Nov 22, 1989  Directed by Robert Zemeckis. With Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985.without interfering with his first trip. Back to the Future Part II is the 1989 sequel to Back to the Future. The sequel follows Marty McFly ( Michael J. Fox) as he travels to 2015 with Doc Brown ( Christopher Lloyd) to prevent a disastrous event from devastating the lives of his future children. However, certain events cause his own timeline.

Hill Valley
The set of the Hill Valley courthouse at the Universal Studios backlot (Courthouse Square)
First appearanceBack to the Future
(1985)
Information
TypeCity
Notable charactersMarty McFly
Emmett Brown
Biff Tannen

Hill Valley is the fictionaltown in California as shown with the clock that serves as the setting of the Back to the Future trilogy and its animated spin-off series. In the trilogy, Hill Valley is seen in four different time periods (1885, 1955, 1985 and 2015) as well as in a dystopianalternate 1985. The films contain many sight gags, verbal innuendos and detailed set design elements, from which a detailed and consistent history of the area can be derived.

The name 'Hill Valley' is a joke, being an oxymoron. However, an early script for Back to the Future Part II mentioned that Hill Valley was named after its founder, William 'Bill' Hill.

The design of the courthouse facade and Clock Tower is based on the real-life Limestone County Courthouse in Athens, Alabama.

  • 1Production
  • 3Fictional history
  • 4Places
    • 4.1Unique places

Production[edit]

For Back to the Future, the producers considered filming the town square scenes in the real city of Petaluma, California, but soon realised it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical to alter a real place to suit the different eras.[1] Instead filming was completed on the Universal Studiosbacklot, where they had more control.[2] The main location, once called Mockingbird Square after the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird but now known as Courthouse Square, had been used for many films and television shows. One notable example is the very first episode of the sci-fi series The Twilight Zone, called 'Where Is Everybody?' in 1959.[3] The Hill Valley courthouse can also be found in the movies Bruce Almighty, Gremlins, Bye Bye Birdie, Sneakers, The Offspring's music video 'Why Don't You Get a Job?', an episode of Major Dad entitled 'Who's That Blonde' and even in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The clock tower itself was a removable addition, one of many ways in which the Courthouse building has been redressed over the years to suit the needs of a production.

Many of the cars that appear in the 2015 scenes are either modified for the film or concept cars. Examples include Ford Probe, Saab EV-1, Citroën DS 21, Pontiac Banshee Concept, Pontiac Fiero and Volkswagen Beetle. Cars reused from other science fiction films include the 'Star Car' from The Last Starfighter (1984) and a 'Spinner' from Blade Runner (1982). Griff's car is a modified BMW 633 (which was notably never in the convertible form seen in the film).[4]

For Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley 1885 was filmed in Sonora, California. The producers were able to use the land rent-free under an agreement to leave the set buildings on site. All buildings except the clock tower were left intact after production completed. On November 6, 1990, an arson fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot destroyed much of Courthouse Square, the setting in which all the other time periods were filmed. However, the Courthouse itself survived the devastation and other facades were reconstructed.[5] Another fire on September 6, 1997 again damaged Courthouse Square. Once again, the backlot facades were then rebuilt, with the exception of the facades used for Hill Valley 1885.

On February 14, 1999 fire at Whittier High School, California, where some (mostly exterior) scenes were filmed,[6] destroyed the men's gym there. On June 1, 2008, yet another fire destroyed part of the rebuilt Courthouse Square backlot and damaged the clock tower.[7][8]

Real-life locations[edit]

Other real-life shooting locations of Hill Valley landmarks include:[6]

  • Doc's house in 1955 is the Gamble House in Pasadena, California. Doc's garage in 1985 was a façade set up next to a Burger King on North Victory Boulevard in Burbank, California.[9]
  • Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall is actually the Puente Hills Mall in Industry, California.
  • Marty's Lyon Estates house in 1985 is actually on Roslyndale Avenue in Arleta, California.
  • The 1955 Lyon Estates field is actually along farmland between the city borders of Chino, California and Corona, California.
  • Peabody's Twin Pines Ranch is really at Golden Oak Ranch, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company and used in many Disney productions.
  • The houses of George McFly, Lorraine Baines, and Biff Tannen in 1955 are all in South Pasadena, California.
  • The train that hit the De Lorean and the Futuristic Train was parked in Port Hueneme, California.
  • John F. Kennedy Drive is actually Victory Boulevard in Burbank, California.
  • The River Road Tunnel is actually Observatory Tunnel at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The actual tunnel is only a fraction of the length of the one depicted in Part II.
  • The Pohatchee Drive-In Theater where Marty initially travels from 1955 back to 1885 was not a real theater. It was constructed full-scale for the third film in Monument Valley, Utah (near the Arizona/Utah border) and was torn down after that portion of filming was completed.
  • Marty's race with Needles was shot on Doris Avenue in Oxnard, California.

