The electric guitar has had some iconic silver screen moments. Steve Vai's virtuoso performance as a guitar-touting devil in Crossroads and Steve Cropper's Blues Brothers spot immediately spring to mind.
But few have proven as influential as the climactic scene in 1985's highest-grossing film, Back to the Future.
Michael J. Fox’s protagonist, Marty McFly, flummoxed audiences with a rousing take of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” at the Enchantment Under the Sea school dance. Comically, the song he played wouldn’t actually be released for another three years, leading to the iconic line, “I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet... but your kids are gonna love it.”
21st-century guitar hero John Mayer says he took up the guitar because of the film. It prompted Coldplay’s Chris Martin to form his chart-smashing group, and there are likely thousands of similar tales beyond theirs, including a few people currently within Gibson's ranks.
However, the cherry red Gibson ES-345 used for the shoot hasn’t been seen in the 40 years since. The people behind the sequel had failed to track it down for use in the follow-up film, and decades later, the guitar world is none the wiser as to where it went.
Gibson is now imploring fans who have any clues to its whereabouts to step forward.
The guitar was rented from Norman Harris, of Norman’s Rare Guitars fame. Against Norm's advice, the film's prop master chose a different guitar than what was agreed upon after a last-minute change of heart.
“The propmaster originally came in and said, ‘We want something red with a whammy bar. It’s 1955.’ So I said, ‘Well, maybe a Stratocaster, or certain Gretsch guitars that have Bigsbys.,’ Harris says (via Guitar.com).
“They came in and the art director chose another guitar – an ES-5. Then the day that they were gonna shoot, whoever was in charge said, ‘Wait a sec! I want a red guitar with a vibrato on…’ So they ran back to us, brought back the ES-5, and took this ES-345.
“I said, ‘Look, they didn’t come out with these guitars until 1958. I just wanna warn you…’ They said, ‘We’re taking artistic liberty!’ Back then, they figured, ‘It’s a guitar, who’s gonna know?’”
So the guitar used in Back to the Future was actually from the future. It's quite poetic.
But where it went afterward remains a mystery. Logically, it was likely sold, but Gibson is determined to track it down and retrace the steps it has since made.
“I started searching for this guitar back in 2009 on my first day on the job at Norman’s Rare Guitars,” says Mark Agnesi, who is now the director of brand experience at Gibson.
“After 16 years of searching, I’m so excited to get the entire guitar community together to help find the guitar that made me and so many other guitarists of my generation want to learn to play.”
“This is one of the most exciting moments at Gibson for me,” adds Gibson president and CEO Cesar Gueikian. “Back to he Future is one of the most significant movies of my life, and the Enchantment Under the Sea school dance scene marked me musically in a profound way. To everyone out there who is as passionate as I am about this iconic film, please help us find it!”
Bob Gale, whose film script changed the lives of many, says he was “astonished to learn this beloved cinematic artifact had apparently disappeared into the space-time continuum.
“Since we don’t have a functioning time machine,” he continues, “this effort is probably our best chance to solve a decades-long mystery.”
Michael J. Fox, a guitar player in his own right, took great care to ensure the scene was as authentic as possible. He even took the time to study some of his guitar-slinging heroes.
“Guitar has always been a big part of my life,” he says. “When we talked about the Enchantment Under the Sea scene, I sat down with the cinematographer and choreographer and said, 'I want to riff through all of my favorite guitarists, like doing Jimi Hendrix behind the head, Pete Townshend doing a windmill, and the Eddie Van Halen hammer thing.' It was so cool that they were open to that, and we laid it all out there.
“I’m really happy with the scene because it was an expression of my love for guitar and all the great players,” he continues. “I didn’t realize the influence the scene had on people.”
I’m really happy with the scene because it was an expression of my love for guitar and all the great players
Michael J. Fox
The search for the guitar is set to be documented in a new film, Lost to the Future, which will see those involved with the making of the sci-fi smash hit, including Fox, Gale and Christopher Lloyd search every corner of the earth for the cherished guitar.
The film Gibson Films production will be directed by Doc Crotzer (Glee, Sons of Anarchy) and 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.”
Fans with information regarding the guitar's websites can contact Gibson, via LostToTheFuture.com, or call 1-855-345-1955.
