The Star Wars Holiday Special

Recaps

By Foggywood | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | 10:00 am | 12 Comments
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in: Christmas Specials, Recaps

 ***Throughout this Christmas season, we will be eating and drinking our faces. We will also be posting recaps of the shows that are on as well as Best in Comments articles and Christmas recap reprints!! Enjoy this Fogywood classic!! 

 

press

About three weeks ago, Flipit (our TVGasm Emperor) asked us which Holiday special we would be interested in covering. Because I was still covering RINGER at the time (shameless plug – will return on January 31st!), I didn’t give it much thought until I finished the RINGER fall finale recap two weeks ago. At that point I knew I wanted to do something out of the norm, something different, something – dare I say – special. A special Holiday Special!

I knew right then and there exactly what I wanted to do… A long time ago – in a galaxy far, far away CBS broadcast The Star Wars Holiday Special – and people, it is bat shit crazy.

I had long heard the legend, the myth of TSWHS. It was shown once on November 17, 1978, a year and a half after the original Star Wars was released. The rumor is that George Lucas had very little input and when he saw the finished product, he freaked out – never allowing it to be re-broadcast or sold. The only copies available were bootlegs. I only found out it truly existed when I saw an interview with Carrie Fisher where she said: “I did the voiceover for some of the Star Wars discs or whatever and I made it a condition that he would give me the Star Wars Christmas special so that I could, you know, have something for parties … when I wanted everyone to leave.”

She then went on to say how she barely remembers the filming because she (and other cast members – ahem!) was so high. God, I love Carrie Fisher.  (Read her book Wishful Drinking – amazing)

So, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to see what this cult phenomenon, this oddity, this fabled chapter in Star Wars lore was all about. And now I know. You guys, this thing is fucking bonkers.

I sat alternately horrified and fascinated for two hours. When it was over I said to myself I can’t recap this thing!  Too much ridiculata to handle. And then – much to my chagrin – the universe spoke to me, tugged on my sleeve, whispered in my ear, and sent me little clues that I had to fulfill this destiny.  I wasn’t getting out of this that easy.

First I heard that Chewbacca had been cast in Glee. After I had processed the WTF-ness of that, I read that Glee was doing an actual tribute to TSWHS. Random. Then I watched this past week’s COMMUNITY (Yay!) and they also referred to and paid tribute to TSWHS. REALLY random. Finally three days ago I read that one of the hottest, best unproduced scripts in H’wood right now is a behind the scenes take on the life of Chewbacca. REALLY, REALLY f’ing random, right? Well, I may be a little slow on the uptake, but I finally took a hint.  So, here we are and away we go.

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Foggywood
About

Jonathan Mallen grew up in San Francisco, went to college at Santa Clara, and has spent the bulk of his youth living and dying in LA.  Don't worry, mostly living.  He has worked as an actor, teacher, limo driver, waiter, personal assistant, office assistant,  script reader, retail associate, etc etc AND etc...  Very glamorous, he knows.  He is very happy to add blogger to his illustrious resume.

12 Comments

  1. 1
    Luscious Luscious
    Posted December 18, 2011 at 11:20 am

    That was for reals? Holy moley – I feel like I just took a hit of acid. What a shame I missed this when I was 7.

  2. 2
    Jessi
    Posted December 18, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    I’ve tried watching this movie before and couldn’t get through it. I love Star Wars and thought this might be so bad that it’s good. Nope! It’s so bad that it made me want to rip my ears off. I can’t take that much Wookiespeak. You’re a hero for getting through the entire thing!

  3. 3
    Foggywood Foggywood
    Posted December 18, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    @Luscious – yes, my dear – it was all TOO real…
    @Jessi – thank you honey – as the last Wookie family caption said “Let us never speak of this again!”

  4. 4
    Elmstreet
    Posted December 19, 2011 at 12:48 am

    My friends and I are all movie buffs, and we have a boner for bad movies. Bad God DAMN, none of us have ever made it through this stinking pile of shit.

    Props, my dear friend. Allow me to pour you a heavily spiked glass of eggnog to dull the pain.

  5. 5
    notwithoutmytv
    Posted December 19, 2011 at 8:28 am

    I DID see this when I was 7, and even then, I knew that this thing just wasn’t right. I love Luke’s face when Chewie’s squeeze tells him her husband hasn’t shown up yet. Hammil does this “BWAH!??” look somebody just told him he’s going to grow up to french his sister.

  6. 6
    Wilma Fengherdu
    Posted December 19, 2011 at 3:39 pm

    This sounds horrific!! So now I’ve gotta go find it somewhere…

  7. 7
    kthxbai
    Posted December 19, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    I just dreamed this, right? I mean I dreamed about reading this bizarre recap and now I’m dreaming I’m typing?

    Please say yes.

  8. 8
    runningwild
    Posted December 19, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    I was a huge Star Wars fan and back then I would watch Harrison Ford in anything. I know I watched part of this. I don’t remember making it through the whole thing.

  9. 9
    Sarahthered
    Posted December 20, 2011 at 4:44 am

    Jessi, you think this is bad… there’s another thing on youtube that made me absolutely LIVID. A major thundering turd. It’s “The Donny and Marie Show” w/characters from Star Wars; there’s a whole dancing group of storm troopers, Donny and Marie are dressed as Luke and Leia, Kris Kristofferson is Han Solo ( you think Carrie Fisher looks wasted in TSWCS; Kris gives her a run for her money), Red Foxx is Obi Wan… I’m probably not remembering some of this correctly, but the whole thing is too awful for me to look it up this early in the morning (or ever).
    If you’re brave, just try to watch this and see how far you can go. Donny and Marie were pretty dreadful during the usual shows, but this one goes to new levels of stink. My sister and I traded clips w/each other, and both of us were enraged (sometimes we do this with- see who can pull up the worst shit possible).
    I throw down the gauntlet. It’s got nothing to do with Christmas, but if you want more Star Wars suckiness, go for it.

  10. 10
    Foggywood Foggywood
    Posted December 20, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    @Elmstreet – you you my good sir/lady – my Irish will most definitely appreciate the offer!
    @notwithoutmytv – poor Hamill – he got the shaft (well – don’t ask me!), didn’t he? I will always remember him in Corvette Summer. Go on Annie Potts!
    @wilma – oh, sweetheart, please don’t. Trust…
    @kthnxbai – YES!
    @runningwild – you are better for it – would be better to watch Indy Part 1V on a continuous loop – I KNOW, right???
    @sarahthered – Oh Jeez, Sarah. Now I have to watch this and now and I’ve completely lost my mind…thanks, Sarah – thanks ALOT!

    Cheers, thanks alot, you guys!

    -Foggywood

  11. 11
    Sarahthered
    Posted December 20, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    The whole variety show trend in the 70′s was so strange… I think it’s a good argument for believing everyone in the entertainment industry was on major amounts of cocaine. Or just really, really brain damaged by whatever they did in the previous decade. Did anyone really like any of these things?
    Foggywood, please provide your feedback re: Donny & Marie Star Wars show… I want to know if it made you as livid as my sister and I were.

  12. 12
    TVKimmy TVKimmy
    Posted December 19, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    This was fantastic! If you’d like to see “I can’t believe that actually happened!” specials, I highly recommend the craptastic Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. ;)

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