Tracing Michael J. Fox’s Lost ‘Back to the Future’ Guitar in New Doc
Analytical briefing: A prized artifact from the 1985 blockbuster Back to the Future has been off the grid for nearly four decades, and a forthcoming documentary aims to fill in the blank spots. According to a New York Post investigation, Michael J. Fox’s signature white-and-black Fender Stratocaster—brandished by his character Marty McFly during the film’s iconic “Johnny B. Goode” scene—vanished from studio archives soon after principal photography wrapped. Meanwhile, Guitar World confirms that Prop Master Dean Tavoularis cataloged the guitar among Universal’s memorabilia vault in late 1985, but subsequent records go silent.
Let’s break down what we know so far. First, the guitar’s last verified whereabouts trace back to a 1990 Universal auction, where film collectibles surfaced under lot 472. Auction house records, cited by People Magazine, list a “vintage Fender Stratocaster, used in Back to the Future,” fetching a six-figure bid from an anonymous buyer. From there, the trail splinters: enthusiasts speculate the instrument circulated through private collections, yet no subsequent public sale has been documented.
Moreover, the documentary’s director, Emma Hastings, has assembled interviews with film historians, memorabilia appraisers, and former Universal staff. In an exclusive statement to Guitar World, Hastings notes she’s uncovered shipping logs pointing to a storage facility in Burbank that housed “items pending restoration.” That facility closed in 1998 under contested circumstances, sowing further confusion. Archives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have been scoured, but no guitar inscriptions or photos have emerged beyond early production stills.
In terms of valuation, market data indicates that authenticated Back to the Future props can demand upwards of $500,000 at auction, depending on provenance. The documentary will cross-reference serial numbers, paint-chip analysis, and thermal imaging scans to confirm whether a Stratocaster currently in a private Los Angeles vault matches the on-screen guitar. Hastings is also negotiating access to the personal archives of session musician Tim May, who overdubbed the film’s guitar tracks—and may have retained production notes.
Looking at film memorabilia trends, the guitar’s disappearance echoes other high-profile vanishings—Princess Leia’s blaster from Star Wars and the DeLorean time machine key fobs. Each missing item leaves a gap in cultural heritage. This doc promises not only to chase the guitar’s physical whereabouts but also to interrogate how studios catalog and preserve cinematic history.
Finally, the narrative hinges on a yet-to-be released piece of evidence: a 16mm home movie filmed during Fox’s last day on set. If footage shows the actor handing the guitar to a production assistant, it could upend prevailing theories. More updates will follow as details emerge. That wraps up today’s forensic dive—stay tuned as this decades-old mystery takes shape on screen.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Guitar World, People Magazine
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
