Who else seen Star Wars in theatre in 1977 ? --- and how many times did you see it ?

[wyldpny]

Question -1
Did you see Star Wars back in 1977 in the theatre ?
I first saw it at the drive in with my parents.
As we were leaving the theatre after the movie was over a person was at the gate handing out envelopes. It was the Kenner early bird certificate mailer package to pre-order the first set of action figures. I remember my Mom sending in the forms a week or so later and it then seemed to take years though it was obviously a few months for the figures to finally arrive :D

Question - 2
How old were you ?
15

Question - 3
How many times did you see it in the theatre back in '77 ?
I then saw it about 20 times in the theatres over the rest of the summer.

[johnnystorm]

I got the Marvel Comic book a month or so before and was totally ready for when it hit. My two best friends in high school were also comic book fans, so we went first day, rode our bikes to the Mall to see it (which was about a 10 mile shot from my house! Today that would kill me!). I was 16 but none of us drove yet.
We saw it twice that day, and at least 4 more times in the next month. I even remember watching it again two more times the following summer at a drive-in (with beer we snuck in- see if you can do that anymore!).

When ESB hit a few years later, I went with a girl on our first date (I was 19 and she was 24! But a good Christian girl if you get my meaning). She was appalled when they cut the Tauntaun open for warmth and made us leave. I had to go back the next day with my buddy and see it again, and he kept telling me what was gonna happen and I kept punching his arm.

BTW, I went out three more times with that girl -it didn't get better either, at least not 19 year old better.

[cjefferys]

I only had a chance to see it once back in '77 (I was 9 years old). I was completely enthralled by it though, and became an instant fan. After that I saw it during it's re-releases in 1979 and 1981.

[huedell]

I got the Marvel Comic book a month or so before and was totally ready for when it hit. My two best friends in high school were also comic book fans, so we went first day, rode our bikes to the Mall to see it (which was about a 10 mile shot from my house! Today that would kill me!). I was 16 but none of us drove yet.
We saw it twice that day, and at least 4 more times in the next month. I even remember watching it again two more times the following summer at a drive-in (with beer we snuck in- see if you can do that anymore!).

When ESB hit a few years later, I went with a girl on our first date (I was 19 and she was 24! But a good Christian girl if you get my meaning). She was appalled when they cut the Tauntaun open for warmth and made us leave. I had to go back the next day with my buddy and see it again, and he kept telling me what was gonna happen and I kept punching his arm.

BTW, I went out three more times with that girl -it didn't get better either, at least not 19 year old better.

That was one of the best STAR WARS-related posts I've ever read johnnys.

AND I could almost use that: "She was appalled when they cut the Tauntaun
open for warmth and made us leave." as a sig if I wasn't so attached to
showing of muy SUPERMAN III appreciation.

[Vortigern99]

I was 7 in '77 and my sister was 8. Our grandmother took us to see the movie everyone was talking about. Of course we kids loved it like crazy. My grandmother had a good time too. She kept saying afterward that she "loved that DOG! (Chewbacca)"

It was during the first re-release in '78 that I saw the movie 6 more times. My family and my friends' family all went to see the new Pink Panther movie at the Westchase 5 in Houston, when my friend and I noticed that Star Wars was playing! Our mothers (God bless 'em) let us watch it alone, me for the second time and him for the bazillionth according to his various exaggerations. Anyway, there was a moment during the cell-block shootout on the Death Star when my friend and I looked at each other with unbridled ecstasy on our faces: THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER IN THE HISTORY OF STUFF. From then on I was hooked, especially when the action figures hit the shelves later that year for $1.89 each!!!

[huedell]

...there was a moment during the cell-block shootout on the Death Star when my friend and I looked at each other with unbridled ecstasy on our faces: THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER IN THE HISTORY OF STUFF...

The dialogue exchange there was awesome!

And indeed the first time Han met Leia
and the first time the three major characters interacted.

And of course...
"I don't care what you smell!"

[Timothy2251]

I was about 10 or so when my family went to see it at Menlo Park Mall. As we were leaving, much like wyldpny, we passed the Kenner display for the early bird figures. My dad, however, whisked us right by it. I had to wait like everyone else for the figures.

Probably saw the flick half-a-dozen times in the theatres; my 10 year old mind was officially blown by the experience.

