Line #11 Trivia/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial


1	* The special landed in the [[MedalOfDishonor #1 spot]] in David Hofstede's 2004 book ''Literature/WhatWereTheyThinkingThe100DumbestEventsInTelevisionHistory''.
2	----
3	* ActingForTwo:
4	** Three characters ([[CrosscastRole Chef Gormaanda]], Dromboid the Amorphiian instructor, and Krelman) are played by Creator/HarveyKorman.
5	** Mickey Morton portrays Gormaanda's second set of arms and Tork (the cantina's bouncer) in addition to Malla.
6	* BuryYourArt: The special has not seen an official release since the first broadcast. George Lucas allegedly wanted to physically smash every physical copy of the special in existence with a sledgehammer, and many of the actors are embarrassed about anything related to the special. The exception is the animated Boba Fett segment, which has since been remastered and rereleased many times.
7	* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The special was called ''Stjärnornas krig och fred'' ("Star Wars and Peace") when it aired in Sweden and ''Au Temps de la guerre des étoiles'' ("At the Time of the Star War") in France.
8	* CreatorBacklash:
9	** Creator/GeorgeLucas allegedly said, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that special and smash it." He apparently didn't mind the Boba Fett short, though -- it was the only part of the special that was remastered and featured as an EasterEgg for the Blu-Ray release of the six films that he oversaw and years later Creator/DisneyPlus.
10	** Creator/MarkHamill [[https://youtu.be/p6dIYUoSeFQ thought the script was awful from the first reading]] and initially ''refused'' to participate. Lucas had to tell him that they were pretty much locked into making it as a "favor" to the merchandisers. However, he does think it's fascinating enough to warrant a home video release.
11	** [[Creator/HarrisonFord Harrison "Stone-Face" Ford]] was so embarrassed, he could barely keep from fleeing the room when Creator/ConanOBrien [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2iVrMEAP5E surprised him with a clip.]] He says he has no memory of making the special, so either he's lying or just ''wishes'' he could forget it. We don't blame him either way.
12	** Creator/AnthonyDaniels (C-3PO) claimed in an interview that he still has his copy of the script, but is too embarrassed to even look at it. In a documentary promoting the worldwide tour of ''Star Wars: In Concert'', he notes with a laugh that the ''Star Wars'' universe includes "The horrible Holiday Special that nobody talks about". In his 2019 autobiography ''I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story'', Daniels referred to the special as a "turd".
13	** Creator/CarrieFisher owned a copy of the special, which she obtained from Lucas in exchange for doing the DVD commentaries for the original trilogy. She would put it on when she wanted everyone at a party to leave.
14	** Because of its infamy, as well as Lucas [[StreisandEffect actively trying to bury it]], the special has ''never'' been rebroadcast on television. As of 2024, over '''45''' years later, it still has not, even as ownership of the franchise has [[Creator/{{Disney}} shifted hands]] from Lucas. Podcast/RiffTrax has done a bang-up job keeping the Life Day spirit alive, having played the special '''''twelve consecutive times''''' on November 17, 2021 (the 43rd anniversary) through their Website/{{Twitch}} channel. Additionally, a dedicated documentary focused on the making of the special would be made and released in 2023.
15	** Creator/{{CBS}} themselves also seem to be ashamed of it -- they've never rerun the special since its first airing.
16	* ExecutiveMeddling:
17	** Originally, Lucas was to be much more involved in the project -- he helped to write the first draft of the script (a standard-issue ''Star Wars'' adventure revolving around Life Day) and contributed to the animated Boba Fett segment. Sounds great so far, but then Creator/{{CBS}} execs decided it had to be a variety show spectacular of the type that was relentlessly inflicted on unsuspecting audiences of the 1970s. Lucas, by this time, had gone off to concentrate on ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', and other hands -- namely [[Film/PoliceAcademy Pat Proft]] and Bruce freaking Vilanch -- rewrote the script to fit the network's wishes.
18	** In spite of this, the one aspect Lucas wrote that remained in the final draft, the special focusing on Chewbacca's family on Kashyyyk, is also the one thing that he stubbornly insisted on from the final writers and director of the special.
19	** A more benign example happened (although it's not beneficial so much as the lesser of two evils) -- the entire Mind Evaporator sequence was originally intended to be quite explicitly a porn tape. However, it was toned down in order to meet CBS' censorship standards, although the implications of what the Mind Evaporator actually was are still present.
