At the time, I was 12. I was a highly nerdy kid, and into science fiction. By Memorial Day, I was probably already very interested in seeing Star Wars, based on the TV ads that had been running. In the weeks that followed, the reviews, and the early reports of long lines at theaters, made me even more interested, though I didn’t actually get to see it until a couple of weeks after Memorial Day.
I likely knew of Smokey and the Bandit, but it wouldn’t have interested me nearly as much, and I don’t think I saw it until it was on TV a couple of years later.
Right, that’s what I mean. People might pick Star Wars just because that’s the one they know better now. It might not actually be the one they would have seen back in 1977 if they had been there.
No, but I remember the song “Boogie Nights” by Heatwave was on the radio a lot that summer of 1977. When I think of freshman chem lab that September the memory’s soundtrack is “Boogie Nights” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” on the radio.
I didn’t see Star Wars Memorial Day but I saw it not long after in a drive-in at LA with a friend while I was visiting my parents. Then saw it again the day after my now wife and I got engaged.
I knew some people who had seen chunks of it at an sf convention in Chicago that spring, and they loved what they saw, so I was ready.
I’ve never seen Smokey and the Bandit and can die happily never having done so.
Nope. That came out between when I was out of college and when I got a decent-paying job. (I did watch a bunch of Evening Shade when it was on, though.)
I was 4 in 1977. I saw Star Wars twice opening day. My aunt saw it with friends, then stole my brother and I and took us, and we sat through 2 showings. I don’t remember any TV spots for either of those films, however
Back in those days movie releases in New Zealand were months later than the US, sometimes years. I saw Star Wars when it came out… in August 77. I was 7 years old.
I kinda saw it by accident. A friend and I went to a midnight showing after dropping acid. We had no idea what the movie was going to be. I’ll never forget the rush that opening scene gave us - we just grabbed each other’s hand in delight!
I saw Smokey first, and I would choose Smokey again. A fantastic stupid movie, SatB features the greatest performance by a basset hound in cinema and a Sally Field who, frankly, just looks fuckin’ choice. Also, I grew up in Atlanta and it was thrilling to see Six Flags and the Scream Machine on cinema.
The opening of Star Wars is one of the BEST openings not just in movies but in all of literature. It follows the classic dictum to begin in medias res, “in the middle of things.”
Another “by accident” viewing of Star Wars here. I was a junior in college, hanging around the frat house with nothing planned. IIRC it was a Thursday night and a friend and I saw the movie’s ad in the paper. Both of us were sci fi fans (although circumspect about it in the greek world) and decided to pass the time at the theater. We knew literally nothing about the movie, and settled in expecting the typical cheesy scifi entertainment.
As singular1 above, we were astounded at how good it was, and the amazing special effects. All attempts to convince our frat brothers to return the next night were met with sneers and being called geek/nerd/etc. They were (of course) headed out to see Burt Reynolds’ and his amazing Trans Am and were uninterested. We went back and saw it again on Friday.