James Strickland

Marshal Strickland Chief Marshal James Strickland Biographical information Date of birth 1840s Age (1885) Mid-fourties Physical description Gender Male Hair color Blonde Eye color Unknown Behind-the-scenes information Played by James Tolkan Voiced by n/a
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James Strickland was the chief marshal of Hill Valley in 1885, and the grandfather of Mr. Strickland, Hill Valley High School principal in the 20th Century. Along with his unnamed son (presumably the father of S. S. Strickland), the Marshall was first seen attending the festival that celebrated the clock tower being constructed.

He and his deputy made sure that no one went to the party armed, although Strickland missed a small Derringer pistol hidden underneath the hat of Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. Tannen snidely told the Marshal that he ought to smile since it was a party, but the stoic lawman simply replied he would only smile when he saw Tannen hanged. After Tannen and his men left, Strickland turned to his son and told him to always remember to value discipline above all else. Later, at the party, Strickland showed up armed with a rifle during a tense moment between Tannen and "Clint Eastwood," breaking up the confrontation and getting the party back on track. He was not seen again after this.

Behind the scenes

• A deleted scene, which remained in the novel of the film, had Tannen and his men encountering Marshal Strickland and his son while en route to the duel with "Eastwood," and Strickland attempted to bar the outlaw's way. Tannen warned him to stand aside unless he wanted his son to see him die, and Strickland for some reason obeyed, but was then shot anyway by Tannen who rode off with his gang. As he lay dying, Strickland told his distraught son once more, "Remember, son. Discipline." This explains why it is Strickland's deputy who arrests Tannen later and not Strickland himself. (As originally filmed, the deputy arrested Tannen for the murder of Marshal Strickland, but in the finished film the deputy arrested him for robbing the Pine City Stage.) As the scene was deleted from the film, the canonicity of Strickland's death is unclear.
• His name was not mentioned in the film, but was mentioned in the novel. It may be a reference to actor James Tolkan, who plays both the Marshal and Mr Strickland. The Marshall was given a full head of hair to make up for Mr Strickland (and Tolkan himself) being bald, according to Bob Gale in the DVD commentary.

Appearances

• Back to the Future Part III

Sources

• Back to the Future Part III novelization