[megoscott]

My Dad and his girlfriend (uh-huh) took me to see it during our summer custody visit. They were really excited for me to see it, they'd already seen it. I was 8. I loved it, but only saw it 4 times, where a lot of my friends saw it 25 or more. I don't know if that was all in 77 or also 78.

I remember laughing a lot. Leia and Han's wisecracks. Han Solo was the best.

I really remember getting my first set of figures and a landspeeder in '78 2 days before I had to go to summer camp. That was hard. I was away for a whole month and all I could think of were those toys.

[garagesale]

I lived in the small town of McAlester, OK in those days. I'd heard all about it months, even a year before from Starlog magazine and a profile on George Lucas that I read in a copy of Film Quarterly that I got at the local library.

When it was released, just days before my 13th birthday, I was disappointed that it didn't show up at theater. I would call the theatre every Wednesday to find out when it would be showing. They would never tell me. Instead, they held over Smokey and the Bandit for about 12 weeks. Meanwhile, I read everything I could on it, collected the cards from the Wonder Bread, and sat and fumed as I heard about long lines at theaters all over the country.

I finally got to see it IN SEPTEMBER 1977 I went every weekend and stayed for both showings for four weeks.

JamesD

[Gorn Captain]

Actually, when I first seen Star Wars .... I thought the whole movie was boring.

The only reason I seen it 7 times was EVERYBODY kept inviting me to go with them to see it ... and me, never liking to refuse a feebee, took them all up on it

I have rarely seen someone describe such a heartfelt love for Star Wars as in this post. It almost moved me to tears...

[david_b]

My friend Mike and I had a bit of a competition going.., I think we both saw it about 15-16 times before he finally tracked an illegal beta copy down and watched it whenever he wanted around 1979. One day was a matinee for like $3.00, and stay for repeat showings.

I distinctly remember walking out of the theater back in May of 1977 after the first time, and being mesmerized as to how archaic wheeled-automobiles all of a sudden looked after seeing landspeeders.

David B.

[jds1911a1]

I saw it in the 78 oscars release (does that count LOL) I was 6 and I only saw it the one time then, then we saw it on HBO later and then VHS. I saw it a second in 1997 when the local theater had all 3 over a weekend (pre SE release) and of course the "Special edition" release

[fallensaviour]

1.) Yes, at the drive in
2.) I was 5
3.) once

[darklord1967]

In May of 1977, I was 9 years old (and would turn 10 later that year in August.

I did NOT catch STAR WARS on its opening day. During the subsequent weeks of its run, I kept seeing commercials on television, and I thought, "I have no interest in seeing that boring movie".

I didn't really care for science fiction. To me that meant silly Godzilla movies or Logan's Run which I was not into.

But then this movie became a phenomenon and everyone at school was talking about it! There started to be news reports about the huge crowds of people lining up all over the country to go see the movie.

So I started to feel left out of all the hoopla.

My older brother bought the Marvel movie adaptation comic book issues, and I read them and got pretty familiar with the storyline. This helped me pretend to have seen the film among my friends at school since I was too embarrassed to admit that I had not.

As late as Decemberr of 1977 I still had NOT seen STAR WARS.

Then some TV commercials started appearing that advertised 4 inch tall STAR WARS action figures. There was also Luke's Landspeeder and X-Wing Fighter, and a Tie fighter.

When an ad for these toys appeared in one of my brother's Marvel comics, I became intrigued. For some odd reason, I wanted to collect ALL 12 of those little figures. When they began appearing in my local Woolworth's store in early 1978 at a $1.98 each, I started buying them all up with my allowance.

Everyone in the neigborhood constantly saw me playing with STAR WARS action figures, and I quickly became known as the "STAR WARS freak" kid. Still... no one knew my dirty little secret. I still had NOT SEEN STAR WARS.

Finally, in early March of 1978, my dad reluctantly took the whole family to the Lowes Astor Plaza here in NY to see the film. At some point before Luke, Kenobi, and the droids blasted off Tatooine with Han Solo and Chewie, dad had had enough and decided to wait for my mom, my brother and I out in the car! Dad always had a very low attention span.

When the film was over, I remember having enjoyed it, but I also remember that it did not quite live up to the ENORMOUS expectations I had built up in my head during all the months of waiting to see it. It was in the repeated viewings of the film (during its remaining weeks in the theater and during its re-release later that year) that I really fell in love with STAR WARS.

[huedell]

I saw it in the 78 oscars release (does that count LOL)

Ya know....I wouldn't be surprised if that's when I saw it.