SUITING UP! THE 'OTHER' THREEPIO - PETER KURAN

Peter Kuran (left) and Charles Lippincott (right) assist Anthony Daniels as Threepio during the now legendary Mann's Chinese Theatre cement signing in Summer 1977.

Best known as one of the icon ILM talents of the Original Trilogy, notably linked to the animation/ rotoscoping, especially for the lightsabers and energy weapon blasts work, Peter Kuran would be a key help outside his work sphere during 1977-78, as an assistant-of-sorts to Anthony Daniels with his costumed American appearance in Summer 1977 at the famous Mann's Chinese Theater signing, and, with a similar body frame to Daniels at that time, even occupying the golden droid costume for a fashion shoot for Vogue magazine, presumably as the actor was not available at that time to do it. It's also likely that Kuran was Threepio for the posed merchandise poster photos captured by Bob Seidemann that were also taken circa Summer 1977 States-side.

Peter Kuran (middle) observes Lucas (also watched by Patricia Rose Duignan) as he surveys effects shots footage for the original Star Wars at ILM.

Peter Kuran donning the Threepio costume for additional Landspeeder filming, taken for the original Star Wars in California by ILM, early 1977.

As film publicity continued States-side, Kuran might also have assumed the Threepio suit for this Wars/Fox related publicity shoot too, linked to a unique giveaway themed Toyota motor vehicle:

The Mystery of the Lost Star Wars Toyota Celica GT | News | Car and Driver

The classic 1977 Vogue magazine shoot, also featuring a Jawa, Darth Vader and Snaggletooth!

Vogue magazine shoot 1977

With Jerry Hall (right).

Classic signed photo to Kuran from Anthony Daniels. Image: via Peter Kuran/ Facebook.

And another on the art used for the Coca Cola tie-in campaign. Image: via Peter Kuran/ Facebook.

'JEDI' AT 40: NEW EMPLOYMENT!

Now finding themselves employed to Jabba the Hutt's cruel services, Threepio and Artoo are soon herded by Gamorrean Guards to the palace's doom-laden droid dungeon, where, amongst the litter and carnage of destroyed and tortured protocol droids and astro units, they encounter the menacing droid master EV-9D9, who swiftly assigns Threepio to ongoing duties as an interpreter droid. Meanwhile, Artoo heads to Jabba's unique sail barge for a role that it will prove well suited for...

Lovely production painting art by Ralph McQuarrie used within his later Return of the Jedi portfolio, as well as numerous types of promotion linked to the film by 1983.

ROGUE ONE: DROIDS TO SCARIF!

"We're going to Scarif?!"

Sometimes not finding out what dangerous mission you're going on with your Rebel Alliance owners can be an enormous worry, especially if you're a protocol droid like C-3PO, back with his ever-faithful sidekick R2-D2. A lovely cameo return for the characters, and actor Anthony Daniels, at the Yavin IV base in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But how come Threepio doesn't ultimately remember being there for A New Hope?

Back in the suit and behind the scenes.

CLASSIC ART: 'MELTDOWN ON HOTH'!

It's an incident referred to at the start of The Empire Strikes Back but sadly one never seen onscreen- as an angry Threepio berates his comrade Artoo for an earlier 'accident' in the Hoth hidden Rebel base - the thermal heater melting of ice within Princess Leia's quarters and the subsequent water damage done to her clothing. A fine moment for humour linked to the classic duo and Leia thankfully brought to life by that excellent artist Chris Trevas a few years back.

'MERRY CHRISTMAS!' (2021)

 

The Christmas Holidays mixed with the original Star Wars saga characters always make for a successful combination - an earliest success being with Artoo and Threepio getting into the holiday spirit with none other than Santa Claus himself, as seen in this great art by Ralph McQuarrie for the memorable Christmas in the Stars - The Original Star Wars Christmas Album, first released by Meco/RSO records sometime in November, 1980.

https://www.starwars.com/news/10-things-about-christmas-in-the-stars

STAR WARS AFICIONADO wishes all its worldwide readers a safe, happy and very MERRY CHRISTMAS and 2022! 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE WRONG ROOM!

Ignoring a frightfully rude protocol droid counterpart, Threepio, distracted from his friends, enters a small chamber and soon meets the wrong kind of hidden visitors to Bespin...

To not give the game away about the Stormtroopers presence on Bespin, the voice that asks who Threepio is came from an unknown actor suspiciously sounding like Frank Oz as Yoda, perhaps an unused line of his talking to Luke from the Dagobah filming...

Going all the pieces!

Alan Tomkins and friend at the Elstree workshops, alongside a full-suit Threepio that may have been used in the explosion stunt sequence.

With thanks to Chris Baker for selected imagery. 

CLASSIC ART: THE BIRTH OF THREEPIO!

Fritz Lang's visionary robot female Maria of the B/W early cinema masterpiece Metropolis had been the original inspiration for what would become the golden droid hero/servant of the original Star Wars saga, but conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie would imbue Threepio's early design origins with a relatable and friendly visual charm that would be refined onscreen and go on to appeal to fans for the next forty years.

