[bird screeches]
The idea of time travel was popularized
in HG Wells' 1895 novel, The Time Machine.
But the concept of being able to move
between the past, present and future
goes back much further.
From ancient Hindu mythology, Buddhist scripture, Japanese legends,
to right here, in the great deserts of the Southwest,
where Native American tribes spun tales...
[engine revving intensely]
[breathes heavily]
[car exhaust hisses]
[car door hisses open]
Josh!
- Are you Christopher Lloyd? - Who?
- The actor, Christopher Lloyd. - Actor?
Son! I am a doctor!
I have a PhD in science.
Doctor... Brown?
- Doc Brown? - In the flesh!
[Josh] Okay, I know what you're thinking.
Uh, me, Josh Gates, an actual person on TV,
meeting Doc Brown, a fictional person from the movies.
Believe me, I am just as confused as you are.
I need your help.
Okay, um, this is a crazy person.
- I'm... I'm just gonna... - Something has to be done.
- Hey, is that me? - Yes, that's you.
And Michael J Fox, and you... Um, Christopher Lloyd.
[Doc Brown] Look at that car!
- Is it... disappearing? - Precisely.
This event is supposed to happen weeks from now,
but something's wrong.
And if it doesn't happen,
for the Michael J. Fox foundation,
well, trust me, it has to happen.
So, what can I do?
Find this handsome older man,
find the car, and get it to Michael.
The future depends on it.
Any more questions?
Uh, just... Just one.
You built a time machine out of a Tesla?
I didn't build it. It's a firmware update.
[Josh] Okay, so, that just happened.
And just like that,
it looks like I'm embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
I'm Josh Gates.
And this is Expedition: Back To The Future.
[theme music playing]
[car zapping]
I was a kid when Back To The Future
first premiered on July 3rd, 1985.
But the effect it had on me has remained through the years,
shaping the way I watch and appreciate movies.
[loud blast]
It was just so perfect.
An instant classic.
Rock 'n roll.
[Josh] And, oh! The DeLorean.
There was nothing in the world cooler than that DeLorean time machine.
[Doc Brown] The way I see it,
if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style!
[Josh] That car, without a doubt
is one of, if not the, most famous movie cars of all time.
And what's fascinating, is the movie and the car can only exist in tandem.
You can't think about DeLoreans without thinking about the movie.
And you certainly can't think about the movie
without conjuring images of the DeLorean.
Look!
[car door hisses]
And now, according to this newspaper,
I've got to find this car and bring it to Michael J. Fox.
And so, my journey begins with a trip,
to a mystical land, defying the ravages of time.
A land known as...
Beverly Hills.
All right, Beverly Hills! Here we go!
These houses are bigger than my high school.
Okay.
Okay, let's see here.
Spielberg, Stallone, Tarantino...
Uh... Leno.
Janet Leigh? How old is this?
Okay. Lloyd, aha! Christopher.
Okay, here we go.
This is it!
Now, I interview celebrities all the time,
but none of them is Christopher Lloyd.
This guy's movies were my childhood.
So, I am more than a little nervous.
Also, this is a big door.
[sighs]
Ah! Christo... Uh, Mr. Lloyd!
Uh, my name is Josh Gates.
I host a, uh, TV show called Expedition Unknown,
I don't know if you've seen it.
It's a hit travel adventure show,
where I investi... It's not important.
Uh, I was just wondering... [gasps]
Are you reading my thoughts?
What?
No! It's for growing hair.
Damn thing doesn't work.
Uh, so look, I'm really busy right now.
Is there something I can do for you?
Yes, uh... Okay, I don't even really know where to start. It's...
Okay, so the...
- Can I come in? - Yeah, yeah.
Okay, good. I mean, this is gonna sound wild, okay?
Okay, I'm, uh... I'm out in the desert, right?
And we're filming an episode of my show.
And then, boom!
Out of nowhere, you show up.
Except not... not you, Doc Brown.
[stutters] The real... The real Doc Brown.
By the way, it was the real Doc Brown, which is...
That's... That's very surprising.
And he gives me this. Look at this, look!
