By Jeff Pfeiffer, ReMIND Magazine
Even though his movie star days were long behind him by the time he turned his attention to politics, Ronald Reagan always remained a fan — and subject — of pop culture, particularly movies.
As governor of the state of California in the 1960s, Reagan’s leadership obviously included the filmmaking capital that is Hollywood, and as he turned his sights toward the presidency — starting with a failed attempt in 1976, and eventually a landslide win in 1980 — he remained close with his Tinseltown pals. During Reagan’s presidency, which encompassed pretty much the entire 1980s, he could be seen at White House events with the megastars of the time — from screening E.T. with director Steven Spielberg to having the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Michael Jackson attend functions.
Mainstream media also couldn’t seem to get away from Reagan’s big-screen past. They borrowed the title of a popular film as a nickname for the president’s proposed Strategic Defense Initiative nuclear weapons defense plan — it was dubbed “Star Wars.”
Even the horrific shooting of Reagan in March 1981 had a movie tie — gunman John Hinckley was obsessed with the 1976 film Taxi Driver and its young costar Jodie Foster to the point that he wanted to impress her with the attempted assassination of the president.
But the Reagans themselves (Ronald and wife Nancy) also appeared in popular culture of the time, in both flattering ways, and in not-so-flattering satire. Here are a few of the memorable movies and shows in which the Reagans turned up during the ’80s:
Diff’rent Strokes — Nancy Reagan took her “Just Say No” campaign against drugs directly to this hit NBC sitcom in 1983, making a cameo in an episode in which school reporter Arnold (Gary Coleman) uncovers drugs being peddled at his school. The first lady happens to be in New York the day Arnold confirms his suspicions to a local paper, so she drops by the school to warn the students about drugs.
Back to the Future — It’s only Ronald Reagan’s name that turns up in this 1985 blockbuster, but its appearance gave audiences one of the biggest laughs in the movie. When 1955 Doc Brown tries to test the veracity of 1985 teen Marty McFly’s claim to have traveled back from the future, he asks Marty who is president in 1985. Marty answers, “Ronald Reagan.” Doc, perhaps echoing the thoughts of even some voters of the movie’s era, laughs in disbelief. “Ronald Reagan? The actor?” Earlier in the film, viewers had seen Reagan’s name on a movie marquee promoting his role in the 1954 film Cattle Queen of Montana.
“Land of Confusion” Music Video — When it came to making a video for the Genesis hit “Land of Confusion,” the British sketch comedy group Spitting Image created puppets to accompany the tune. The video was a who’s-who of personalities of the era — including the Reagans. Not too many celebs escape the scathing satire, but puppet Ronald in particular is made to exemplify the “confusion” of the song’s title.
“Ron Headrest” — Garry Trudeau’s satirical comic strip Doonesbury featured this fictional version of Reagan — a “backup president” to the real Reagan — in the late ’80s, a character styled after Max Headroom, the artificial intelligence star of a series of the same name. Like Max, Ron Headrest was designed to appear hip to the youngsters; in his case, simply by putting sunglasses onto Reagan’s face. As you might expect, the character was used to make biting commentary on the Reagan administration.
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