by Bob Gale
Back to the Future - 3
( Back to the Future - 3 )
Bob Gale
Neil Canton
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART 3
Produced by Bob Gale & Neil Canton
NOVEMBER 12, 1955
It's 10.03pm. The Marty from the first film (called 1955 Marty here) is about to get sent back to the future. Cut to Doc at the clocktower. He's on it holding the cables. He watches the DeLorean from the first movie approach the clocktower. Doc finishes connecting everything and then slides down the rope.
Doc: Argh!
Cut to 1955 Marty in the DeLorean. The DeLorean hits 88mph and lets off blue flashes - it's about ready to travel through time.
1955 Marty: Doc!
Cut to Doc. Doc gets the cable out of the branch. The clock turns to 10.04. Lightning strikes it, and the lightning causes electricity to go down the cables, which Doc reconnects just in time, getting himself a slight electric shock as he does so.
Doc: Ahh!
The lightning enters the flux capacitor. 1955 Marty gets sent back to 1985. Doc dances with delight because the experiment was successful.
Doc: Yoo! Ha, ha, ha!
And then he turns to the Courthouse. After looking at it, he turns to his car - and 1985 Marty (the one we've been following through Part 2) comes running up to him.
Marty: Doc! Doc! Doc!
Doc: What?
Marty: Doc!
Doc turns and sees Marty.
Doc: Argh! A ghost!
Marty: OK, relax Doc, it's me, it's me, it's Marty!
Doc: No it can't be you...I just sent you back to the future!
Marty: I know, you did send me back to the future, but I'm back, I'm back from the future!
Doc: Great Scott!
He faints, and Marty bends down to tend to him.
Marty: Doc. C'mon.
CREDITS FOR PART 3.
Marty drives Doc home, back to Doc's mansion. He gets the still unconscious Doc out of the car and takes him inside.
NOVEMBER 13, 1955
Next morning Marty and Doc are sleeping. Marty is in the chair with his feet on the hoverboard, and he's put Doc on the couch. Doc's letter from 1885 is near the fireplace, drying. The TV has been on all night, and now programmes are just about to start as a show appears.
TV Announcer: (v.o) Hey kids, what time is it?
TV Kids: Howdy Doody time! (singing) It's Howdy Doody time, it's Howdy Doody time..
Doc gets up and clutches his head.
Doc: Great Scott! Ooh...Howdy Doody time?
Doc gets his tape recorder and starts speaking into it.
Doc: Date, Sunday, November 13th 1955 7.01am. Last night's time travel experiment was apparently a complete success. Lightning struck the clock tower at precisely 10.04pm sending the necessary 1.21 gigawatts into the time vehicle, which vanished in a brilliant flash of light leaving a pair of fire trails behind. I therefore assumed that Marty and the time vehicle were transported forward through time into the year 1985. After that...after that...I can't recall what happened. I don't even remember how I got home! Perhaps the gigawatt discharge coupled with the temporal displacement field generated by the time vehicle caused a disruption of my own brain waves resulting in a condition of temporary amnesia. Indeed I now recall the moments after the time vehicle disappeared ... into the future ... I saw a vision of Marty saying, "I've come back from the future."
During the next line, Marty awakens and gets up. Doc doesn't see him.
Doc: Undoubtedly this was some sort of -
Marty: Hey Doc. Doc.
Marty grins at Doc. Doc turns around, sees Marty and screams.
Doc: Argh! Argh! Argh!
Doc steps backwards from Marty, but the hoverboard is there. Doc trips over it and falls backwards onto his piano. His elbow lands on some keys which cause a sinister sounding chord to play.
Marty: Doc, calm down, OK? Just calm down, it's me, it's Marty.
Doc: No! It can't be you I just sent you back to the future!!
Marty: But I came back from the future, remember? Last night you fainted... I brought you home.
Doc: This can't be happening! You can't be here! It doesn't make sense! I don't believe you are here.
Doc runs into his bathroom and slams the door. Marty speaks to Doc through the door.