Look. Look at the date.
This is weeks from now!
"DeLorean time machine raises record money for foundation."
And look at the photo. Who's that?
It's you and me and Michael and the time machine is disappearing,
and I am not this good at Photoshop.
Okay? So, I know this sounds crazy, and like a really convenient premise,
but, I need you to help me find this car from this photo
and get it to Michael and please don't call the police.
Son,
are you on drugs? Huh?
It feels like it.
I see.
And look, Mr. Lloyd, [stutters] I don't mean to bother you.
You know, I don't make a habit out of bursting into people's houses,
and you have a very nice house by the way.
Especially not someone that I'm such a big fan of,
and man, I am a big fan.
I mean, Back To The Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit,
and Taxi, I mean Taxi!
And Cuckoo's Nest.
- Michael J. Fox is a very close friend. - I know.
The work his foundation has done for Parkinson's research
- is mind-boggling. - I'm sure!
- I don't know you from a hole in the ground. - You don't!
You're someone who's paid to be on television?
Uh... I'm someone who goes to look for things.
So, this is kind of in my wheel-house, but...
I mean, [sighs] I'm sure you have a million things going on.
Ah! I do...
- Yeah. - I was supposed to bring...
- Right. - Yeah.
This is for Michael?
Yes.
- I'd do anything for Michael. - So, is that a yes?
Honey?
Do you mind if I go out and save the space-time continuum
with an absolute stranger?
[wife] Sure.
- All right, I'm in. - Yes! Ha!
So, where do we go?
I don't have a clue. I didn't think I'd make it past the front door.
Gotta think. Gotta think.
- Just give me a second. - Sure yeah, no. I'll just...
I'll just be here in Christopher Lloyd's house.
Ha! Oh, this is bananas. Wow!
[gasps] Is that "the" shirt?
Yes.
Need that to help me get into the proper brain space.
- Sure. - Okay!
Uh, to the car.
I've got it!
If you wanna find this car,
you need to go back where it all began.
Bob Gale.
The mastermind of Back To The Future.
He'll tell you where we can find this car.
Okay! I mean, we could just Google it, or... okay.
[country music playing over radio]
[chuckles]
Wow! [laughs]
- Mr. Lloyd. The, uh... - Chris.
Oh, okay.
All right, Chris. Chris.
[laughs] Chris.
Me and Chris. [laughs]
Maybe we better go back to Mr. Lloyd.
I gotta ask you about Back To The Future.
I mean... First of all, I was a huge... Am a huge fan.
I had the poster on the wall, I was in love with Lea Thompson.
- Well, yeah. - I mean, come on.
And I wanted to be Marty McFly.
Every... Everyone I knew wanted to be Marty McFly. He was the coolest.
The puffy vest and the Walkman? Come on!
I have to ask you, I mean, what was it like
making those movies?
They're so iconic now.
Changed my life.
Those three movies,
the ride and cartoon...
Right, it never ends.
Still, people come up to me and say, "Hey, Doc!"
That I can live without.
[Josh chuckles]
One of the things I love about those movies...
- [Christopher] Yeah, yeah? - ...are the props.
You know, the fading photograph,
the "Save the clock tower" flyer.
- You must have saved some cool stuff from those films. - Oh, nah.
What?
The hazmat suit, the future visor, the hover board?
- [Christopher] Nah. - The dog?
I got this snazzy guy, but that's about it.
You're telling me, you were in, like, the most iconic film franchise of all time
and all you kept was that lousy shirt?
Hey, watch what you're calling lousy, Jeff.
It's Josh, actually.
- Josh. Whatever. - It's fine.
Make a left right here.
There you go.
Hi. Josh Gates and Christopher Lloyd for Bob Gale.
ID, please.
His, too.
Oh, that's Christopher Lloyd. You recognize him.
Hi there!
You got a real attitude problem, Gates. ID!
Okay. There you go.
Okay.
- You're good to go. - [Josh] Thanks.
Slackers.
[crackling]
[Josh] Okay, folks, try to stay calm here.
I know all of this seems pretty surreal, but indulge me.
