Happy Friday Lagunites,
Today is the 62nd birthday of Michael J. Fox.
We played “Back In Time” by Huey Lewis & The News during Lunchtime At The Laguna to celebrate.
Now known for his advocacy to cure Parkinson’s disease, a condition he has battled since 1991, in the 1980’s Fox was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
His role as Alex P. Keaton on the television program Family Ties earned him three Emmy awards and made him a household name.
In 1985, Fox was cast in a cinema classic, solidifying his place in 80’s culture.
And to think he was the second choice to play Marty McFly.
The mythology of how Back To The Future wound up on the silver screen and became a time-traveling trilogy would make a great movie, but let’s focus on one aspect of the story.
Back To The Future was a passion project of director Robert Zemeckis & writer Bob Gale.
The script had been floating around studios for almost five years when the pair got the green light to film in 1984.
Zemeckis thought Michael J. Fox fit perfectly into the role of Marty, the 80’s kid thrust into the 50s by a time-traveling DeLorean and his attempt to not change the course of history…too much.
One problem, the producers wanted Eric Stoltz to be Marty, and the producers of Family Ties, would not let Fox take time off to shoot a film.
Stoltz was coming off Fast Times At Ridgemont High and a critically praised performance in Mask.
Zemeckis relented and started filming with Stoltz, and within a few weeks, knew it wasn’t working.
The director has often stated that while a great method actor (Stoltz wanted people to call him “Marty” on-set), he did not have Fox’s clumsiness and comedic timing.
Zemeckis did not give up the ghost of casting Fox.
He would shoot scenes around Stoltz so they could slide into what he already had in the can without reshooting the whole movie if Fox became available.
After finally negotiating with Family Ties producers, he secured Michael J. Fox to film in the evenings and weekends.
Zemeckis then showed the producers the work with Stoltz and asked if he could bring Fox on board.
They allowed it, Zemeckis fired Stoltz, and the rest is history.
While there is some footage and still shots of Stoltz in the Marty role, most of it is either locked away or lost.
The film’s producers have said they have no intention of releasing the material, as quote, “If you see it, he’s just not Marty; he plays it like a drama.”
Stoltz would become a prolific actor and director and receive acclaim for his comedic cameo in 1994’s Pulp Fiction.
Back To The Future would make around $400 million and play in theatres for almost a year.
The film spawned sequels, merchandising, and dialogue which has become part of the American lexicon.
Would Back To The Future be held in such regard if Eric Stoltz had played Marty McFly?
Only time travel will tell.
jb
Photo courtesy Universal Pictures.
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