Marty: I am here, and it does make sense. I came back to 1955 with the you from 1985 to get a book back from Biff. So once we got the book back, you - that is the you from 1985 - were in the DeLorean when it got struck by lightning and you got sent back to 1885!
Doc opens the door.
Doc: 1885? It's a very interesting story, future boy, but there's one little thing that doesn't make sense. If the me of the future is now in the past, how could you possibly know about it?
Marty: You sent me a letter.
Marty shows Doc the letter. A few minutes later, Doc is reading it.
Doc: (reading) "Dear Marty: If my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning. First, let me assure you that I am alive and well. I have been living happily these past eight months in the year 1885. The lightning bolt that hit the DeLorean caused a gigawatt overload which scrambled the time circuits, activated the flux capacitor, and sent me back to 1885. The overload shorted out the time circuits and destroyed the flying circuits. Unfortunately, the car will never fly again." (To Marty) It actually flew?
Marty: Yeah, well, you had a hover conversion done in the early 21st century.
Doc: Incredible! (re: letter) "I set myself up as a blacksmith as a front while I attempted to repair the damage to the time circuits. Unfortunately, this proved impossible because suitable replacement parts will not be invented until 1947. However, I've gotten quite adept at shoeing horses and fixing wagons!"
Doc turns to Marty.
Doc: 1885! Amazing. I actually end up as a blacksmith in the Old West.
Marty: Pretty heavy, huh?
Doc turns back to the letter.
Doc: (reading) "I have buried the DeLorean in the Del Gato mine adjacent to the old Boot Hill Cemetery as shown on the enclosed map. Hopefully it will remain undisturbed and preserved until you uncover it in 1955. Inside, you will find repair instructions. My 1955 counterpart" - that's me - "should have no problem repairing it so you can drive it back to the future. Once you have returned to 1985, destroy the time machine." Destroy it?
During the following Marty is examining the toy car Doc used in the first movie in the demonstration of how he planned to send Marty back to 1985.
Marty: Yeah, well, it's a long story, Doc.
Doc: (reading) "Do not - I repeat - do not attempt to come back here to get me. I am perfectly happy living in the fresh air and wide open spaces, and I fear that unnecessary time travel only risks further disruption of the space-time continuum. And please take care of - Einstein for me." Einstein?
Marty: He's your dog, Doc - Einstein - it's what you call your dog in 1985.
Marty walks over to a chess set, which Copernicus (Doc's 1955 dog) is sitting in front of, and moves a piece. Doc smirks at the mention of Einstein and continues reading.
Doc: (reading) "I know you will give him a good home. Remember to walk him twice a day and that he only likes canned dog food. These are my wishes. Please respect them and follow them. And so, Marty, I now say farewell and wish you Godspeed. You've been a good, kind, and loyal friend to me and you made a real difference in my life. I will always treasure our relationship, and will think on you with fond memories, warm feelings and a special place in my heart. Your friend in time, 'Doc' Emmett L. Brown." This says September 1st, 1885. I never knew I could
write anything so touching.
Marty: I know, I know Doc, it's beautiful.
Copernicus starts to whine. Doc goes over to him.
Doc: Oh, it's all right, Copernicus! Everything's going to be fine.
Marty: I'm sorry, Doc, it's all my fault you're stuck back there. I never should've let Biff get to me.
Doc: There are plenty worse places to be than the Old West. I could've ended up in the Dark Ages. They probably would've burned me at the stake as a heretic or something. Let's look at the map. It says here the time vehicle is buried here in a side tunnel. We may have to blast.
NOVEMBER 14, 1955
Cut to Boot Hill Cemetery. An old mineshaft, just like 1985 Doc in 1885 mentioned in his letter, can be seen. Nearby are a few tombstones. Dynamite blows and Marty, Doc and Copernicus, safely hidden away, cover their ears.
Marty: Whoa. I think you woke up the dead with that blast.
Doc: Take this camera. I want to document everything!
Inside, Marty and Doc try to find the DeLorean.