We just drove on to the back lot at Universal,
which opened over a 100 years ago.
And where some of the most iconic movies of all time were filmed.
Including, of course, Back To The Future.
This is where they built the clock tower.
It's Hill Valley.
I know, it's just too cool to believe.
And I'm going to meet the guy who helped create
one of the most important movies of my childhood.
This has gotta to be a dream.
[crackling]
When was the last time you saw him?
Oh! There he is.
Only one man can birth the idea of Back To The Future
with that incredible brain.
Josh, this is that man.
Bob Gale.
Hey, Chris, over here.
I'm terribly sorry. Uncanny resemblance.
- Sorry. - [mouthing]
There he is.
- Chris, fancy meeting you here. - Hey! [laughs]
I want you to meet a very recent acquaintance of mine.
Josh... [sputters]
Gates. Josh Gates.
Gates. Yeah.
- How you doing? - [Josh] Good. Nice to meet you. Pleasure.
I gotta tell you. He comes to me out of the blue,
and tells me that he met the real Doc...
Ha! Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter.
We're looking for the time machine from the movie,
the actual car. Can you help?
I'm afraid that's gonna be a bit of a problem.
Where was the idea for Back To The Future born?
Back To The Future came about when I was visiting my parents
and found my father's high school year book in the basement,
and I discovered my dad been the president of his graduating class.
- Wow. - I had no idea.
And I thought about the president of my graduating class,
was somebody who I would have absolutely nothing to do with.
And I said, "Gee.
If I'd have gone to high school with my dad,
would I have even been friends with him?"
- Right. - And, boom,
that's when the lightning bolt struck me,
and I said, "Oh, there's a great idea for a movie.
A kid goes back in time and ends up in a high school with his dad."
[Josh] All right, Bob's dad seems pretty cool.
Not only was he the class president,
but he was in almost every club in school.
Except, I'd like to point out,
he wasn't in the Dungeons & Dragons Club like yours truly.
And though Back To The Future started with
this idea of meeting his dad in high school...
What?
You're George McFly.
...Marty's dad, George, obviously was not based on Bob's dad.
[George] You guys are being real mature.
Maybe you were adopted.
At least not the version we meet first.
Because of course, later, he becomes...
- Hello. - Good Morning.
[sighs weakly]
[Josh] Is it true that in the earliest drafts of Back To The Future
that the time machine wasn't a car?
That's absolutely correct.
- What was it? - [Bob] It was a chamber
built from an old refrigerator,
and Doc Brown had to haul it around on the back of a pick-up truck.
And when we finally got the movie into pre-production,
one day, Bob Zemeckis comes in the office and he says,
"Wouldn't it be smarter if Doc had built the time machine into a car,
so, it would be mobile?"
[Josh] Back To The Future director and co-creator Bob Zemeckis.
He was a huge reason this trilogy became what it is today.
His movie shortlist includes Who Framed Roger Rabbit,
- Cast Away and Forrest Gump. - Action!
His vision guided every part of Back To The Future films.
But it was his next idea, in my opinion, that was the game-changer.
What if the car was a DeLorean?
Why a DeLorean?
Well, this was the summer of 1984
- and John DeLorean was on trial at the time. - [Josh] Right.
So we were seeing John DeLorean on the news, every night.
And we thought, "Okay, this would be great,"
- to have this sort of notoriety. - Yeah.
Plus, I mean, look, the car was the coolest looking car that was available.
- [Josh] It still is. - [Bob] It still is.
- Yeah. - The gull-wing doors... It's just perfect.
[Josh] Okay, so there is a lot to unpack in what Bob just said.
First, it's no surprise that the DMC-12
was the coolest-looking car available.
After all, it wasn't John DeLorean's first rodeo.
You heard of the GTO?
The Grand Prix? The Firebird?
Yep. All designed by him.
But what really elevated John DeLorean to a household name
was his highly publicized 1984 cocaine trafficking trial.
And though it did irreparable damage to his reputation,
it did manage to get his namesake car
a starring role in the Back To The Future franchise.
[imitating Marty McFly] "You built a time machine out of a Buick?"
