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Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian actor Michael J. Fox leads ‘Back to the Future' cast in search for lost Gibson guitar from film
If only Michael J. Fox could go back in time to 1985 and get his hands on the iconic guitar he used in the 'Back to the Future' movie. He's not really a time traveller, but he's hoping to luck out in tracking down the classic Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 guitar from the film that launched two sequels. It's been missing for 40 years, and some of the cast and crew has reunited for a hunt to find it. The guitar was used in a memorable scene from the film. Fox's character Marty McFly, who has travelled back in time to 1955, is asked to step in for an injured band member at the 1955 school prom. McFly picks up the guitar and starts playing. First, he strums to 'Earth Angel' by The Penguins, and then goes into a solo riff from Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode,' calling it an oldie where he comes from, even though the 1958 song doesn't exist yet. Gibson Guitars has teamed up with filmmaker Doc Crotzer to launch the search for the missing guitar, which is part of a broader project marking the movie's 40th anniversary. And the search is being turned into a documentary, with comments from Fox, who is a guitar collector. 'No one's seen that guitar since 1985,' actor Harry Waters Jr., who played Starlighters band guitarist Marvin Berry, said in a new 'Lost to the Future' promo. 'It's somewhere lost in the space-time continuum, or it's in some teamster's garage,' Fox said. There is even a website, with an 800-number for tips. When it comes to guitars in movies, no guitar was more iconic or more influential than the Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 used by Marty McFly to play 'Johnny B Goode' in the movie Back to the Future. That scene has been cited by countless artists as the moment they knew they wanted to play guitar. One problem: the guitar has been missing since 1985, and no one knows its whereabouts. A countdown clock on the website is ticking down to four-and-a-half months from now, but there's no information about what happens at the end, or what the reward may be if the guitar is found. Anyone with information about the guitar can leave a message at 1-855-345-1955 or send a message via . The now iconic guitar is said to have inspired a generation of musicians — from celebrities like Chris Martin of Coldplay to garage band guitarists. But the guitar was nothing but a prop at the time, rented from Norman's Rare Guitars in California, a story in said . Strangely enough, even though the film is set in 1955, the filmmakers weren't exactly true to the time frame, and took some liberties in using that guitar. That Gibson ES-345 model was not in production until 1958, and didn't appear in that cherry red colour until 1959, said. Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode' song did was released in 1958, so that aligns with the movie's narrative — but he doesn't have a cousin named Marvin. Staff from Norm's guitar store believe the guitar was sold sometime after the movie, then returned to be resold again — but there's no firm paperwork on where it ended up. They believe it may be in Japan, as guitar aficionado tourists were visiting the area during a vintage guitar boom, Billboard said. A Canadian, Fox will appear in Toronto later this summer for FanExpo Aug. 22 and 23, to sign autographs for $300 each, or $349 for a signed comic book, licence plate, movie poster and other memorabilia. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Key 'Back to the Future Prop' Has Been Missing Since Filming Wrapped. Why Michael J. Fox Is Hoping to Find It (Exclusive)
The iconic Gibson guitar Marty McFly plays in Back to the Future has been missing for nearly 40 years As the film approaches its milestone, its stars are reuniting to try and find the prop, in a hunt documented in a new film, Lost to the Future Stars Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson speak to PEOPLE exclusively about their movie memories as they embark on the search alongside their costarsFire up your flux capacitors, because we may need a time machine for this one. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of Back to the Future, the film's primary cast members have joined forces with Gibson Guitars on a quest to track down one of the most iconic pieces of memorabilia from the film: Michael J. Fox's (Marty McFly's) red ES-345 that he played 'Johnny B. Goode' on at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. 'I was born in the '60s when there was an explosion of very important music," Fox, 63, tells PEOPLE of the genesis of his love for music that ultimately manifested in the iconic film scene. "My brother listened to them all, and I was 7 years old listening to Blind Faith and Rare Earth. I always wanted to be a rock 'n' roll guitarist, that's all I wanted to do. It's always been a passion of mine, rock 'n' roll, and particularly the guitar, there's just something about it, like you are wringing the magic and the music out of it.' To accomplish this monumental feat and hopefully unearth a lost treasure of film history, the legendary instrument manufacturer has launched an international hunt for the guitar, accompanied by a call-to-action video released on Tuesday, June 3, featuring Fox, as well as fellow cast members Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Harry Waters Jr., Huey Lewis and more. Thompson, 64, tells PEOPLE that although she considers Fox's famed BTTF instrument "an incredible guitar," she really has little idea what could have happened to it once filming wrapped. "When we made [the first] Back to the Future, we didn't even think we were going to make a sequel," Thompson tells PEOPLE. "There was no sequel deal, there was no concept of that. I mean, that's how long ago it was. So people weren't like Star Wars taking the props and everything. I only have the dress and the shoes and the jewelry from the prom." