Community Corner

7 Local Facts About 'Back to the Future'—See it Free in Studio City

The Cultural Affairs committee of the Studio City Neighborhood Council is hosting a free outdoor movie—one of two planned for this summer—in Beeman Park at the Studio City Recreation Center planned for this evening.

The first movie is Back to the Future, and whether they know it or not, the film has a lot of local lore:

·     Michael J. Fox, the star of the film as Marty McFly, lived in Studio City during the making of the film (and the eventual trilogy). His house was in the Fryman Canyon neighborhood where George Clooney now lives.

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·     The actress who plays his mom, Lea Thompson, still lives in Studio City.

·     Claudia Wells, who plays Fox’s girlfriend in the first film, can be seen at her shop, Armani Wells, in Studio City where she fits men with affordable slightly used high-end clothing.

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·     Marty McFly (Fox) is shown skateboarding a lot throughout the movie, and most of it was in the square that is still recognizable as Courthouse Square at Universal Studios (which you will see on the backlot tour). But, many scenes were done in the streets of the San Fernando Valley, some along Victory Boulevard, and most notably when he hitches a tow off the back of a passing truck past a Burger King. Well that Burger King is still there, at 535 N. Victory Blvd. in Burbank just north of Cypress Avenue.

·     The famous gym scene toward the end of the film when Marty's mom from the past falls for him was shot in the gym of the Hollywood United Methodist Church (the one with the red ribbon on it at Highland Avenue and Franklin Street). It hasn't changed.

* Lyon Estates where the McFlys live has distinctive lion statues, and the gates are on the Universal tram tour, but the actual neighborhood is at Roslyndale Avenue in the working class Pacoima and Arleta area. The McFly house is actually 9303 Roslyndale Ave, and yes the electric power towers are actually behind the house.

* Wendie Jo Sperber, who played Marty's younger sister, died of cancer in 2005. During her battle with cancer, she founded weSPARK Cancer Support Center, a support group for cancer patients and their families. Each year, the organization put on a benefit show called weSPARKLE to raise funds and holds a walk that starts at the CBS Radford Studios.

Enjoy the movie with the whole family on Saturday. Come back and post comments and photos of the event yourself!


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