Another thing you might want to review sometime is The Star Wars radio programs. Though not as goofy as this, but not as many people know about them. Often voiced by original people in the movies
Well you're going to loose your voice again, when you can't stop screaming from FEAR when satans demons come after you, Father God in Jesus Christ name Please bless Your child Emma put some fear in her heart, so she calls on you before it's to late, let her see whats coming for her soon if she doesn't know you Lord Jesus Christ In your mighty name amen
@@user-vh2us7xm8q Have you even bothered reading the smut book you preach? It says anyone threatening another with threats of Satan , or Hellfire, is in turn danger of Satan, or hellfire? Your smut - King, lawd, does not condone threatening in it, It says something to the nature of "If someone kicks ones arse, say "Thanks" , and offereth up the other cheek , in which to be kicked as well". Not demand eternal torture, or threats of damnation. Of course every single character you are proclaiming threats from, never existed to begin with, yet here you are in the 21st century, literally positively threatening strangers with imaginary boogeymen of yore. I am sure the mass-murderers of 2000 to 3000 years ago , of which made up these imaginary gawds are proud of you. In short Grow the FORK UP!
Fun fact, Carrie Fisher had a copy of the star wars holiday special, and when she had guests that refused to go home, she put it on and then they did left.
Emma. I watched it when it premiered. Here's the thing. As a kid, we actually enjoyed it simply because it was Star Wars. There was no Internet, no content, and kids were hungry for literally anything StarWars. Is it a horrible pile of garbage? Absolutely. But it was reflective of the variety shows on television at the time in the US. Yes, this was one of the worst specials ever, but kids simply didn't care. And we got Boba Fett
As a kid, the only way this show could have been better is if Donny and Marie Osmond themselves starred in this masterpiece. Emma, I'm so disappointed. /s
I remember watching this as it premiered as well. We were a so hyped for it, ravenous for anything Star Wars. It was my dad’s 40th birthday, and after the cake we all sat down to watch it. Words cannot describe our disappointment. Anytime it had the main characters we were happy. The other 97% we were wondering what the hell we were watching.
Even though this isn’t considered canon, if you go to Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge on November 17th (the date of the special’s release) there is a huge celebration with people in red robes, holding orbs and singing modified Christmas carols. Disney actually has a surprising amount of licensed Life Day merchandise for sale there as well.
I think it should be a rite of passage for all Star Wars fans. Especially with all the folks complaining about "X New Star Wars Thing is bad!" Like... yeah, let's sit down for a bit, have a Wookiee-ookie, brace yourself, you're gonna wanna see this.
Also, the scars never heal. "You weren't there, maan! You don't know tha pain, maaan! Tha horror maaaan, tha horror! Tha things we hadda see, maaaaan..!" 😢😭😱
I'm part of a group that has a public showing of this movie (with commentary by Rifftrax) every year. This was the first year my partner had seen the movie. At one point I had to go to the restroom, and when I came back I asked him "Did I miss anything good?" I don't think he has ever been more annoyed at me.
Right? Over 6 million forms of communication...I'm surprised he didn't whack her on the head and go "Mistress Leia, translator droid here... hello? 6 million lingos???" Of course Anthony Daniels would never actually say it like that, but still
I love how they didn't even try to make this special NOT feel like "just the 70s". I mean I get it they didn't have nowhere near the budget of the movies, but I swear I've seen half the Wookies' furniture at my grandparents' house.
The movie had a budget of 11 million, which in 1977 was an absolute pittance, R2D2 was made out of literal scrap ... the holiday special probably spent a few thousand and most of that on appearance fees
No part of me would be surprised to hear that the special had a decent budget, and 11 million is a very respectable budget for something that was as risky as Star Wars: A New Hope, we still have movies made for a lot less than that that end up doing fine. Well, just checked, it was over 1 million, that's over 5 million dollars today, that's not unreasonable for what is a rushed TV movie in the late 70s, and it makes a lot more sense than how much was spent on Episode 9 (apparently they spent the entire budget on FX and then had to get an intern to write the script over a weekend, and that intern hadn't seen Episode 8 'but heard it was really bad from some guys online'). Also, how the heck else would Sci-Fi back then make anything but using scrap??? it's not just a budget thing, the real reason Star Wars worked so well was that things managed to actually seem 'alien' to us, part of that was using foreign motifs and objects whenever possible. Star Trek is basically Progressive Space USA, Star Wars drew from a much wider cinematic background, including Westerns, Japanese films and of course the pre-existing Sci-Fi genre stuff like Flash Gordon. ANH wasn't Lucas' first movie, and I've even heard that he was considered a 'promising' director *before* Star Wars, one that could be expected to achieve great commercial success. I can't believe anyone thinks 11m was a pittance in the 70s to make a movie, that's apparently ~55m in today's money, nobody would call that a pittance, even if you could argue it's not 'a confident studio number'. IIRC Rocky's budget was 1/10th of ANH, obviously it's easier to make Rocky you say, but they literally made Star Wars by gluing preexisting stuff together. Also, by using scrap that looked cool Star Wars managed to achieve stuff that looked better than most completely made up things, we've all seen mall ninja stuff. Hope this didn't come off rude or angry, I didn't sleep great and am not trying to be confrontational, just offering a second opinion on some stuff. Also sorry if it's gibberish, again, didn't sleep great!
@@mightyone3737 "ANH wasn't Lucas' first movie, and I've even heard that he was considered a 'promising' director before Star Wars" wout popping over to imbd, pretty sure the Diner was, which was well regarded as a well made comedy. i've seen it, and tho i don't recall much, i think it was better than Star Wars quality wise, if not in visual appeal. if anything star wars was bad for Lucas as a filmmaker, i don't think he made anything other than star wars films after, tho he produced Indiana Jones, and he became quite comfortable in his B movie nice. tho otoh he pushed for the technological advancement of lots of special effects that make him a very important filmmaker in film history. "IIRC Rocky's budget was 1/10th of ANH," rocky was a budget film too. almost no sets, no big stars, the actor had written the script. "and am not trying to be confrontational, : oh yeah? sez YOU! ... 🙃
I don't have to imagine watching this in 1978, because I did. We were so happy to have it. I was 12 so I had no clue how bad it was. Your video coverage of it was very cute. But you missed so many important things about it. The guys in the bar was the great Art Carney, from hundreds of shows and movies. He was Norton in the Honeymooners. Bea Arthur of All in the Family, Maude, and Golden Girls. Comedian Harvey Korman and the holographic band was members of Jefferson Airplane.
All the worst D-list guest stars of the time. Yea, I know...many thought them b-list in that era and this is only my personal opinion, but even being from that era I found those guests to all be like fingernails on a chalkboard in most of what they did. The "guest-star" choices actually made the show so much more awful, and I suppose raised its standard as one of the worst of all time,
At the time anything SW was massive. The movie was re-release to theatres several times in the US. (Though it apparently didn't make a "profit" - ask Dave Prowse) Obviously the show was made for younger kids at the time, which is why the focus on the young Wookie. The other actors would have been network contract stars and well known at the time. Not really their fault the script was rubbish. Not sure how Emma is meant to recognise a bunch of US, (mainly TV) actors who were probably dead before she was born. I don't think people appreciate how much of a mill TV was back in the day where they might have produced 30 episodes or more a year. Basically this was a TV variety show in drag, so a couple of skits, a dance number and a few SW stars. Probably cobbled together in 5 minutes.