Doc: This reminds me of the time I attempted to reach the centre of the earth. I'd be reading my favorite author, Jules Verne. I spent weeks preparing for the expedition, I didn't even get this far. Of course, I was only 12 at the time. It was the writings of Jules Verne that had a profound effect on my life. I was 11 when I first read "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." That's when I realised that I must devote my life into science.
Marty notices a little alcove. It's covered with wooden planks, one of which has the letters ELB marked on it.
Marty: Doc...check it out...look at this.
Doc: My initials - just like in "Journey To The Center of the Earth"! That means the time machine must be right through this wall.
Doc and Marty chop through the planks and rocks. They get through and see the DeLorean, covered in a sheet. Doc sighs with astonishment.
Doc: It's been buried here for 70 years, 2 months, and 13 days. Astounding.
Later, Marty and Doc are repairing the time machine. Marty is reading 1985 Doc in 1885's instructions. Doc stares at some parts through a magnifying glass.
Marty: "...As you can see, the lightning bolt shorted out the time circuit control microchip. The attached sh...sh..."
Doc: Schematic.
Marty: "...schematic diagram will allow you to build a replacement unit with the 1955 components, thus restoring the time machine to perfect working order."
Doc: Unbelievable, that his piece of junk could be such a big problem. No wonder this circuit failed - it says, "Made in Japan."
Marty: What do you mean, Doc? All the best stuff is made in Japan.
Doc: Unbelievable!
That night, Marty and Doc are back at the cave with a tow truck which they're loading stuff onto.
Doc: You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be a cowboy. Now, knowing I'll spend my future in the past it sounds like a wonderful way to spend my retirement years. It just occurred to me - since I end up in 1885, perhaps I'm now in the history books. I wonder - could I go to the library and look myself up in the old newspaper archives?
Marty: I don't know, Doc, you're the one whose always saying, you know, it's not too good to know too much about your own destiny.
Doc: You're right, Marty. I know too much already. Better that I not attempt to uncover the circumstances of my own... future. Copernicus! Come home boy!
Marty: I'll get him Doc. Copernicus!
Copernicus, off stage, is whining.
Marty: Come on, let's go home, boy.
Copernicus whines again.
Marty: What's wrong? What's wrong, Copernicus, come on, let's go home. Come on.
Copernicus is standing in front of a gravestone. Marty puts the flashlight onto it, but doesn't notice what the audience can clearly see - "Here Lies Emmett Brown, Died, September 7th, 1885. Erected in eternal memory by his beloved Clara.". Marty walks off, stops, turns back, and reads the writing.
Marty: Doc! Doc! Come here! Quick!
Doc comes over.
Doc: What's wrong, Marty? You look like you've seen a ghost.
Marty: You're not far off, Doc. Look at this.
Doc reads the gravestone and clutches his chest.
Doc: Oh! Great Scott!
Marty: Check this out. (reading) "Died, September 7th, 1885." (to Doc) That's one week after you wrote the letter! (reading) "Erected in eternal memory by his beloved Clara."
Marty stand up.
Marty: Who the hell is Clara??!!
Doc: Marty, please don't stand there!!
Marty: Oh, right, sorry. I gotta get another picture.
Marty takes a picture of the tombstone.
Doc: (reading) "...shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars!" What kind of a future do you call that?
NOVEMBER 15, 1955
In the library, Marty reads through some old newspapers and Doc is searching for more information on September 1885.
Marty: (reading) "Buford Tannen was a notorious gunman whose short temper and a tendency to drool earned him the nickname Mad Dog. He was quick on the trigger and bragged that he had killed 12 men, not including Indians or Chinamen."
Doc: Does it mention me? Am I one of the 12?
Marty: Just a minute. (reading) "However, this claim can not be substantiated since precise records were not kept after Tannen shot a newspaper editor after printing an unfavourable story about him in 1884." That's why we can't find anything.
Doc has found a book of old pictures. He shows Marty one,
Doc: Look ... the William McFly family. Your relatives?
Marty: My great-grandfather's name was William.