It just doesn't have the same ring.
[clears throat] Boy, I gotta work on that Marty impression.
[Josh] And then I heard... I heard somewhere that
that at one point, it was going to be, like, a Mustang.
No, no, no, no.
Hey, uh, can I have some extra mayo?
Mayo!
Mayo on a burger!
I like the sound of that. Mm!
[Bob] And I looked right at this guy,
and I said "Richard, Doc Brown doesn't drive a [bleep] Mustang."
[Josh laughs] Oh, that's amazing!
Okay, so let's talk about the time machine.
Why is it going to be hard for us to find the car from the movie?
Because there wasn't just one car.
Over the course of the trilogy, there were seven.
All with different purposes.
Seven cars?
- Seven. Absolutely. - Okay.
So, if you guys are looking for what most people considered to be The DeLorean,
the "A" car DeLorean,
the one that came out of the back of Doc's truck at the Twin Pine's Mall,
all you gotta do is go over to the Petersen Automotive Museum right here in town.
- Great! - That was easy.
We'll just go over to Petersen and say that Bob Gale said to hand it over.
- [Josh] Okay! Great! - [Christopher] Let's go!
Hey, thank you so much.
And it was really nice meeting you.
- You got this, right? - Wait, what?
[engine revving]
Vaya con Dios!
[Josh] For the one or two people on the planet
who haven't seen the Back to the Future trilogy,
it is a sci-fi comedy adventure
that travels back and forth through time.
From the late 1800s,
all the way to a very optimistic
and maybe a little too ambitious 2015.
2015?
You mean we're in the future?
[Josh] And seriously, why don't we have flying cars yet?
[both scream]
[car honking]
- What the hell was that? - Taxi cab.
[Josh] So, it makes sense that we find the world's most famous movie car
at the world's most famous automotive museum.
The Petersen.
Where they have hundreds of cars on display,
from the past and the future.
You know, I gotta say, this is unbelievable.
I've done some pretty cool things in my life,
but this is... this is next level.
Hanging out with Bob Gale. Christopher Lloyd.
And here I am with a guy.
[Josh] Yep. Josh, the guy.
[Christopher] You think they have a men's room here?
[Josh] Probably.
[Josh] And this whole place was the brainchild
of publisher, Robert E Petersen,
who opened the museum to the public in 1994,
wanting to create an important and beautiful tribute to automotive culture.
It's no coincidence that the Petersen is part of Museum Row on the Miracle Mile
alongside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
and The La Brea Tar Pits.
Here to help us on the quest for the "A" car is Leslie Kendall,
the museum's curator,
who knows everything there is to know about all the cars in the museum.
Every one of them,
not just pieces of automotive history,
but absolute works of art.
Each inspiring us through their sleek and innovative designs.
What's this?
Looks like a bench.
- That is a bench. - [Christopher] Oh.
Amazing what they can do.
[Josh] And while it'd be easy to spend the whole day here
looking at these amazing cars,
we are on a mission.
So, look the collection here, obviously is just mind-blowing.
But, as you might be able to guess, considering my company,
there is one car here we would love to see.
We hear you have the original DeLorean time machine from Back To The Future.
We sure do.
Well, gentlemen, here it is.
Oh, my word. Look at this!
Well, gentlemen, here it is.
The original DeLorean.
Oh, my word.
- Are you kidding me? Look at it! - [laughs]
It is perfect.
I mean, I didn't realize it would actually be in this kind of condition.
It looks like...
[Leslie] They did everything right when they restored this car
to its original movie configuration.
It's unbelievable.
I mean, look, the time circuits are on.
It's identical to how it looked in the movie.
Is this the one that came out of the bread truck in the beginning?
[Josh] This is the one that came out of the truck, onto the pavement.
Not me! The car! The car!
This is the "A" car.
[Leslie] This is the "A" car for the movie.
Actually, all the three movies.
This thing used to be, like, outdoors, right?
Uh, yes. It was outdoors at Universal.
Just sitting there for the longest time until somebody said,
"Wait a minute. This is too important just to languish.