Location[edit]

According to an 1885 railroad map in Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley is located in Northern California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dialog in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III places it in 'Hill County', a fictional county in California.[10]

Fictional history[edit]

The following information is taken directly from places and events shown or mentioned in the three films:

Early settlement[edit]

The town of Hill Valley is depicted as having been first settled in 1850 and incorporated in 1865. By the 1880s, it was connected by railroad to San Francisco. Construction of a new county courthouse was well underway in 1885, the setting of Back to the Future Part III, in which a new clock was dedicated for the building. The Shonash Ravine Bridge was completed in the summer of 1886, around the same time the ravine was renamed Clayton Ravine in memory of Clara Clayton, a school teacher who died from falling into the chasm. However, in a revised timeline where Doc Brown saved Clara's life, the town renamed it Eastwood Ravine after Marty McFly's persona when it is believed that 'Eastwood' fell into the ravine while trying to stop some train hijackers (who are really Marty and Doc).

Town square[edit]

By 1955, as seen in the first two Back to the Future films, the area around the courthouse has developed into the downtown of Hill Valley. In front of the courthouse is a grass-covered town square, with stores, two movie theaters (Essex and Town), and cafés on the surrounding streets. A key moment in the town's fictional history takes place on Saturday, November 12, 1955, at 10:04 p.m. PST, when lightning strikes the courthouse's clock tower, freezing the clock at 10:04. The clock is never repaired and becomes a local landmark, left in its non-functional state at the behest of the Hill Valley Preservation Society. The broken piece of ledge from Doc Brown's successful attempt to channel lightning from the clock tower is likewise never repaired, as can be seen when Marty returns to 1985 and in 2015, but not in the Alternate 1985.

In Marty's original timeline, many of the town square businesses have moved or closed down by 1985. The new businesses which replaced them include a second-hand shop, a yoga studio, and an adult book store. The Essex movie theater now shows porno movies while the Town Theater is used for church services, and the courthouse is in a state of disrepair, and at night at least one homeless person (called 'Red' by Marty) sleeps on the town square park benches. The grassy park outside of the courthouse has been converted into a parking lot. 'That was always one of the major elements of the story even in its earliest incarnation,' screenwriter Bob Gale says in The Making of Back to the Future, 'was to take a place and show what happens to it over a period of thirty years. What happened to everybody's home town is obviously the same thing. They built the mall out in the boonies, and killed all the business downtown, and everything changed.'[11]

By the 21st century, the downtown area has experienced a revival as the courthouse has been converted into the Courthouse Mall. Businesses have begun to move back into and around the town square and the parking lot has been replaced by a pond. The clock on top of the courthouse is still preserved at 10:04, and the mall's logo is an illustration of a lightning bolt striking the clock tower. The Town Theater/Assembly of Christ building has been converted to an art museum with a mural painted on the front side of the building above the marquee.

Signs that say 'Welcome to Hill Valley' are seen in 1955, 1985 and 2015. Both 1955 and 2015 signs have symbols representing the Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs. In addition, the 1955 sign has the logos of the YMCA, Jaycees, and Future Farmers of America while the 2015 sign has those of the Neighborhood Crime Watch eye logo and the 4-H Club clover logo. The 'Welcome to Hill Valley' sign in 1985 does not contain any signage representing any clubs and mentions the name of Mayor Goldie Wilson. In the alternate 1985 Marty is seen walking over the sign, which has been knocked down and an 'E' has been spray painted over the 'I' in HILL VALLEY making the name HELL VALLEY. This sign does not display the name of the mayor but instead the words 'A Nice Place to Live' as also seen in 1955.

Alternate history[edit]

In Back to the Future Part II, a nightmarish alternate version of Hill Valley is depicted complete with a partial history. Due to the influence of the powerful and corrupt Biff Tannen, gambling was legalized in 1979. Tannen's toxic waste reclamation plants were built downtown, polluting the air and leading to pollution alerts to be issued. All of the local businesses in the downtown area closed or relocated and were replaced with strip clubs, porn theaters, and brothels. Tannen also bought off the police. Consequently, crime increased and biker gangs settled in the city. Hill Valley's public schools burned down and the courthouse was converted into Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino and Hotel. The clock on the courthouse still remains at 10:04 although despite the damage the Doc did to the tower's platform in 1955, for whatever reason, it now seems to have disappeared. Biff also murdered George McFly (Marty's dad) in 1973 so that he could marry George's wife Lorraine (Marty's mom) therefore making him a corrupt family man as well as town ruler.

