SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 98:00 Min.
In its sole airing, CBS broadcast a prime-time Star Wars variety special directed by Steve Binder on November 11, 1978.
Presumably, the events occur several months after A New Hope. On planet Kashyyyk, Chewbacca’s family (his wife/mate Malla; son Lumpy; & father-in-law Itchy) anxiously await his return for their culture’s annual ‘Life Day.’ Yet, as seen from the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit, fugitives Han Solo & Chewbacca are desperately eluding an Imperial blockade that impedes their arrival. Malla’s increasingly worried calls to a dismissive Luke Skywalker and later Princess Leia alert them that perhaps they, too, should be concerned.
Meanwhile, Chewbacca’s loved ones try to keep themselves busy, which includes forms of holographic entertainment. Among them is a Nelvana-animated cartoon adventure introducing the deceptive Boba Fett that features the voices of Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, & Anthony Daniels. With local Imperials later holding Chewbacca’s family captive within their treehouse home, they stall for time. Ultimately, Chewbacca’s extended family reunites before he and his loved ones solemnly celebrate their spiritual ‘Life Day.’
Note: The only portion of this TV special officially available is Nelvana’s cartoon, which can be found on Disney +.
Musical performers include Diahann Carroll, Jefferson Starship, Bea Arthur (as the previously-unseen Mos Eisley cantina owner), and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia. Presently, only Nelvana’s cartoon has been released by Lucasfilm in any official capacity.
Han Solo: Harrison Ford
Chewbacca: Peter Mayhew
Malla: Mickey Morton
Saun Dann: Art Carney
Princess Leia: Carrie Fisher
C3P0: Anthony Daniels
Itchy: Paul Gale
Lumpy: Patty Maloney
Luke Skywalker: Mark Hamill
Krelman, Chef Gormaanda, & Armophian Instructor: Harvey Korman
Mermeia (hologram): Diahann Carroll
Ackmena: Bea Arthur
Imperial Officers: Claude Woolman, Lev Mailer, John McLaughlin, Jack Rader, & Michael Potter
The Reeko Brothers: The Mumm Brokers
Holographic Tumblers: The Wazzan Troupe
Holographic Rock Group: Jefferson Starship
Great Zorbak (hologram): Stephanie Stromer
Darth Vader (voice): James Earl Jones
Boba Fett (voices): Gabriel Dell & Don Francks
Archival Footage includes: Alec Guinness (as Obi-Wan Kenobi), David Prowse (as Darth Vader), and miscellaneous background actors (as Imperial Stormtroopers) (and from the Mos Eisley cantina).
Additional Appearances: a radio-controlled R2D2 and Art James (as the unseen voice-over announcer).
REVIEW:
Ideally, the production team (including a mostly uninvolved George Lucas) sought a creative compromise between entertaining pre-teens and yet still appeasing adults. The campy dreck viewers are instead bombarded with doesn’t even amount to a decent Muppets movie. Inserting recycled footage and F/X from A New Hope doesn’t help matters, either.
Far too much screen time is allotted to junk filler that adds nothing to this supposed mini-sequel. Case in point: the supposed downtime justifying Itchy’s PG-rated, virtual-reality ‘grandpa porn’ sexualizing Diahann Carroll makes no sense whatsoever. The same applies to Harvey Korman’s inane comedy relief segments, let alone Bea Arthur’s tone-deaf show-stopper amongst the Mos Eisley ruffians.
Besides Carroll’s suggestive contribution, other ‘holographic’ videos (i.e. Jefferson Starship) further spell out that the producers/scriptwriters were grasping at invisible straws. Hence, as interspersed throughout the program, the Star Wars cast’s glorified cameos will alleviate inanity only so much.
Among the primary cast, only Harrison Ford, Art Carney, and, in thankless roles, Mickey Morton & Patty Maloney, contribute watchable performances … with a fair amount of dignity. By amateurish comparison, a disinterested Mark Hamill barely even musters a facial expression, and the less said of Carrie Fisher’s eye-rolling ‘Life Day’ song the better.
Ultimately, only Nelvana’s cartoon comes off as remotely inspired entertainment. The remaining ninety minutes is an audience-squirming mix of kiddie fluff, wonky disco-style vaudeville, and the Empire’s Nazi-like harassment that never gels. Even for nostalgia aficionados, cringing through the Star Wars Holiday Special once proves challenging.
In retrospect, had George Lucas & CBS had recruited Jim Henson (and/or Frank Oz), a decent script rewrite would have been feasible. Beyond that, under Henson’s command, a classy Muppets-Meets-Star Wars-style extravaganza celebrating Wookie Life Day might have succeeded for sixty minutes, but certainly not a two-hour block like CBS had allotted.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 1½ Stars
