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IMDbPro

The Star Wars Holiday Special

  • TV Movie
  • 19781978
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
2.1/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,548
1,855
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
On this IMDbrief and with some help from C-3PO himself, Anthony Daniels, we download the weird and wild history of the two Star Wars Holiday Specials.
Play clip4:48
Watch "The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special" History Download
1 Video
99+ Photos
AdventureFamilyMusical
Chewbacca and Han Solo try to get to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day, but are impeded by an Imperial blockade. Chewie's family passes the time with various forms of e... Read allChewbacca and Han Solo try to get to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day, but are impeded by an Imperial blockade. Chewie's family passes the time with various forms of entertainment.Chewbacca and Han Solo try to get to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day, but are impeded by an Imperial blockade. Chewie's family passes the time with various forms of entertainment.
IMDb RATING
2.1/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,548
1,855
    • Steve Binder
    • David Acomba(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Rod Warren
    • Bruce Vilanch
    • Pat Proft
  • Stars
    • Mickey Morton
    • Patty Maloney
    • Paul Gale
    • Steve Binder
    • David Acomba(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Rod Warren
    • Bruce Vilanch
    • Pat Proft
  • Stars
    • Mickey Morton
    • Patty Maloney
    • Paul Gale
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 331User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    "The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special" History Download
    Clip 4:48
    Watch "The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special" History Download

    Photos206

    Mark Hamill in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Peter Mayhew and Mickey Morton at an event for The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Bea Arthur in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Carrie Fisher in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Anthony Daniels and Carrie Fisher in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Carrie Fisher in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Carrie Fisher in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Harvey Korman in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    Anthony Daniels in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
    The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mickey Morton
    • Malla
    Patty Maloney
    Patty Maloney
    • Lumpy
    Paul Gale
    Paul Gale
    • Itchy
    Mark Hamill
    Mark Hamill
    • Luke Skywalker
    Harrison Ford
    Harrison Ford
    • Han Solo
    Carrie Fisher
    Carrie Fisher
    • Princess Leia Organa
    Anthony Daniels
    Anthony Daniels
    • C-3PO
    Peter Mayhew
    Peter Mayhew
    • Chewbacca
    James Earl Jones
    James Earl Jones
    • Darth Vader
    • (voice)
    Bea Arthur
    Bea Arthur
    • Ackmena
    • (as Beatrice Arthur)
    Art Carney
    Art Carney
    • Saun Dann
    Diahann Carroll
    Diahann Carroll
    • Mermeia Holographic Wow
    Marty Balin
    Marty Balin
    • Holographic Band Singer
    • (as The Jefferson Starship)
    Craig Chaquico
    Craig Chaquico
    • Holographic Band Member
    • (as The Jefferson Starship)
    David Freiberg
    David Freiberg
    • Holographic Band Singer
    • (as The Jefferson Starship)
    Paul Kantner
    Paul Kantner
    • Holographic Band Member
    • (as The Jefferson Starship)
    Harvey Korman
    Harvey Korman
    • Krelman…
    Jack Rader
    Jack Rader
    • Imperial Guard Officer
      • Steve Binder
      • David Acomba(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Rod Warren
      • Bruce Vilanch
      • Pat Proft
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Carrie Fisher, George Lucas gave her a copy of the special as a gift for recording the DVD commentary for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). She claimed that she played it at parties when she wanted her guests to leave.
    • Goofs
      In the original film, the Millennium Falcon's flight deck had room for five people to be in the same shot together, a back panel of flashing lights, and a distinctive round blue VDU display high above Chewbacca's left shoulder. The flight deck is much smaller in this show, and the backdrop is obviously just a painted wall. The television special was filmed, on video tape, on a soundstage in Burbank, Hollywood, while the original Millennium Falcon set footage was filmed on 35mm film at Elstree film studios in England.
    • Quotes

      Chef Gormaanda: Stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir, beat.

    • Crazy credits
      R2-D2 as R2-D2
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Harrison Ford/Amy Adams/KT Tunstall (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Star Wars Themes
      by John Williams

    User reviews331

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    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.
    helpful•73
    11
    • tomfarrellmedia
    • Dec 21, 2004

    FAQ2

    • Why on Earth did George Lucas make this?
    • Are the events depicted in this program canon?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 17, 1978 (United States)
      • United States
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Site
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Stage 2, The Burbank Studios, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Smith-Hemion Productions
      • 20th Century Fox Television
      • Lucasfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 37 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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