According to the original script for Back to the Future Part II a partial view of the alternate 2015 was also to be depicted. By this time Biff now owns half the state of California with his influence having gained his son, Biff Jr., the seat of governor and they uphold their power and corruption with an army of large, powerful cyborg police officers.

Back to the Future: The Game alternate history[edit]

Another timeline, branching off the events of Back to the Future: The Game, sees Irving Kid Tannen, the father of Biff Tannen and a prohibitionism era mafioso, avoid his lengthy incarceration for illegal consumption and sale of alcohol. As such, in the alternate 1986 Biff Tannen has two brothers, and the Tannen family is a recognized crime family, ruling over Hill Valley with an iron grip.[12]

In yet another alternate history, still branching off the events of Back to the Future: The Game, a teen Emmett Brown, in 1931, fell in love with the young journalist Edna Strickland: as a result she married Emmett, convincing him to pursue sociological and political goals. She managed to win him over by keeping him interested in science, but in a manner that his scientific skills could be used to control people instead of using science to understand mysteries and for the betterment of humanity. As such, under 'Citizen Brown's influence by 1985 Hill Valley is a technological dystopia, where Emmett Brown oversees a fascist regime, controlling every single activity of his citizens, routinely brainwashed and spied over. In this new Hill Valley, in a reversal of their usual roles, Marty McFly is a square, serious and devoted to Emmett Brown to a fault (as the 'original' McFly is dismayed to discover) and Jennifer is a rebellious rocker, a wild child with an unpredictable streak. Also Lorraine is again a mildly obese, inebriated sad woman, George has reverted to be the loser he is in the first, original timeline (although his oppressor is big government instead of Biff). Biff Tannen is now one part of the Citizen Plus program, brainwashed into obedience. Hill Valley now looks as a technological advanced marvel, owned by a now rich and powerful Emmett Brown, with even the iconic Town Hall replaced by a huge pane with the E. Brown Industries symbol. As a side note, since in this timeline Emmett Brown never developed time-travel technology, thus the events of the original series never took place, the Eastwood Ravine is still known as the Clayton Ravine, as no one saved Clara from her death.[13]

The last attempt to fix the damages involved with the events of Back to the Future: The Game ends with even a more radical change, with Edna Strickland traveling under an assumed name to 1876 to act as a moral guide of the newly founded Hill Valley: however, after a failed confrontation with Beauregard Tannen, a Confederate soldier who built and founded the Palace Saloon, she accidentally causes a conflagration that consumes Hill Valley, turning it into a ghost town with herself as the only resident. Again, Marty and Doc manage to restore the continuity, that now however sports minor alterations (Arthur and Silvia, Marty's grandparents, prepone their marriage to 1931 (it was 1936 in the original timeline), Doc Brown spends more time in 1986 and less traveling through time, Kid Tannen is now reformed, married to Edna Strickland and having a better influence over Biff).[14]

Places[edit]

Many family businesses are passed down from generation to generation in Hill Valley. As a result, the city changes but remains similar from one generation to the next, as businesses are updated but rarely change. These recurring elements were a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers. The production designer of Back to the Future Part II, Rick Carter, is quoted in a DVD extra as saying, 'The future is built on the present.' Director Robert Zemeckis adds that the continuity between the different eras in Hill Valley's history is an example of the adage, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'.[15]

The following is a list of such places. When a place is not seen or mentioned in a movie, it is marked unknown. Some buildings shown in 1885 scenes are actually located further down the street in an area not shown in the first two movies.

