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It was Sept. 17 and, for the first time in 20 years, Bob Gale, University City High School (UCHS) Class of 1969 alum and 1999 Hall of Fame inductee, returned to his alma mater to take students back to the time when he and Robert Zemekis were first green-lighted for the movie “Back to the Future” (BTTF). Central character Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) traveled back in time to meet his teenage dad and right some wrongs to help him do better for himself and his family in the future.
Despite years of rejections from the heads of major studios, the movie that debuted in 1985 resonated with audiences worldwide and opened the door for two sequels, and now, 30 years later, a musical that has just finished a run at St. Louis’ Fabulous Fox Theatre.
UCHS sophomore India Foote was among the students who watched the movie before the Academy Award nominated filmmaker took the stage to the delight of fans old and new. Foote was especially excited as she prepared to join Gale on stage for an interview. She said, “I have seen (BTTF) multiple times over the years, including with my grandpa, but my best friend never saw it. She said she probably wouldn’t have watched it on her own, but she saw it and loved it!” Foote added, “My mom and sister were super excited for me because they knew I loved the movie. It was great getting to meet (Gale) to say, ‘hi,’ and talk face-to-face!”
Gale shared how he was influenced by experiences growing up in University City, including the lightning strikes of inspiration for writing BTTF. “In third grade, students really liked my stories.” Gale said he was inspired to keep writing as he moved on to Brittany Middle (as it was called then) and then to UCHS. After first enrolling as an engineering student at Tulane, he eventually transferred to the University of Southern California Film School, where his career began to take shape.
Following a local flood in 1980, Gale was visiting his parents when his dad (Mark Gale, UCHS Class of 1940) invited him to retrieve anything he wanted to “hold onto” from the flooding basement. Gale said, “I’m digging through this stuff, and one of the things that’s in there was my dad’s high school yearbook. I discovered my dad was the president of his graduating class! I didn’t have any idea that this was the case.” Staring back at him was the face of a serious young man he barely recognized. “I start thinking...if I had gone to high school with my dad, would I have been friends with him? When I thought of that, I thought – that is a great idea for a movie. So that is how the idea of ‘Back to the Future’ came about.”
Even as a super-fan, Foote had no idea about the University City Easter eggs included in the film until Gale pointed out the name of the McFly subdivision, Lion Estates, and the Hill Valley Bulldogs sports team (Brittany Middle). “Back to the Future’s origins are all tied up with University City High School,” said Gale.
Gale’s experience included another message, “The most important thing I can talk about is rejection. They don’t teach you about rejection in school. Rejection, which is clearly a theme of ‘Back to the Future,’ is something we all have to deal with.” Gale noted that the BTTF screenplay was rejected 42 times. “When you get rejected, remember that number, 42 – if you believe in it, you have to keep going.”
Now, years after the third BTTF hit theaters, the musical adaptation just finished a run at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. “It took surprisingly longer to get the musical made than it did to get the movie made. The idea was actually formulated by Bob’s (director Robert Zemeckis) wife, Leslie, who, after seeing ‘The Producers,’ suggested that we make a ‘Back to the Future, musical. I started working on it in earnest in 2006, when we went to composer Alan Silvestri and songwriter Glen Ballard. The songs that they wrote are still in the show.”
Now, 39 years later, BTTF gives hope for that type of love and acceptance and how what we do today influences our futures. He advised: “Go to the St. Louis Art Museum, go to the Missouri History Museum, go to the Missouri Transportation Museum – don’t spend all your time on social media, because you’re probably not going to be inspired by posting on Facebook. Leave yourself open for it (inspiration).
“Let’s think about all the serendipity involved in the existence of BTTF.” Gale asked, “What if there hadn’t been bad weather in St. Louis and the basement hadn’t flooded? I never would have seen it (his father’s yearbook)...It’s really important in life to leave yourself open, to have different experiences and expose yourself to stuff, because you never know what that proverbial bolt of lightning will strike.”