'STAR WARS' AT 40: DROID FELLOWSHIP!

They had their earlier spat and went separate ways, but now Threepio and Artoo are clearly happy to be reunited, despite being trapped inside a Jawa Sandcrawler and surrounded by various other droids of all shapes and sizes- on their way to destinations unknown, in this classic scene from the original STAR WARS.

In a sequence shot towards the end of principal photography at Elstree, many of the droids both Astro or of humanoid shape, previously used on location or in studio, would appear here. So far unpublished, and within the BFI's Special Collection, are two colour continuity Polaroids taken during 1976 filming by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner, similar to the images presented here but one is taken from a further distance showing tubing and wiring at the front of the set, in front of the cannibilized white droid half of CZ-3. Scene 26 was also to have included an R2 with a brown head amongst the droid pool (though she may have meant/been referencing R5-D4, for the continuity in Tunisia). The other protocol droid Threepio in this scene (looking like they've been lobotomised!), was played by a British background extra named Julie Sharp. The Jawas in this UK filmed interior scene included Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond's two young children, Rusty Goffe, and Jack Purvis, who was the Chief Jawa.

In Skinner's script of January 1st 1976, there is a red ILM underlined marking for the outside Scene 21, of the Sandcrawler moving in the canyon at sunset.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

BEHIND THE SCENES: SPEEDER DEALER!

Image: Ann Skinner/BFI.

He's lovingly maintained his Landspeeder since he was young, but Luke only just gets the sales money he needs for Obi-Wan when bartering with Mos Eisley speeder dealer Wioslea (played by Barry Copping, also credited to David Stone), in this scene filmed at Elstree Studios in April, 1976.

Script supervisor Ann Skinner's handwritten costume notes for Wioslea (aka alien dealer): "Purple top cloak-over head beige brown long dress under cloak." Also in her notes, a "Chicken Legs" creature (played by Peter Barbour, wearing stilts and later terrorising "Little Flash Gordon" (Marcus Powell) in a deleted scene), "red/white robot goes across R to L as Luke moves to get poncho", and "white 3po" with "dustbin droid' lurking about.

Other Skinner hand-written notes talk about one of the street extras: "Woman sitting on right side of alley with a silver bowl of dark veg on her knee and small bowls in front" and "Mouse R(2?) of doorway."

I found a pair of giant chicken leg stilts used by my dad in Star Wars - now they're up for auction

Anthony Daniels in a cameo as CZ-3.

As well as the above image, two further colour Polaroids from Skinner, not yet revealed outside the BFI, show Ben with a blue treadwell track robot with squat head, and a three-quarter length of Anthony Daniels as the white droid later named CZ-3 (similar to the above image).

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI Special Collections.