Iconic Back To The Future II memorabilia being sold for heartbreaking reason

An iconic piece of film history is going up for sale this week for at least $100,000 (£79,000).

When it first came out in 1989, Back To The Future II gave movie fans a glimpse of what 2015 could look like, and while some bits were spot on, we’re still waiting on a real life hoverboard.

Ever since filming wrapped, the pink hoverboard has been in the possession of Michael J. Fox’s stunt double Charlie Croughwell, who worked with the Marty McFly actor for 16 years.

After stepping in for his good friend on movie sets over the years, the Hollywood veteran – who has worked on everything from Hook and The Grinch to Men In Black II – wants to give back to support his 63-year-old pal, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991.

‘I was always responsible for Mike’s safety, and with the onset of Parkinson’s, I couldn’t affect that in any way,’ he exclusively told Metro before Heritage Auctions’ Hollywood & Entertainment auction on Saturday.

‘[Michael’s] come down with this disease, and instead of just rolling over and accepting it and living life the best he can, he decided to start a Parkinson’s research foundation that is doing everything they can to find a cure for this.

Charlie Croughwell (right) was Michael J Fox’s stunt double for 16 years (Picture: Heritage Auctions)

The famous Back To The Future II hoverboard is heading to auction (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

‘I can’t help Mike, but I can help, hopefully, by donating the proceeds from it to the foundation, it’ll help somebody.’

The hoverboard – which Charlie says is the ‘only solid board utilised by Mike and myself for these sequences – comes with two harnesses, and is signed by Charlie, BTTF writer Bob Gale, Michael himself (‘Charlie – you are a legend, Love, Mike’) and other producers.

Half of the proceeds will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, while the rest will be split between Charlie’s three children, who also work in the stunt world.

The board is signed by Michael and Charlie themselves (Picture: Heritage Auction)

The hoverboard was the only one used to ‘fly’ on set (Picture: Heritage Auctions)

He took home the hoverboard after filming wrapped on Back To The Future II, and it’s been hanging on his wall ever since.

Charlie has ‘a connection’ with the prop, which has become the ‘centerpiece’ item in his office, with friends often wanting a picture with a piece of film history.

He spoke to his children and decided to get the board appraised, as he’d warmed to the idea of selling it rather than his adult kids having to share it when he’s no longer here.

His friendship with Michael started with the first Back To The Future film in 1985, when he was helped onto the studio lot by a contact and almost stumbled into being his stunt double.

‘He always made sure I was around,’ he said of their close bond. ‘And 16 years later, we were, you know, still doing it. We’ve been friends for 40 years now.’

When it came to Back To The Future II, it was no surprise Charlie was by Michael’s side, while he also played a key role in figuring out how to make the hoverboard fly.

‘My dad and my brother were both engineers and so I called them,’ he recalled, while everyone settled on wires rather than a Maglev board, which needs to be on a track to work.

Charlie wants to sell the hoverboard and give back to his friend (Picture: Amblin/Universal/The Kobal Collection)

‘We rehearsed with the hoverboard for months and started filming, Mike and I together did all of the flying,’ Charlie said, pointing out that while he was ‘real comfortable riding the skateboard’ in the first film, this was a different beast.

‘Now I’m riding a skateboard that’s being supported by wires, being flung around. You have to manipulate that board so that it looks like you’re truly flying it,’ he explained. ‘We were flying from piano wire, a really thin wire because we didn’t have CG, we couldn’t erase the wires.’

Charlie and Michael focused a lot on learning how to ‘manipulate’ the hoverboard to ‘look as realistic as possible’ while they were standing on it, ‘being flung around corners’ and ‘grabbing hold of the Jeep.

The hoverboard was an intricate piece of filming (Picture: Heritage Auctions)

‘The wires on the board were so fragile, it’s just a single strand,’ he revealed. ‘When it gets nicked, it’ll break if there’s a load put on it. So I thought my best bet is to just hang on to this board every day.’

By the time filming finished, he was allowed to keep hold of the board, and it’s been part of his office ever since – while his friendship with Michael has also endured.

‘We became instant friends. I understood him. He understands me. You know when you meet somebody, and you’re just friends. It’s that easy,’ he smiled.

The pair are still close, and Charlie visits him ‘as often as he can’, while they’re often ‘texting back and forth’.

Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 (Picture: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

It’s this close bond over the last four decades that has made it so hard seeing Michael’s struggle with Parkinison’s.

‘I’m sitting on the sidelines watching my friend deteriorate,’ he said. ‘He has such a great, supportive family, that’s really kept him alive.’

Now, Charlie wants to do his part.

‘I gotta do something before I’m dead and gone,’ he shrugged, noting that he hopes the hoverboard can ‘bring in good money’ for the Michael J. Fox Foundation rather than ‘sitting on a shelf’.

‘I’ve been blessed. I’ve had a great career, I have great family, I have everything that I need,’ he added. ‘It’s important that I do something that helps others.’

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