. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/9 "2012-09-04T14:56:20Z")
Not too recent, but in “Back to the Future,” when Marty’s band auditioned for the school’s music competition, they played the opening chords to “The Power of Love” when they’re cut off by one of the instructors who was played by Huey Lewis. Huey Lewis and the News were the band that recorded the song. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/10 "2012-09-04T14:58:27Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > It’s even more blatant than that. The loser dick always says “Forrest _ **J.** _ Ackerman” with a slight emphasis on the “J.” Every time he said his name it kept taking me out of the film. Poor Forrie. Why couldn’t the douchebag bike messenger have that name? He’s an asshole, but he’s pretty much the good guy (besides, well, being a douchebag bike messenger). > > Edit to add, no, there is no point to it Wendell. Exactly. It was noticeable because of how it was hit as he said it, and it happened a few times. Sorry it isn’t interesting, **Wendell** , but it did stand out as someone who knows the name… ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/11 "2012-09-04T15:55:40Z")
In the movie **Gremlins** , the movie theater marquee shows a double-bill of **A Boy’s Life** and **Watch The Skies**. Those were the working titles of Stephen Spielberg’s previous movies, **E.T.** and **Close Encounters of the Third Kind**. And there’s **See You Next Wednesday** , a fictional movie whose title appears in many John Landis movies. In Pixar’s **Monsters Inc.** , the restaurant Mike takes his girlfriend to (where Sully and Boo show up and cause a panic) is called “Harry Hausen’s”. Ray Harryhausen is of course the pioneering stop-motion animator who brought models to life in such films as **Mighty Joe Young** , **The 7th Voyage of Sinbad** , and **Jason and the Argonauts**. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/12 "2012-09-05T03:10:28Z")
Near the end of _What’s Up Doc_ **Barbra Streisand** tells **Ryan O’Neal** that love means never having to say you’re sorry. He says that’s the stupidest thing he’s ever heard - of course it was his iconic line from **Love Story**. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/13 "2012-09-05T03:39:25Z")
In the movie _Stakeout,_ Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfus play two cops who are staking out a woman. They are playing a trivia game. Estevez asks Dreyfus which movie this line is from: “This is no boating accident.” Dreyfus replies, “I don’t know.” Of course, Dreyfus said that line in _Jaws_. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/14 "2012-09-05T04:05:11Z")
Not terribly recent, but 1994’s \*Maverick \*has a couple of references to the _Lethal Weapon_ series. Danny Glover (in a cameo) and Mel Gibson appear to almost recognize each other early in the movie, and Glover says the line “I’m too old for this shit” at the end of his scene. Also, a dealer in the poker tournament near the end of the film is played by Steve Kahan, who played the police captain in the _Lethal Weapon_ series (all of the _Lethal Weapon_ movies, as well as _Maverick_, were directed by Richard Donner). ---
**Author:** ![phxjcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/15 "2012-09-05T07:31:21Z")
Archie Leach reference in His Girl Friday by…Cary Grant ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/16 "2012-09-05T08:11:48Z")
WordMan writes: \> . . . a nice homage… Equipoise writes: \> . . . loser dick . . . How is it a nice homage to make a character named Forrest J. Ackerman the biggest jerk in the film? It’s clever on some level for Cary Grant to refer to Archie Leach because that was his birth name. It’s clever on some level for Ryan O’Neal to tell Barbra Streisand that his most famous line from any previous film was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. It’s clever on some level to have Richard Dreyfuss’s character fail to recognize one of his most famous lines. In each case this is the actor making fun of his own biography or film career. For a film to give a jerky character the name of someone utterly unconnected to the topic of the film strikes me as the screenwriter being gratuitously nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/17 "2012-09-05T11:40:02Z")
I agree 100%. That’s the main reason it kept taking me out of the film. I kept thinking “Stop that! Stop using that name!” maybe if he’d used a different name of an author every time, or had been shown as a big fan, but no. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/18 "2012-09-05T11:50:11Z")
Okay - hadn’t processed it that way. I assumed Forrest, if still alive, would’ve enjoyed the shout-out. I can see where it can also be seen as associating his name with a dick movie character, and him not being alive to defend himself. Simply hadn’t thought of it that way… ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/19 "2012-09-05T12:17:33Z")
> [@phxjcc](#): > > Archie Leach reference in His Girl Friday by…Cary Grant And Archie Leach was John Cleese’s character’s name in A Fish Called Wanda. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538/20 "2012-09-05T14:49:25Z")
> [@phxjcc](#): > > Archie Leach reference in His Girl Friday by…Cary Grant Also in “Arsenic and Old Lace” (tombstone he’s near in one shot). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insider-references-in-movies-latest-edition/633538.md?page=2)