Back to the Future Part III Trivia: 9 Surprising Facts

The concluding chapter in the Back to the Future trilogy, Part III hit cinemas in 1990, and saw Marty travel back to the Old West to rescue Doc Brown. We’ve put together a quiz so you can test your knowledge of the film, along with some surprising trivia…

Here are 9 surprising facts about the film…

1) Michael J Fox was accidentally hanged

During the scene where Mad Dog Tannen and his cronies are attempting to hang Marty after their disagreement in the saloon, Michael J Fox accidentally got hanged for real for a short time, making him pass out for a few moments.

2) The band at the party is ZZ Top

American rock band ZZ Top were hanging around on the set of the film, and ended up portraying the band at the town party. There were some technical issues whilst filming and, whilst repairs were taking place to get them fixed, ZZ Top took requests from the cast and crew and gave a small concert. Later on, Zemeckis confessed that the issues had been fixed for some time, but that he hadn’t wanted to disturb the impromptu performance.

3) Thomas F Wilson did his own horse stunts

Thomas F Wilson, who plays Mad Dog Tannen, did all of his own horse riding and horse stunts during the film. Not only that, but he also lassoed Marty.

4) A very keen train driver

When Marty arrives back in 1985, the famous Delorean is quickly destroyed by a huge freight train. When it came to arranging the scene to be filmed, the producers asked the driver of the freight train whether hitting the car would derail the train, as they didn’t want to cause too much carnage. The driver shrugged it off, saying, ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life to do this.’

5) Clint Eastwood was consulted about Back to the Future Part III

The name Marty takes for himself when he arrives in 1885 is Clint Eastwood; paying homage to the actor’s numerous Western titles, such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Before they could use the name, they checked in with the man himself to get permission. He was delighted.

Marty McFly as Clint Eastwood in Back to the Future Part III — *Universal*

6) Ronald Reagan was offered a role

The American president, who had expressed his love for the first movie in the trilogy, was actually offered a role in the third installment. The producers wanted Reagan to play the town mayor. Of course, Reagan has been a huge movie star decades before, so he has a great actor and very capable. However, he had to turn down the role.

7) The spooked horse was inspired by a real event

Mark Twain’s daughter Clara was on a sleigh ride with her future husband when the wind carried a newspaper past the horse, spooking it, and causing it to bolt. The sleigh toppled over next to a terrifying fifty foot drop, and Clara was tossed out. Her future husband managed to gain control of the horse, and save Clara from falling. Sound familiar? This scene was closely mimicked in Back to the Future Part III, when Doc Brown saves Clara Clayton from a similar fate.

8) Pale Rider

The set of the Old West Hill Valley was used 4 years earlier for Pale Rider – a western starring none other than Clint Eastwood, which hit cinemas in 1985. The film never reached the number one spot in the charts because the original Back to the Future kept it off the top spot.

9) Michael Winslow voiced Marty’s feet

When Marty starts moonwalking to avoid Mad Dog’s bullets, the noises of his shoes sliding along the floor were actually added in by the sound effects department later on, and came from the lips of Michael Winslow, who plays Jones in the Police Academy series.

There you have it – 9 surprising facts about Back to the Future Part III. Check out one of the original trailers below…