Back to the Future: We celebrate the 40th Anniversary with classic stars and more!
Last weekend, a surprise entry into the box office top ten was Back to the Future, which made a strong $4.7 million thanks to its 40th-anniversary IMAX re-release. While that may sound modest to some, it’s actually a pretty staggering number when you consider that the reissue doesn’t contain any new footage (not that any is needed) and how widely available the film already is. It’s streaming on multiple services and has been out in fancy 4K editions for years, befitting its classic status. Yet Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future remains a great movie to see on the big screen, as it’s a lot of fun to watch with a crowd. It’s a textbook crowd-pleaser and, along with Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark, one of the most expertly assembled blockbusters ever made.
This year, there have been several events celebrating the movie’s 40th anniversary, including the release of Michael J. Fox’s new book, Future Boy (buy it HERE), which details his experience shooting the film while juggling the demands of Family Ties and barely sleeping. He also discusses how he became a last-minute replacement for Eric Stoltz, who had already filmed for six weeks. As it turns out, Fox wasn’t the only cast change — Melora Hardin (who would later find fame on The Office) was replaced by Claudia Wells as Jennifer Parker.
Recently, our own Ryan Cultrera attended a Back to the Future fan event and had the chance to speak with Wells, who shared her experience playing Jennifer and why she was later replaced by Elizabeth Shue in the sequels. We also caught up with several other iconic actors from the film, including Harry Waters Jr., who plays Marvin Berry and famously sings “Earth Angel” as Marty tries to play along; Donald Fullilove, who played Mayor Goldie Wilson; and Jason Hervey, who played Marty’s uncle Milton and later found lasting fame as one of the stars of The Wonder Years.
Check out the video above — it’s a really fun piece that Ryan did a fantastic job on. And speaking of Back to the Future, I rewatched the entire trilogy this week, and it holds up beautifully, if I do say so myself.
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