The Star Wars Holiday Special: The Phenomenon Continues....

November 17, 1978.



A day that will live in infamy...for all mega-Star Wars geeks like myself, anyway.



You see, this was the day when a project was released that George Lucas greenlit and, needless to say, is the reason why he nowadays oversees everything down to the teeniest detail on any and every thing that has to do with his creations, both big and small. Kind of like the time Roger Moore wore a tuxedo in Cannonball Run (1981) and was basically lampooning James Bond, so now no present-movie Bond can do the same thing, legally.



Still with me?



Okay, the CBS suits thought it would be great to do a special about Star Wars for the holidays, maybe throw in some SW toy ads at the end, really give the kids something to pine for 'round Xmas time.



But what can you say about a show with SW characters, in the SW universe that has time for musical interludes, Harvey Korman doing slapstick, a cartoon and Carrie Fisher singing her little heart out? AND was co-written by Bruce Vilanch??



Part of me rabidly hates this thing, with its obvious contempt for any and all things Star Wars while they play to the lowest common denominator for Mr. and Mrs. Prime-Time. Yet another part of me loves it because, yes, it is in fact a (red-headed stepchild) part of the SW universe and is kitschy as all get-out; very much a product of '70s television.



But why explain it to you, the skeptic, when I can just SHOW you what I'm talking about?



(...yeah, like you didn't know I was getting around to this sooner or later....)



Here is the opening of the whole thing:







Here is a cartoon shown half-way through (to some, the best part of the whole show):







A cantina scene like in the movie, only this one is showcasing both Harvey Korman AND Bea Arthur, ladies and gentlemen! Huzzah!







Any "South Park" fans out there? Remember that Christmas special they did which had some news reporter guy talking about "fighting the frizzies"? Well, Matt and Trey got it from this show (actually, it was one of the commercials that also got copied with the show, and is now part and parcel with the SWHS legend...) Anyway, here's the original commercial:







And, as mentioned earlier, Princess Leia "sings"!

(Yes, the quotes are there for a reason. You'll see...)







Well folks, you have now seen what few people have. In bits and pieces to be sure, but you now get the essence of what the "Star Wars Holiday Special" is all about. Go now, and share the good news with others. And the next time someone complains about how bad Attack of the Clones was, just smile, shake your head and tell them they have no idea what "bad" is.



We certainly do, don't we?



Dope out.



-TGWD