Star Wars Holiday Special Revisited

[Earth 2 Chris]

Two of my favorite podcasts have just released episode examining the puzzling phenomena known as The Star Wars Holiday Special.

First, my friend and fellow Fire & Water network podcaster Ryan Daly dissects the special in a fair matter (he actually finds a few good points. Very few, but still) over at his Give Me Those Star Wars Podcast:

http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/give-me-those-star-wars-13/

And the Skywalking Through Neverland Disney/Star Wars podcast actually interviews Holiday Special director Steve Binder. It's a very upbeat look at the production:

http://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/

It's the 38th anniversary of the special airing, and still no official release of the thing. It think that speaks volumes to its quality. I mean, the Legends of the Super Heroes specials are out on DVD!

Chris

[hedrap]

Lucas has to die before it gets released. Seriously. I'm interested to hear if Binder confirms the urban legend that the only master left is from CBS Beta.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I don't recall him mentioning it. He did admit he never met Lucas, but he was hired after the first director jumped ship or was let go.

Chris

[Hedji]

As a first-airing viewer, I unashamedly adore the Star Wars Holiday Special, just as I love Legends of the Superheroes.


Waaaay back, before conventions were a big thing, they tried to fill a scifi con at our local Science Museum, and I walked over on my break to find Peter Mayhew sitting, all by himself, having a smoke on a bench. He really looked kinda lonely, so I introduced myself, shook his massive hand, and he sort of grunted hello. Then I proceeded to tell him how much I loved the Holiday Special, and how I think it's wrongly maligned, and it was like a switch was flipped. He lit up and became suddenly very friendly and chatty. It was neat.

[SKotK]

I, too, am a first-airing viewer: I saw it at my grandparents' house when I was 8 years old. In fact, due to various reasons beyond my control, it was the first Star Wars film I saw, and the ONLY Star Wars film I got to see until it finally came out on video rental in 1983. As such, it had a profound effect on me.

Hence this:
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com
(which incidentally needs an update!)

I've been obsessed with the Holiday Special ever since that first viewing. Creating a website about it allowed me to share that obsession with the outside world.

--SKot

[Earth 2 Chris]

I totally understand the nostalgia for it. I watched both Legends specials when they aired, and I own the official DVD. I totally get it. I think to really love this thing, and not just view it as a strange "what were they thinking" curiosity, you literally had to be there. But I'm glad you guys love it. More power to you! Infinite diversity and all that stuff, even though that's Trek, not Star Wars.

Chris

[cjefferys]

I saw it when it first aired and still remember being really disappointed in it (except for the cartoon part). Between that and the disappointment in the KISS TV movie made for a let down of an autumn. Considering that my whole world revolved around KISS and Star Wars in 1978, if more effort had been put into both productions, it could have been the best fall ever.

Oh, and the fact that it's the 38th anniversary of both makes me feel really old right now...

[Hedji]

I, too, am a first-airing viewer: I saw it at my grandparents' house when I was 8 years old. In fact, due to various reasons beyond my control, it was the first Star Wars film I saw, and the ONLY Star Wars film I got to see until it finally came out on video rental in 1983. As such, it had a profound effect on me.

Hence this:
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com
(which incidentally needs an update!)

I've been obsessed with the Holiday Special ever since that first viewing. Creating a website about it allowed me to share that obsession with the outside world.

--SKot

That's your site? AWESOME! I've wasted plenty of hours there! Well done, Sir!

[Brue]

I loved it when I saw it in 78. I was amused with it when I saw it again on grainy 6 men VHS. I nostalgically love it for it Star Wars connection and its embodiment of the late seventies variety shows. There are deleted scenes from the movie in it. The min cast is in it. What is not to love in a time when we were starved for more? Yes it is corny. Yes the soft porn that Lumpy watches is creepy. But I now have it on DVD in 1st ben VHS quality and I watch it with my kids every year for the past 5 or 6 years.

Hence this:
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com
(which incidentally needs an update!)

--SKot

I have visited this site before and am glad I can Thank the creator here publicly.

[Nostalgiabuff]

I have a copy on DVD too, picture quality is grainy but not too bad. I had a copy on vhs at one point that was really bad quality. I put it on every now and then but really it is painful to watch. I remember loving it in 1978 though when 2 years was loooonnnng time to wait for Empire to the 6 year old me

[jwyblejr]

It's weird how when people talk about this,they ignore the cartoon. They focus on everything else.

[Hedji]

The cartoon is brilliant... with the original actors doing the voices! It really is a gem. And Boba is blue like the prototype figure on the back of the blister cards.

There are so many positives to enjoy. The closeups of the Cantina aliens. Ralph McQuarrie matte paintings and designs. Deleted footage from ANH. Closeup looks at props and Stormtrooper costumes. Carrie Fisher's singing... er... um... closeups of Cantina aliens....

I'm not too rose colored to admit that it can be a slog to get through. I think a 45 minute edit might be cool. But I'll take the bad along with the good. Nostalgia? Yeah, guilty as charged.

[hedrap]

Skot - try and chase down the Starlog issue. It's the cover story. I had it several years ago, sold it on eBay and a few weeks after the sale I got a takedown/copyright violation! For a magazine! I called eBay and the eventual manager I talked to said it was because "a company filed a blanket rights violation for anything with that title in the listing". IOW, Lucas wanted anything mentioning Star Wars and "Holiday Special" to be considered illegal.

[Brue]

It's weird how when people talk about this,they ignore the cartoon. They focus on everything else.

Oh no, that is one of the things I love about it.

[Bruce Banner]

I was also a first airing viewer. I vividly remember that night!
Seen it many time since and still love it.
The Nelvana cartoon segment was certainly a highlight... (included on the SW Blu-ray set, too.)