George McFly

BttFCharacter


Crispin Glover as George McFly
name=George Douglas McFly
role=Marty's father
profession=Author
time=1955 / 1985 / 2015
timetraveler=No
movies="Part I", "Part II", "Part III"
film=Crispin Glover / Jeffrey Weissman

George Douglas McFly is a fictional character in the "Back to the Future" motion picture trilogy. He is one of the main characters of the first movie, but only a secondary character in the two sequels. He is the father of the series' protagonist, Marty McFly.

Character history

George McFly was portrayed by Crispin Glover in "Back to the Future". Glover however declined to reprise the role in the sequels. According to Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, Glover was simply not interested, and had asked for as much money as Michael J. Fox and script approval, so they dropped him. [ [http://www.bttf.com/film_faq.htm "Back to the Future Frequently" Asked Questions] at BTTF.com.] For his part, Glover simply states that "the way that the negotiations were was odd." [http://www.bttf.com/news/03031304.shtml Glover Clarifies “Back to the Future” Squabble] at BTTF.com.]

Whatever the reason, the character of George McFly was mostly cut in the sequels, and the role was recast to Jeffrey Weissman. [imdb name|id=0919297|name=Jeffrey Weissman] 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". The result was a very convincing rendering of George McFly — one so convincing, in fact, that even close friends of Crispin Glover (including fellow actor Nicolas Cage) were fooled by it. 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.

Biography

According to the headstone seen in "Back to the Future Part II", the character's full name is George Douglas McFly, and he was born on April 1, 1938. [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf2.htm "Back to the Future Part II"] Marty finally finds a gravestone. It reads "In Loving Memory Of George Douglas McFly, Born April 1st 1938, Died March 15th 1973."]

The novelization of "Back to the Future" reveals a little bit about George's past before 1955. When he was 12, he nearly stood up for a friend, Billy Stockhausen, who was being bullied, but did not, and has hated himself for it ever since. In 1954, he tried reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People", but the advice he gained from this book made people stay away from him even more. The movie depicts George being abused by Biff Tannen and his gang, and taking it because he is scared of them. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Goldie: Say, why do you let those boys push you around like that? George: Well, they're bigger than me.] In fact, George never stood up for himself before. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] George: Yeah, but I never picked a fight in my entire life.] He also enjoys writing science-fiction stories, but never lets anyone read them out of fear of rejection. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] George: Oh, no, no, no. I never, uh, I never let anybody read my stories. Marty: Why not? George: Well, what if they didn't like them, what if they told me I was no good? I guess that would be pretty hard for somebody to understand.] In 1955, George was spying on Lorraine Baines when he fell from a tree onto a street and right in front of her father Sam Baines's car. Lorraine nursed him back to health, and the two fell in love. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Lorraine: Anyway, Grandpa hit him with the car and brought him into the house. He seemed so helpless, like a little lost puppy, my heart just went out for him.]

By 1985, at the beginning of "Back to the Future", George and Lorraine are married and have three children, Dave, Linda and Marty. [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Marty's brother DAVE is also present, wearing a Burger King uniform, and completing the family is his sister LINDA, who's a bit plump and not very attractive.] George's life did not change much over 30 years — he is still scared of standing up for himself, especially against Biff, who is now his supervisor. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] George: But Biff just happens to be my supervisor, and I'm afraid I'm not very good at confrontations.] The original script of "Back to the Future" goes even further, describing George as "a man who lost at the game of life". [ [http://www.scifiscripts.com/scripts/back_to_the_future_original_draft.html Early script of "Back to the Future"] GEORGE McFLY, 47, is absorbed in a BOXING MATCH on TV. He’s balding, bored, uninspired; a man who lost at the game of life.]