You failed to mention Art Carney (the Dan fellow) and Bea Arthur (the dramatic bar singer. Both were TV superstars, in their day. That explains the set issues; they shelled out some dough, particularly for Bea. Love your content, Emma. Glad you're feeling better.
Golden Girls and Carol Burnett Show (Harvey Corman also appeared in this) are actually a big deal now with younger audiences. I don't know about The Honeymooners but I can imagine younger people are aware of it from TH-cam.@@Cheepchipsable
But the cook that Emma went on about along with three other characters in this Special were all played by Harvey Korman--who was just coming off of the Carol Burnett Show. He also had his own talk show at the time. And I'm sorry but everyone should know Harvey Korman for his role within Blazing Saddles.
I honestly wonder, if this show was supposed to appeal to a younger audience, why they picked senior citizens who had been stars in the 1950s-60s? I kept thinking: what are THEY doing here? Makes about as much sense as starring them in a Star Wars movie.
Fun fact: this was the first appearance of Boba Fett; the popularity of Boba Fett here is why he was included in the movies where he became one of the most popular characters in all of Star Wars and the stylistic model for the Mandalorians.
He was developed for Episode V and first appeared in a parade alongside Darth Vader, the Holiday Special was just a preview of the character. They also releases his action figure early ahead of 1980.
@@desdemone1978 Yes, he was first supposed to be a super stormtrooper in all white, but by the time of the parade they changed the color of the armor...and he was a hit with the kids at the parade even though they had no clue who he was, but they could tell he as a bad guy.
The weirdest thing is, I remember watching this on our black and white tv. For many years, I assumed I had imagined the whole weird thing, as no one seemed to remember it ( or at least wouldn’t admit to having seen it)
You can find it for sale pretty easily now, because of the internet and digital sharing is so easy. One of the more fascinating things about the Xmas Special (IMO) is that there were so few copies that survived after being taped by viewers that there are different versions based entirely on what commercials play. The commercials have, in effect, become part of the experience for a lot of people. I find this hilarious because the whole thing was a giant commercial to begin with.
Lucas tried to have as many copies destroyed as he could. Carrie Fisher had one of, if not the only official copies in existence as she demanded it as her pay for something (I forget what) that Lucas wanted her to do (might have been something like filming extras for one of the DVD releases of the OT).
@@lordofuzkulak8308 it was for doing a dvd commentary in the 90s, wish that would be released by any means from whomever inherited it. She said she wanted it for "putting on tv when I want people to leave after parties"
23:48 Trooper Wilhelm-Scream, thank you very much. A noble family with a very limited vocabulary, but they don't deserve cavalier abbreviation of their surname. 😁
I got to work with and become friends with Bea Arthur, it was her, singing songs and telling stories. It took some work, but she did a great job singing her “Star Wars Bar Song”. She was so nice to work with.
I did. I have a vague memory of watching this as a young, young boy and being so very, very disappointed that it was that... crap. Broke my little heart. Luckily I met Dave Prowse a couple of years later and all was right in the world. (He used to visit schools as the Green Cross Code man and drove a very cool car)
I watched this, as a kid on the TV… I actually Remember thinking it was good because.. STAR WARS!!!! I never really thought of it as some ‘Car wreck’, or some of the ‘adult stuff’, hinted at until YEARS later😂😂😂 I’m surprised, and very happy you addressed this little gem🏳️🌈🥰🏳️🌈 Again, my thing was…. It’s STAR WARS!!!!
One of the reasons Luke looks so odd in the movie was because he had gotten in a car accident not too long before and was wearing a lot of makeup to cover some facial reconstruction surgery. As for the 70s bowl-cut...no excuse.
I watched the special on TH-cam a few years ago, since it came out the year before I was born, and it was... an experience. I loved the old commercials accompanying it, and I could see what it was going for, and I bet if it had been rerun when I was a kid I'd have thought it was fun and cool. But for adult me, it was arduous. Bea Arthur's singing is the highlight for me. I'm glad I did watch it, though, for two reasons. One: it's one of those pieces of history/lore around something I like that's almost "lost media", and it's very indicative of its time. Two: my brother, THE Star Wars fan of the family (he won Star Wars Trivial Pursuit on his first turn, and caught a mistake in one of the answers, popping in Phantom Menace and queuing up the scene to prove the card was wrong, not him) has never made it all the way through the Holiday Special. It is the one Star Wars thing I can one-up him on, and keeps him from getting too nagging when I remind him I haven't actually watched Rogue One yet (haven't had the time when I'm feeling in a Star Wars movie mood).
I was 10. I remember being excited to watch it, then realizing that it was not very good & rapidly approaching quite bad. I’d grown up watching variety shows & this was a true car wreck of programming, lol.
Glad you're feeling better and your voice has returned! I love the closed caption: (Emma gives a 5-star dramatization of the scene). I am a big Star Wars fan and I don't think I've ever seen the actual special in its entirety. If George Lucas wants it to be erased from existence, it's got to be bad. One thing that is notable is that it's the first canon appearance of Boba Fett, since this was broadcast before Empire Strikes Back. It is hilarious to see icons like Bea Arthur, Harvey Korman, and Diahann Carroll sign on for this. At least Bea Arthur said she did it for her kids, who were big Star Wars fans.
I've had this as a Laser Disc transfer onto DVD for a few years... and I've never watched it. It was a cash-in pure and simple. I don't know if Fox had asked George Lucas for another film by the time this was made. Up until Empire was released, Alan Dean Foster's 'Splinters of the Mind's Eye' was the sequel to the first film. Emma, you have done your noble duty once again by taking one for the team.
George probably gave Fox some rights, as he made his money from the toys. I find it interesting people complaining about "cashing in", why do you think studios make movies, or any business does anything?
Just a note: The "poppy band thing" started their career as Jefferson Airplane, then Jefferson Starship, and at this point were just calling themselves Starship. Hence they had to be included in a Star Wars variety special. Get it?
I remember the advertising for this being as vague as possible. Basically, just quick bumpers showing the Star Wars logo and the CBS announcer guy saying, "Star Wars! Friday at 8, 7 Central." So I had no idea what it was actually going to be. I thought it was the movie, which I'd missed the chance to see in 1977. We went to town that Friday to do our usual grocery shopping and visiting the grandparents, and didn't get home until after it was over, and I was SO MAD that I missed it. I got less mad when I learned more about it over the years, and the anger faded completely the first time I finally saw it.
I did it, I watched the thing. You are absolutely right that it contains *SO* many segments that went on for *SO* many times longer than they ever should have. It was 1 hour and 37 minutes of about 15 minutes worth of story... maybe 20 minutes if they dragged it out. I used 2x speed many times and skipped to the end of every song and it was still painful to watch. My recommendation: don't watch that, just watch this.
