Classics The Holiday Special - General Discussion

The Star Wars Holiday Special, should not be watched if you operate heavy machinery, if you are pregnant or if your have trouble sleeping.

It has been know to promote vomiting and sudden uncontrolable bowel movement.

In labratory animals it has been known to cause cancer and / or the detachment of the retna.

Young boys have been known to have hair grow in the palm of their hands and it has been know to send young girls to the nunnery.

Chinesse prison camps briefly experimented with using is as a torture device. The prisoners actually wnated to die and the technique was soon discarded.

 

The holidays are here again. Time to watch the Holiday Special. (At least it's good for a laugh.)

 

My copy has all the 1978 commercials too, including those for the first wave of SW toys ever -- ah, the memories.

 

There's a holiday film festival in Canada that shows the Holiday Special every year.

Is this annual showing actually authorized by LFL? How good is the quality of the version they show? Do they have a high quality reel from CBS?

 

ROFLMAO JediKnightOB1!!

OMFG!! BEA ARTHUR is the "Whip, stir, whip, stir.." lady??? HAHAHAH!!!

Never see that in "Golden Girls!"

I love reading threads like these. They're absolutely hysterical!!!

 

BEA ARTHUR is the "Whip, stir, whip, stir.." lady??? HAHAHAH!!!

No, that's Harvey Korman. Bea Arthur is the bartender.

 

OMG that's even worse rofl. Now I know for sure I'm never going to watch it!!!

 

You know I sat my little 12 year old self down in front of our big furniture style TV with the big flat top for tchochkes - no remotes back then. I probably had my Emerson tape recorder parked near the little TV speaker to tape the show. That's what you did back in the 70s - you hand AUDIO taped TV specials so you could listen to them later and play all the movies in your head. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was the best to do that to.

There had been commercials for weeks - my brothers and I were dying to see it - everybody from the movie was going to be in it plus this cool looking cartoon guy with a bad-ass helmet riding an alien dinosaur. It looked like something from Bakshi's Wizards.

But most important for the 12 year old in all of us - WOOKIEES WOOKIEES and more WOOKIES. Plus Maude - Blech.

But man did I love Wookiees. Anything big hairy and apelike did it for me in the 70s and Chewbacca was the most realistic looking hairy apebeast I ever saw back then (please compare Chewie to Planet of the Apes, Rick Baker's King Kong, John Landis's Schlock, the Ghostbusters Gorilla, and Bigfoot on the Six Million Dollar Man - Chewie was a revelation!)

So how was the special? Through the eyes of 12 year old (which I am convinced is the maximum age eyes you should view anything Star Wars) it was GREAT!! Anything Star Wars was GREAT back then - even Donny and Marie's Star Wars Tribute with Paul Lynde as Moff Tarkin was GREAT!! We kids didn't know if we'd ever see another Star Wars movie ever - sequels were not de riguer back then and there was nothing nothing kid oriented like Star Wars that was so popular - so we were excited for anything Star Wars that showed up.

In retrospect was it bad or cheesy - yes probably, but not in its context or for its target audience. It certainly doesn't need to be "suppressed". Would I watch it again? Probably not. But it would be a cool easter egg on the OT DVD next year.

And next time you watch any Star Wars movies, particularly the prequels, watch them with a 7 - 12 year old. You'll be surprised at how great those movies are and how much you end up enjoying Young Ani and Jar Jar.

Even with all the mystic folderol, never forget that with Star Wars old GL is just trying to make movies that will thrill a child. And boy, he succeeds in every one of them.

 

You know what is odd about the Holiday Special? Well, Lucas hates the thing, and yet there are quite a few photoreceptor images in Hyperspace taken from the Holiday Special. I find it odd that something Lucas loathes so much features on the Hyperspace rather prominently at times.

 

Iam watching it now.

And all I got to say is that every person on the production team including Lucas must have been drugged

because it has to be the dumbest thing EVER

these circus show infront of a wookie

there is a wierd alien that says stir whip stir whip

WHAT A DUMB SHOW

 

Holiday Special on DVD you got a better chance of seeing God. The Star Wars Holiday special is Georges' "Bastard Child." It sucks "ass," people have said it was "so cool." Not cool, Boba Fett was introduced as a cartoon for cripes sakes. George owns the rights to that one, and most likely he will keep it more hidden that the final script for Ep III. Even with all of the digial abilities that he has he won't touch that with a 10-foot pole.

I have heard that there are bootleg copies that can be purchased from "sellers looking for suckers" on several auction sites.

Do yourself a favor, don't purchase a bootlegged copy, it is disapointing as it is. You don't need to be scarred for life.

My recommendation: If you feel the urge to watch this, do so in a padded room with no corners and stay away from sharp objects for at least 24 hours.

I have to say it is the most god-awful peice of trash I have ever seen! I too [watched it]. It has become a tradition at my house during the holidays though. me and my buds get drunk and see who hurls out of disgust first!


ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!!

I'll have to try that last one next year!

 

Uh, Indy3, Lucas wasn't involved in the production of the Holiday Special.

 

I think he was at least involved with the animated short.

 

The Internet Movie Database lists GL as one of the writers (but he was uncredited).

 

I picked up a fantastic DVD transfer at the SD comiccon last year...commercials and all. Apparently there are six major versions in circulation... you can tell which is which by the commercials featured. Mine is from the Denver area... "fighting the frizzies, at 11"

Anybody else know the origin of their copy?

 

Which version has the best quality?

 

its rubbish

 

its rubbish

And the "duh" award goes to.....

 

It may be rubbish, but it's rubbish that has a kind of mysterious allure to those who haven't seen it. Like me.

 

Sorry, but posting of bootlegged material isn't allowed here.

 

Thanks aureve!!!!

OMG!!! IT'S TERRIBLE!!!!

Is it like that all the way through!?!?!?!?!

It absolutely cannot believe anything that bad exists!!! Unbelievable!!! When Leia broke into song I nearly fell off my chair!!!


I can see why Lucas hates it so.

 

Newcomers to this board should be required to post in this thread!!!!

1,100th post!!

 

I had to turn it off when Leia started to sing. That's horrible!!

The first video though, was kinda cute...but I don't wanna hear Leia sing! Make it stoooppp!!

 

Same reason as above.

 

i apology in private but i do here too ...