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The Star Wars Holiday Special
Although there are many sites devoted to this, I wish to add my own. Although I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, I'm not anti-Star Wars either. I enjoy the movies, but don't see them as sacred and holy. Therefore, I take sadistic pleasure in telling people about the most wonderfully atrocious thing ever aired on television: The Star Wars Holiday Special. We are talking totally horrendous.
In November of 1978, CBS aired the Star Wars Holiday Special. It aired once and only once. This was after the first movie but before the second. To his credit, Lucas had little to do with it and disowns it. As for the cast, most of them were under contractual obligation. Carrie Fischer was under the influence of other things as well. And who really expects any better from Mark Hamill?
The plot, if you can call it that, is that Han Solo must get Chewbacca home in time to celebrate Life Day with his family. The Special cuts back and forth between badly filmed TV spots and scenes cut out of the Star Wars movie.
A large portion of the Special is about Chewbacca's family. I am not exaggerating when I say that there are 5 minute stretches of just wookies grunting at each other. Random 70s comedians, like Art Carney, pop up and do unfunny sketches. Jefferson Starship performs a random music video. Beatrice Arthur plays a bar tender at the Cantina at Mos
Eisley space port where she sings a number and dances around with aliens. Mark Hamill wears way too much makeup. Harrison Ford hugs a lot of wookies. And the creme de la creme, Carrie Fisher sings. The big finale Life Day celebration is a lot of wookies wearing red and the whole cast coming together. Princess Lea gives a really chessy speech about peace love and happiness, and sings a song using the Star Wars theme as the background music.
A friend of mine got a copy of it at a comic convention, so they are out there if you look. Other people have a lot more info.
Star Wars Holiday Special Links
A review
Another review
The script (if you can call it that)
See Google for more
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