Did Reagan thrive off of the same anti-establishment temper that the American people have right now? Did they think it was a joke that an actor was running? Was it a huge surprise when he was successful?
I think it's important to note that Reagan had already been the two-term Governor of the largest state in the US (California) when he ran for President in 1976.
He gained notoriety in 1968 when he ran for the Republican nomination for President (as sitting Governor of California) and actually received the most popular votes for the GOP Nomination due to his support in California, but was third in delegates going into the conference and lost all but two delegates after the first ballot.