A long time ago...for those who were around and saw the original 30 years ago

As the time gets closer and we all get to know each other better, it might be a good idea to exchange phone numbers. That way we can meet up at C-IV, hang out and do some of the events together. From the sound of it, I don't think we're gonna have any free time to do much else. Possibly we could plan to all meet at breakfast or lunch one day?

Hey Leia214, I was also 13 and my brother was 16 in 1977. I quickly became SW addicted, but sadly, he did not.

 

I was about to turn 8 and living in a small hick town in Michigan. I think my town had like 400 people in it. It was the kind of place where you could drop the kids off in town and get them later at night. We had a single theater, tickets were like $3.25 and you could order burgers and stuff. There were never more then about 5 people in there so they let you stay. We saw every showing that day (only paid once) and came and went as we pleased. Ah, those were the days!

 

I only saw ROTJ in theaters. My Mom picked me up from my Dads to take me. It was a surprise. She was getting popcorn and I was so excited I ran into the theater. About halfway through the rancor scene, my Mom comes over crying her eyes out. Apparently she had been looking for me for about 25 minutes. I was so excited to get in the movie I didn't bother waiting for her.

 

You got it! Just look at my signature!

I hear a lot about how l-o-n-g the lines are at C4 it it got me a little scared but I keep thinking how much fun it will be to meet ALL of you then I'm excited again!

 

Awesome sig!

The lines at C3 were very long, especially after the first day. But you know what? After standing on them for so long, you tend to forget about the line and just enjoy being around passionate SW fans. My wife and I actually enjoyed standing on the long lines. It gives you a chance to build some comradarie with your fellow fans, and before you know it, the line starts to move and the fun begins!

One recommendation: bring a folding camping chair. They sold them at the C3 store, and it was the best $30 I ever spent. They were worth their weight in gold for all of the lines that we were on after we bought them.

 

Well since I was not even a year old in May of 77, I obviously didn't see ANH in the theater, but the first movie I ever saw in a theater was a Re-release of TESB in the early 80s, before ROTJ came out. My dad took me to see it. The next weekend my mother took me to the movie theater, and I tried to be slick and tell her that dad took me to see some Christmas movie, so that she would let me see TESB again, but it didn't work! I have since more than made up for that missed opportunity. Christmas was always great at my grandmother's, my cousin Ben always got some great SW toys, but she wouldn't buy them for us, we always got Barbies or something. There was always a fight to see who got to play with the SW toys next. It was so fun being a child of the 80s!

 

Long time no see people, I'm glad to be back. I was 20 years old when I saw Star Wars, it was a fantastic experience for me, it changed my life.

 

I was 4. My parents took my sister and me to a drive-in theater to see it. It's one of my earliest memeries actually. Me and my sister in sleeping bags in the back to that old station wagon at the drive-in. We hide our faces when Darth Vader came on screen. I've been a fan nearly all my life.

 

My first trip to see Star Wars was a total letdown! My father took the whole family to see this "new space movie" that everyone was talking about. Those were his words! We all pile in the car and head to the best theater in Rochester NY. Now remember, there were no googleplexes like there are today. You had one screen showing the movie! Well we get to the theater and this is what we see. The line to get tickets was down the side of the theater, around the back up, around the other side, wrapped back down that side, back down the back...you get the point. It was a VERY looooooooooong line! Needless to say, we didn't get to see Star Wars, but we did end up seeing "The Deep". That's not what I was hoping for, but being 14 at the time and seeing Jacqueline Bisset swimming around in that wet white tee shirt did bring the disappointment factor down just a little. Anyway, they ran a trailer (3P0 being pulled out of his oil bath is all I really remember) for Star Wars before "The Deep" started and the first thought that came to my mind when I saw it was... That looks stupid and I really don't care if I see it or not! Well, I did finally get to see Star Wars about a week later and not only did I love the movie, I somehow managed to get my parents to take me an additional 21 times! The saga continued with TESB and ROTJ. I'll leave those stories for another time...

 

It sounds like I'm not the only one out there that initially didn't really want to see Star Wars. So long as we saw the error of our ways, I guess it's okay. Come on, admit it. Let's all clear our consciences (spelling).

 

What was even bigger then Star Wars (for me) was when I went to see Superman II (I think) and saw the trailor for Empire Strikes back. Now, don't get my wrong - I LOVED Star Wars, but being 8 at the time, I wasn't familiar with the idea of sequels and well, without the internet being around, I hadn't heard about Empire coming out. I knew the story wasn't over, but for some reason, I don't recall thinking much about it at the time. I nearly wet myself though when I saw the Empire teaser... just the space sceen with the stars and then Vader's helmet with the breathing. I think I screamed like a girl.

 

Well, actually I appreciated your "perspective" since I'm of the same generation! Yeah, I remember "Billy" Beer, and you are right, that's when Sat. Night Live rocked! Never been the same since...As to topic, I was ten when the original SW came out and Vader freaked me out too! But now that we know whose really "under the suit" I feel more sad for him than anything else.

 

I saw all three original movies during their first runs. I was lucky enough to see Empire on opening day. and ROTJ, the first weekend.

 

I was 12 in 1977 when I saw Star Wars and now my own daughter is 12 on the year of the 30th anniversary.. pretty interesting coincidence, for sure. Oh and hi there, Mara_Jade_Fan! From your Rose Parade roomie.

 

I also saw all three in first release. I can't recall exactly when I first saw "Star Wars" after it opened in Milwaukee but I know I went at least once a week to see it.

