The Star Wars Holiday Special

40 years ago tonight the Star Wars Holiday Special aired for the first, and only, time on TV.

It's a wonder to behold.

Truly, something that must be seen to be believed. I recommend that people should watch it at least once.

Me? I make it a point to watch it every year. Namely, the Rifftrax version of it which is the only "legitimate" version of it you can buy.

See, it's never been released. It's only been viewable through bootleg copies originating from a video-tape recording of it from its only broadcast.

But a number of years ago the guys at Rifftrax (Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater 3000) did a riff on it. At the time it was an audio-only riff you synced with a Google Video bootleg of it. But since then they now have a "cleaned up" version of the bootleg and the entire video, synced with the riff, is available on Rifftrax's website.

That's right, given that they cannot sell and distribute it without the permission of the copyright holder, it remains the only "official" version of it you can legitimately buy and download. It's still from the "original" VCR recording, including the contemporary commercials, but somewhere, somehow, they got permission to distribute it.

So, sit back, and enjoy it. I know I always do.

(The Rifftrax version even riffs the commercials.)

https://www.rifftrax.com/the-star-wars-holiday-special

 

All Star Wars should be forced to watch it, Clockwork Orange style if needed.

 

I watch it once a year. It might be a form of self harm.

 

I watched it 40 years ago. I'm good.

 

I remember recording it on 8 track when it originally aired!

 

Star Trek fans, this is what happens when something is de-canonised. It's not in the box sets, it's not on the repeats. It fucking dies.

Also, I did like the animated sequences quite a bit. And the TV chef was quite ahead of her time.

 

Bits and pieces of its have come back in places. Characters mentioned. Places used again later (redesigned). And some other minor things. The behavior of the Imperials in this special is repeated in Star Wars: Rebels on Lothal.

 

Still better than the prequels.

Gods, I love her.

 

The cartoon is probably the "best" part of the special. (But it doesn't make sense in the context of the universe. So... they're making cartoons of the rebels and this particular group of them who happen to be the main characters of the movie? .... Lumpy watches this cartoon while his home is being invaded by an Imperial patrol?)

The TV chef "bit" is probably the...... "best" of the Harvey Korman skits and the skits in general (ugh, that dance one Lumpy watches on the space-chess board) but............ That's not saying much at all. It's still dumb, repetitive and annoying.

For me the "best" skit is probably the cantina "reality show" one with Bea Arthur, hell even Korman isn't too bad in it.

(But, it again brings a lot of head-scratching questions into how the SW universe "works" with this reality show. How does the Empire react when they see the people in this bar ignore the curfew imposed on them and Be Arthur decides to give them all one last drink, charged to the Empire? I mean... I kinda don't think they'll pay that bill.)

Art Carney is probably really the best thing in this, wish he were in it more.

In the "Solo" movie I really was hoping for some direct mention of either Mala, Lumpy or Itchy.

Just something small, as Ham going, "You have a family, Chewie?"
"(roar)"
"Wife named Mala? Hmmm. nice name... I guess."

 

I think I heard somewhere that the animated sequence is included in the box set of the first six movies. I'm sure someone here most own this and would know for sure.

Just curious, is there a reason this wasn't posted in the Star Wars section?

 

I watched it on its one and only broadcast, and I took it for what it was meant to be: a cheap cash-in on Star Wars using the then-already dying variety show format sloppily glued to a SW adventure.

Aside from the mild interest in seeing the lead actors' physical changes since the original movie--


...was no better than the Saturday morning live-action crap of the day like The Lost Saucer--


...or Dr. Shrinker--


The production was doomed be swept under the carpet of time, if not for its misguided intent, or the fact that one day later on Saturday, 11/18/78, the attention of most people--children as well as adults--were zeroed in on the Jonestown mass murders / assassination of Congressman Leo Ryan in Guyana, obviously becoming one of the biggest stories of the century. So, if Lucas wanted people to forget the Holiday Special at the time, he got his wish in a roundabout, horrific way.

 

One of my favorite moments/lines from the Rifftrax of the SWHS:

The Storm Trooper is ambushed by Han Solo on Chewie's front porch and drops his blaster, a moment later he charges after Han, trips off the gun, falls through the only railing in the Star Wars universe and off Chewie's tree-top front porch.

A little while later, Han picks up the blaster and drops it off the porch.

Kevin: "If that lands on the body, it'll be the first thing that gun's ever hit."

At some other point there's in an interaction between Han and Chewie's famlly and Han excuses himself to go check on the Falcon,

Kevin (as Han): "Later I'll come back and help scrape the Storm Trooper off your Camaro."

I dunno what it is about that line, maybe it's the context of this being the '70s and everything, but somehow the use of a Camaro there just fits better than any other contemporary car name would.

The RT is really a fun, fun watch. Makes the special very much worth watching.

 

As bad as this is, it's really not that much worse than any other Star Wars. It's actually better than a few of the movies.

 

It is. Found it once, but I'll be damned if I can find it again. It one of the Easter Eggs where you have to make a certain sequence of move from one of the menus to get to it. I know it's on one of the Empire related discs in the set, but after that I'm lost.

 

Ah yes, the original The Last Jedi.

 

If its dead, why are we still talking about it 40 years later?

 

GAAAAAAAH!!! Anything by Sid and Marty Pufft, even "ElectrraWoman and DynaGirl" (shudder) was loads better than "The Star Wars Holiday Special", where everyone knows the actors were puffing as much cocaine as inhumanly possible to get through the filming!

Good point about the Jonestown cult's Massacre.