It was struggling to get any funding at all, it only begrudgingly got any because of American Graffiti, the studio assumed it would be released and disappear without trace Lucas always wanted it to be three movies, but assumed he could only get funding for one, and so gave it an ending Many people made Star Wars the success it became including Marcia Lucas, John Williams, Gary Kurtz, Ralph McQuarrie and many many others ... incidentally including George Lucas ...
I had a 4 credit hour class in college that was a star wars class (special 400 level class for mass communication). This was the funniest of all the movies we watched.
I was 13 when this premiered, my mother was watching with me and when it was over I blurted out "Damn! I need to get laid!" My mother who was a big prude said, "Don't worry hun, I'll find someone for you."
@@cyrussoxlegion Usually, talk like that would have her going after me with the wooden spoon. I think after seeing what I watched, she was more sympathetic .
Yeah, the weird Bobba Fett cartoon was the part of the special which was, actually, part of Star Wars cannon. This is why the recognized him when he showed up the first time in Return of the Jedi.
I was there. I saw this. I watched it on network television, with my sister and my younger brother. We were kids, we were Star Wars Fans. As Viggenpower below puts it, we loved it because, even though it's a big pile of bantha poodoo, we got a peek at Boba Fett - and a hint at where the next Star Wars film was going (The Empire Strikes Back) - and frankly, it being the late 1970s, it was far and away better than "Donnie and Marie." I'm not kidding. The Internet was just Darpanet at that time, cable was just a whisper in the wires in San Antonio, and the "Big Three" - CBS, NBC, and ABC - were the only game in town. We ate that big bowl of bantha poodoo because there wasn't anything better we kids could watch at the time, and it was "Star Wars."
If you were a 10 year old kid growing up in an abusive household, and the Star Wars universe was one of the places you sought escape, even this show scratched your itch for more content. IT WAS FUCKING GENIUS. (not that any of the previous sentence describes me)
I was 10 years old in 1988 and my home life was a nightmare (my parents had separated the year before, my mother abandoning us, and my father was abusive and my older brother brutally bullied me and older sister hated me). I hated Star Wars, I thought it was lame and dated and just stupid. Yeah there were things I got into that were an escape like most boys do, Star Wars was not one of them.
@@Wizardofgosz Oh look at this: I’ve actually somehow managed to hurt your feelings. If you’re this fragile and self-obsessed as an adult: I guess your household couldn’t have been that abusive & bad, because it must’ve never really ended.
@@Wizardofgosz Shouldn’t I be asking you that? I’m not the one getting all emotional over some actually rather mediocre-at-best (more like rather rubbish) films from over 4 decades ago and can’t seem to move on from his childhood.
Agreed. I'd (ever so regrettably) seen the original airing of the abomination. In that time, something called 'variety show-events' were popular where we'd have cheesy cameos, musical-numbers (because clearly Star Wars demographics BEAUTIFULLY overlaps with musical-fans)... It was almost unrelenting torture. By the time it was over, we ALL knew we'd be mercilessly destroying this at school for weeks! And it turns out that I was wrong. We've been mocking this fiasco for decades now.
Nothing says 🎄Happy Holidays like watching other people suffer the mental and emotional torment that is this movie! Happy Earth Day or Planet day or Wookie day or whatever
I watched this when it premiered. I was probably 6 years old at the time and the only thing that stuck with me was when the Stormtroopers messed up the little Wookiee's room and then told him to clean it up. I thought that was the meanest thing imaginable.
I was a kid watching this when it first aired, and I hated it then just as much as I hate it now. Okay, I love it in a campy nostalgic way, but it's like remembering a favorite toothache.
Imagine if this had been on British TV when it was new - which reminds me, is the episode of "The Muppet Show" with "the stars of "Star Wars" on Disney +?
It did have an international release in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Sweden and Ireland, and later in Brazil and Honduras ... The Holiday Special is available on Disney+
Nice to Emma is feeling better. I love her movie reviews. I suffer from winter depression. I went to gaming channel, little duck gaming and watched 3 of her videos. I thought was a bunch of fluff. I was wrong. They cured my depression. The way she narrates the videos makes me feel like I was a kid again. I recommend everyone checking out her gaming channel for some wonderful fun and happiness. I do believe Emma can cure a rainy day.
So sorry you were sick, love. I hope your voice recovers completely and soon. Your amazing sense of humor is wonderfully intact, even considering your illness. Looking forward to seeing your next hair color adventure.🤟🏻 Be well!
The "poppy band" was Jefferson Starship, formerly Jefferson Airplane (of "White Rabbit" fame). Some years hence they would become just Starship, of "We Built This City on Rock and Roll" infamy.
Holy moly. The shop dude was Art Carney, Norton from the Honeymooners. The bartender was Bea Arthur, who played Maude and one of the Golden Girls. And the bad guy was Harvey Korean, from Blazing Saddles among other things. And the holo band was Jefferson Starship. This was a train wreck of the highest caliber. And I have no idea how I missed this when it first aired.
Im guessing girls... or boys, beer and pot maybe. I was on the edge myself. But I wachted it an forever gave up on star wars.. there was punk and girls that liked music and occasional me. Then.... M tv. And I gave up music Started listening to jazz and surf got a car And drove off into today And I will admit it was fun. We should hang out sometime and watch that Star Wars special you missed .
When I was a little kid, I watched this with my brother on our little black and white tv. We loved it. It was so wonderful. Granted I was only six, and he was eight. Then I bought a bootleg copy of it a few years ago at a thrift store and watched it with my wife. We both were so excited to see it again and relive our childhood memories. Oh my god it was so weird and horrible. We were laughing so hard about how terrible it was. Good times!
I had a stroke and a heart attack the same time: Bea Arthur from Golden Girls is a Star Wars cast member as the hilariously singing bartender? And its not even in the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit boardgame. Emma, You made my day
I'm impressed you made it all the way through Emma. As a kid in 1978, like many others, I was soooo excited that something to do with Star Wars was going to be on my TV. To say that I and my mates were bitterly disappointed is a gross understatement. I was left with the confusing sensation that I had lost something, but didn't know what...
I don't have to imagine it. I was sitting at home and watching it back in 1978. It was truly an experience. Also, in 1978, it was just "Star Wars," nobody called it a "A New Hope."
Ironically, the wife and I have been binge watching Star Wars and Star Trek re-runs since Christmas that we forgot this little gem; how can anyone forget this childhood trauma!
I was 7 when this disaster was shown and you have perfectly described my confusion at the time. Did they not preview it with both kids and adults before broadcast, or was it just a case of "that'll do, send it"?
Did anyone else get the impression that a lot of what the kid wookie did was an attempt to come out to his mom without actually having to come out to his mom?
I remember seeing this on television while I was young. We usually taped everything remotely special. This we taped right over, and for years I have thought it actually was a dream.
You are quite correct, the forest floor of Kashyyyk is full of murder beasties, the Kasshook thing was apparently the original name from the George Lucas's notes for empire.
In Empire Strikes Back, the characters all know who Boba Fett is, and the film assumes the audience does too - but they only way that makes sense is if the Holiday Special is canon. Sorry, George!
