BEHIND THE SCENES: INSIDE THE EMPEROR'S FINEST!

Image: via Star Wars Screen Caps.

Captured inside the Endor bunker, our Rebel heroes are now taken outside to witness the immensity of the enemy forces around them, in this classic moment from Return of the Jedi.

Though many of the Imperials in the scene were played by then out of work local lumberjacks and factory men in the Redwoods during US location filming in April/May 1982, there would also be a sizeable presence of talented UK/US stuntmen and one lone equally accomplished UK stuntwoman (Tracey Eddon, playing both Rebel Commando and, suffering for her art, forced into an Imperial Stormtrooper costume) ready for the subsequent major action sequences against the surprise Ewok enemy. Amongst those dutiful but ultimately defeated on screen Imperial Stormtroopers would be the late Frank Henson, whom Aficionado was sad to hear of his passing a while back.

Ted Grossman, Larry Holt and Julius LeFlore. Image: Larry Holt.

Larry Holt would play both a Stormtrooper and Rebel Commando in location filming. Image: Larry Holt.

Frank Henson and buddy.

Two images featuring Larry Holt, Julius LeFlore, Ted Grossman and an unknown stunt actor? Image: Larry Holt.

Bob Yerkes, Dan Zormeier as Peter Mayhew's stand-in, and Larry Holt. Image: Larry Holt.

CELEBRATION V: DICKEY BEER - DELETED SCENES ACTION MAN!

Han Solo walks into trouble, in this deleted scene action from RETURN OF THE JEDI.

One of the nice things about Celebrations is the chance to meet and get autographs from many of the people who worked in front of and behind the cameras of the STAR WARS films, and to find out more about them and their work. Dutch Stuntman and Second Unit director Dickey Beer is one of the most recent new signaturees in the STAR WARS world and I had the chance to talk to him about some of his work on the final Classic Trilogy film: Return of the Jedi.

Its well known that he played numerous roles for the film, mostly linked to Jabba's Court (including a Gamorrean Guard for the London Elstree filming, then, for the US filming, becoming an alien Barada, doubling for Boba Fett (for a part of his demise) and playing Luke on the skiff (at one point in the films editing Beer fights himself as both Luke and Boba!) during the exterior Sail Barge battle filmed in Yuma, Arizona- April 1982, and was one of the Rebel Commando squad members on Endor, plus an ILM filmed biker scout. But what you might not know is that he also played an Imperial Stormtrooper for a deleted action scene at Elstree Studios, which we hope will be on the eventual Blu-ray. Getting into the Endor Bunker and reaching the shield control room wasn't as easy as it looked in the original cut of the movie, as Han and his commando squad literally walked into, and have to face off, with a squad of Stormtroopers. Beer recalls the scene started off with two Stormtroopers by a wall, which was obscured from Han and his party. Then the fireworks start and Beer's Stormtrooper, who was nearest to the wall, would be felled by an explosion. Beer doesn't recall the scene listed in the novelisation book where Chewbacca grabs a section of door and brings it down on the rest of the Stormtroopers (and I haven't seen any photo documentation for this, either), but does recall that the overall corridor battle was one of many sequences that he was involved in for Jedi, some of which were cut. In location filming at the Redwoods, Beer, as well as being one of the Rebel commandos nearest Solo, Leia and Chewbacca when they are escorted out of the bunker, would also be the Scout Walker captain shot by Leia when all hell breaks loose with the Ewoks' surprise attack.

The Rebel squad captured on Endor!

Beer (looking towards Ford) in the line-up. Next to Leia is background artist Larry Holt as another Rebel.

Beer takes a break on location in the California Redwood. May 1982.

Having also had the privilege to work with three James Bonds (coordinating some great action for Pierce Brosnan, in particular- Tomorrow Never Dies) and battle Harrison Ford twice-  a deleted scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (as a Thugee guard who fights Indy on the sacrificial scaffold chamber (which previously housed Willie and lowered her into the volcanic pit), of which our hero hits him with a long staff!) and for The Last Crusade, Dickey Beer was an extremely pleasant and highly likeable person, and I look forward to seeing him again at future STAR WARS related events.

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Above top image: Han - once again - walks into trouble in this deleted scene. With thanks to Lou Tambone from his STARWARZ.COM site.