20	* FridayNightDeathSlot: CBS airing a "holiday" special on a Friday night in mid-November suggests that they knew they had a fiasco on their hands and were trying to minimize the damage. Despite heavy anticipation, the show didn't even make the Nielsen top ten for the week.
21	* HeAlsoDid:
22	** One of the writers was Pat Proft, who did a lot of work with the Creator/ZuckerAbrahamsAndZucker trio (as part of their Kentucky Fried Theater comedy troupe and as co-writer of several of their films).
23	** Credited director Steve Binder is best known for ''Film/TAMIShow'' and Music/ElvisPresley's '''68 Comeback Special'', as well as ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' and the live-action segments of ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow''.
24	* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: An infamous example, so much so it’s practically the poster child:
25	** The only thing about it that's ever seen an official re-release is the Boba Fett cartoon segment; first as an EasterEgg on one of the 2011 ''Complete Saga'' Blu-Ray bonus discs, then on the 2020 ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' UHD bonus disc, then on Creator/DisneyPlus in April 2021.
26	** There are four notable bootleg tapes: the Ohio tape (from WHIO, which has the best quality available so far), the New York tape (from WCBS, the one with "[[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Fighting the frizzies, at 11.]]"), the Baltimore tape (from WMAR, used by Podcast/RiffTrax), and the Chicago tape (from WBBM, highest quality available at [[http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/index.php?m=xxswhsxx FuzzyMemories.TV]]). The special was also dubbed into French (from [=TF1=] in France), Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese (which aired on Rede Record).
27	** The only person with an official copy was Creator/CarrieFisher, who got it from Lucas in exchange for doing the DVDCommentary on the ''Film/ANewHope'' DVD. [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave She used it to scare off house guests.]]
28	** The infamy of the show, and the difficulty of obtaining copies prior to Website/YouTube, was alluded to in the video for Music/WeirdAlYankovic's [[Music/StraightOuttaLynwood "White and Nerdy"]], in a scene where Al's character buys a bootleg copy in an alleyway (in a brown paper bag!) in a way that evokes drug smuggling.
29	* LoopingLines: Leslie Schofield's line of dialogue in his scene with Darth Vader (a redubbed DeletedScene from the film) was dubbed by an unidentified voice actor.
30	* NoBudget: By the time the ending celebration scene was shot, the production ran out of funds. The lighting consisted of store-bought candles, and rather than full Wookiee costumes, extras wore red robes and Don Post Studios Chewbacca masks.
31	* NoExportForYou: Despite the HUGE popularity of ''Franchise/StarWars'' in Britain, the special has never been shown on UK television. A bullet may have been dodged; [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS4E17 UK viewers did eventually get a much better blend of "Star Wars" and a variety show]].
32	* TheOtherDarrin: In the French dub, except for Creator/FrancisLax as Han Solo, none of the voice actors from the films reprise their roles.
33	* PropRecycling:
34	** Malla's mask was repurposed from a Chewbacca mask from the original film.
35	** The large white rat suit in the Cantina scene was made for ''Film/TheFoodOfTheGods''. Additionally, almost all the alien masks in the scene are the same ones from the original film, albeit repainted.
36	* ReferencedBy:
37	** ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "[[Recap/SouthParkS3E15MrHankeysChristmasClassics Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics]]", there's a RunningGag of a news anchor saying "Fighting the frizzies at 11", referencing Rolland Smith saying the same thing during WCBS' broadcast. [[spoiler:At the end, the anchor actually fights the frizzies.]]
38	** ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': In "Robot Chicken: Star Wars", there's a segment in which George Lucas goes to a therapist to discuss the Holiday Special.
39	* RefittedForSequel:
40	** An early idea for ''A New Hope'' was for the film to begin in a Wookiee household, with a FramingDevice of Wookiee parents telling the events of the film to their child.
41	** Saun Dann is based on an early concept of Lando Calrissian being a trader on Kashyyyk.
42	* SoMyKidsCanWatch: Creator/BeaArthur claimed she only appeared in this special because her youngest was a big fan of ''Franchise/StarWars''.
43	* StreisandEffect: The special wouldn't be nearly as infamous if it weren't for the desperate attempts by George Lucas to bury it so it never sees the light of day again. This inherit curiosity is likely why it was voted #2 behind ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas'' for Christmas specials to be exhibited during the holiday season at the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC.
44	* ThrowItIn: Lev Mailer and Creator/ArtCarney ad-libbed the scene where his character and Saun Dann were interacting in the trading area. More specifically, they chose to do the scene in a manner similar to the "Bully and Idiot" comedy routine.