"Can you imagine, sitting at home in 1978, getting lulled by this soft sensual performance, and then experiencing the dark cuts back to Grandpa Itchy having a good time in his chair." Actually, that WAS me. I saw it when it aired, not at home though, at a friend of my mom's house. I kind of remember being confused by the entire thing.
So FUN FACT in 2004 the Star Wars Holiday Special along with the Ewok movies were released on DVD! It was a special thing that went out to stores in a "Never Released" promotion. I regret never buying the Holiday Special but have the Ewoks.
I was eight years old when Star Wars was released, and I was completely hooked on all things Star Wars. I had toys and action figures. I put posters and calendars on the walls of my room. When the Holiday Special was advertised, I couldn't wait to see it. Then I watched it. Well, I watched perhaps the first five or ten minutes of it. At nine years old, I still knew crap when I saw it. I went to my room, hoping that some day a kick-ass sequel would come out soon.
After the Star Wars holiday special, the Empire Strikes back must have seemed not just like the greatest movie ever, but the greatest movie that will ever exist.
I would have been less than a year old when this aired but my brother was nearly 3 so he might have actually watched some of this. I can imagine that to a really young kid the show would have held their attention and might have actually entertained! I like your coverage because it didn’t subject us to much of the actual content and thus my sanity is preserved.
I definitely had a moment when you were saying I don't think it's possible for you to watch this at normal speed without skipping anything on your own, I have done all those, but then you said and enjoy yourself. Yeah, got me there.
Congratulations on surviving the Star Wars initiation. This proves you are true fan. It's test all true fans must endure. Now onward to another Nelvana cartoon, Rock n Rule.
Back in the 70s, holiday specials were common. To get an idea, check out The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. It was a fascinating time to live through. Such odd mixes of things. The guest stars were popular for random reasons... The bartender was Bea Arthur before her Golden Girls days, and the video chef was Art Carney, best known for The Honeymooners TV show. The copy I have has the original commercials... Talk about a throw back! The special has become a bit of a tradition in my house. We cook up a good meal and (with potent drinks) pop this into the DVD player. The drinks really help. 😊
I was about to turn 6 years old when this was shown on television. It couldn't keep my attention (probably because my 5 year old brain just couldn't handle all those long weird bits Emma talked about). Thus, I don't really remember anything about it. So, thanks Emma for doing this recap! I do remember the Luke and R2 bit being awkward. That really annoyed me because Luke was my fav character back then (it later shifted to Han, but now I am back to Luke). So, after trying desperately to pay attention I gave up at some point, went to my room and played with my Star Wars toys. My parents called my back into the living room when Han and Chewie finally made to Chewie's house so I watched a bit more. Then when the end singing bit started up, I skipped on back to my room to play with my toys. This is by no means a slight to to Carrie Fisher's singing because she was a very good singer. But, alas ... I was 5 and hearing her sing that pretty awful song was not high on my list of fun stuff to do ... not when there are Star Wars toys begging to be played with MAN!!
i think you forget something when you lament not getting this out during the christmas holiday, it's STILL the christmas holiday, technically. the 12 days, they end afair, at epiphany, today, in some cases known as orthodox christmas. my family had a second christmas on the 6th, after the boxing day sales.
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Another thing you might want to review sometime is The Star Wars radio programs. Though not as goofy as this, but not as many people know about them. Often voiced by original people in the movies
JOHN 6:66-6 KJV
Well you're going to loose your voice again, when you can't stop screaming from FEAR when satans demons come after you,
Father God in Jesus Christ name
Please bless Your child Emma put some fear in her heart, so she calls on you before it's to late, let her see whats coming for her soon if she doesn't know you Lord Jesus Christ
In your mighty name amen
@@user-vh2us7xm8q Have you even bothered reading the smut book you preach? It says anyone threatening another with threats of Satan , or Hellfire, is in turn danger of Satan, or hellfire? Your smut - King, lawd, does not condone threatening in it, It says something to the nature of "If someone kicks ones arse, say "Thanks" , and offereth up the other cheek , in which to be kicked as well". Not demand eternal torture, or threats of damnation.
Of course every single character you are proclaiming threats from, never existed to begin with, yet here you are in the 21st century, literally positively threatening strangers with imaginary boogeymen of yore. I am sure the mass-murderers of 2000 to 3000 years ago , of which made up these imaginary gawds are proud of you.
In short Grow the FORK UP!
@@user-vh2us7xm8q blergghhh
Fun fact, Carrie Fisher had a copy of the star wars holiday special, and when she had guests that refused to go home, she put it on and then they did left.
And what if they liked it, due them being bad good mobie fans? XD
cruel, even for her,and she could get feisty.
That's hilarious!
That’s just awesome 🤩
To be fair to Hamill, he was recovering after a car crash
To be fair to Carrie Fisher, she was higher than a Wookie treehouse
Emma. I watched it when it premiered. Here's the thing. As a kid, we actually enjoyed it simply because it was Star Wars. There was no Internet, no content, and kids were hungry for literally anything StarWars. Is it a horrible pile of garbage? Absolutely. But it was reflective of the variety shows on television at the time in the US. Yes, this was one of the worst specials ever, but kids simply didn't care. And we got Boba Fett
As a kid, the only way this show could have been better is if Donny and Marie Osmond themselves starred in this masterpiece.
Emma, I'm so disappointed. /s
@@SparkyTom1 they would have been a great addition. Or Sonny and Cher.
I remember watching this as it premiered as well. We were a so hyped for it, ravenous for anything Star Wars. It was my dad’s 40th birthday, and after the cake we all sat down to watch it. Words cannot describe our disappointment. Anytime it had the main characters we were happy. The other 97% we were wondering what the hell we were watching.
Even though this isn’t considered canon, if you go to Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge on November 17th (the date of the special’s release) there is a huge celebration with people in red robes, holding orbs and singing modified Christmas carols. Disney actually has a surprising amount of licensed Life Day merchandise for sale there as well.
You guys are a bunch of boomers, err, wait ...nevermind.
Holiday Special is like war. No one should experience it, but you have to experience it to be able to talk about it.
I think it should be a rite of passage for all Star Wars fans. Especially with all the folks complaining about "X New Star Wars Thing is bad!" Like... yeah, let's sit down for a bit, have a Wookiee-ookie, brace yourself, you're gonna wanna see this.
@@andrewjenkins9965 In fact, there's a VTSWHS hall in our town next to the VFW, both are filled with old guys screaming "you weren't there!"
Also, the scars never heal.
"You weren't there, maan! You don't know tha pain, maaan! Tha horror maaaan, tha horror! Tha things we hadda see, maaaaan..!" 😢😭😱
@@acrodave9287 Post-traumatic Star Wars disorder (PTSWD).
I'm part of a group that has a public showing of this movie (with commentary by Rifftrax) every year. This was the first year my partner had seen the movie. At one point I had to go to the restroom, and when I came back I asked him "Did I miss anything good?"
I don't think he has ever been more annoyed at me.
Hahahaha that sounds exactly like something I would say to my partner just to see his annoyed face
It's one of my top 3 rifftrax.
Not just that Leia asked if someone else was there to translate, but... C-3PO is right beside her! The guy who knows every language!
