In the new timeline that he created by being the one that Lorraines's father hit, there was too much going on for them NOT to remember him.
He is the one who got them together, (something that women don't tend to forget), and the effort he put forth with George (including the traumatizing visit from Darth Vader from Vulcan, are 2 events that they wouldn't tend to forget.
They knew him for a week some 30 years ago. They would have remembered him, but not exactly how he looked necessarily. And it's not like Marty just popped out of thin air: they raised him from a baby when he didn't look like any teenager. As he grew from a baby to a boy to a man, their son Marty owned that face, not the Marty from 30 years ago.
I was just looking through my high school yearbook and was looking at pictures of my friends that I haven't seen in decades. I went to school with them for 4 full years and some I went to grammar school with.
The did not look exactly like I remembered them.
I bumped in to a guy I went to school with some years back. He apologised for not recognising me. I tried to prompt him by mentioning a few friends names from that time. He nodded saying yes I remember him etc..then I mentioned my name and he said yes I remember Alan. At this point I said yeah, Alan, pointing to myself. He said you're not Alan.
So the Marty thing is not so unbelievable.
That's pretty much it.
Surely they remembered a Calvin Klein from 1955, but they had no photos or anything to remind themselves of what he looked like. So it's quite believable that in 1985, they'd not remember precisely what he looked like. From their perspective, it was 30 years since they'd seen him. It's entirely believable that they hadn't noticed at all.
And as you say, Marty was born to them and grew up. It's not like they'd make a connection. Even if they did notice a physical similarity, would they really assume the only explanation was that their teenage son had time travelled back and met them as kids? Of course not.
Also, we don't know that George and Lorraine hadn't noticed a similarity and mentioned it to Marty at some point when he was growing up.
Also, we don't know that George and Lorraine hadn't noticed a similarity and mentioned it to Marty at some point when he was growing up.
People assume that it was never mentioned, because it wasn't mentioned in the five minute interaction that we see at the end of the film.
shareYou know I graduated highschool back in 2006 and I have people come up to me sometimes and say they remember me from highschool but I don't remember them. Honestly I can't even remember most of the kids in my classes.
shareI agree. But I think you'd remember someone who had a serious impact in your life like Marty did on theirs.
shareIt's "Neither Nor", not "Neither Or", geez.
Don't use 'neither', if you don't know how.
Anyway, what about Mr. Strickland, Biff, or Biff's 'gang'? They don't seem to recognize him, either, so what's the big deal?
Look, I can't remember people's faces that I interacted a LOT more than anyone interacted with Marty in 1955, much fewer years ago. Twenty years is PLENTY of time to forget a face, let alone thirty.
Also, if you look at a baby slowly transform to some face, you're not going to connect that face into some hazy memory of some 'Calvin' you saw only for a couple of weeks three decades ago. You're going to accept that face as your kid's face, and that's that.
This is an OLD talking point that I have refuted so many times, but it seems nothing sticks, these forums are like Memento.. nothing ever sticks.
How petty are you. geez.
shareI agree with the post here. Lorraine was infatuated with Marty...
If I woke up now...I'd remember half of the faces and names of my High School mates.
Maybe, that's just me. But you make a good point.
Marty was instrumental...a nice face...a hero....and a hell of a guitar player who fixed her up with her future husband.
I would also assume...Lorraine would remember him 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years later...
Would anyone really forget the skateboard scene with the school bully?
Lorraine was infatuated with Marty...
I once ran into a guy I knew from high school. I walked up to him and said hello. He didn't even recognize me and barely remembered my name. Here's the really strange thing. Because they had assigned seating and sat us in alphabetical order I was directly behind him in every class we had together for all four years.
Now ironically his son and my daughter are classmates.
Why would they recognize him? They knew him for like 5 days , 30 years ago.
sharePeople seem to not understand that there can be a difference between remembering somebody and recognising somebody.
He had a big impact on their life. So, sure they'd remember the existence of a person called Calvin Klein.
But would they remember what he looked like after not seeing him for 30 years? Not him, not a photo of him. Nothing. They may have a picture of him in their head, but after 30 years that memory may be distorted and false. Memories can be like that.
I agree with most posts here, it is understandable that they dont connect Calvin with Marty or remember his features.
BUT
He is onstage for a good 15 minutes at their dance.
Nobody snapped a picture of the dance at all?
Even after his performance?
What was the protocol for such social events in 1955?
Was there a photographer present in the room?
I was in high school in the 1970's. I don't recall a single photo of any band at any school dance from that time; not even in the yearbook.
shareIn the 1950's people didn't travel around with cameras all the time. There likely was a camera setup there, but it would be a stationary camera on a tripod where couples or groups could go to have a photo taken. It wouldn't be pointed at the stage.
I was also in high school in the 1970s. I think the yearbook had a few shots from various dances, but always posed shots at a single location; not candids from around the dance. No bands in photos at all.
I don't think it's hugely unbelievable that in 1955 there wasn't a cameraman present at their high school dance, or if there was the camera was pointed at something other than the stage. I mean, they weren't expecting a kid from the class to get up and do a rock and roll dance number. They had hired a band to do some music, and maybe thought that the students present would more likely to have photos of themselves then the band.
It wasn't like now, when you could just get your phone out and take photos of everything.