This backlot at Universal Studios is known as Courthouse Square. Its construction goes all the way back to the 1948 film noir “An Act of Murder,” starring Fredric March. Because the set is just an anonymous, everyday town, Universal didn’t tear it down and instead used it for decades. Throughout the years, Courthouse Square appeared in everything from “To Kill a Mockingbird” to “Bye Bye Birdie” to “Gremlins” to “The Incredible Hulk” TV series. Even in recent years, the backlot has been used for shows like “Bel Air” and “Rutherford Falls.” The malleability of the set is what makes it such a great place to shoot, and the juxtaposition between “Back to the Future” and “The Twilight Zone” perfectly captures that.
“Where Is Everybody?” is the first episode of “The Twilight Zone,” which aired back in 1959. In the episode, Earl Holliman plays a man who finds himself in this town, not knowing how he got there, and it is completely empty. However, things keep happening that make it seem like others are around, but not a soul can be found. It’s an eerie examination on isolation, and placing that within the setting of an artificially made idyllic small town makes it all the more terrifying.
That small town energy for “Back to the Future,” on the other hand, immediately works to transport you to the movie’s heightened version of 1955. It enhances the comedic tone of the picture through its stereotypical construction of a small town. Sometimes a great location is just a great location no matter the project. All “Back to the Future” had to do was put the name Hill Valley on everything and add a clock on the courthouse, which gives the town its name. The magic of filmmaking!
Source From: www.slashfilm.com
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