We need to rescue this car, we need to bring it back to life,
and we need to preserve it as an artifact of history."
- [Christopher] Was it a long restoration? - Two years.
- Really? - [Leslie] Yeah.
[Josh and Christopher] Wow!
[Josh] Leslie tells us the restoration took place in 2010,
with the purpose of bringing this particular DeLorean Time Machine
back to its on-screen condition.
Expert builder, Joe Walser, and his team
spent years researching the movie
and pouring over every detail.
And here it sits,
a testament to timeless movie magic.
And while Leslie seems to be an endless well of information,
I think we've found our time machine.
It's that weird experience of when you see something iconic in person.
It's like, when you're at the pyramids,
you're like, "Oh, it looks like the pyramids."
It looks like the time machine, but it is.
[Leslie] It's like standing in front of
- a piece of history. - [Josh] Yeah.
[Leslie] You know, not just a piece of automotive history,
but a piece of cultural history.
Can I open the door?
[Leslie] Go ahead, open the door.
- Is it hot? - [both laugh]
Well, actually it'd be cold.
- That's right, damn cold. Damn cold! - Let's try it out. Here we go.
- Yeah. - [Leslie] All right.
[Josh hisses]
- [Leslie chuckles] - Sorry.
[Leslie chuckles]
- Look at that. - Oh, come on!
[Leslie] Flux capacitor.
- Flux capacitor. Fluxing? - [Christopher] Yeah.
Unbelievable!
I feel like this is your car.
[Christopher] I feel kinda possessive.
- Do you? - [Christopher] Yeah, no. Yeah.
Hey, wait... Back off, everybody.
[Josh] No, I do. Like, when I see this,
it's like, it's... it's connected to you.
Yeah, yeah. It is.
Is it how you remember it?
Oh! Precisely.
- Oh, yeah. - [Josh] I mean, I have to ask you,
like, when you were sitting in this thing
- 35 years ago... - [Christopher] Uh-huh?
...did you have any, like, inkling
that it would end up in a museum?
What, like, did you know that it was going to be an iconic movie?
I... I... Well, no, I didn't. Because it wasn't one yet.
- [Josh] Right. - [Christopher] No, it just...
It was a movie, it was a job and hopefully,
it'll open up and have a decent run, you know?
Right, right.
- [Christopher] But it's never stopped. [chuckles] - Yeah.
And to think that Michael J. Fox and myself were sitting in there...
- [Leslie] That's right. - ...thirty-five years ago.
Ah, it's unbelievable.
Boggles the mind.
I... I just want so much to sit right there.
- Now, can he take a seat? - Can we, please?
- If anybody can sit in it, it would be you. - I can feel it.
I can feel it. I gotta do it. I gotta do it.
- [Leslie] Please. - [Josh] Oh, man.
[exhales sharply]
I don't wanna get fingerprints on it.
- [Josh] You remember how to get into these things, right? - [Christopher exhales]
- [Christopher] Oh, yeah. - [Josh] Oh, yeah.
Ah.
Okay.
- [Leslie] Looks like a snug fit. - I'll get the flux set up.
- Stop it! - Yeah.
This is, like, the weirdest thing now,
is like, I'm in the movie. Like, you're full Doc now.
Yeah, let's roll.
- [Josh] I mean, look at this. Time circuits, on. - [Christopher] Uh-huh.
I feel like I'm at home.
I have to say, I never even really noticed
just how many buttons and switches are in this thing.
I know.
[Leslie] And you go right to them.
I know, Chris, you know where everything is.
Yeah, well, like it's the palm of my hand.
You know, it's... It's incredible.
So, what do you think?
Oh! This is the real deal. This is it.
- Right. - This is the one. This is the one.
- Okay. - Yeah, so...
Just hand over the keys and we're out of here.
What do you mean, "hand over the keys"?
We gotta get this car, this exact car, to Michael J. Fox.
This is for his foundation.
So, what's the story? The doors open in the back?
[Leslie] No doors are gonna be opening.
This car is not going anywhere.
Bob Gale said we could take it.
It's not his to give. It belongs to Universal.
Leslie, what's your last name?