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The actress continues, "I have no idea how [the guitar] slipped through people's hands. I mean, the first thing I thought was maybe one of the prop masters had it ... but then I knew it was super expensive ... so it had to go somewhere." Lewis shares a similar sentiment to PEOPLE, noting that Back to the Future has become "The Wizard of Oz for a new generation" while pondering what could have happened to Fox's instrument. "Well, it's pretty amazing, really. I mean, to think about what it might be worth, right?" says "The Power of Love" singer, 74. "So whoever's got this thing, wherever it is. I mean, forget the actual guitar and the financial thing, there's a great story there, obviously." Lewis continues by noting that there were "quite a few guitar techs" working on the production at the time. "Maybe somebody fell on hard times and had to sell it, or I don't know. Who knows what that story is, but it's fairly interesting and apparently, because of the frets, it will be identifiable." To accompany the hunt for the guitar, Gibson Films has begun production on a new documentary film titled Lost to the Future. The forthcoming project will peel the curtain back even further on the hunt for the ES-345, featuring even more in-depth interviews with Fox, Thompson, Lloyd, Waters Jr., Lewis and the film's co-creator/screenwriter/producer Bob Gale, as well as a select group of world-renowned musicians that have been inspired by the film over the decades. The documentary's director, Doc Crotzer (Roadhouse, Glee), as well as Mark Agnesi (Director of Brand Experience at Gibson), "will guide viewers in the global hunt for this legendary instrument, from long-forgotten film prop warehouses, fascinating vintage guitar shops, auction houses and shadowy back alleys," according to an official press release from Gibson. Those who may have any information related to the whereabouts of the guitar are encouraged to submit tips by visiting and calling the tip line at 1-888-345-1955. The site also allows those who are curious to sign up and stay updated about the hunt, and whether or not the instrument is ultimately found. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Guitar Michael J. Fox Played In ‘Back to the Future' Is Missing — And They're Making A Movie About the Search For It
The hunt is on for an iconic but missing artifact from Robert Zemeckis' classic 1985 film Back to the Future. Gibson Guitars and Universal Home Entertainment, in conjunction with filmmaker Doc Crotzer, have launched Lost to the Future, a search for the Gibson ES-345 Cherry Red guitar that Michael J. Fox, as Marty McFly, played in the beloved film. As fans well know, Fox picked up the guitar during the movie's Enchantment Under the Sea high school dance, where he performed the Penguins' 'Earth Angel' and then shredded Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode.' More from Billboard The 100 Most Iconic Guitars of All Time: Complete List Revealed Kneecap Announce Massive Wembley Arena Headline Show Drake & PARTYNEXTDOOR Announce '$ome $pecial $hows 4 U.K.' Tour Dates The guitar, which was rented as a prop from Norm's Rare Guitars in Tarzana, Calif., has been missing for several decades. Now Gibson and Crotzer (Road House, Shotgun Wedding, Glee) have begun a 'true crime search' for the instrument, and the filmmaker is planning to make a documentary about the endeavor. 'Back to the Future made me want to make movies as a kid, and made me want to pick up a guitar,' Crotzer tells Billboard. 'I'm a guitar player but I'm just a hobbyist; I went on with my (filmmaking) career, but I had always wondered what happened to that guitar. Over the last however many years so many props from the movie have surfaced…but (the guitar) had never surfaced.' Gibson's director of brand experience Mark Agnesi, who previously worked at Norm's Rare Guitars before joining Gibson, also cites the 'Johnny B. Goode' scene as one of his inspirations to play. 'I've been searching for this thing for 16 years now,' he says. 'I started searching everywhere. Norm's has this big warehouse of guitars and occasionally I'd go in and look for certain things, and every time I'm in there I was always looking around for (the Back to the Future guitar), but to no avail.' They aren't the only ones who were inspired by the scene, of course. When Fox joined Coldplay at last year's Glastonbury Festival in England, frontman Chris Martin told the crowd that, 'The main reason why we're in a band is because of watching Back to the Future,' adding that Fox is 'our hero forever and one of the most amazing people on Earth.' In a new video announcing the Lost to the Future project, John Mayer notes that the scene 'was a big Rocky moment for a lot of kids,' while Jason Isbell explains 'that's the most iconic guitar from a movie. I don't think anything else comes close…That was a huge deal for me. The world needs to see that guitar.' Those with leads about the guitar's whereabouts are asked to call 1-888-345-1955 or send a message via The trail for the guitar is indeed cold. It was apparently sold, then sold back to Norm's and then presumably resold again. 