Disney's "Aladdin," released in 1992, included Robin Williams's Genie giving two impressions of William F. Buckley, Jr. What position did Buckley have in the political scene in the early '90's to warrant two impressions in a Disney movie?

Buckley was the host of the 'Firing Line' which ran for a little over 30 years (1966-1999) on PBS. During this time, he had many famous guests including Presidents Carter, Nixon, Reagan, and H.W. Bush, so he had a pretty good gamut of guests. He also had a certain style to him that many talk show/late night show hosts had. You know how people would do their Johnny Carson or Jay Leno impression? His style was also distinct enough to be parodied as evident by Aladdin. His show was also on PBS, which probably contributed to the exposure to members of both sides of the aisle.

One of the things you also need to remember here, is for much for his time, 'Firing Line' had to operate under the Fairness Doctrine (up until 1987 when it was repealed by Reagan). This pretty much told networks they had 'to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was — in the Commission's view — honest, equitable, and balanced', so you wouldn't see the wildly divisive hosts that you do today. So again, this probably contributed to the exposure he had as a host.

Another huge factor is, back then there simply wasn't that much tv. In the 70s and 80s, the average house hold would have only 10 channels of television. This made it far easier for you to be able to recognize hosts of programs and recognize their mannerisms, especially if they were memorable.

Sources: On the Firing Line: The Public Life of Our Public Figures

"Why Aggregation & Context and Not (Necessarily) Content are King in Entertainment" - study by Bear Stearns for number of channels available per decade