...but speaks with an atrocious accent!
Right? Over 6 million forms of communication...I'm surprised he didn't whack her on the head and go "Mistress Leia, translator droid here... hello? 6 million lingos???"
Of course Anthony Daniels would never actually say it like that, but still
The creepiest thing I found about the special was the wookies having human teeth. It stirred up major uncanny valley vibes for me.
Yes! The teeth are very disturbing
I'm sure they were pressured by their human friends to get trendy human flat teeth 🤣🤣 It may have backfired 👀
My head cannon is that Wookiee actually look just like humans under all that hair and Uncle Itchy just happens to like his women freshly waxed.
When I was a kid in the 80's and 90's this was a myth....a rumour....a story to scare children with.
And then you're at a convention, and there it is, in the sketchy DVD booth...
In the 90's it was more sketchy catalogues that featured 3rd-4th generation VHS tapes along side the "Video Nasties"@@andrewjenkins9965
I love how they didn't even try to make this special NOT feel like "just the 70s". I mean I get it they didn't have nowhere near the budget of the movies, but I swear I've seen half the Wookies' furniture at my grandparents' house.
The movie had a budget of 11 million, which in 1977 was an absolute pittance, R2D2 was made out of literal scrap ...
the holiday special probably spent a few thousand and most of that on appearance fees
No part of me would be surprised to hear that the special had a decent budget, and 11 million is a very respectable budget for something that was as risky as Star Wars: A New Hope, we still have movies made for a lot less than that that end up doing fine. Well, just checked, it was over 1 million, that's over 5 million dollars today, that's not unreasonable for what is a rushed TV movie in the late 70s, and it makes a lot more sense than how much was spent on Episode 9 (apparently they spent the entire budget on FX and then had to get an intern to write the script over a weekend, and that intern hadn't seen Episode 8 'but heard it was really bad from some guys online').
Also, how the heck else would Sci-Fi back then make anything but using scrap??? it's not just a budget thing, the real reason Star Wars worked so well was that things managed to actually seem 'alien' to us, part of that was using foreign motifs and objects whenever possible. Star Trek is basically Progressive Space USA, Star Wars drew from a much wider cinematic background, including Westerns, Japanese films and of course the pre-existing Sci-Fi genre stuff like Flash Gordon. ANH wasn't Lucas' first movie, and I've even heard that he was considered a 'promising' director *before* Star Wars, one that could be expected to achieve great commercial success. I can't believe anyone thinks 11m was a pittance in the 70s to make a movie, that's apparently ~55m in today's money, nobody would call that a pittance, even if you could argue it's not 'a confident studio number'. IIRC Rocky's budget was 1/10th of ANH, obviously it's easier to make Rocky you say, but they literally made Star Wars by gluing preexisting stuff together. Also, by using scrap that looked cool Star Wars managed to achieve stuff that looked better than most completely made up things, we've all seen mall ninja stuff.
Hope this didn't come off rude or angry, I didn't sleep great and am not trying to be confrontational, just offering a second opinion on some stuff. Also sorry if it's gibberish, again, didn't sleep great!
@@mightyone3737 "ANH wasn't Lucas' first movie, and I've even heard that he was considered a 'promising' director before Star Wars"
wout popping over to imbd, pretty sure the Diner was, which was well regarded as a well made comedy.
i've seen it, and tho i don't recall much, i think it was better than Star Wars quality wise, if not in visual appeal.
if anything star wars was bad for Lucas as a filmmaker, i don't think he made anything other than star wars films after, tho he produced Indiana Jones, and he became quite comfortable in his B movie nice.
tho otoh he pushed for the technological advancement of lots of special effects that make him a very important filmmaker in film history.
"IIRC Rocky's budget was 1/10th of ANH,"
rocky was a budget film too. almost no sets, no big stars, the actor had written the script.
"and am not trying to be confrontational, :
oh yeah?
sez YOU!
...
🙃
I relate to nothing more than Emma stating she knows the candy cane is just cloth and then licking it and confirming "yep, tastes like cloth"
I don't have to imagine watching this in 1978, because I did.
We were so happy to have it. I was 12 so I had no clue how bad it was.
Your video coverage of it was very cute. But you missed so many important things about it.
The guys in the bar was the great Art Carney, from hundreds of shows and movies. He was Norton in the Honeymooners.
Bea Arthur of All in the Family, Maude, and Golden Girls.
Comedian Harvey Korman and the holographic band was members of Jefferson Airplane.
All the worst D-list guest stars of the time. Yea, I know...many thought them b-list in that era and this is only my personal opinion, but even being from that era I found those guests to all be like fingernails on a chalkboard in most of what they did. The "guest-star" choices actually made the show so much more awful, and I suppose raised its standard as one of the worst of all time,
Thank You! I heard that voice and went, "Bea?! 😳" Thanks for the confirmation! 😁
At the time anything SW was massive. The movie was re-release to theatres several times in the US. (Though it apparently didn't make a "profit" - ask Dave Prowse)
Obviously the show was made for younger kids at the time, which is why the focus on the young Wookie.
The other actors would have been network contract stars and well known at the time.
Not really their fault the script was rubbish. Not sure how Emma is meant to recognise a bunch of US, (mainly TV) actors who were probably dead before she was born.
I don't think people appreciate how much of a mill TV was back in the day where they might have produced 30 episodes or more a year.
Basically this was a TV variety show in drag, so a couple of skits, a dance number and a few SW stars. Probably cobbled together in 5 minutes.
You failed to mention Art Carney (the Dan fellow) and Bea Arthur (the dramatic bar singer. Both were TV superstars, in their day. That explains the set issues; they shelled out some dough, particularly for Bea. Love your content, Emma. Glad you're feeling better.
HTF would she recognise these people?!?
Golden Girls and Carol Burnett Show (Harvey Corman also appeared in this) are actually a big deal now with younger audiences. I don't know about The Honeymooners but I can imagine younger people are aware of it from TH-cam.@@Cheepchipsable
But the cook that Emma went on about along with three other characters in this Special were all played by Harvey Korman--who was just coming off of the Carol Burnett Show. He also had his own talk show at the time. And I'm sorry but everyone should know Harvey Korman for his role within Blazing Saddles.
I honestly wonder, if this show was supposed to appeal to a younger audience, why they picked senior citizens who had been stars in the 1950s-60s? I kept thinking: what are THEY doing here? Makes about as much sense as starring them in a Star Wars movie.
Fun fact: this was the first appearance of Boba Fett; the popularity of Boba Fett here is why he was included in the movies where he became one of the most popular characters in all of Star Wars and the stylistic model for the Mandalorians.
He was developed for Episode V and first appeared in a parade alongside Darth Vader, the Holiday Special was just a preview of the character. They also releases his action figure early ahead of 1980.
@@desdemone1978 Yes, he was first supposed to be a super stormtrooper in all white, but by the time of the parade they changed the color of the armor...and he was a hit with the kids at the parade even though they had no clue who he was, but they could tell he as a bad guy.