place №188519551985Alternate 19852015
1Hill Valley Courthouse and Clock Tower (under construction)Hill Valley CourthouseDepartment of Social ServicesBiff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel
The Biff Tannen Museum
Hill Valley Courthouse Mall
2NothingTown TheaterTown Theater (as a church)Biffco Toxic Waste Reclamation PlantHill Valley Museum of Art
A Bellman Retrospective
3NothingHolt's DinerElmo's Rib Cafe(part of Biffco)(part of the Hill Valley Museum)
4Honest Joe Statler's Fine Horses (in different location — this spot actually empty)Statler StudebakerStatler ToyotaPIG MartPontiac Sales and Hover Conversions
5NothingRuth's Frock ShopGoodwill IndustriesTanya Exotic Sex GoddessHyatas All Natural Earth-Grown Fruits
6NothingJacobson & Field Attorneys at LawLoansBad Rap Bail BondsSimulex
7Building under constructionWestern Auto StoresEmpty Store (displaying Re-Elect Mayor Goldie Wilson signage)BondageHill Valley Gifts / The Hydroponic Gardner
8Wells Fargo & CoBluebird MotelAl's Tattoo Art
(out of business, for sale)
Video Nude Hardcore Movies
Pawn Shop
Sight Sound and Mind
9NothingElite Barber ShopEmpty Store (Sign on window saying 'We Moved to Twin Pines Mall')Bangkok Sauna & Asian MassageMr. Perfect All-Natural Steroids
10NothingHill Valley StationersCupid's Adult Book StoreHell Hole XXXEclipse — Contemporary & Traditional Lighting Store
11NothingZale's JewelersAbrams Brokerage CorporationHardcore XShakey’s Pizza
12UnknownJ.D. Armstrong RealtyLoansPeeparamaTrue Blues
13UnknownAsk Mr. Foster Travel ServiceAsk Mr. Foster Travel ServiceNaughty and NakedUniglobe Travel
14Marshal's OfficeBank of AmericaBank of AmericaNaughty XXXHill Valley Transit bus stop (Second floor advertising Goldie Wilson Hover Conversions and Major League Baseball World Series Sports-Flash news on a holographic billboard sign)
15Palace Saloon (setting before Lou's Cafe)Lou's CafeLou's Fitness Aerobics Center (originally Lou's Cafe in 1955)War Zone BarCafe 80's (originally Lou's Cafe in 1955 and Lou's Fitness Center in 1985)
16Barber shopRoy's Record StoreThe Third EyeTime to Shoot Photo StoreBlast From The Past Antique Store
17Docs Blacksmith shop (different building)Texaco full-service stationTexaco gas station/food mart(area cluttered with piles of junk furniture and other garbage)7-Eleven (first floor) and Texaco automated Havoline station (second floor)
18UnknownHal's Bike ShopHog HeavenFrench fantasiesThe Bot Shoppe
19Livery and Feed StableLawrence BuildingBroadway FloristFrench fantasiesHill Valley Surrogate Parenting Center
20Building under constructionEssex Theater (as a mainstream movie house)Essex Theater (as an adult movie house showing Orgy, American Style XXX)Hill Valley Theater of Live Sex ActsHolomax Theater (Now showing) Jaws 19 'this time its really really personal'
21Hill Valley TelegraphBuilding with Sherwin-Williams Paint billboard signBuilding with Sherwin-Williams Paint billboard signToxic Waste Reclamation PlantUnknown (office building displaying Skyway Information)
22NothingLyon Estates (under development)Lyon Estates (middle-class neighborhood)Lyon Estates (rough neighborhood)Lyon Estates Parkland
23(empty land near ravine)(farmland near Clayton Ravine)Hilldale (new housing development with 1980s-style homes and described as being a rather affluent part of Hill Valley.)UnknownHilldale (now a rough neighborhood)
24Hill Valley School (in different building than later schools)Hill Valley High SchoolHill Valley High SchoolRemains of Hill Valley High School (burned down in 1979)Hill Valley High School
25UnknownGaynor's Hideaway BarGaynor's Hideaway BarDee Dee's Delight BarFusion Bar
26McFly FarmTwin Pines RanchTwin Pines Mall
(Lone Pine Mall upon return from the timeline of events Marty McFly created in 1955)
Lone Pine MallUnknown
27NothingBrown MansionDoc Brown's garage/Burger KingDoc Brown's garageUnknown

Unique places[edit]

Despite Hill Valley's notable consistency, many businesses do appear and disappear over the years, as their services begin being needed or become obsolete. The following is a list of businesses that have no known equivalent in other time periods.

1885[edit]

  • General Mercantile

1955[edit]

  • Hill Valley Stationers
  • Armstrong Realty
  • Louis Watch Maker
  • Gaynor's Hideaway
  • Roy's Records
  • Elite Barber
  • Blue Bird Motel
  • Hal's Bike Shop
  • Pohatchee Drive-In Theater (outside of town)

1985[edit]

  • Dept. of Social Services
  • Cupid's Adult Book Store
  • The Third Eye
  • Hog Heaven
  • Broadway Florist
  • Robinson's (in the mall)
  • Fox Photo (mall parking lot)

Alternate 1985[edit]

  • Biffco Realty
  • Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel
  • The Biff Tannen Museum

2015[edit]

