Forty years ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. it’s the film that changed my life, and the lives of so many other people. It was “the film heard round the world,” that sent an army of filmgoers to theaters, and transformed a generation of young kids into storytellers, filmmakers, and…..NERDS!
It’s hard to fully comprehend the impact that this “little indie film” had on Hollywood, and on the entire cultural landscape. JAWS, just two years earlier, invented the modern summer blockbuster, then along came Star Wars and blew it up (literally) into galactic proportions. George Lucas had written and directed a film unlike anything that had come before.
And the fans — OH the fans! — have created some tributes that make us so proud and so happy to be a part of this incredible film. Watch below:
THE COMIC-CON CONNECTION
Star Wars and San Diego Comic-Con go waaaay back. All the way back to 1976, as a matter of fact. Today’s Hollywood Reporter has the following:
Star Wars went to San Diego Comic-Con in 1976, and people weren’t all that excited.
To lure an audience to a panel about an unknown property, the Star Wars promotional team employed star power from Marvel Comics, bringing writer Roy Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin to talk about their Star Wars comic book adaptation. Marketing head Charles Lippincott spent time at a table chatting with people and selling posters … which unfortunately for them, few people kept. “I think they were $1.75 and that poster now is still available on the collector’s market — and it’s one of the two most expensive posters you can buy on the collector market because people didn’t keep them,” recalls Craig Miller, who worked as a publicity assistant. “It sells for two or three thousand dollars now.” Yes, Miller does have one in his personal collection. (Saving pays off!)
