I recently found this image during an internet trawl, but am slightly mystified with it as to where and when its from. Someone online listed it as a premiere for the original STAR WARS, but I can't find any records of a premiere like this for 1977/78. I think its more likely a premiere for EMPIRE in 1980-it may be the UK Royal Premiere held in May that year at London's ODEON Leicester Square (the exterior certainly looks like it could be their outside foyer), with Chris Parsons filling in for Anthony Daniels (who was ill in hospital) inside the golden suit, alongside the remote controlled Artoo which was used at the event (a picture exists from the premiere of the droid with Mark Hamill and his wife). If that's the case, who played Chewbacca (I wasn't aware that the character was at the premiere)? Peter Mayhew can be seen at the UK premiere in his evening suit, but could he have briefly played Chewie before the film started? Mayhew had played the lovable Wookiee that week for the UK children's programme BLUE PETER, alongside Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in promoting EMPIRE, so the costume was in the country.
If anyone has info on this intriguing image, please get in touch...
I am 99.9% certain that this is the European Royal Charity premier of The Empire Strikes Back at the Odeon Leicester Square. Looks very much like the frontage of the cinema at the time, including the blue canopy with gold trim. Myself and a schoolfriend managed to get tickets. I remember the R2D2 in the foyer but we missed out on the rest of the characters as we all had to be seated in the cinema before the celebs and Royals turned up. We did however get to watch a Live video presentation of everyone arriving and being interviewed etc on the screen and there was a live performance of some of the film score including an awesome rendition of the Imperial March by Alan Ainsworth and his Orchestra i think it was.
ReplyDeleteI found your post one evening when i was feeling nostalgic and was trawling the web, thinking that there would be quite a few pictures of the event but found nothing bar the picture you posted.
There must be more press and personal pics out there but no one seems to have uploaded any - so i posted a few of the ones i took on the day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7854659@N05/5370941763/
Feel free to use them if you wish.
Regards,
Steve.
Very kind of you to take the time and trouble to do that. Great pics of a wonderful time period. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed the 1980 premiere. My brother was offered a ticket to the ESB premiere that night by a friend, and he was going to pass it on to me to go instead, but his friend sent it in the post and it arrived the day after the event! Typical British Royal Mail! I've been gutted by this for over thirty years, but your pics have cheered me up!
ReplyDeleteBest,
SCOTT
Hi
ReplyDeleteI am fortunate enough to remember all of the three original premiers and I believe that the ANH premier was actually at the Odeon Leicester Square (As it is now) and briefly transferred to the Odeon West End before taking up residence at the Dominion Tottenham Ct Road where, due to the features of that cinema/theatre, they were able to use the animated and neon lit replica of the main Hildbrandt poster as the main display. TESB premiered at the Odeon and Jedi did the same before transferring to the wide 70mm screen at Marble Arch.
As for those present, all of the principle cast members were there and I have seen many B/W photo's of the premier. But to my knowledge, I have only found three online. The one you printed, another featuring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford and a colour photo of the front of the Dominion following the transfer there. (The actual first performance of ANH was late night show following the premier- the show I went to)as they couldn't prep the Odeon quickly enough for the public following the premier.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the info-great stuff! So, just to confirm, the films stars (Hamill, Ford, Fisher) attended the first film's premiere in the UK, as well as 1980's EMPIRE Royal Premiere?
ReplyDeleteI remember the neon lights for the STAR WARS Hildebrandt poster at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road. I saw the original film first at my local Odeon in January 1978, and managed to get to see the film again at the Dominion a few months later-it was a far better viewing experience there, and it really felt that the Star Destroyer was above me as it came down to follow the Blockade Runner. Happy memories!