'Back then there was no digital record of that stuff; it was all hand-written receipts and stuff,' Gibson's Agnesi says. 'We know it was returned to Norm's. At that time in the mid '80s there was a Japanese vintage guitar boom; charter buses of Japanese tourists were pulling up and buying everything in sight. So it could be someone has it in Japan. We don't know. The possibilities of where it could be are endless.' The guitar's serial number is not known, but there is a unique tell that will allow it to be authenticated, according to Agnesi; the inlay on its 12th fret is solid, not split like the others on the neck, which was standard for the ES-345 at the time. 'That anomaly is the smoking gun we're looking for, thank God,' Agnesi says. 'That will not be on any other guitar. Either someone custom-ordered it that way or it would be marked a factory second on the back of the head stock. That's how we'll know we've found the guitar we're looking for.' Filmmaker Crotzer adds that the tell is 'the most amazing coincidence. I personally believe it's like some higher power giving us the opportunity to find the thing.' An irony is that while Back to the Future is set in 1955, the ES-345 was not yet in production in 1958, and not made in cherry red until the following year. 'Norm has publicly said he knew that guitar was wrong for the era,' Agnesi notes, adding that in '55 Berry was playing a Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster. But the filmmakers, he says, wanted something slimmer and more streamlined. 'They wanted that Chuck Berry 345 look even though it wasn't the right guitar for the time period,' Agnesi says. 'They were willing to take some small liberties and have fun in the movie with it. If not for that guitar, the scene might not have been as impactful.' It also dovetails with the fact that 'Johnny B. Goode' wasn't released until 1958 — adding to Marty McFly's future prognostication that, 'I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it.' Charles Berry says that his father was not bothered by those historical inaccuracies, however. 'Dad was fairly laid back when it came to stuff like that,' he says, adding that the family didn't know about the 'Johnny B. Goode' scene 'until maybe a month or two before. It's just like (the 1987 documentary) Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll; he said, 'Oh yeah, by the way, they want to make this movie about me.' (Back to the Future) was the same type of thing; he comes to the house and says, 'Yeah, there's this movie coming out, in one of the scenes this kid's playing 'Johnny B. Goode.' 'Really?!' Seeing the film, the younger Berry — who owns some of his father's old guitars and administrates the loan or donation of others to museums — says, 'We got a kick out of it. It's a very good movie, a nice wholesome movie. Michael J. Fox did a really cool job. It may not be exactly the right guitar, but we'll take it.' The scene famously ends with one of the band members, ostensibly Berry's cousin Marvin, calling the rock n' roll pioneer and holding the phone up to hear what's being played on stage. 'Besides, 'What's it like to be Chuck Berry's son?,' after '85 the most-asked question I get is, 'Does your dad really have a cousin Marvin?'' says Charles Berry with a laugh. 'No, it was just in the movie.' The video announcing the search also features Back to the Future co-screenwriter Bob Gale, co-stars Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd, and Huey Lewis, who had an uncredited bit part and, with his band the News, scored a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit with 'The Power of Love' from the soundtrack. 'Back to the Future, it keeps growing; it's like a Wizard of Oz for a new generation,' says Lewis, adding that, 'it's fascinating (the guitar) has not turned up. It's a very distinctive one. Whoever has this guitar must not have heard that they're searching for it yet. Once the word is out, if you've got a 345, you're going to look and see if that's the one.' The search is part of a number of Gibson initiatives related to the film and the guitar's legacy in it. An episode of Gibson TV: The Collection that premieres in October features Fox talking about his own history of guitar playing and his collection of 40-some instruments. The same month, Gibson and Epiphone will release new custom models of the ES-345 as well as Back to the Future-themed apparel, and Gibson Gives will announce a partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. 'I just wanted to be a rock n' roll guitarist,' Fox says in The Collection. 'That's all I wanted to do. I became an actor instead of a guitarist…It's always been a passion of mine, rock n' roll — especially the guitar.' He adds that the ES-345 in the film 'was such a good guitar. It's like Excalibur…. Being 23 years old and that scene, I was having the f–king best time. But I didn't realize the influence it had on people. It's just expressing my love for the guitar and all the great players.' Crotzer says all of that will be part of the Lost to the Future documentary. A happy ending is hoped for, but Crotzer is also out to tell the greater story surrounding it. 'We've realized (the story) is bigger than we thought,' he says. 'The through-line is the true crime search for this guitar, but the emotional core of it is tracking how it inspired a generation of kids, whether they went on to become Chris Martin or went off to do completely other things. There's a collective experience here that we really want to capture.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Lost to the Future:' Which iconic musical instrument has been lost for 40 years?
