At Tokyo Olympics, a debt to ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘E.T.’

TOKYO (AP) — Skateboarding and freestyle BMX are making their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo Games and both owe debts to Hollywood. Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was a landmark on BMX’s Olympic journey. BMX pioneer Bob Haro was a stuntman in the blockbuster about a stranded alien and says the movie turned millions of kids onto BMX. Skateboarding pioneer Tony Hawk has similar praise for “Back to the Future.” The 1985 hit movie featured a skateboard chase scene. Bob Gale was the movie’s co-creator and says in an interview with The Associated Press that he and director Robert Zemeckis used skating’s rebellious image to make Marty McFly stand out. McFly’s skateboarding stunts blew minds and wowed mainstream audiences.