# Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2006, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810 "2006-03-10T09:20:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/41 "2006-03-11T12:27:36Z")
The horrible thing is, you can probably buy it on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/42 "2006-03-11T14:46:52Z")
I took the coward’s option and let the thing buffer so that I could jump forward when I got bored, which usually happened after about 30 seconds. Does it make any more sense if you watch it in real time? Ford/Hamill/Fisher et al agreeing to do this suggests that they didn’t make much from the original film. This was before The Empire Strikes Back so maybe it was one of their first opportunities to cash in. Not that they shouldn’t be flayed alive for taking part. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/43 "2006-03-11T21:50:58Z")
I’m curious, did That 70’s Show ever mention this? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/44 "2006-03-11T22:05:11Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > The horrible thing is, you can probably buy it on Amazon. No you can’t. Read it again-it has never been officially released. Unless [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) has a section for bootleg copies, no, you cannot get it there. eBay, yes. Amazon, no. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/45 "2006-03-11T22:19:10Z")
I have very dim memories of the Christmas Special when it first aired: I must have been about 10, and all I remember is thinking, “Well, _that_ was weird.” Does anyone else remember the Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show, with Mark Hamill as a guest? _That_ was cool, especially when he turned up on the _Swine Trek_ for Pigs In Space. I loved Pigs In Space: “Tune in two weeks from now and miss next week’s exciting episode of…PIGS…IN…SPAAAACE!” ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/46 "2006-03-11T22:22:36Z")
That was mind-numbingly bad. Even the animated portion, which I would have enjoyed had I seen it when it was released. I’m glad I missed all mention of it at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/47 "2006-03-11T22:43:28Z")
I made it as far as Malla watching the cooking show. I felt myself slipping into a coma so I shut it off. Were Itchy and Lumpy seriously the best names they could come up with? Come on, this is Star Wars! Darth Vader! Luke Skywalker! Chewbacca! Boba Fett! Jabba the Hutt! Itchy and Lumpy! Which of these things is not like the others? I’d like to see a reporter ask Harrison Ford about his part in this. Wonder what his excuse would be. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/48 "2006-03-11T22:51:02Z")
I believe both Itchy and Lumpy are short for their full names, just like Chewie is short for Chewbacca. So I give that a pass. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/49 "2006-03-11T23:05:05Z")
I managed to purge some of the bad taste from my mind by chasing it with [Troops](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0eU0x1v57w&search=troops). ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/50 "2006-03-11T23:57:35Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > I took the coward’s option and let the thing buffer so that I could jump forward when I got bored, which usually happened after about 30 seconds. Does it make any more sense if you watch it in real time? > > Ford/Hamill/Fisher et al agreeing to do this suggests that they didn’t make much from the original film. This was before The Empire Strikes Back so maybe it was one of their first opportunities to cash in. Not that they shouldn’t be flayed alive for taking part. Hey any actor can do a good script. It takes a real pro to perform a piece of shit like that. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/51 "2006-03-12T01:23:42Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I believe both Itchy and Lumpy are short for their full names, just like Chewie is short for Chewbacca. So I give that a pass. Itchbacca and Lumpbacca? Sound like medical conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/52 "2006-03-12T01:29:24Z")
I don’t remember Itchy’s real name (I could look it up, but I don’t feel like it right now), but Lumpy’s real name is Lumpawaroo. Malla’s full name was Mallatobuck (no, really!) and I think Chewie also had a nephew named Lowbacca, aka Lowie. Yeah, Wookiee names are weird, but what did you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/53 "2006-03-12T03:50:16Z")
Carrie Fisher has talked openly about her cocaine-fueled past, but as far as I know she’s never said she was high when this special was made. You could probably take screen caps of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing and claim they were high. People just make funny faces when singing out. Nothing else in Fisher’s performance suggests she was high, e.g., slurred speech, delayed reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/54 "2006-03-12T04:08:55Z")
I watched a bootleg copy last christmas with my friends. We fast forwarded through the songs, especially the one by “Starshit.” One of my friends is blind and so we had to describe it to her. Imagine having to do a play-by-play on this piece of Bantha Poodoo. I remembered some of it from the original showing, so there was the cool nostalgia effect. For about 30 seconds. Then the suck kicked in. Hard. > [@](#): > > **BMax** I managed to purge some of the bad taste from my mind by chasing it with Troops. Amen. How bad does a network release have to be when some talented amateurs on a shoestring budget can produce circles around them? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/55 "2006-03-12T04:18:23Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I don’t remember Itchy’s real name (I could look it up, but I don’t feel like it right now) Attichitcuk, according to Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/56 "2006-03-12T04:24:10Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Attichitcuk Bless you! ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/57 "2006-03-12T04:44:04Z")
I’ve seen the special. It was…interesting. I’m going to disagree with those who say it’s too bad to be entertaining; it’s the kind of bad where you can’t help but watch, it’s so strange. My friend says he has a bootleg version that actually has the original 1978 commercials in between. I wish I’d seen that version, it sounds hilarious. > [@Marlitharn](#): > > I’d like to see a reporter ask Harrison Ford about his part in this. Wonder what his excuse would be. Harrison Ford was on Conan O’Brien a few weeks ago and Conan brought up the holiday special. I don’t remember his exact reaction, but it was something like “Yeah, what can I say? It was 1978, they were crazy times.” Then Conan said he had a short clip to show, and Harrison leaned over and pretended to choke Conan out of rage. It was funny stuff, I wish I had a clip of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/58 "2006-03-12T05:00:39Z")
I have a samizdat copy of the thing that I can’t bear to look at (no, no commercials or anything). It actually makes the CDs stored next to it dumber. I was twelve when it was on–right in the target audience, apparently–and it all sorts of blends together for me. Remember, it was the heydey of big flashy stupid variety shows, and Carrie herself had been on SNL doing equally stupid Princess Leia skits. I remember the Wookiees lifting a fondue set with lights on it and Bea Arthur singing, but that’s it. Totally forgot about Harrison and Harvet being in it. I was more a Star Trek than SW kid, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/59 "2006-03-12T05:02:43Z")
> [@KJ](#): > > I’ve seen the special. It was…interesting. I’m going to disagree with those who say it’s too bad to be entertaining; it’s the kind of bad where you can’t help but watch, it’s so strange. That’s pretty much how I felt. It wasn’t in the “so bad it’s good”, in that it was funny. It was more, it’s fucking _surreal_. Like I said, if you watch it while high, I’ll bet it’s a blast! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810/60 "2006-03-12T05:12:13Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > I was twelve when it was on–right in the target audience, apparently–and it all sorts of blends together for me. Remember, it was the heydey of big flashy stupid variety shows, and Carrie herself had been on SNL doing equally stupid Princess Leia skits. And [Luke, Chewie, and the droids were on the Muppet Show a couple of years later](http://www.lucasfan.com/swtv/muppets.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-holiday-special-1978/347810.md?page=4)