Why?
[Christopher] All the Back to the Future fans should know
who it is that doesn't like Michael J. Fox.
I'm gonna have to ask you guys to leave now.
Well, we blew it!
It was nice meeting you, Josh. Guess I'll go call a cab.
- Hold on a second. - [Christopher] What?
Wait a minute. Maybe we didn't blow it. Look at this.
Look at what? It looks exactly the same as it did before.
[Josh] Right.
If we'd blown it, the car would've disappeared completely.
Let me see that!
You're right.
This can only mean one thing.
We have to break into the museum and steal the car.
What? No! It means the car in there isn't the one in the picture.
This has to be one of the other six.
I'll go cancel my cab.
Okay, so if it's not the DeLorean at the Petersen,
if it's not that "A" car,
- we gotta figure out where the other six cars are. - Right.
- Can you do quick search on your phone? - Yeah.
What numbers do you want me to push?
Oh, boy.
Oh, do me a favor. Pull over, I gotta make a pit stop.
- Now? - Yes, now! For Christ sake.
Chris, what are we doing here?
Chris? Whose house is this?
Chris, we don't have time for pit stops.
We've gotta talk to somebody who can help us and find a...
- [rings doorbell] - [Christopher] Shh.
Chris.
Whoa, this is heavy.
Pay no attention.
Hi!
So, you guys want some coffee?
- Sure. - Okay.
You're looking great, Lea.
Thank you, so are you.
Well, you know my doctor said
I have the heart of an 80 year old.
Okay. How old are you?
Eighty-one.
[Lea laughing]
- So, you've been working? - Oh, not sure I ever stopped.
Um, come to think of it,
yeah, I'm doing a kind of a job with this guy.
- [Lea] Oh. - He's in love with you.
What? [laughing nervously] No, no.
- [both mumble] - He doesn't know what he's talking about.
That's sweet. Yeah. Okay.
[Josh] How could you not love Lea Thompson?
In the films, she plays five different characters that span a century.
From 1885, as Marty's great, great-grandmother...
The name's McFly, Maggie McFly.
...to 1985, where she plays four different versions of Marty's mom, Lorraine.
In between, we see her as a bubbly teenager in the 1950s.
He's an absolute dream.
In part two, she reprises her role as Lorraine
but she's now married to Biff,
looking a little different in a very different reality.
Everything's gonna be fine, Marty. Are you hungry?
Marty and Doc get a lot of the limelight
but in many ways, Lea is the heart of the films.
Um, so what are you two working on?
This guy says that Doc Brown came to...
[sputters nervously]
We're looking for something very special from the original Back To The Future film.
Oh! That reminds me, I just found something.
Hold on a second.
[whispering] Will you stop bringing up the Doc Brown thing?
- That's what you said, pal. - I know, but it's very weird.
And slightly confusing all right, so just... Ha!
- [gasps] The prom dress! - [Lea] Yes.
- Put it on... Sorry. - [chuckles]
It's amazing! That's the original?
Yeah, well, they made three of them for the first movie,
and I took one home.
And then, when we did the second movie,
they couldn't find the other two,
so I wore this in the second movie.
The "Enchantment Under The Sea" dress?
Exactly! I cannot fit in this anymore.
Why did you wanna keep the dress?
No, I thought it was really beautiful.
I mean, it was made for me and I...
It was very tight at the time,
so I would take it off between takes
- and walk around... - What do you mean? You'd just take it off?
Yes, my mother was scandalized when she saw.
You would just walk around on set with no dress on?
Well, no, there was a lot of stuff underneath it.
There was a bustier, and a big crinoline.
So, it was kind of like what Madonna wore,
- [chuckles] all the time. - [laughing]
Chris, did you save anything important from the movie?
- Uh... - This shirt.
Uh-huh. Okay! So, look...
- Here we are. - I mean, see, she kept something nice, Chris.
So, do you guys wanna use this?
Actually, we need something a little bit bigger.
We're looking for The DeLorean the original time machine.
- It's for the Michael J. Fox foundation. - And who better to ask...
Than someone who had one scene with the car?
