Key Takeaways
- The Star Wars Holiday Special is an infamously bad, yet captivating, annual broadcast.
- George Lucas aimed to maintain fan engagement before The Empire Strikes Back via this special.
- The special controversially used a declining variety show format with Wookiee dialogue.
- Main actors reluctantly participated in the Wookiee-centric Life Day plot.
- Despite 13 million viewers, critics and Lucas universally panned the special.
Deep Dive
- The podcast features an annual re-release of their episode on the Star Wars Holiday Special, acknowledging its notoriously poor reception.
- Described as one of the worst things aired on television, its absurdity makes it a captivating, 'train wreck' viewing experience.
- A specific version broadcast by WHIO in Dayton, Ohio, is noted for its surprisingly good quality compared to other online versions.
- By 1978, George Lucas sought to maintain audience engagement with the Star Wars franchise while awaiting The Empire Strikes Back.
- CBS producers Gary Smith and Dwight Himeon proposed a Star Wars TV special to Lucas to promote the franchise and merchandise.
- Lucas agreed, providing a story idea and making it a condition that the special be Wookiee-centric, utilizing a 40-page 'Wookiee Bible' he had previously detailed.
- The production team included producers and songwriters, the Welches, who had experience in the variety show scene, leading to musical numbers.
- This decision was made despite the genre's declining popularity by 1978, with shows like The Carol Burnett Show and Sonny and Cher either recently ended or ending.
- The hosts critiqued integrating Star Wars into the 'stale' variety show format of 1978, contrasting it with emerging escapist television.
- Main actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher had not yet achieved major stardom in 1978 and had limited leverage to refuse participation.
- Harrison Ford's reluctant nod in the opening credits is interpreted as a sign of his displeasure; Mark Hamill reportedly refused a musical number.
- The plot centers on Han Solo attempting to get Chewbacca home for 'Life Day' but being delayed by an Imperial blockade, shifting focus to Chewbacca's family (father Itchy, mother Mala, son Lumpy) waiting.
- The variety show format was partly chosen to handle incomprehensible Wookiee dialogue through physical comedy, similar to mime artists Shields and Yarnell.
- The special aired on November 17, 1978, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, attracting 13 million viewers in the U.S. but losing its time slot.
- Originally a one-hour special, it was extended to two hours due to advertiser interest, a decision believed to have contributed to its perceived poor quality.
- Harvey Corman played multiple roles, including a four-armed, Julia Child-like chef named Gourmanda, a robot providing instructions, and a bar patron.
- Bea Arthur, playing the cantina owner, sang a song to signal last call in the Mos Eisley Cantina.
- Art Carney played a human trader who brought gifts to Chewbacca's family, including a virtual reality hair dryer projecting softcore pornography.
- The special included a segment featuring singer Diahann Carroll who tantalized Chewbacca's elderly father, Lumpy.
- Hologram performances by acrobats and the band Jefferson Starship were presented in lengthy sequences.
- A cartoon segment within the special is noted as its best part and marked the first appearance of Boba Fett in the Star Wars universe.
- The special concludes with Han Solo and Chewbacca returning to Chewbacca's home, where Imperial stormtroopers are present, leading to a confrontation.
- A stormtrooper's death is described as a Vaudeville-style mishap akin to slipping on a banana peel.
- Princess Leia, portrayed by Carrie Fisher, delivers a speech about hope, freedom, and peace, and unexpectedly sings a song loosely based on the Star Wars theme; writers noted Fisher appeared under the influence during this scene.
- A clean copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special exists, though some parts, like the cartoon, have been removed due to copyright issues.
- Memorable moments include a Wilhelm scream, a trooper tripping, and an understandable Wookiee exchange conveying 'I love you'.
- The unusual absence of a laugh track in the special is noted, with hosts suggesting its presence might have made bizarre moments less agitating.