Now, I exactly remember the opening for "Empire Strikes Back"! When Star Trek: The Motion Picture came out, the local theater chain asked the local Star Trek club if they would be willing to be at the opening in costume. So one year later, they asked our same group of costumers if we wanted to do it for ESB. We of course said yes. I still have the Invitational showing "ticket" for that showing which was on Tuesday, May 20, 1980. Our group "arrived" at the theater in a limo (which picked us but at the back door of the theater and drove around to the front), we got to go in before everyone in line and had reserved seats. Our Darth Vader and Boba Fett even went onto the roof on top of the marquee. Due to the lack of female roles, 6 of us formed an all female Rebel pilot corps. I still have photos of getting out of the limo and using my father's late "50's Air Force flight helmet with a painted on rebel emblem.

For "Return of the Jedi", I went the opening midnight showing on a Cinerama screen.

After the initial releases, I did have the rare opportunity of seeing all three films in a theater. In 1985, as part of the programming for the World Science Fiction Convention that was held in Melbourne, Australia, all three films were shown and for staying up for all three, you were given a patch from Lucasfilms. This was only the second time this type of showing was done (the other time was in 1984 at the Worldcon held in Los Angeles). The films started at 11pm and the sun was coming up when I left the theater.

 

There's no way to really follow a story like that. How cool!!

I was 19 when ROTJ came out and had just recently moved out on my own. Going to the movies just wasn't in the budget. As a suprise, my mom gave me $20 to go see it. Instead of spending that on food or laundry, I took a friend and saw ROTJ.

Reading this thread reminded me of that.

 

Being that I was only a 7-month old Youngling the year Star Wars first hit theaters back in '77, I am enjoying reading all of your stories about seeing SW way back when.

Keep up the great reminiscing posts guys!

 

Sorry, didn't mean for this to be an epic, just came out.

Billy Beer - oh boy, that activated a few long-dead neurons. I've got a six-pack of empties in the basement; figured to put them on ebay sometime, but I see somebody has already done that.

jedifan77, you aren't the only one who initially didn't intend to see it. I was 21 and it had just opened in the little town near my hometown (which is even smaller). My mother was in the hospital there, and after I got done with college classes and work I would go visit her. But her side of the family were there a lot and never cared for me much (not without reason: I wasn't a very good boy growing up ) so one day to avoid them I took some time off and walked up the street from the hospital to the movie theater where this new movie Star Wars was showing.

I'd read the generally positive reviews (most of them, as I recall, had the tone of "it's nice, it's a kid's movie, pat it on the head and it'll go away and we can go back to the gritty depressing stuff we prefer") but being a fan of written SF, I wondered how a film that was obviously space opera could ever be anything other than an embarrassment. That idea only lasted until the Star Destroyer came swooping in. Yeow! I was hooked.

The rest of the spring and early summer I went down to the theater over and over - I must have seen it about 25 times. My mother died in mid-July; I don't think I could have made it through that whole period without the escapist safety-value Star Wars provided. So I've always had very special feelings about SW.

Then when TPM came out I wasn't going to go see it right away because I was afraid it might ruin the whole saga for me, but changed my mind at the last moment and wound up being one of the few older people at the midnight premiere. They seated us an hour before it started; that got me tuned into the whole new generation of Star Wars fans (they immediately nicknamed me 'Yoda'). I confess I got a little teary-eyed when the opening title came up and everybody cheered. And then I had a particular shot in the movie 'hook' me just like ANH had done 22 years before - the first aerial shot of Theed on Naboo.

It all would have been very moving except when the kid at the end of the row, tasked with getting us more drinks, stuck his head back in the door during the emotional Anakin-leaves-his-mother scene and hollered, "hey Yoda, you want a Pepsi?"

 

NP, I was really getting into your epic... I mean story, really understanding and feeling your words and then it was finished with, "Hey Yoda, you want a Pepsi?" I literally laughed out loud! Very funny and a great memory!

People temporarily escape reality in different ways; drugs, alcohol, video games and such. I've always used reading and a few select movies, most especially Star Wars (Harry Potter has recently been added to that short list). The SW universe has probably gotten quite a few of us through some tough times.

Keep those memories coming folks. I'm really enjoying this!

 

VK says:
I sometimes wish I'd been a kid when the movie came out. Different perspective, and all that. You're older, you're jaded . Still wonderous, but you certainly watch the movie from a different point of view.

from a certain point of view?? and I, too, am closer to Yoda's age. But hey, age matters not.

I thank George for many things but top of the list is that he made the prequels and allowed me to reignite my glorious obsession with Star Wars.

and thanks for your memories naboopop -
I appreciate Star Wars for its' healing properties also..it's always there.
Best drug in the world.

 

Amen to that! Like jedifan77 said, other people have to blot out their troubles with drink or drugs or whatnot. I can just close my eyes and take a leisurely stroll around Theed.

 

I loved the Theed visuals in TPM - but now {sniff} I associate them with Padme's funeral...


But that didn't stop me from getting a t-shirt made with Theed daytime, then night (with the waterfall) - great domes and a flying buttress

 

There is a high-res image of the Episode III version of Theed here (note the Millenium Falcon parked between the bases of the two waterfalls) but I would love to find the matte painting that was in the first part of TPM.

 

Where the HECK have you been? =)

 

Working.

EDIT: See my post here: I'm getting a little paranoid about waiting for Southwest and am thinking of booking a flight with United.