I forgot about that.
[Josh] Yeah, you were never really in the car, were you?
No. No, just one scene and it was covered up.
But I was kind of wondering if...
if you'd ask me to the...
Enchantment Under the Sea Dance on Saturday?
Oh! Have you looked at the museum?
Yes, we just left the Petersen Museum.
Yeah, and the guy wouldn't hand it over.
No, no, no. Not the Petersen, the Hollywood Museum.
I'm pretty sure that they have a time machine there.
The Holl... Where's that?
I think it's in Hollywood.
Yep, it's in Hollywood.
Hey, do you think Lea liked me?
- Oh-ho-ho... - I felt kind of a... kind of a connection.
Yeah, yeah. I mean she said she was totally into you.
- Really? - No.
Okay let's... let's just get the time machine.
Hello, and welcome to the Hollywood Museum.
[Josh] This place is incredible.
Right in the heart of Hollywood, as it turns out,
The Hollywood Museum is owned and operated by Donelle Dadigan.
Though the building itself originally opened in 1935.
It was headquarters to legendary makeup king, Max Factor.
Donelle bought the building in 1994,
and spent nine years restoring and outfitting the museum
with some of the most amazing displays of movie memorabilia ever assembled.
I mean, this place is packed with old and new Hollywood treasures.
And lucky for us, they've got an entire section dedicated to one particular film.
But I think we have time for a little tour. Just a little one.
Welcome to our third floor.
This is really the heart of the museum.
Look at this place!
[curator] On this floor, we showcase 100 years of Hollywood history.
From silent movies, to your favorite films, television shows.
Wait a minute, is this... This is Pee-Wee's bike?
[chuckles] It is.
Do you have any idea? This was... This was supposed to be
- in the basement of the Alamo. - [Christopher] Oh, my God.
[Josh] Incredible!
We have Sylvester Stallone's robe from Rocky.
[Josh] This place is next level.
Everywhere you look is a one of a kind,
irreplaceable piece of entertainment history.
All of which is very clearly labelled.
This is the three-headed monster. It was invented by Desi Arnaz.
- Was this from I Love Lucy? - [curator] Yes, it is.
[Christopher] "Please do not touch.
Thank you."
Oh!
Over here.
- There he is! - [Josh] From Bob Gale...
- How you doing? - Good. Nice to meet you.
[Josh] ...to the Petersen Museum.
Just hand over the keys and we're out of here.
I'm gonna have to ask you guys to leave now.
[Josh] And now, to Lea Thompson's house.
Chris!
Whoa! This is heavy.
I mean she's great, isn't she? Look at her she's just... She's awesome.
Sorry.
Anyway, she gave us a lead on another screen-used DeLorean time machine.
Another museum car.
But this one isn't at the Petersen.
It's at the Hollywood Museum.
And something tells me we are getting close.
[curator] Come on over here. You know, this is the moment
we have been waiting for, finally!
The Back To The Future trilogy exhibit
where you can see all of the memorabilia
from all three Back To The Future movies.
[Josh] Oh my word.
I'm freaking out, Chris. I'm literally freak... Look at all this cool stuff!
The letter! This is the letter!
The letter that Marty writes to Doc!
[Marty] Your friend, Marty.
[Josh] This letter saved your life, Chris.
Well, I figured, what the hell.
You wouldn't be here today without that letter.
The Plutonium!
- That's right. That's right. - You have the Plutonium. Where did you get it?
Oh, it's a secret.
- Libyans. Libyans! - [chuckles]
I mean, there's the comic, the "Space Zombies from Pluto."
The VHS recorder that Marty uses to film the time machine.
Discovery still films with these, by the way.
- [curator chuckles] - Amazing.
[Josh gasps] Are these the originals?
[curator] Original photos.
These are the disappearing photos.
You can see all of Marty's siblings disappearing.
[Marty] It's like... It's like it's been erased!
[Christopher] Erased?
From existence!
Perfect! It was so Doc Brown. It was amazing.
And what is this?
[curator] This is the page that's torn out of the phone book.
Yes!
[curator] And this is where Marty is trying to find Doc Brown.