The weirdest thing is, I remember watching this on our black and white tv. For many years, I assumed I had imagined the whole weird thing, as no one seemed to remember it ( or at least wouldn’t admit to having seen it)
You can find it for sale pretty easily now, because of the internet and digital sharing is so easy. One of the more fascinating things about the Xmas Special (IMO) is that there were so few copies that survived after being taped by viewers that there are different versions based entirely on what commercials play. The commercials have, in effect, become part of the experience for a lot of people. I find this hilarious because the whole thing was a giant commercial to begin with.
Lucas tried to have as many copies destroyed as he could. Carrie Fisher had one of, if not the only official copies in existence as she demanded it as her pay for something (I forget what) that Lucas wanted her to do (might have been something like filming extras for one of the DVD releases of the OT).
@@lordofuzkulak8308 it was for doing a dvd commentary in the 90s, wish that would be released by any means from whomever inherited it. She said she wanted it for "putting on tv when I want people to leave after parties"
I still need to find a copy...
"Good luck fighting ME... I'm a silly li'l guy. I'll just cry, and you'll feel bad."
Carrie Fisher avoided talking about the Star Wars Holiday Special by insisting that she was too strung out on drugs at the time to remember any of it.
It doesn't matter how much you hear about The Holiday Special, nothing prepares you for how bad it actually is.
I think you will find SOMETHING does - Emma's video!
@alansmith2426 Yeah, she watched so others don't have to. She didn't mention how clearly off her face Carrie Fisher was though.
@petebyrdie4799 I am so glad you said that. Until now I seriously thought I was the only one who had noticed!
This is so true. I attempted to watch it once and couldn't get through it.
23:48 Trooper Wilhelm-Scream, thank you very much. A noble family with a very limited vocabulary, but they don't deserve cavalier abbreviation of their surname. 😁
I got to work with and become friends with Bea Arthur, it was her, singing songs and telling stories. It took some work, but she did a great job singing her “Star Wars Bar Song”. She was so nice to work with.
Add I just ordered some cereal with your code, as a type 1 diabetic, this looks like a cereal I can safely indulge in.
I had no idea Bea Arthur was in the thing until I saw this video. And Harvey Korman! Well, I've learned one thing--it was obviously on CBS.
It's the best part of the entire Special
"Motherf***ing Boba Fett riding his own dinosaur..." - THIS is best line at least of this year!! I laughed hard!
I did. I have a vague memory of watching this as a young, young boy and being so very, very disappointed that it was that... crap. Broke my little heart. Luckily I met Dave Prowse a couple of years later and all was right in the world.
(He used to visit schools as the Green Cross Code man and drove a very cool car)
I watched this, as a kid on the TV… I actually Remember thinking it was good because.. STAR WARS!!!!
I never really thought of it as some ‘Car wreck’, or some of the ‘adult stuff’, hinted at until YEARS later😂😂😂
I’m surprised, and very happy you addressed this little gem🏳️🌈🥰🏳️🌈
Again, my thing was…. It’s STAR WARS!!!!
Which is why it was made, to cash in on the hype.
I wonder what the viewing figures were for it.
Wasn't Mark tripping balls on painkillers from his accident during this? Its also why he looks like a corpse from all the makeup lol
One of the reasons Luke looks so odd in the movie was because he had gotten in a car accident not too long before and was wearing a lot of makeup to cover some facial reconstruction surgery. As for the 70s bowl-cut...no excuse.
That's why they worked the snow beast attack into Empire, to explain his scars.
Emma: being sick sucks
Also Emma: I think I'll put this plush toy in my mouth
Ahh... 🤔
I watched the special on TH-cam a few years ago, since it came out the year before I was born, and it was... an experience. I loved the old commercials accompanying it, and I could see what it was going for, and I bet if it had been rerun when I was a kid I'd have thought it was fun and cool. But for adult me, it was arduous. Bea Arthur's singing is the highlight for me. I'm glad I did watch it, though, for two reasons. One: it's one of those pieces of history/lore around something I like that's almost "lost media", and it's very indicative of its time. Two: my brother, THE Star Wars fan of the family (he won Star Wars Trivial Pursuit on his first turn, and caught a mistake in one of the answers, popping in Phantom Menace and queuing up the scene to prove the card was wrong, not him) has never made it all the way through the Holiday Special. It is the one Star Wars thing I can one-up him on, and keeps him from getting too nagging when I remind him I haven't actually watched Rogue One yet (haven't had the time when I'm feeling in a Star Wars movie mood).
Can I imagine watching this in 1978?
Yes, because I did as a child of 7.
Ughhh... my condolences.
I was 9
Yep. I was 9, and generally spent 90% of any money I had on Star Wars toys. Of course I watched it live.
I was 10. I remember being excited to watch it, then realizing that it was not very good & rapidly approaching quite bad. I’d grown up watching variety shows & this was a true car wreck of programming, lol.
@@vis_viva My problem was my parents controlled most of my spending money and so I mostly got Star Wars knock-offs which were very common back then.
Glad you're feeling better and your voice has returned!
I love the closed caption: (Emma gives a 5-star dramatization of the scene).
I am a big Star Wars fan and I don't think I've ever seen the actual special in its entirety. If George Lucas wants it to be erased from existence, it's got to be bad.
One thing that is notable is that it's the first canon appearance of Boba Fett, since this was broadcast before Empire Strikes Back.
It is hilarious to see icons like Bea Arthur, Harvey Korman, and Diahann Carroll sign on for this. At least Bea Arthur said she did it for her kids, who were big Star Wars fans.
I've had this as a Laser Disc transfer onto DVD for a few years... and I've never watched it. It was a cash-in pure and simple. I don't know if Fox had asked George Lucas for another film by the time this was made. Up until Empire was released, Alan Dean Foster's 'Splinters of the Mind's Eye' was the sequel to the first film. Emma, you have done your noble duty once again by taking one for the team.
George probably gave Fox some rights, as he made his money from the toys.
I find it interesting people complaining about "cashing in", why do you think studios make movies, or any business does anything?
Just a note: The "poppy band thing" started their career as Jefferson Airplane, then Jefferson Starship, and at this point were just calling themselves Starship. Hence they had to be included in a Star Wars variety special. Get it?
I have the 45 vinyl single of that song. Label “featured in the SW Holiday Special”. 🎸😎
I remember the advertising for this being as vague as possible. Basically, just quick bumpers showing the Star Wars logo and the CBS announcer guy saying, "Star Wars! Friday at 8, 7 Central." So I had no idea what it was actually going to be. I thought it was the movie, which I'd missed the chance to see in 1977. We went to town that Friday to do our usual grocery shopping and visiting the grandparents, and didn't get home until after it was over, and I was SO MAD that I missed it. I got less mad when I learned more about it over the years, and the anger faded completely the first time I finally saw it.
I did it, I watched the thing. You are absolutely right that it contains *SO* many segments that went on for *SO* many times longer than they ever should have. It was 1 hour and 37 minutes of about 15 minutes worth of story... maybe 20 minutes if they dragged it out. I used 2x speed many times and skipped to the end of every song and it was still painful to watch. My recommendation: don't watch that, just watch this.
I love your videos. It is that simple. We need more people like you.
In 1977, it was not called "A New Hope", it was just Star Wars, because it was meant to be just that one movie.