When Marty travels back in time to 1955, he unwittingly prevents the accident that caused George and Lorraine to meet and fall in love. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Marty pushes George out of the way, but gets hit himself. He lies unconscious on the road. The car driver, SAM BAINES, a middle-aged man in his late forties/early fifties, gets out of the car to see who he hit.] As a result, Lorraine falls in love with Marty instead of George, [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Doc: Apparently your mother is amorously infatuated with you instead of your father.] and her infatuation grows when she sees Marty stand up to Biff while George doesn't. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Lorraine: George McFly? Oh, he's kinda cute and all, but, well, I think a man should be strong, so he could stand up for himself, and protect the woman he loves.] To try to restore history to its proper course, Marty came up with a plan in which he would abuse Lorraine, and George would rescue her. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Marty: OK, so 9 o'clock you're strolling through the parking lot, you see us struggling in the car, you walk up, you open the door and you say... your line, George! George: Oh, uh, hey you, get your damn hands off her. Do you really think I ought to swear? Marty: Yes, definitely, God-dammit George, swear. OK, so now, you come up, you punch me in the stomach, I'm out for the count, right? And you and Lorraine live happily ever after.] The plan almost backfired when Biff took Marty out and abused Lorraine, but fortunately George found the courage to stand up to Biff and knocked him out, saving Lorraine. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Biff pushes Lorraine off and laughs. George clenches his other hand into a fist as Biff continues to laugh. Then, when Biff is unaware, George hits him in the face. Biff falls down to the floor.]

Although Marty intended to restore history as it was before, his plan introduced a change, as in the original timeline George never stood up to Biff. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] Marty: He laid out Biff in one punch! I never knew he had it in him! He never stood up to Biff in his life!] As a result, George started standing up for himself as he never did before. When Marty returns to 1985 at the end of "Back to the Future", he finds that George is doing much better. He no longer works for Biff — quite the opposite, Biff is an auto detailer whose services George hired. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] George opens the door. BIFF is there. He's wearing a tracksuit and is waxing the McFly's car. A truck saying Biff's Auto Dealing is in the background.] In fact, George built up the confidence to show the stories he writes to publishers, and at the end of the movie his first novel, "A Match Made in Space", is shown to have just been published. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf1.htm "Back to the Future"] The box is opened. It is a book - A Match Made In Space by George McFly. Lorraine: Oh honey, your first novel.]

In "Back to the Future Part II", George McFly is seen briefly as a 77-year-old. He is still happily married to Lorraine, and enjoys playing golf. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf3.htm "Back to the Future Part III"] Lorraine steps back to reveal 77 year old GEORGE. He's attached to a hovering device and is upside down. He too is in good health. Marlene: How did you do that? How did he do that? George: Oh, out on the golf course.] It should be noted that even though the other incarnations of the characters are played by the same actors, none of Marty's relatives, except for his father, are played by the George McFly actors, Jeffrey Weissman or Crispin Glover. Instead, all are played by Michael J. Fox. A previous version of the script of the movie revealed that his career as an author was very successful. Indeed, a store in 2015 was shown to sell videos of the "A Match Made in Space" television miniseries, labelling it a "classic". [ [http://www.bttf.com/scripts/Number_Two.pdf Early script of "Back to the Future Part II"] Nearby is a display promoting "A Match Made In Space" - the classic miniseries, now available in all HD Video Formats!]

Later in "Back to the Future Part II", Biff travels back in time and changes history. In the alternate history resulting from his actions, George was shot and killed on March 15, 1973. George's killer was never found, though Biff admitted doing it to Marty. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf3.htm "Back to the Future Part III"] Marty: What about the police, Biff? They're gonna match up the bullet with that gun. Biff: Kid, I own the police! Besides, they couldn't match up the bullet that killed your old man. Marty: You son of a bitch! Biff: I suppose it's poetic justice - two McFlys with the same gun.] Fortunately, Marty and Doc undid the damage Biff did to the timeline, and by the end of "Back to the Future Part II" George's murder had never taken place. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf3.htm "Back to the Future Part III"] Marty then pulls out the newspaper. The headline changes from "George McFly Murdered" to "George McFly Honored".] George is seen one last time at the end of "Back to the Future Part III". That scene takes place on October 27, 1985. And shows that George is back to the same state he was at the end of "Back to the Future Part I", a confident, happily married and successful author. [ [http://members.lycos.co.uk/hillvalley/bttf3.htm "Back to the Future Part III"] GEORGE & LORRAINE leave the house. Marty: Thank God you guys are all back to normal!]

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