Often used by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show (1962) when Ronald Reagan was president partly because the former president was directed by Frederick De Cordova who was also the producer of The Tonight Show.
The furry leading actor was once so intrigued by a tie that Ronald Reagan was wearing, that he yanked on it hard, almost suffocating his human co-star.
During the 1980 US Presidential campaign when Ronald Reagan was the Republican nominee, this film suddenly became extremely popular again and was frequently shown on television. The joke in Washington was that "Bedtime for Bonzo" was a "favorite of old movie buffs and Democrats".
Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
The popular Ramones song "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" is about Ronald Reagan, referring to the controversy over Reagan's placing a wreath at a German military cemetery in Bitburg in 1985. Many Americans found it unacceptable for a U.S. president to partake in any World War II reconciliation ceremony that involved Nazi graves.