Marty lays his finger over photograph of William (posed by Michael J Fox)
Marty: That's him. Good looking guy.
Doc: McFlys...but no Browns!
Marty: Look, Doc, maybe it was mistake. Maybe that grave wasn't yours. There could've been another Emmett Brown back in 1885. Did you have any relatives here back then?
Doc: The Browns came to America in 1908, and then they were the Von Brauns. My father changed our name in World War I.
Marty: Doc! Look!
Marty has found a picture of Doc in front of the "new clock" (the one that is now stuck at 10.04). It's dated September 5th 1885.
Doc: Oh! Great Scott! It's me! Then it is true. All of it. It is me who goes back there - and gets shot.
Marty: It's not gonna happen Doc. After you fix the time circuits and put new tires on the DeLorean, I'm going back to 1885 and I'm bringing you home.
NOVEMBER 16, 1955
Cut to an Indian themed drive in outside Hill Valley. Doc is preparing the DeLorean. Marty is getting changed.
Doc: The clothes fit?
Marty: (o.s) Yeah! Everything except the boots, Doc. They're kind of tight! I dunno, are you sure this stuff is authentic?
Doc: Of course. Haven't you ever seen a Western?
Marty comes out. He's wearing a pink outfit that would look very out of place in 1885.
Marty: Yeah, I have Doc, but Clint Eastwood never wore anything like this.
Doc: Clint who?
Marty: That's right....
Marty gestures toward the movie posters. One of them, Revenge Of The Creature, starred Clint Eastwood in a small uncredited role!
Marty: (continued) ...you haven't heard of him yet.
Doc looks at Marty's feet. He still has his Nikes on.
Doc: Marty, you have to wear the boots. You can't wear those futuristic things in 1885. You shouldn't even be wearing them in 1955.
Marty: All right, Doc, look. Once I get there I'll put them on, I promise.
Doc: OK, I think we're about ready. I put gas in the tank, your future clothes are packed, just in case fresh batteries for your walkie-talkies. Oh, and what about that floating device?
Marty: Hoverboard.
Doc: Alright.
Doc puts the hoverboard in the DeLorean.
Marty: You know Doc, it's gonna be a hell of
long walk back to Hill Valley from here.
Doc: It's still the safest plan. After all, we can't risk sending you back to a populated area, or to a spot that's geographically unknown. You don't want to crash into some tree that once existed in the past. This is all completely open country! So you'll have plenty of run-out space when you arrive. Remember where you're going there are no roads. There's a small cave over there which will be a perfect place to hide the time vehicle. Well, the new time circuit control tubes are warmed up!
Doc starts the DeLorean.
Doc: Time circuits on. I wrote the letter on September 1st, so we'll send you back the very next day. September 2nd, that's a Wednesday. September 2nd, 1885, 8am.
Doc inputs the date and time.
Doc: I get shot on Monday the 7th, so you have 5 days to locate me. According to my letter I'm a blacksmith, so I probably have a shop somewhere. All you have to do is drive the time vehicle directly towards that screen accelerating at 88 miles per hour.
Marty looks at the screen. Underneath is a mural of Indians.
Marty: Wait a minute, Doc. If I drive straight towards the screen, I'll crash into those Indians.
Doc: Marty. You're not thinking 4th dimensionally! You'll instantly be transported to 1885, and those Indians won't even be there.
Marty: Right.
Doc: Well, good luck, for both of our sakes. See you in the future.
Doc pats Marty on his shoulder.
Marty: You mean the past.
Doc: Exactly!
Doc runs to the building with a pistol. It's the same pistol he used in 1985 to try and shoot the Libyans in Part 1.
Doc: Happy trails Marty! Ready Marty?
Marty: Ready!
Doc: Set!
Marty: Hi ho silver.
Doc pulls the trigger and Marty sets off.
Doc: Viya con dios!
Just before he hits the screen and the mural of Indians, he travels through time.
SEPTEMBER 2, 1885
Marty arrives in 1885, only to see a tribe of real Indians heading towards him.