The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) (TV)

Director:

Steve Binder
(more)

Writer:

Mitzie Welch (writer)

Release Date:

17 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Musical | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Luke Skywalker and Han Solo battle evil Imperial forces to help Chewbacca reach his imperiled family on the Wookiee planet - in time for Life Day, their most important day of the year!

Plot:

Chewie and Han Solo are trying to get home to Chewie's family, so they can celebrate Lifeday.

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Star Wars | Empire | Cartoon | Spacecraft

Cast

Mark Hamill	...	Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford	...	Han Solo
Carrie Fisher	...	Princess Leia Organa
Anthony Daniels	...	C-3PO
Peter Mayhew	...	Chewbacca
James Earl Jones	...	Darth Vader (voice)
Bea Arthur	...	Ackmena
Art Carney	...	Saundan
Diahann Carroll	...	Mermeia Holographic Wow
Marty Balin	...	Holographic Band Singer (as The Jefferson Starship)
Craig Chaquico	...	Holographic Band Member (as The Jefferson Starship)
David Freiberg	...	Holographic Band Singer (as The Jefferson Starship)
Paul Kantner	...	Holographic Band Member (as The Jefferson Starship)
Harvey Korman	...	Krelman / Chef Gormaanda / Amorphian instructor
Mickey Morton	...	Malla
Paul Gale	...	Itchy
Patty Maloney	...	Lumpy
Jack Rader	...	Imperial Guard Officer
Stephanie Stromer	...	The Great Zorbak (Holographic Gymnast)
Michael Potter	...	Imperial Guard Officer
Wazzan Troupe	...	Holographic Tumblers
Yûichi Sugiyama	...	Ringleader
Mum Brothers	...	The Reeko Brothers
Claude Woolman	...	Imperial Officer (wallscreen)
Lev Mailer	...	Imperial Guard #1
John McLaughlin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Francks	...	Boba Fett (voice)
Mary Ann Hay	...	Dancer
Linda Hoxit	...	Teenage 'Wookie'
Art James	...	Announcer (voice)
Alec Guinness	...	Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi (archive footage) (uncredited)
Marcus Powell	...	Rycar Ryjerd (uncredited)
David Prowse	...	Darth Vader (uncredited) (archive footage)
Arthur Rowton	...	Zutton Zutmore (uncredited)
Leslie Schofield	...	Chief Bast (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve Binder
David Acomba		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mitzie Welch		writer

Produced by
Monroe E. Carol	....	associate producer
Dwight Hemion	....	executive producer
Joe Layton	....	producer
Rita Scott	....	associate producer
Gary Smith	....	executive producer
Jeff Starsh	....	producer
Ken Welch	....	producer
Mitzie Welch	....	producer

Original Music by
Ian Fraser

Cinematography by
John B. Field

Film Editing by
Jerry Bixman
Vince Humphrey

Art Direction by
Brian Bartholomew

Set Decoration by
Garrett Lewis

Costume Design by
Bob Mackie

Makeup Department
Silvia Abascal	....	hair stylist
Keith Crary	....	makeup artist
Donna Barrett Gilbert	....	hair stylist (as Donna Gilbert)
Verne Langdon	....	makeup artist
Michael Lorenz	....	makeup artist (as Mike Lorenz)
Jim Nielsen	....	makeup artist
Evelyn Trimmer	....	hair stylist

Art Department
C.B. Chisam	....	props
Ralph McQuarrie	....	illustrator
Leslie Parsons	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Ben Burtt	....	sound effects
Ed Greene	....	sound
Dean Okrand	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Jenn de Joux	....	video animation
Elizabeth Savel	....	video animation
Tom Tcimpidis	....	ultimatte operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Diane Biederbeck	....	camera operator
Jeff Chang	....	lighting technician
Larry Heider	....	camera operator
Bob Keys	....	camera operator
Peter Lomprakis	....	key grip
Fred McKinnon	....	lighting
Wayne Orr	....	camera operator
John Rook	....	lighting designer
Ron Sheldon	....	camera operator
Howard Smith	....	gaffer

Animation Department
Charles Bonifacio	....	animator (uncredited)
Robin Budd	....	animator (uncredited)
John Celestri	....	animator (uncredited)
John Halfpenny	....	animator (uncredited)
Frank Nissen	....	layout artist (uncredited)
Clive A. Smith	....	animation director (uncredited)
Bill Speers	....	animator (uncredited)
Ken Stephenson	....	animator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ellis Burman Jr.	....	costumes: "Wookie family"
Thomas R. Burman	....	costumes: "Wookie family"
Stuart Freeborn	....	costume: "Chewbacca"
Robert Turturice	....	assistant costume designer
Stan Winston	....	costumes: "Wookie family"

Music Department
Billy Byers	....	orchestrator
Ian Fraser	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Frank Khoury	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Peter Barth	....	stage manager
Ray Brannigan	....	supervisor
Gene Crowe	....	technical director
Mike Erwin	....	stage manager
Miki Herman	....	consultant: "Star Wars"
Peter Kimmel	....	production assistant
Sheila Lauder	....	script supervisor
Marty May	....	production assistant
Charkie Phillips	....	assistant choreographer
Elle Puritz	....	assistant to producer
Carol Englehart Scott	....	associate director
David Winters	....	choreographer
Stephanie Zilgitt	....	production assistant (as M. Stephanie Zillgitt)

