Hollywood History: “Back to the Future”

When the head of Universal Studios wanted to change the title of the movie to… well, read on.

Here’s the memo:

The filmmakers were stuck: There may have been only one person who did NOT like the title Back to the Future, but that one person was the president of production at Universal Studios. To the rescue rides Steven Spielberg, this according to co-screenwriter [Bob] Gale:

And THAT’S how the movie retained its title… and Spielberg nabbed an Executive Producer credit. Here is the original trailer for the movie:

The movie has a particular place in movie history for me. On my honeymoon in July 1985, I convinced my brand new bride to go see the movie. And in 1986, it was the first screenplay I ever read. Such a great script… and movie!