  • Blast From the Past
  • Simulex
  • True Blues
  • Eclipse — Contemporary & Traditional Lighting Store
  • Flying High — A Kite Store
  • Hill Valley Surrogate Parenting Center
  • Bottoms Up: A Plastic Surgery Franchise
  • The Bot Shoppe
  • Mr. Perfect All Natural Steroids
  • Luxor Taxi Cab Co.
  • Hill Valley Transit
  • Hill Valley Gifts
  • Hyatas All-Natural Fruits
  • USA Today Hill Valley Edition
  • Wilson Hover Conversions
  • Domino's Hardware
  • Fusion Bar
  • Ice Cream Clone


Twin Pines Mall (Lone Pine Mall)[edit]

Twin Pines Mall is the name of the shopping center located outside Hill Valley, where Doctor Emmett Brown first tests his time machine, making his dog Einstein the first time traveler in the world. (The site where the mall was filmed for the movie is actually Puente Hills Mall, located in City of Industry, California. The J.C. Penney location seen in the movie has been shut down, and is now occupied by a 24 Hour Fitness center.)

When Marty McFly returns from 1955 to 1985, the mall can be seen to have changed its name to Lone Pine Mall, as upon arriving in 1955 and crashing into Old Man Peabody's barn at Twin Pines Ranch, named for Peabody's two prized baby pine trees. Marty was shot at by Peabody, forcing Marty to flee in the DeLorean, and accidentally run over and destroy one of the twin pines.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Bob Gale (2002). Production Design: Back to the Future Part II (DVD special feature). MCA Universal.
  2. ^Robert Zemickis and Bob Gale, Q&A, Back to the Future [DVD], recorded at the University of Southern California
  3. ^'Gallery'. Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour. Universal Studios Inc. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
  4. ^Universal (2002). Universal Animated Anecdotes: Back to the Future Part II (DVD special feature). MCA Universal.
  5. ^'Universal Studios Hollywood History File: November 6, 1990'. thestudiotour.com. www.theatrecrafts.com/. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
  6. ^ abGordon, Bruce (1995). 'Back to the Future — For Real!'. www.BTTF.com, reprinted from Hill Valley Telegraph #16. To Be Continued... Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
  7. ^'Huge fire burns movie sets at Universal Studios'. Today.com. Today.com/. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  8. ^'Courthouse Square'. thestudiotour.com. www.theatrecrafts.com/. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  9. ^'Back to the Future Locations — Doc Brown's 1985 Burger King House'. BTTFtour.
  10. ^Gardner, Craig Shaw (December 30, 1990). 'Back to the Future'. Berkley Books – via Google Books.
  11. ^Les Mayfield, Director (1985). The Making of Back to the Future (TV special, DVD extra). MCA Universal.
  12. ^Back to the Future: The Game, Get Tannen
  13. ^Back to the Future: The Game, Citizen Brown
  14. ^Back to the Future: The Game, Outtatime
  15. ^Universal (2002). Production Notes: Back to the Future Part II (DVD special feature). MCA Universal.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hill_Valley_(Back_to_the_Future)&oldid=935711531'
Franchise logo

The Back to the Future film trilogy and subsequent animated series feature characters created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.

Back From The Future 2

The lead character of the series is Marty McFly. During the course of the trilogy, he travels through time using a DeLorean time machine invented by his friend Emmett Brown and encounters the villain, Biff Tannen, in several different time periods and visits his family ancestors and descendants.

  • 1Main characters
  • 2McFly family
  • 3Brown family
  • 4Tannen family
  • 5Strickland family
  • 6Other characters

Main characters[edit]

Marty McFly[edit]

Martin Seamus 'Marty' McFly (portrayed by Michael J. Fox in the films and voiced by David Kaufman in the animated series and AJ LoCascio in Back to the Future: The Game) is the son of George McFly and Lorraine Baines McFly. Marty travels between the past and the future, encountering his ancestors and descendants. Marty and his friend Doc Brown help restore the space-time continuum while encountering Biff Tannen (or members of the Tannen clan) at various points in time.

Emmett 'Doc' Brown[edit]

Doctor Emmett Lathrop 'Doc' Brown (portrayed by Christopher Lloyd in the films and Back to the Future: The Game, and voiced by Dan Castellaneta in the animated series) is the inventor of the DeLorean time machine. At various points in time, Doc helps Marty restore the space-time continuum and reverse the changes that were caused by time travel.

In 2008, the character was selected by film magazine Empire as one of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time, ranking at #20.[1]

Biff Tannen[edit]

Back from the future 2

Biff Howard Tannen (portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson in the films and animated series and voiced by Kid Beyond in Back to the Future: The Game) is the main antagonist of the first 2 films and a local bully who harassed George McFly and has once altered history in the second film. He comes from a long line of bullies in Hill Valley, most of whom harassed members of the McFly family. Biff is also a descendant of Buford Tannen (also portrayed by Wilson), who is one of Hill Valley's outlaws during the 1880s.

