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- "As he spoke, Brown got out of the vehicle, revealing himself in all his sci-fi spendor. He thought he must resemble Michael Rennie stepping onto Earth for the first time in The Day the Earth Stood Still."
- —From Back to the Future by George Gipe (quote, page 46)
Michael Rennie was a British actor (b. Eric Alexander Rennie, August 25, 1909; d. June 10, 1971), who was perhaps best remembered for his role of the humanoid alien Klaatu in the 1951 black and white science-fiction movie The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Biography
Dr. Emmett Brown had seen Michael Rennie in The Day the Earth Stood Still at some point, presumably in 1951 at either the Town Theater or the Essex Theater in Hill Valley.
When Doc, clad in his radiation suit, got out of the DeLorean time machine, on meeting Marty McFly at Twin Pines Mall on October 26, 1985, he remembered the scene from the movie where Rennie's character first stepped from his flying saucer onto Earth.
However, Marty — being a fan of rock music — asked if Doc was wearing "a Devo suit".
Behind the scenes
- Although Michael Rennie and The Day the Earth Stood Still are both mentioned in George Gipe's novelization (see Quote above), the humanoid alien Klaatu is never referred to by name.
Appearances
- Back to the Future novelization (Mentioned only)