45	* UncreditedRole:
46	** The uncredited announcer who introduces the cast near the beginning of the special is GameShow host Art James.
47	** The voices for Boba Fett (speculated to be Creator/DonFrancks, who would reprise the role for ''WesternAnimation/{{Droids}}'', Gabriel Dell, or Creator/CharlesBronson) and Captain Kazan (whose actor currently remains unknown; but speculated to be Creator/JohnLarroquette) from the animated segment are similarly uncredited.
48	** Neither Creator/DavidProwse nor Leslie Schofield (who also appeared in the film as Chief Moradmin Bast) are credited either, though their one scene is recycled deleted footage.
49	** Also uncredited is the "Life on Tatooine" segment's opening narrator.
50	* WagTheDirector: Creator/CarrieFisher demanded to be allowed to sing in the special.
51	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
52	** The special was supposed to segue into ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', but the only part of the special that got it right was the animated segment.
53	** Kenner, which at the time had the license to produce ''Star Wars'' figures, planned to make several toys based on the special including action figures of Chewbacca's family and the creature that Boba Fett rides during the cartoon, although they were scrapped after the special flopped.
54	** According to David Acomba, he recommended Creator/RobinWilliams for the special, but the producers turned him down.
55	** The documentary ''Film/EmpireOfDreams'' originally had a 10-minute segment dedicated to the special to emphasize what could've happened to the franchise if Creator/GeorgeLucas hadn't maintained control over it, but it was cut out for pacing reasons. The idea of a ''Holiday Special''-oriented documentary wouldn't come to fruition for about 20 years, when ''A Disturbance in The Force'' would be made and released as a standalone project unrelated to ''Empire of Dreams''.
56	** As mentioned above, the special was supposed to be more what one would expect from a ''Star Wars'' holiday special: It was supposed to be Kashyyyk's turn to host the festivities of the galaxy's holiday, Life Day, with Chewbacca as the main host (since he's a hero due to his part in destroying the Death Star). The Empire hates Life Day, but can't openly ban it without causing huge backlash and uprising; so a female Imperial officer (whom Lucas wanted to be played by 1960-70s sex symbol, actress, dancer, and singer Creator/RaquelWelch) would volunteer for a secret mission to sabotage Life Day by sneaking aboard the ''Starship Muscia'', a ship filled with Life Day stuff which Luke and Leia have appointed R2 and 3PO to make sure it gets to Kashyyyk on time. It's worth nothing that had this gone as planned this would have been the first appearance of a female Imperial. Chewbacca was to meet up with his family in the first 10 minutes of the special, dropped off by Han. Chewie and Lumpy would have then gone to meet up with a trader (who became Saun Daan), who would have had a bigger, less comedic role in the special as he worked on Life Day, but since his family was destroyed by the Empire years ago he has no one to celebrate with, so he plans to go to the Mos Eisley Cantina to drink with his buddies. Lumpy would have begged for the video book (which would have been what the cartoon would have been viewed on), but Chewie denies it to him, only to get it for him in secret as a surprise gift, but Lumpy, hurt, sneaks aboard Daan's ship before it takes off. The infamous VR chair/softcore porno thing Itchy watches in the final special was going to be viewed by Chewbacca, but instead of the notoriously suggestive woman, it would have been a rock music number (possibly the Music/JeffersonStarship appearance). Afterward, the machine would give Chewie a nightmare about Lumpy, and that's when Chewbacca and his family realize that their son is missing. Daan would have discovered Lumpy (who was watching the cartoon segment on another video book) and decides to take him back after he drinks with his friends, which is where the Cantina sequence would take place. It would eventually lead to Lumpy and Daan on the ''Starship Musica'' with R2 and 3PO as Raquel Welch distracted the crew with a sexy dance while she sabotaged it in secret. Chewie would board the ship and save the day, egged on by encouraging messages from Han, Luke, and Leia.
57	** Music/{{Cher}} was offered the role eventually taken by Diahann Carroll.
58	** Early in pre-production, the special was considered to be the start of a potential TV series.
59	** Luke was going to have his own song like Leia; Mark Hamill vetoed the idea.
60	** Lumpy's full name in [[https://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/swhs-old/text/swhs_script-fourth_draft.pdf the script]] was spelled "Lumwarrump" instead of "Lumpawarrump".

Context Trivia / TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial