While a Back to the Future Part III character’s use of the word “Dude” might seem blatantly anachronistic, it is actually more historically accurate than viewers may ᴀssume. The Back to the Future trilogy’s timeline is so complicated that it is no wonder the series is often accused of major anachronisms. Indeed, there are a few historical details throughout the trilogy that aren’t true to life, and the movies obviously take plenty of liberties with real-life science to explain how Back to the Future‘s DeLorean time machine works.
However, what is arguably more surprising is how much the Back to the Future movies get right. Back to the Future’s lightning strike science is accurate, as lightning does generate the amount of power that Doc Brown claims they will need to keep the DeLorean running at the end of the first film. Similarly, Doc Brown’s inability to synthesize gasoline from raw ingredients in the Wild West is pretty believable, since a theoretical physicist wouldn’t necessarily know that much about practical chemistry.
Buford Tannen Calling Marty McFly “Dude” Is Surprisingly Accurate To History
The Phrase “Dude” Has Been Around A Lot Longer Than Many Might ᴀssume
However, arguably the most impressive bit of unexpected accuracy from the trilogy comes in one of its least believable moments. Before Buford Tannen shoots at Marty, he calls him “Dude.” This obviously feels bizarrely out of place for the setting, since the villain is using ‘80s slang approximately 100 years early. However, not only was “Dude” used at the time, it was specifically used as a slang term for men who dressed in an ostentatious way. Given Marty’s 1980s looks and what he wore when first arriving in 1885, “Dude” makes perfect sense as an insult from the close-minded Buford.
The Americanized take on “Dandy” may have been derived from “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
According to the BBC’s etymology of the word, “Dude” originated in the 1800s as a vaguely pejorative term for a male Aesthete, not unlike its British equivalent “Dandy.” In fact, the Americanized take on “Dandy” may have even been derived from “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Back to the Future Part III’s Doc storyline might take some liberties with historical reality, but this line is perfectly accurate in terms of Buford’s vocabulary. Interestingly enough, this early use of the phrase is also where the modern term “Dude ranch” comes from, according to the Wyoming Dude Ranch ᴀssociation.
How Buford Tannen Is Related To The Tannens In Back To The Future & Back To The Future Part II
Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen Is Biff’s Great-Grandfather
Buford insulting a foppish, garishly dressed newcomer in his small town with the phrase “Dude” makes perfect sense in context since the term specifically denoted a man who was highly concerned with his looks and au fait with the latest fashions. Like Back to the Future Part II’s changing almanac, this detail initially seems lik a plot hole but actually proves just how well-planned the trilogy was on further inspection. Speaking of Back to the Future Part II, Buford’s links to the Tannen family are left mostly unexplained in the third franchise outing.
Back to the Future Part III’s villain is the great-grandfather of Biff from Back to the Future, making him the great-great-great-grandfather of Biff’s son Grizz from Back to the Future Part II. All the trilogy’s villains come from this same historically unpleasant clan, despite Marty temporarily defeating Buford in Back to the Future Part III’s ending.
Source: BBC
Wyoming Dude Ranch ᴀssociation