McFly family[edit]

George McFly[edit]

George Douglas McFly (portrayed by Crispin Glover in Back to the Future and by Jeffrey Weissman in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III and voiced by Michael X. Sommers in Back to the Future: The Game) is the father of Marty, Linda and Dave from the union with his wife Lorraine Baines McFly. Although he is one of the main characters in the first movie, George only makes cameos in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III.

In the first film, George is portrayed as weak and the main target of Biff Tannen's bullying. The novelization of the film expounds on George's history of weakness, describing two incidents in which he is unable to stand up for himself. In 1955, in contrast with Marty, George did not have any friends for support and was targeted not only by Biff and his gang but also other kids in school. He has a penchant for science fiction, and writes some of his own but never allows himself to share them with anyone due to his fear of rejection. In 1955, with Marty's help, he gets the courage to stand up to Biff, knocking him unconscious. As a result, he and Lorraine fall in love and George becomes popular in school for defeating Biff in a fight. In the new future, they are both happily married with George working as a college professor and being a successful writer who orders Biff around. In the dystopian timeline in Part II, George was murdered by Biff in 1973.

George's character was greatly reduced in the sequels, and the role was recast.[2] Weissman wore prosthetics to resemble Glover and imitated Glover's rendering of McFly, and his scenes were spliced with shots of Glover from Back to the Future.[3] The result was so convincing that many people were fooled by it.[3] However, Glover did not appreciate this and sued. The lawsuit resulted in the adoption of stricter rules by the Screen Actors Guild to prevent this situation from occurring again.[3]

Lorraine Baines-McFly[edit]

Lorraine Baines-McFly (portrayed by Lea Thompson and voiced by Aimee Miles in Back to the Future: The Game) is the wife of George McFly and the mother of Marty, Linda and Dave. She is the eldest daughter of Sam (George DiCenzo) and Stella (Frances Lee McCain) Baines, and sister of Milton (Jason Hervey), Sally (Maia Brewton), Toby, and Joey.

In Back to the Future, Lorraine is initially portrayed in 1985 as middle-aged and unhappy. After Marty changes the timeline, she is shown to be fit and happily married to George in 1985. In Part II, she is still happily married to George in 2015, but in the dystopian alternate 1985 timeline she is widowed and married to Biff.

Dave McFly[edit]

David 'Dave' McFly (portrayed by Marc McClure) is the eldest child of George and Lorraine McFly. In 1985 before Marty went to 1955, Dave works at Burger King, but in the post-time travel 1985 he wears a suit as a nondescript white-collar worker for an accounting firm. In a deleted scene from Part II, the alternate 1985 timeline shows that Dave is an alcoholic and a gambling addict following George's death and Lorraine's second marriage to Biff.

Linda McFly[edit]

Linda McFly (portrayed by Wendie Jo Sperber) is the middle child and only daughter of George and Lorraine McFly. In 1985 before Marty went to 1955, Linda is having boy trouble and it is unknown if she is in college or has a job. In 1985 after Marty went to 1955, Linda works in a boutique and has gained the attention of many boys.

Seamus and Maggie McFly[edit]

Seamus and Maggie McFly (portrayed by Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson) are Irish immigrants and the paternal great-great-grandparents of Marty McFly. In Part III, Marty is befriended by Seamus and Maggie. While Maggie does not trust the 'strange young man', Seamus has a familiar feeling about him and believes that helping him is the right thing to do. They have a son named William (Marty's great-grandfather). Much like his descendants, Seamus is harassed by a member of the Tannen family, Buford Tannen.

Maggie McFly is played by Lea Thompson, who also plays Marty's mother Lorraine, even though Maggie is not an ancestor of Lorraine; in a DVD commentary track for Part III, Bob Gale states that the creative team considered it important to include Thompson in the film, and he imagines that McFly men are simply 'genetically predisposed' to be attracted to women who look like her.

Marty Jr. and Marlene McFly[edit]

Marty Jr. and Marlene McFly (both portrayed by Michael J. Fox) are Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker's future son and daughter in 2015 in Part II.

Back To The Future 2 Casino Scene

Originally, 17-year-old Marty Jr. was to be arrested and sentenced to fifteen years in prison for joining a robbery initiated by Griff and his gang. Marlene attempted to help Marty Jr. break out of jail but failed and was sentenced to twenty years in a woman's prison. Doc and Marty prevented the event from ever happening.

