For fans of Back to the Future and pop culture in general, the scene in which Marty McFly played guitar onstage at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history. But the film is also subject to one of the most enduring mysteries of cinema: What happened to the Cherry Red Gibson ES-345™ played by Marty McFly during the legendary scene?
Nearly 40 years later, Gibson has launched a worldwide search to find it —and now, Lea Thompson, who played Marty’s mom Lorraine Baines McFly, is adding her voice to the Lost to the Future campaign.
Thompson has been a central part of the film’s legacy from the very beginning, playing multiple time-hopping iterations of Marty’s mother, and the love for that iconic scene, and the guitar’s impact is something she still recognizes to this day.
“I love Chuck Berry. I mean, it’s hard to be an American that’s cool at all and not think that Chuck Berry is awesome,” she says. “It was really fun to be part of that scene and to get to see that song celebrated so much. Now, there are so many rabid Back to the Future fans, and I’ve signed so many guitars over the years—just not the real one. The actual holy grail of something that meant so much to people; it’s invaluable. It’s priceless.”
Watch the video above to hear more from Lea Thompson. When you’re done, watch the latest update from Mark Agnesi on the progress of the search, and revisit the Back to the Future movie to see why the Gibson ES-345 became such an unforgettable part of movie history.
Do you have any information or tips on the missing Gibson ES-345 from Back to the Future? Share your tips with us and stay updated via LostToTheFuture.com and Gibson social channels.