Production Companies

• Smith-Hemion Productions
• Twentieth Century Fox Television (in association with) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Television)
• Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (original airing)

Other Companies

• Burbank Studios, The  videotaped at
• Group IV Recording  music recorded at
• Jefferson Starship  group appearance
• MVS Television Complex  technical facilities
• Neiman-Tillar Associates  sound effects
• Nelvana  "Star Wars" animated story by
• Sunwest Recording Studios  post-production studio
• Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation  choreography

Also Known As:

The 'Star Wars' Christmas Special (USA) (unauthorized video title)

Runtime:

97 min | 120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Smith-Hemion Productions

Trivia:

Mark Hamill's face was heavily made-up as he had been involved in a near fatal car accident some weeks prior and had just had reconstructive surgery.

Quotes:

Princess Leia Organa: [sung to the tune of the star wars theme] A day that takes us through the darkness/a day that leads us into light/a day that we celebrate/the LIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHTTTT!"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Venture Bros.: A Very Venture Christmas (#1.14)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Light the Sky on Fire

Oh Harrison, oh Mark, oh Carrie.........................................how could you?

It is safe to say that Star Wars was THE big culture craze of the 1970s. The Sixities had Beatlemania, the Seventies had Star Wars-mania. And just to underscore the parallel, the Fab Four released a film 'The Magical Mystery Tour' which was shown on Christmas 1968 by the BBC in black and white. The movie was a critical and commercial disaster, regarded as painfully bad. Exactly a decade later, the Midas-touch of Star Wars also gave out when Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie ventured onto the small screen for this seasonal special. But while the 1968 TV fiasco at least gave us hits like 'I am the Walrus' and 'Fool on the Hill', the 1978 special has Carrie Fisher singing 'The Life Day Song' to the tune of the John Williams theme music! Yep..you read that right. Carrie Fisher, resplendent in her bedlinen-and 'donught' hairdo warbles a song... "A day that takes us through the darkness/A day that leads us to life/A day that leads us to celebrate/A lifeee/To live/To laugh/To dream/To grow/To know....!!!!" Anyone who thought 'Attack of the Clones' was a disappointment needs to check out this CBS 'family special' in which Han and Chewbacca are racing across the galaxy to get to Chewie's home planet in time for the Wookie's equivalent of Thanksgiving, Life Day. This being 'A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away' there can't be a Christmas, you see. The equivalent seems to involve lots of robed and hooded Wookies marching across the stars into the sun! Parts of 'Episode Four a New Hope' that ended up on the cutting room floor are slotted in for the space sequences. The Millennium Falcon is being pursued by some highly camp Imperials. Meanwhile, back on Chewbacca's planet we are introduced to his 'wife' (Malla) his cutsey proto-Ewok son (Lumpy) and his rather perverted father-in-law Itchy. Thus for about 10-15 minutes we have Malla in an apron making 'HHHAARPPPPHH!' and 'WHHHUUUUURRRRRRRKKK' noises at her son for not tidying up his room (it has stuffed Banthas). Without subtitles too... At intervals, Lumpy contacts some of the Star Wars Cast by videophone. Remember, this is the winter of 1978 when Carrie Fisher was having boyfriend trouble with Paul Simon and drug problems while Mark Hamill had recently been in a near-death car accident. In both cases, it really shows... Hamill, in particular, having recently undergone extensive facial reconstruction anticipates 'New Romantic' fashions by three years, appearing caked in make-up. Elsewhere, Art Carney and Bea Arthur appear in the Mos Eisley cantina where, having chatted to a giant hamster, launch into a musical number. Of course, being a Seventies Holiday Special, musical numbers abound. The viewer half expects Marie and Donny Osmond to start a musical debut on the Yavin rebel base but sadly, this never happens. Instead, Jefferson Starship turn up on some kind of hologrammic chessboard. But best of all, Itchy settles into an interactive video-machine and watches Diahann Carroll sing a 'lurve' song that causes him to become 'excited' in a way that must have at least some parents shielding their kids' eyes. What is fascinating about this 1978 TV Special is the way in which all involved have conspired to airbrush it from history. Carrie Fisher pretended not to know what the journalist was talking about in an interview some years later. The director Steve Binder is known for directing the 1968 Elvis 'Comeback' while writer Pat Profit later went on to script the 'Naked Gun' movies. The lesson would seem to be that while music and comedy have their place, they need to be kept to a minimum in a galactic epic. The 'musical' number in Jabba's palace was the least watchable part of the 'Special Edition' Return of the Jedi. Comic relief can be painful if not thought out properly (We're looking at you, Jar Jar Binks...)

Lucas, who gave the go ahead to the Thanksgiving Special is reported to have said he'd like to smash every every bootlegged VHS tape of this excruciating show...serves you right George for such a cynical attempt to grab the pre-Christmas toy market.