One of my all time favorite movies,
Back to the Future,
turns 25 years old this month.
Futuristic films are among my favorites . . . West World, Logan's Run and Star Man are a few that I can watch over and over again, but Back to the Future was way special.
The most successful film of 1985 chronicles the saga of Marty McFly. The teenager is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955 where he meets his parents in high school and finds himself accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must find a way to repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, at the same time finding a way to return to 1985.
It surprised me to learn that the script was originally turned down by all of the major studios as "not being sexual enough" . . . Disney rejected it since a mother falling in love with her son was not appropriate for a "Disney family film." Universal Studios finally set up the project when Steven Spielberg became involved.
The chemistry between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, who played Marty and Doc Brown, was classic. However, Lloyd was not the first choice for the part and Michael was committed to the television series Family Ties. I wonder what the success ratio would have been with the pairing of Eric Stoltz and John Lithgow playing those parts.
If you have ever dreamed of being a successful entertainer, be careful what you wish for . . . Fox's schedule during weekdays consisted of filming Family Ties during the day, and Back to the Future from 6:30 pm to 2:30 am. During Fridays, he shot from 10 pm to 6 or 7 am, and then moved on to film exterior scenes throughout the weekend, as he was only available during daytime.
The film went on to gross a worldwide total of $381.11 million and is currently the 59th highest grossing film in North America. Not too shabby for a script that was originally turned down by all the major studios.
Happy 25th Anniversary Back to the Future!
Back to the Future,
turns 25 years old this month.
Futuristic films are among my favorites . . . West World, Logan's Run and Star Man are a few that I can watch over and over again, but Back to the Future was way special.
The most successful film of 1985 chronicles the saga of Marty McFly. The teenager is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955 where he meets his parents in high school and finds himself accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must find a way to repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, at the same time finding a way to return to 1985.
It surprised me to learn that the script was originally turned down by all of the major studios as "not being sexual enough" . . . Disney rejected it since a mother falling in love with her son was not appropriate for a "Disney family film." Universal Studios finally set up the project when Steven Spielberg became involved.
The chemistry between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, who played Marty and Doc Brown, was classic. However, Lloyd was not the first choice for the part and Michael was committed to the television series Family Ties. I wonder what the success ratio would have been with the pairing of Eric Stoltz and John Lithgow playing those parts.
If you have ever dreamed of being a successful entertainer, be careful what you wish for . . . Fox's schedule during weekdays consisted of filming Family Ties during the day, and Back to the Future from 6:30 pm to 2:30 am. During Fridays, he shot from 10 pm to 6 or 7 am, and then moved on to film exterior scenes throughout the weekend, as he was only available during daytime.
The film went on to gross a worldwide total of $381.11 million and is currently the 59th highest grossing film in North America. Not too shabby for a script that was originally turned down by all the major studios.
Happy 25th Anniversary Back to the Future!
