Looking back on Star Wars, part 2: The Holiday Special (1978)
By Mike McNulty
Our twelve-part history of Star Wars continues with what is arguably the saga at its most bizarre–the primetime Holiday Special.
"“Happy Life Day, everyone.”"
On November 17, 1979, CBS interrupted their regular broadcast of Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk to air a two-hour variety show. The network hoped that just like when It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) aired on televisions three years before, this special would also become an annual holiday staple. Yet this would be the only time the special would ever air in the United States and Canada. Sure, it also appeared in other countries a year or so later, even twice in Argentina. Otherwise, it all but ceased to exist, much to the relief of one George Lucas.
That’s because what CBS aired was the now-infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, one of the strangest, most embarrassing, and almost forgotten curiosities in Star Wars history. And it would’ve remained an almost forgotten curiosity if not for viewers recording the live broadcast on VHS, then selling the copies at Star Wars conventions several years later. Today, the Holiday Special is only obtainable from bootleg DVDs or YouTube, and Lucasfilm refuses to give it an official release.
As for why it was made, it was for one reason and one reason only: to capitalize on the success of Star Wars and to sell toys.
But what exactly is The Star Wars Holiday Special? How did it get made? And why is it so bad that even Lucas all but refuses to talk about it? To answer the first question, the Holiday Special is an hour and thirty-seven minute made-for-TV movie that’s one part sequel and one part variety show. As for why it was made, it was for one reason and one reason only: to capitalize on the success of Star Wars and to sell toys.
When Star Wars (or Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope as it later came to be known) became an unexpected box-office sensation, everyone wanted to cash in on it. Fortunately for Lucas, he was ahead of the curve. During Lucas’ contract negotiations with 20th Century Fox, the studio agreed in giving him full control over all licensing and merchandising rights. This not only gave Lucas near-complete creative control over future Star Wars projects, he and his production company, Lucasfilm, would collect all proceeds from anything with a Star Wars logo.
Among the merchandise was a line-up of action figures created by Kenner Toys. After Star Wars hit theaters, these figures became so popular that, very quickly, the demand exceeded supply. As a sequel wouldn’t be years away and as Lucas would spend most of his time in producing it, something had to satisfy the public’s now growing appetite for all things Star Wars. That’s when CBS came knocking to pitch Lucas and marketing chairman, George Lippencott, a doozy of an idea: a Star Wars-themed variety show. After all, everybody loved variety shows in the 1970s.
It’s at this point where things get a little hazy. The official story is that when it came to the making of the Holiday Special, Lucas had little involvement. But according to a 2008 article in Vanity Fair, it was Lucas who came up with the main story idea for which the special would revolve around. Since this special would also air the week before Thanksgiving, the special would take place during the fictional galactic holiday known as “Life Day.” He also demanded it set on the Wookiees’ home planet of Kashyyyk, with Chewbacca’s family, consisting of his father Itchy (Paul Gale), his wife Malla (Mickey Morton), and their son Lumpy (Patty Maloney), as the main characters.
Unfortunately, things started going bad right from the start…The actors hired to play various aliens also kept fainting from lack of oxygen while wearing their rubber masks.
Thus armed only with Lucas’ story pitch and a “Wookiee bible,” CBS hired a team of writers to come up with various sketches to pad the running time. Except for Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, David Prowse, and Kenny Baker, the entire main cast from Star Wars reprised their roles. It would also feature veteran actor Art Carney as Trader Dann, a merchant and secret Rebel Alliance supplier who’s also a friend of Chewbacca’s family. And of course, Kenner Toys started making action figures of Mala, Lumpy, Itchy, and other characters featured in the Special.
Unfortunately, things started going bad right from the start. Lucas’ hand-picked director and fellow USC Film School alumni, David Acomba, had no clue how to go about shooting with multiple cameras. After Acomba quit midway through production, director Steve Binder was hastily brought in to finish the rest. Moreover, with a measly $1 million budget, CBS couldn’t afford elaborate sets, make-up, or costumes, relying on used ones from Star Wars and cheap knockoffs. The actors hired to play various aliens also kept fainting from lack of oxygen while wearing their rubber masks.