It turned out, this was ‘Dangerous’ Bob Widin, who had been the property master on all three of the films!īob was like those Uncles with a million stories to tell, and pretty soon, he was telling about how they tried to make Doc Browns’ 2015 metal glasses see-through (but failed), as well as how they constructed the 2015 barcode license plate for the Time Machine!
In the behind-the-scenes realm, I was surprised when a man in a salt-and-pepper beard complimented me on my 2015 Doc Brown costume. There were also appearances by Matt Clark (who played Chester the bartender in Back to the Future Part III), and Al White (who played the father of the family living in the McFly’s home, in 1985-A Hill Valley, in Part II). For the first time since Back to the Future Part II, Griff Tannen’s gang members (played by Ricky Dean Logan, Jason Scott Lee, and Darlene Vogel), reunited for pictures and autographs. There were also some familiar faces when it came to stars of the film. There was a 1955 Biff Tannen with his henchman 3-D in tow, Griff Tannen and his hoverboard gang, “cowboy” Marty with Clara Clayton, and even Red the Bum from the first two films (“crazy drunk driver”)! It was fun to see the amount of people that had dressed in costume for the event, including several that were very uncommon. Returning to the central area around the Town Hall, all manner of fans could be seen. Those of us who attended the second screening, mainly received newspapers related to Doc Brown’s mansion being destroyed in 1962 (if you watch the beginning of the first film, you can see the same headline, framed on Doc’s bedroom wall). Upon exiting the screening, we were each given special newspapers, inspired by those that had been seen during the course of the film’s trilogy. Its structure seemed to be at odds with itself, as it tried to find a balance about the making of the Back to the Future films, as well as those who were inspired by the films, and where that fandom led them. Though there is plenty of material the filmmakers had to work with (they even got sit-down time with Steven Spielberg!), I couldn’t help but feel the film’s final product was a little muddled. The film gained national attention when it quickly reached its goal, showing that there was definitely a fanbase that wanted to see it. Upon arriving, many of us made a beeline for the theater, which was premiering the Kickstarter-funded documentary, Back in Time.
A corner store hung a Cafe 80’s sign out front, the local antique store became Blast From The Past, and even the local movie theater got into the act (as seen on the left). Several shops also displayed BTTF-related signage. Even the official Back to the Future band known as The Flux Capacitors, played throughout the day on the Town Hall’s steps. A Welcome to Hill Valley sign had also been set up, and posters calling for the re-election of Mayor Goldie Wilson were everywhere. Today, the sleepy little town of 15,000, had opened its doors to us Future fans, and would become Hill Valley, California!įor the day’s event, Fillmore had closed off part of the street around its Town Hall, where panther statues and a clock were placed, similar to the ones in Hill Valley in the film. Where were we heading to? The Old West? The Hilldale Housing Development? Heading north, and then taking a left onto California State Route 126, we soon found ourselves in some desert terrain, punctuated by small areas of farmland. Returning to the present, I decided to add my trip to the Journeys Through Life section on my blog, telling a little about my once-in-a-lifetime experience.įor our bus trip on the second day of the We’re Going Back event, we would find ourselves traveling far away from the Los Angeles area.
I jetted out to the west coast in late October, and was soon surrounded by several hundred fans, as we wandered the Courthouse Square, rode DeLoreans on railroad tracks, flew around on hoverboards, and found ourselves at The Enchantment Under The Sea dance (to name just a few things). I almost considered going in 2010, but held off…figuring that when the big future-date in the film’s sequel hit, I’d find myself traveling to Hill Valley, in the year 2015. The event took fans to many of the film’s locations, held meet-and-greets with cast and crew, and much, much more! In 2010, Joe Walser and a dedicated group of Back to the Future fans, came together to pull off We’re Going Back: The 25th Anniversary Fan Celebration of Back to the Future.