Brown family[edit]

Clara Clayton[edit]

Clara Clayton (portrayed by Mary Steenburgen in both Back to the Future Part III and the animated series) is the wife of Doc Brown and mother of Jules and Verne Brown.

Clara moved to Hill Valley and originally died in an accident when her wagon plummeted into Shonash Ravine, which was renamed Clayton Ravine in her memory. The animated series reveals that Clara, along with the rest of the family, moves to the early 1990s and lives in a farmhouse outside of Hill Valley. She then becomes a teacher at Hill Valley Elementary School.

Jules and Verne Brown[edit]

Jules Eratosthenes Brown and Verne Newton Brown (portrayed by Todd Cameron Brown and Daniel Evans in Back to the Future Part III and voiced by Josh Keaton and Troy Davidson in the animated series) are the two children of Doc Brown and his wife, Clara, who named them after their favorite author Jules Verne.

The characters had minor, non-speaking roles in Back to the Future Part III but were further developed in the animated series. Jules, an introvert, mostly imitates his father's interests and mannerisms while Verne appears to be more outgoing and extroverted. Several plot points of the animated series revolve around either Jules or Verne altering history and the steps necessary to correct the damage.

In the Back to the Future game when asked about his family, Doc reveals that his sons are now teenagers and their parents are discussing what time period they should attend college at.

Copernicus[edit]

Copernicus is Doc's dog from 1955. Like his other dogs, Copernicus was used in many of Doc's experiments. When Copernicus died, he was eventually replaced by Einstein.

Einstein[edit]

Einstein (portrayed by Tiger in the first film and Freddie in the other two and voiced by Danny Mann in the animated series) is Doc Brown's pet Catalan sheepdog. He later becomes one of the main characters in the animated series as the Brown family's dog.

In the first film, Doc successfully tests his time machine by placing Einstein in it and sending him one minute into the future. In the animated series, Einstein becomes anthropomorphic and smarter, helping Doc with his inventions for traveling to the past and the future.

Tannen family[edit]

Irving 'Kid' Tannen[edit]

Kid Tannen is Biff's father who only appears in the Back to the Future game. Kid is a gangster who runs a local speakeasy in the 1930s Hill Valley. He, like the rest of the Tannen family, bullies the McFly family forcing Marty's grandfather Arthur to do his accounting. Kid is brought down with the help of Marty, a young version of Doc, and Arthur McFly. He later marries Edna Strickland and reforms from his criminal ways with her help.

Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen[edit]

Buford Tannen (portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson in Back to the Future Part III) is the main antagonist of the third film. He is the great-grandfather of Biff Tannen and the local town outlaw in 1885 Hill Valley. He was nicknamed 'Mad Dog' by a newspaper reporter, due to his violent temper and propensity for drooling, a nickname Tannen greatly despises. Buford is cruel, homicidal, rude, and emotionally unstable. He displays a need for control and is brought down to childlike tantrums when he is humiliated or makes mistakes, whether it be something that happens to him or something he says or does. He is often accompanied by his gang (played by Christopher Wynne, Sean Sullivan and Mike Watson), and developed a feud with Marshal James Strickland and his deputies.

Griff[edit]

Griff (portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson in both Back to the Future Part II and in the animated series) is a grandson of Biff. He is part of a gang that also consists of 'Data', 'Spike', and 'Whitey' (portrayed by Ricky Dean Logan, Darlene Vogel, and Jason Scott Lee).

In the animated series, Griff makes a brief cameo appearance in the episode 'Solar Sailors' where his grandson, Ziff (also voiced by Wilson), is detained after he attempts to sabotage Marta McFly's space cruiser due to his hatred towards her family.

Griff's last name is never mentioned in the movies, which means he could either be the son of Biff's son Biff Jr, or the son of Biff's daughter, Tiffaney. However, in the animated series, Ziff says that both he and Griff are Tannens.

Biff Tannen, Jr.[edit]

In the animated series, Biff Jr. is the son of Biff Tannen. Like his father and paternal relatives, he likes to bully and steal from children around him including Jules and Verne Brown with whom he developed a feud with. In addition, Biff Jr. delights vandalizing other people's properties. Biff Jr. lives with his father with whom he has an abusive relationship. He is voiced by Benji Gregory.

Strickland family[edit]

Gerald Strickland[edit]

Gerald Strickland[4] (portrayed by James Tolkan) is the strict principal of Hill Valley High School. He is the grandson of Chief Marshal James Strickland of Hill Valley 1885.