Look at that, Emmet L. Brown, scientist,
and they spelled your name wrong.
Everything in here is blowing my mind.
And we have wonderful cases for each of the films.
So, why don't you follow me
- and let's take a look at some other things. - [Josh] Sure.
- Hey, Josh. - Yeah?
- Can I talk to you for a second? - Sure.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Maybe?
You distract the broad,
I'm gonna grab as much of this crap as I can.
EBay, here we come!
Christopher Lloyd,
we are not going to fence Back To The Future memorabilia.
Why leave all this money on the table?
You could get us arrested. No! Come on.
Fine!
[curator] I wanna show you one of my favorite parts of this exhibit.
They are the handwritten notes with the drawings
from the creator of Back To The Future, Bob Gale.
Oh! Bob Gale, he bought us lunch.
So, these are his actual notes from the filming?
[curator] Absolutely!
Look at this, "Christopher Lloyd, very difficult."
- [exclaims] - Wow! Amazing.
[curator] I don't know. Is that what it says?
I might be misreading that. I think it's, uh...
- "A pleasure", it says. - Yeah.
And I think, the first ever Mr. Fusion lamp that I've ever seen.
[curator] That was created by the special effects supervisor as big thank you to Bob Gale.
And it was in Bob's office
from the first Back To The Future from then on.
And it is so extraordinary.
It's the first time it's been out of his office and it's on display here.
- And it runs off of beer cans. Yeah? - [laughter]
- [whispering] Uh, the car. the car, the car... - [Josh] Oh, yes.
Look, all of this is amazing,
but we understand that you have
an original screen-used DeLorean time machine. Can we see it?
Yes, of course.
- Please. - Love to show it to you.
Please, lead on.
And, here it is.
[Josh] What is this?
The robe.
I love that robe.
That's what I should've kept!
Not the robe, the car!
This isn't the car from the photo. Look at it!
The whitewall tires, it's all jacked up.
The... the box on the hood...
This is the 1885 car!
- This is the Old West car from the third movie. - That's right.
- You see the dent here and the dent on the other side? - [Josh] Yeah.
That's because I put a piece of wood here,
so that Michael and I wouldn't keep slipping down.
- [Josh] When it was being pulled by the horses! - [Christopher] Yes!
Twenty-four!
It's no use, Marty!
Even the fastest horse in the world
won't run more than 35, 40 miles an hour!
So, this is authentic!
This is another of the screen-used DeLoreans from the trilogy,
but it's not the one we need.
- So, what do we do? - I don't know.
Well, this car actually belongs to
Back To The Future super collectors
Bill and Patrick Shea, in Massachusetts.
Maybe you can contact them.
What are you doing?
I'm looking up Bill Shae.
Enough of your pocket robot!
We're doing this the old-fashioned way.
We're going to Massachusetts.
Why would we go to Massachusetts when their DeLorean is right here?
Who the hell would own more than one time machine?
Actually, he has three.
A-ha!
Okay.
[Josh] Okay, people, if you thought that was a little crazy,
and let me assure you, you're in good company,
just wait.
Our adventure is just beginning.
And while you might think, like I did, that all the movie cars
would be conveniently located where the movie cars were actually produced,
well, that is just not the case.
Where's the rest of it?
[Josh] We began in LA,
but this wild ride is going to take us all over the country,
where we'll uncover new clues...
That car is a fake.
It's real!
[Josh] ...meet some eccentric characters...
[woman] Can I help you boys with something?
[Josh] ...and see so much cool Back To The Future and DeLorean stuff,
it will make your head spin.
You're telling me this sucker's nuclear?
It's gonna be a heck of a ride!
What are the chances this guy tries to add me to the collection?
[Josh] But it's not all fun and games.
This is a serious mission.
Crap.
This isn't the car.
[Josh] And spoiler alert, it's not gonna be easy.
- [Josh gasps] - What happened?
I think I just broke it.
[Josh] Because time is running out.
We have 48 hours.
- [Josh] I'm sorry! - [screams in frustration]
What if we don't succeed?
We must succeed.
[theme music playing]