Easter Egg Hunt: Finding Hidden Messages in Famous Films
An “Easter egg” in a film or television program is an intentional reference, message or inside joke put there by the work’s creators. Since the late 1970s, studios, directors and producers have been stuffing Easter eggs into everyone’s favorite TV programs and films. For dedicated fans of popular films and TV series, spotting these Easter eggs is the icing on the cake! Let’s take a look at the history of Easter eggs, and where you can spot some in your favorite films the next time you stream movies or TV shows!
Where Do “Easter Eggs” Come From?
The first Easter egg appeared in Atari’s 1979 video game, “Adventure.” The Easter egg was simply the name of the man who programmed the game, Warren Robinett. Robinett hid his name inside a secret room in the game, using some of the memory that was left over after he finished his programming work.
Robinett later told Arthur Merrill of the web magazine, Arthur’s Hall of Viking Manliness, that he had expected his superiors at Atari to discover the Easter egg and remove it; he had merely hoped that “a few hundred thousand cartridges” bearing his hidden signature might find their way into the world.
Instead, the game’s players were the first to discover Robinett’s Easter egg, by which time he didn’t work for Atari any longer. When the manager of game software for Atari found out about the Easter egg, he liked the idea and left it in the game. Soon the idea spread across the entertainment industry.
Easter Egg Cameo: George Harrison Appears in “Life of Brian”
Fans of both Monty Python and The Beatles will know that George Harrison was a devoted Monty Python fan. He so eager to see Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” made into a film that he founded a studio, Handmade Films, in order to produce the movie.
Fans of the film will notice a cameo by Harrison himself in “Life of Brian.” In the scene following the one in which Brian’s mother stands at his window and addresses his crowd of followers, Brian himself is being jostled by the crowd while Reg tells him about all of the sick who have come to be cured. George Harrison, wearing a beard and a red robe, is one of these sick men.
“Star Wars” Reference Appears in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
“The Empire Strikes Back,” the second film in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, was barely a year old when “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” came out in 1981. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” contains a clever Easter egg reference to “Star Wars.”
Viewers can find one of them at 1:06:09 into the film, when Indy and his sidekick Sallah prepare to heft the cover off the sarcophagus that contains the Ark. Notice the pillar behind Indy’s right shoulder — it’s covered in hieroglyphs. Among them, an image of Princess Leia and R2D2 can be clearly seen.
Waldo Appears in “Apocalypto”
“Apocalypto,” the 2006 Mel Gibson film about the decline of the Mayan civilization, contains a startling Easter egg that fans of the children’s book series “Where’s Waldo?” will enjoy.
At 1:31:33 into the theatrical cut of the film, as the camera pans across a grisly heap of corpses, a frame of Waldo lying among the dead flashes across the screen. He’s dressed in his trademark red-striped shirt, round glasses and red-and-white beanie, and carrying an umbrella. The Easter egg was cut from the DVD release of the film, so to find it, you’ll have to get your hands on a theatrical cut — or look for a clip of the scene online.
An Entire McBain Movie Is Hidden in “The Simpsons”
The long-running television series “The Simpsons” boasts a cast of dozens. Rainier Wolfcastle, the program’s action star who plays the “Die Hard”–esque detective McBain within the show, has been a regular character since the second season of “The Simpsons.” In the early seasons, he mostly appears in the background of the program, acting in films that other “Simpsons” characters are watching on the show.
It’s been said that if you take all the McBain clips shown in episodes of “The Simpsons” and edit them together, they form a complete narrative. McBain clashes with his superior officer, sees his partner killed and vows to avenge him, infiltrates the villains lair and is captured, is presumed dead and, finally, makes a comeback to exact his final revenge.
Easter eggs, the cleverly hidden jokes and references found in many films and TV shows, amuse the production team and give the fans that find them a little extra thrill. The next time you’re watching some of your favorite films or television shows, keep your eyes peeled — you never know what you might find!
About the Author: Contributing blogger Daniel Rebus has worked as a film and TV critic for over 15 years. He loves looking for and posting about Easter eggs.
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