It was more like Lucas was worried it would be the only movie.
I don't remember anyone calling it a new hope until the 2000s movies
@@piratetv1 It was a known as a New Hope back in the 1980s.
It was struggling to get any funding at all, it only begrudgingly got any because of American Graffiti, the studio assumed it would be released and disappear without trace
Lucas always wanted it to be three movies, but assumed he could only get funding for one, and so gave it an ending
Many people made Star Wars the success it became including Marcia Lucas, John Williams, Gary Kurtz, Ralph McQuarrie and many many others ... incidentally including George Lucas ...
I had a 4 credit hour class in college that was a star wars class (special 400 level class for mass communication). This was the funniest of all the movies we watched.
If you think the Star Wars Special was bad, try watching the Brady Bunch Musical Comedy Special that same year! Yikes! That was a real stinker!
I was 13 when this premiered, my mother was watching with me and when it was over I blurted out "Damn! I need to get laid!"
My mother who was a big prude said, "Don't worry hun, I'll find someone for you."
lol I know you said your mom is a prude, but she sounds kind of awesome anyway.
@@cyrussoxlegion Usually, talk like that would have her going after me with the wooden spoon. I think after seeing what I watched, she was more sympathetic .
I think naming James Earl Jones was a solid choice, since I don't think he got credit for doing the voice of Darth Vader in the first film.
Apparently that was at his own request (the not being credited) o:
By definition, cereal is made of grain. So “grain-free cereal” is a contradiction in terms.
My coworkers and I would watch it every year while working at Universal. It helped us get through the crazy Christmas season.
The bartender was played by Bea Arthur. While mainly known as one of the Golden Girls, Bea had a long, fabulous career in acting.
Including as a employee bureau worker in Mel Brooks "History of the world,part one"
@@marcusfridh8489 "Excuse me, I'm on my wine break!"
It's even worse if you're as old as I am and you know the weird actors who they have thrown in.
A gift from Emma, just in time for Epiphany! Well done!
That Wookie mask is...something else.
Yeah, the weird Bobba Fett cartoon was the part of the special which was, actually, part of Star Wars cannon. This is why the recognized him when he showed up the first time in Return of the Jedi.
Variety shows were very common at the time - this one happened to be just the worst; but we get Bea Arthur and Harvey Korman
They were probably under contract and couldn't help but ham it up.
Not their fault the script was rubbish.
I'm pretty sure there's a 3.75 scale action figure of the Cantina Lady from the 90's power of the force set.
I was there. I saw this. I watched it on network television, with my sister and my younger brother. We were kids, we were Star Wars Fans. As Viggenpower below puts it, we loved it because, even though it's a big pile of bantha poodoo, we got a peek at Boba Fett - and a hint at where the next Star Wars film was going (The Empire Strikes Back) - and frankly, it being the late 1970s, it was far and away better than "Donnie and Marie." I'm not kidding.
The Internet was just Darpanet at that time, cable was just a whisper in the wires in San Antonio, and the "Big Three" - CBS, NBC, and ABC - were the only game in town. We ate that big bowl of bantha poodoo because there wasn't anything better we kids could watch at the time, and it was "Star Wars."
Call me weird, but I firmly hold that Bea Arthurs Cantina cabaret act, is the one redeeming quality of this Deathstar-wreck.
The Cartoon is often cited as the highlight ... which considering how bad that is, is damning praise .. .
If you were a 10 year old kid growing up in an abusive household, and the Star Wars universe was one of the places you sought escape, even this show scratched your itch for more content. IT WAS FUCKING GENIUS. (not that any of the previous sentence describes me)
I was 10 years old in 1988 and my home life was a nightmare (my parents had separated the year before, my mother abandoning us, and my father was abusive and my older brother brutally bullied me and older sister hated me).
I hated Star Wars, I thought it was lame and dated and just stupid. Yeah there were things I got into that were an escape like most boys do, Star Wars was not one of them.
@@danieleyre8913 why are you sharing all this negativity? You don't like Star wars, fine but why you raining on someone's parade?
@@Wizardofgosz Oh look at this: I’ve actually somehow managed to hurt your feelings. If you’re this fragile and self-obsessed as an adult: I guess your household couldn’t have been that abusive & bad, because it must’ve never really ended.
@@danieleyre8913 what is wrong with you?
@@Wizardofgosz Shouldn’t I be asking you that?
I’m not the one getting all emotional over some actually rather mediocre-at-best (more like rather rubbish) films from over 4 decades ago and can’t seem to move on from his childhood.
Agreed.
I'd (ever so regrettably) seen the original airing of the abomination. In that time, something called 'variety show-events' were popular where we'd have cheesy cameos, musical-numbers (because clearly Star Wars demographics BEAUTIFULLY overlaps with musical-fans)...
It was almost unrelenting torture. By the time it was over, we ALL knew we'd be mercilessly destroying this at school for weeks! And it turns out that I was wrong. We've been mocking this fiasco for decades now.
Nothing says 🎄Happy Holidays like watching other people suffer the mental and emotional torment that is this movie! Happy Earth Day or Planet day or Wookie day or whatever
Emma as a Christmas elf omg that's so cool! 👏👏👏
She wouldn't even need a costume! :)
Emma talking about Star Wars is the crossover I never knew I needed 😂
I love it too. I hope she does more.
I watched this when it premiered. I was probably 6 years old at the time and the only thing that stuck with me was when the Stormtroopers messed up the little Wookiee's room and then told him to clean it up. I thought that was the meanest thing imaginable.
There’s also a Star Wars Christmas Album, called Christmas in the Stars. It’s arguably worse than the Christmas Special.
Oh no
I was a kid watching this when it first aired, and I hated it then just as much as I hate it now. Okay, I love it in a campy nostalgic way, but it's like remembering a favorite toothache.
Imagine if this had been on British TV when it was new - which reminds me, is the episode of "The Muppet Show" with "the stars of "Star Wars" on Disney +?
It did have an international release in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Sweden and Ireland, and later in Brazil and Honduras ...
The Holiday Special is available on Disney+
Nice to Emma is feeling better. I love her movie reviews.
I suffer from winter depression. I went to gaming channel, little duck gaming and watched 3 of her videos. I thought was a bunch of fluff. I was wrong. They cured my depression. The way she narrates the videos makes me feel like I was a kid again. I recommend everyone checking out her gaming channel for some wonderful fun and happiness. I do believe Emma can cure a rainy day.
Mate 🥺💖
I saw it when it came out. Lots of the adults back then were on really weird drugs.
So sorry you were sick, love. I hope your voice recovers completely and soon. Your amazing sense of humor is wonderfully intact, even considering your illness. Looking forward to seeing your next hair color adventure.🤟🏻 Be well!
The "poppy band" was Jefferson Starship, formerly Jefferson Airplane (of "White Rabbit" fame). Some years hence they would become just Starship, of "We Built This City on Rock and Roll" infamy.
Holy moly. The shop dude was Art Carney, Norton from the Honeymooners. The bartender was Bea Arthur, who played Maude and one of the Golden Girls. And the bad guy was Harvey Korean, from Blazing Saddles among other things. And the holo band was Jefferson Starship. This was a train wreck of the highest caliber. And I have no idea how I missed this when it first aired.