Michael J. Fox made history in 1985 when his "Back to the Future" character Marty McFly played Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" on a cherry red Gibson ES-345. That iconic scene influenced musicians from John Mayer to Coldplay's Chris Martin to pick up a guitar. As the movie celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2025, producers and writers behind the classic film thought it would be fun to bring out the famed guitar. Unfortunately, nobody knows where it is. Mark Agnesi, director of brand experience at Gibson Guitars, said that while an official search launched in 2025, he's personally been looking for it since 2009. The guitar (which Michael J. Fox did actually play during the film) was rented from Norman's Rare Guitars in Los Angeles for the film. After the scene was shot, what happened to it is a mystery. "I ran Norman's Rare Guitars for 10 years and my first day on the job, every time I would open a case of something in the store, I would look for this guitar," Agnesi told The Tennessean. "We have been searching for it quietly, but now we are at a place where we need the public's help." Because Gibson made more than one cherry red ES-345 in the early 1960s, finding the guitar used in the movie could be challenging. Luckily, it has one very telling birthmark. " What's really peculiar and what makes this whole thing even stranger and cooler and better is this guitar has a very, very unusual anomaly that shouldn't be on this guitar," Agnesi said. Gibson ES-345s have a unique design feature called a "split parallelogram inlay." (A parallelogram is a slanted, four-sided shape whose opposing sides are the same length). The instrument Marty played in the "Enchantment Under the Sea" school dance scene had two parallelograms going down the neck of the guitar, and the 12th fret has a solid parallelogram instead of a split, Agnesi said. "This is not a stock or standard feature," Agnesi said. "This is a complete and total anomaly that was either custom ordered or it was a factory second guitar where the little piece of wood chipped out so they just put a solid piece in. The fact that happened to be the one that got rented to the movie is the one saving grace that is going to help us know we have found the guitar because it shouldn't be there." It's possible whoever has the guitar also has its original case and even an official letter from Norm Harris, owner of the guitar shop that rented it for the movie. Or not. "We also know Norm wrote a letter of authenticity that's probably floating around with the guitar too, but whether or not that's even still part of the package, if it's still in the pocket of the case, who knows," he said. "But somewhere there's some kind of letter authenticating it from Norm's as well." In addition to launching a public search for the piece of rock and roll history, Gibson Films is making "Lost to the Future," a documentary about the search that director Doc Crotzer hopes will have a happy ending. "We have a whole bunch of leads and tips that we want to investigate, but we also want to make sure we can capture it on film so that fans can go along for the ride with us," Crotzer said. "And hopefully that magic moment when we find it, they get to share in." "Lost to the Future" will feature interviews with "Back to the Future" stars including Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Christopher Llyod and Harry Waters Jr. It will also feature interviews with musician Huey Lewis, who wrote and performed 'Power of Love' from the movie's soundtrack, along with co-creator/screenwriter/producer Bob Gale. Gale wasn't aware that the guitar had been lost until Crotzer approached him about it. "If we had known what this was going to be, we probably would've bought the guitar," Gale said. "We probably spent more money renting it than it would've cost to buy it. But okay, it's Hollywood and this is what you do. I came to learn that the guitar in 'Back to Future' Part Two (the movie's sequel) is not the same exact guitar that we had in Part One." Break a leg: Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill cancels upcoming shows Live music: June is 'concert season' in Nashville. Festivals, rock shows and Willie Nelson are among our top picks Gale said there have been lots of rumors around where the guitar might be. Maybe a tourist bought it? Who knows. Maybe someone swiped it? No hard feelings, just come forward, he pleaded. "We won't call the cops, I promise," he said. "What if it's just been in a case in a closet and the owner just thinks it's just some cool, old vintage guitar, but they have no idea that it's the one from 'Back to the Future?" Crotzer asked. "Hopefully, whoever has it in whatever way that they are comfortable, they would be willing to share it with with fans, especially given that this year is the 40th anniversary of the movie." Anyone with a tip on the guitar's whereabouts can call 1-855-345-1955 or visit Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@ or on Instagram at @MelHurtWrites. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Movie guitar that influenced Chris Martin, John Mayer is lost
