Back To The Future Day

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Back to the Future

It’s October 21st 2015, the date that Marty and Doc Brown travel to in Back to the Future Part II. So to celebrate Back to the Future Day, Tripwire gives you 20 facts that you probably didn’t know about Back to the Future, taken from Titan’s Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History and from imdb.com

1. The first draft of Back to the Future, written back in 1981, had Marty McFly running a pirate video business with Doc Brown
2. In the second draft, Biff Tannen shakes Marty down for pirate videos.
3. The head of Universal Sid Sheinberg, demanded that the Doc’s pet, who is used as a guinea pig in the time travelling car, should be changed from a chimpanzee called Shemp to a dog. He argued that movies with chimps never make money.
4. The first film’s storyboard artist, Andrew Probert, created the logo for the film, which was subtly adapted by the Universal Pictures ad department.
5. It was special effects supervisor Kevin Pike, whose CV included Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Trek The Motion Picture, who spent $85,000 buying three DeLoreans to use for the film.
6. The list of actors in the frame for the two main roles was a pretty impressive one. For Doc Brown, the list included Gene Hackman, Jeff Goldblum, John Cleese and Randy Quaid. For Marty, the list included Johnny Depp, Fisher Stevens and John Cusack.
7. Eric Stoltz shot weeks of Back to the Future in the role of Marty before Robert Zemeckis made the difficult decision with the rest of the producers to replace him with Michael J Fox.
8. Johnny B Goode, which is performed at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance towards the end of the first film, is actually sung by vocalist Mark Campbell.
9. Back to The Future made just over $11m on its opening weekend, ahead of every other film that weekend.
10. For the iconic poster for the first film, illustrator Drew Struzan put on Marty’s wardrobe and took photos of himself for reference.
11. The budget for Back to the Future Part II was $65m, compared to the $19m it cost to make its predecessor.
12. Back to the Future Part II was the big-screen debut of Elijah Wood, who played one of the video game boys that Marty speaks to in teh diner.
13. Crispin Glover sued the filmmakers, as he had not granted permission to use his likeness in Part II. Glover’s suit named John Doe 1-100 as defendants, where he did not have to name all of the individuals he was suing. He ended up dropping the lawsuit after the case was settled out of court for $765,000 by Universal’s insurance company, who decided it would be cheaper to pay him than to actually go to trial.
14. The date on the 2015 USA Today newspaper is October 22nd. This is actually Christopher Lloyd’s birthday.
15. Part II was filmed at the same time as Back to the Future Part III (1990). In the five years since the original Back to the Future (1985) was made,  Michael J Fox had forgotten how to ride a skateboard.
16. The production of Part II (and of Back to the Future Part III (1990)) was delayed for three years because Robert Zemeckis was busy making Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
17. In Back to the Future Part III, Thomas F Wilson who plays Buford Tannen, performed all his horse riding stunts himself. He also did the trick where he lassoes Marty just before we meet the 1885 Doc.
18. Clint Eastwood was asked for permission about his name being used for Marty in Back to the Future Part III. He consented and was said to be tickled by the homage.
19. The part of Seamus McFly in Back to the Future Part III was originally written for Crispin Glover.
20. Bill Kinney was the Train engineer in Back to the Future Part III when Doc, and Marty hijacked the engine. He was also in The Outlaw Josey Wales as the villian, Red Legs Quantrill.
    

Back to the Future Trilogy [Blu-ray] [1985] [Region Free]