There is a reference from Verne Brown that there is another Strickland who works at Hill Valley Elementary School as its vice principal.[episode needed]

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James Strickland[edit]

James Strickland (portrayed by James Tolkan in Back to the Future Part III) is the chief marshal of Hill Valley in 1885 and the grandfather of Mr. Strickland. He also has an unnamed son (portrayed by Kaleb Henley), who will become Gerald Strickland's father.

In a deleted scene not included in the final cut, and in the movie's novelization, Strickland is killed by Buford Tannen.[5] In the theatrical release Strickland simply remains absent for the latter half.

In the Back to the Future game, Edna Strickland in 1986 notes that James was shot and killed by Buford. Marty remarks that's a detail he doesn't remember, possibly a reference to the differences between the film and the movie novelization.

Edna Strickland[edit]

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Edna Strickland, in Back to the Future: The Game, is the sister of Gerald Strickland. She is somewhat nicer than her brother, but still set in her ways towards upholding strong morals and abolishing crime and laziness. After Marty alters her original timeline, Edna married Kid Tannen and became the stepmother of Biff Tannen.

Other characters[edit]

Jennifer Parker[edit]

Jennifer Jane Parker is the girlfriend (and, in 2015 in Back to the Future Part II, the wife) of Marty McFly.

The character was played by Claudia Wells in Back to the Future. However, Wells was not available to film the sequels for personal reasons, and the role was recast to Elisabeth Shue although Wells reprised her role as Jennifer in Back to the Future: The Game as a punk rock version of her character. Consequently, the opening scene of Back to the Future Part II was re-shot with Shue taking Wells' place, rather than using the ending of Back to the Future. In the spin-off Back to the Future: the Animated Series, Jennifer was voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

In 1985, Jennifer attends Hill Valley High School, along with her boyfriend Marty. In the animated series, Jennifer is enrolled to Hill Valley College with Marty after graduating high school and working part-time as a tutor. She lives with her family on a ranch, the deed to which was owned by Biff Tannen, after one of his ancestors forced Jennifer's great-great-grandfather to sign it over by holding Jennifer's great-great-grandmother hostage. In the episode 'A Friend in Deed', Marty travels back in time to 1875 and sabotages the deal with help from Jules and Verne.[6]

In the future witnessed in Back to the Future Part II, Jennifer and Marty had two children, Marlene and Marty Jr. (both played by Michael J. Fox)

Douglas J. Needles[edit]

Douglas J. Needles (portrayed by Flea in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III) is an acquaintance of Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker from Hill Valley High School. Like his school's alumnus, Biff Tannen, Needles also has his own gang and develops a rivalry with Marty. He often goads Marty into doing reckless things, leveraging on Marty's displeasure of being labeled as a 'chicken'.

Goldie Wilson[edit]

Goldie Wilson (played by Donald Fullilove in part 1) is a young man working at Lou's Cafe in 1955 who goes on to become the first black Mayor of Hill Valley in the 1980s. A campaign poster shows the name Goldie in quotation marks, suggesting Goldie is a nickname, presumably in reference to his gold tooth. He would also have a grandson, Goldie Wilson III (also played by Fullilove) in Part II, who works as a car salesman.

Back To The Future 3

Match, Skinhead, and 3-D[edit]

Match (portrayed by Billy Zane), Skinhead (portrayed by Jeffrey Jay Cohen), and 3-D (portrayed by Casey Siemaszko) are the three high school boys who make up Biff Tannen's gang in 1955. Their nicknames are only given in the films' novels, screenplays, and credits. Only one of their real names is mentioned in the movies – Biff refers to Skinhead as Joey in one of the 1955 scenes in Back to the Future Part II, while outside of the 'Enchantment Under the Sea' dance.

In the alternate 1985, the three work in Biff's casino as his bodyguards. Each gets his nickname from a distinctive character trait. Match often has a match sticking out of his mouth; Skinhead has very short, close-cropped hair; 3-D is always wearing a pair of anaglyphic 3-D glasses (a reference to the 3-D movies that were popular in the 1950s).

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^'Empire's The 100 Greatest Movie Characters'. Empire Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  2. ^Jeffrey Weissman on IMDb
  3. ^ abcGlover Clarifies “Back to the Future” Squabble at BTTF.com.
  4. ^Telltale, Incorporated (December 22, 2010). Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 1: It's About Time. Level/area: May 14, 1986, 6:42 pm - Edna's apartment - 'Pictures'. Marty McFly: Is that... Vice Principal Strickland? Edna Strickland: Mother never could keep little Gerald out of her clothes...
  5. ^'Back To The Future Part III: Marshall Strickland is killed'. Express.co.uk. August 1, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  6. ^A Friend in Deed[permanent dead link] episode recap at TV.com.
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