Im guessing girls...
or boys, beer and pot maybe.
I was on the edge myself.
But I wachted it an forever gave up on star wars..
there was punk and girls that liked music and occasional me.
Then.... M tv. And I gave up music
Started listening to jazz and surf got a car
And drove off into today
And I will admit it was fun.
We should hang out sometime and watch that Star Wars special you missed .
This was the most embarrassing thing Jefferson Starship was a part of until "We Built This City" was released
@@rseandunham that’s probably why they sang it.
When I was a little kid, I watched this with my brother on our little black and white tv. We loved it. It was so wonderful. Granted I was only six, and he was eight. Then I bought a bootleg copy of it a few years ago at a thrift store and watched it with my wife. We both were so excited to see it again and relive our childhood memories. Oh my god it was so weird and horrible. We were laughing so hard about how terrible it was. Good times!
I'm so glad we didn't have to wait until next December for Wookiee!Emma.
Luke's terrible hair is there to help cover up his accident, the same one they invented the Wampa in Empire Strikes Back to explain his injuries.
I had a stroke and a heart attack the same time: Bea Arthur from Golden Girls is a Star Wars cast member as the hilariously singing bartender? And its not even in the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit boardgame.
Emma, You made my day
Well, "Saun Dann" might be a creepy uncle here, but the actor already had an Academy Award ;)
I'm impressed you made it all the way through Emma. As a kid in 1978, like many others, I was soooo excited that something to do with Star Wars was going to be on my TV. To say that I and my mates were bitterly disappointed is a gross understatement. I was left with the confusing sensation that I had lost something, but didn't know what...
Ok... Emma, seriously... Close up Chewbacca roar had me CRYING! You are freaking hysterical! I'm still trying to get over it.
I remember when this came out. You have pretty much described the disconnect that we all felt at the time. Thank you! (I hope you fell better soon!)
I don't have to imagine it. I was sitting at home and watching it back in 1978. It was truly an experience. Also, in 1978, it was just "Star Wars," nobody called it a "A New Hope."
Ironically, the wife and I have been binge watching Star Wars and Star Trek re-runs since Christmas that we forgot this little gem; how can anyone forget this childhood trauma!
I was 7 when this disaster was shown and you have perfectly described my confusion at the time.
Did they not preview it with both kids and adults before broadcast, or was it just a case of "that'll do, send it"?
Did anyone else get the impression that a lot of what the kid wookie did was an attempt to come out to his mom without actually having to come out to his mom?
I'm old enough to remember the broadcast. I'm still perplexed.
I remember seeing this on television while I was young. We usually taped everything remotely special. This we taped right over, and for years I have thought it actually was a dream.
You are quite correct, the forest floor of Kashyyyk is full of murder beasties, the Kasshook thing was apparently the original name from the George Lucas's notes for empire.
In Empire Strikes Back, the characters all know who Boba Fett is, and the film assumes the audience does too - but they only way that makes sense is if the Holiday Special is canon. Sorry, George!
"Can you imagine, sitting at home in 1978, getting lulled by this soft sensual performance, and then experiencing the dark cuts back to Grandpa Itchy having a good time in his chair." Actually, that WAS me. I saw it when it aired, not at home though, at a friend of my mom's house. I kind of remember being confused by the entire thing.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Emma to you & yours.
Unironically better then episode 9, this is not even a joke
I suppose at least Mark Hamill isn't milking any alien creatures in the Holiday Special
So FUN FACT in 2004 the Star Wars Holiday Special along with the Ewok movies were released on DVD! It was a special thing that went out to stores in a "Never Released" promotion. I regret never buying the Holiday Special but have the Ewoks.
I was eight years old when Star Wars was released, and I was completely hooked on all things Star Wars. I had toys and action figures. I put posters and calendars on the walls of my room. When the Holiday Special was advertised, I couldn't wait to see it.
Then I watched it.
Well, I watched perhaps the first five or ten minutes of it. At nine years old, I still knew crap when I saw it. I went to my room, hoping that some day a kick-ass sequel would come out soon.
After the Star Wars holiday special, the Empire Strikes back must have seemed not just like the greatest movie ever, but the greatest movie that will ever exist.
You weren't a real fan if you didn't watch to the end, hoping it would get better.
@@Cheepchipsable I was prescient enough to know that there was no hope! XD
No problem, yesterday was the last day of my vacation, so you're just in time.
I would have been less than a year old when this aired but my brother was nearly 3 so he might have actually watched some of this. I can imagine that to a really young kid the show would have held their attention and might have actually entertained!
I like your coverage because it didn’t subject us to much of the actual content and thus my sanity is preserved.
I definitely had a moment when you were saying I don't think it's possible for you to watch this at normal speed without skipping anything on your own, I have done all those, but then you said and enjoy yourself. Yeah, got me there.
Congratulations on surviving the Star Wars initiation. This proves you are true fan. It's test all true fans must endure.
Now onward to another Nelvana cartoon, Rock n Rule.
Back in the 70s, holiday specials were common. To get an idea, check out The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. It was a fascinating time to live through. Such odd mixes of things. The guest stars were popular for random reasons... The bartender was Bea Arthur before her Golden Girls days, and the video chef was Art Carney, best known for The Honeymooners TV show. The copy I have has the original commercials... Talk about a throw back! The special has become a bit of a tradition in my house. We cook up a good meal and (with potent drinks) pop this into the DVD player. The drinks really help. 😊
I was about to turn 6 years old when this was shown on television. It couldn't keep my attention (probably because my 5 year old brain just couldn't handle all those long weird bits Emma talked about). Thus, I don't really remember anything about it. So, thanks Emma for doing this recap! I do remember the Luke and R2 bit being awkward. That really annoyed me because Luke was my fav character back then (it later shifted to Han, but now I am back to Luke). So, after trying desperately to pay attention I gave up at some point, went to my room and played with my Star Wars toys. My parents called my back into the living room when Han and Chewie finally made to Chewie's house so I watched a bit more. Then when the end singing bit started up, I skipped on back to my room to play with my toys. This is by no means a slight to to Carrie Fisher's singing because she was a very good singer. But, alas ... I was 5 and hearing her sing that pretty awful song was not high on my list of fun stuff to do ... not when there are Star Wars toys begging to be played with MAN!!
Correction: In 1978, it was not "Star Wars: A New Hope." It was just "Star Wars."
Your subtitler is, once again, epic.
If you think about it, any Lego person dropped in honey and then in dog hair could become a Lego Chewbacca.
Luke's hair and makeup make him look like he came as Luke Skywalker the action figure.
i think you forget something when you lament not getting this out during the christmas holiday, it's STILL the christmas holiday, technically. the 12 days, they end afair, at epiphany, today, in some cases known as orthodox christmas. my family had a second christmas on the 6th, after the boxing day sales.
Emma Thorne is such a trooper! Better health in 2024!
Thanks for this. I too was sick over the holidays, so I appreciate all trailing holiday content!
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Years Emma. Thanks for reviewing this "special" I hope to never have to sit through it. Hope you feel better!