Celebrity Measurements

A Disturbance in the Force takes a look behind the scenes of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978.

PLOT: Behind the scenes of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.

REVIEW: Young people today have no idea how hard it was to see the Star Wars Holiday Special in the days before the internet. I only became aware of the Holiday Special during the mid-nineties, thanks to occasional mentions in Sci-Fi Universe or Starlog. In 1996, I went to a Star Wars Convention with some friends in Montreal. The big attraction was the full screening of the Holiday Special on a bootleg tape. After all the years we spent reading about it, and imagining what it would be like, my friends and I walked out of the convention after only ten minutes. The fact that this show was ever made is an interesting pop culture footnote. The new documentary,

A disturbance in the Force explains how it all came together. A variety show centered around the Star Wars universe may sound like a bunch of nonsense, but it was not unusual in the 1970s. These shows were very popular at the time. The format was so popular that they made The Brady Bunch Hr, an all-singing and all-dancing Brady Bunch reunion. Some shows, like Donny and Marie were huge. The movie shows that the Star War Holiday Special is bad, but not the worst variety show of the era. It’s not the worst Star Wars

Variety Show, as they unearthed the now infamous Donny & Marie Star Wars Special, which featured Kris Kristofferson singing and playing Han Solo, and R2-D2 beeping and bopping. If you’ve never seen it – well, here you go:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-aDHbBWfMQWhile the makes of A Disturbance in the Force (Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak) weren’t able to nab Mark Hamill or Harrison Ford for an interview, there’s enough vintage footage of them discussing the special floating around to make due (including a funny bit by the late Carrie Fisher) as people have been asking them about it for years. Donny Osmond is the most notable new interview. He talks about how his special

took off. It’s a funny and self-deprecating conversation. Bruce Villanch was also involved, as well as many others. The documentary acknowledges that the Holiday Special occupies a strange place in the Star War canon. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and other fans have worked references into The Mandalorian including a mention of “Life Day”. Even those who claim to hate the show like the late Gibert Gottfried still have a fondness for it. The documentary praises “The Story of the Faithful Wookie,” the part of the Disney Plus special that introduced Boba Fett. One thing’s for sure – the fact that Lucasfilm never put it out officially only enhanced its cult status, and as long as there’s any media, but the internet or even video tapes, it’ll always exist.8

Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch