BeforeBack To The Future, there was the sitcomFamily Ties, in which Michael J. Fox starred as a conservative teen Alex P. Keaton. Fox would go on to be massively famous for playing Alex’s time-traveling counterpart Marty McFly, prompting a debate over which role is more iconic. InBack to the Future, Fox stars alongside Christopher Lloyd as well as Crispin Glover, the latter of whom plays George McFly, beforeGlover’s recast inBack To The Future 2.
However,BackToThe Futurewas not Fox and Glover’s introduction to one another.A year before starring in thetime travel movieBack To The Future, they appeared together in a significant TV show episode. Their roles from beforeBack To The Futureare entirely different from those in the film, their characters having a different relationship. The two major actors' past collaboration putsBack To The Futurein a different light, with a bizarre effect.
Crispin Glover Appeared In A 1984 Episode Of Family Ties With Michael J. Fox
Fox & Glover Starred Played Friends In Family Ties Before Back To the Future
In 1984,Glover appeared as a guest starin season 2, episode 11, “Birthday Boy” ofFamily Tiesalongside Fox. In this episode, Fox’s Alex turns 18 and wants to drink legally with his friends, Neil and Glover’s character Doug.Doug is one of the friends who encourages Alex to disobey his motherby taunting him while he is celebrating his birthday with them. This does not end well when Alex’s mother drags him home, in an ironic role reversal for Glover fromBack to the Future.
One fundamental similarity between Fox and Glover’s roles in Family Ties and Back To The Future is their friendship.
One fundamental similarity between Fox and Glover’s roles inFamily TiesandBack To The Futureis their friendship. However, the friendship between Marty and George inBack To The Futuredrastically differs when it is also a parent-child relationship, and an unconventional one prompted because of the time travel scenario.Doug is a lousy friend to Alexfor pushing him to defy his mother, while Marty almost becomes a protector for his fatheras he helps him stand up to bullies in one ofBack To The Future’s timelines.
It Feels Weird That Glover & Fox Played Friends In Family Ties, Then Father & Son In BTTF
It Is Hard To Distinguish Their Roles In Family Ties From Back To The Future
Although Glover needed to be younger to play George in the past timeline, it is strange that Glover and Fox played friends inFamily Ties, then father and son inBack to the Future. This is because when rewatchingFamily Ties, Glover will still be associated with his role as Marty’s father inBack To The Future, as his role is more memorable in the film. Therefore,it is more natural to see George ratherthan Doug inFamily Ties,making the casting choice hard to grasp.
Back To The Future Has An Easy-To-Miss Sitcom Cameo In The Opening Minutes
Back to the Future’s opening sequence features an uncredited cameo from a recognizable ’80s sitcom star. Here’s what we know about the role.
Because of Glover and Fox’s ages, it is actually more accurate (but still off) for them to portray friends rather than father and son. In real life,Fox is three years older than Glover, but theircharacters' agesinBack To The FutureandFamily Tiesare the same. Contrasting with Marty and George’s natural age gap, Fox and Glover’s ages in real life challenge how they are viewed in their roles, and they probably wouldn’t be cast in that way inBack To The Futureif the movie were not dependent on a younger version of George.