More on Threepio's origins, as first briefly revealed by Anthony Daniels on the UK's Clapperboard TV special dedicated to The Empire Strikes Back. in 1980:

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-anakin-built-c3po-george-lucas-1977/

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: ARTOO BRAVES THE COLD!

Concerned for his human master, Artoo Detoo scans for Luke's lifesigns in the hostile cold outside Echo Base, watched by an equally concerned Threepio.

Considering the production time lost of having Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker filming at difficult locations within their uncomfortable droid costumes for the original Star Wars in 1976, this scene for The Empire Strikes Back was much easier, safer and less costly for the actors filmed at the studio environs of Elstree Studios, back in the Summer of 1979.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THREEPIO JOINS THE FIGHT!

Batting for the wrong side, adding to the droid's overall dreadful ordeal on Geonosis, Threepio, or at least his head, joins the enemy! A fun moment away from, yet linked to, the gargantuan death arena conflict of EPISODE II.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40:C-3PO RETURNS!

With his skills in communication and protocols handy to the Rebel Alliance, golden droid See-Threepio is now in his purposeful element, despite the harsh environment around him on the ice planet of Hoth. Soon enough, though, the universe comes crashing down on the droid via Imperial attack, separating him away from Master Luke and his buddy Artoo Detoo, and instead finding Threepio saddled with the much less appreciative Han Solo and Chewbacca, as their Millennium Falcon, with an unhappy Princess Leia also in tow, makes a series of perilous, never- tell-them-the- odds escapes, only for them all to ultimately step into the worse kind of trap - and literally a body breaking experience for the golden droid - at Bespin's Cloud City!

A valuable assistant to Princess Leia during the Rebel base evacuation from Hoth.

With a fellow droid operative K-3PO (Chris Parsons) in a posed publicity image.

Buying some escape time for his comrades linked to the Wampa storage area in an ultimately deleted scene.

Going for an unforgettable trip through an asteroid field!

'The Professor' at work!

Blundering into a trap at Cloud City!

Threepio's gone all to pieces!

Atop Chewbacca in the film's doom-laden Cloud City scenes.

A deleted moment of the near-helpless droid from an early movie trailer.

Almost back together again after being reunited with Artoo!

Together again for the film's sombre finale.

Back in the golden suit it was his destiny to inhabit and bring to life so uniquely in the Star Wars universe, British actor Anthony Daniels wins deserved new respect with his return to the role of galactic butler-type C-3PO from the original 1977 movie. Now he gets a better made and less painful to wear costume, a better financial situation, and has a bigger crediting on The Empire Strikes Back's film posters and media publicity.

A posed image at Elstree Studios circa 1979.

Mask and costume test at Elstree, circa 1979.

Mask and costume test images at Elstree, circa 1979.

EPISODE IX: HAVE BOWCASTER, WILL TRAVEL!

On board the First Order flagship above Kijimi, C-3PO is once more the hilarious 'fish out of water' droid, especially as an unlikely sight carrying the heavy armament belonging to the captured Chewbacca, in this quirky moment from The Rise of Skywalker. Though likely against all of his protocols as a droid servant, it would have been fun to see Threepio use the weapon for some kind of comedy scenario.

Threepio had more to do in IX than The Last Jedi, for sure. But it turns out there was more deleted material shot for the character's final (?) movie appearance:

https://movieweb.com/star-wars-9-c3po-deleted-scenes/?fbclid=IwAR3Y_Mxe8sPoPfGpVu_9E-Wz-1EQGgYnZ61CQTo97SVZqQOs9a_ucvnBrg8

EPISODE IX: AN ENDURING PARTNERSHIP!

They've been together to endure some very dangerous missions for both the Rebellion and the Resistance. Now, Artoo and Threepio must sadly uncouple as the latter begins his important new task with Rey and the others, but not before telling Artoo what good friends he and the Astro-Droid have been all these years, in a sweet little scene from The Rise of Skywalker.

AFTER IMAGE. ANTHONY DANIELS: MY LIFE WITH THREEPIO!

Man and machine in perfect harmony. Anthony Daniels and his incredible lifetime friend. Image: STARWARS.COM

Alas, poor Threepio! I knew him well.

He's portrayed the character on and off for over forty-plus years, and now its time for actor and Star Wars icon Anthony Daniels to say goodbye to his golden friend C-3PO within his cinematic realm, as The Rise of Skywalker prepares to reveal the final destiny of the universe's most popular protocol droid- a truly unique and faithful hero to his friends both human, alien and robot, even if he was mostly out of his dizzying depth in the action and heady drama of the saga!

A classy raconteur right from the early days of the franchise's publicity turns, Daniels' funny, sublime, insightful and anecdote-packed life inside that often uncomfortable golden costume, from Tunisia, 1976 to Jordan, 2018, across nine films, is revealed in his new autobiography: I Am C-3PO - The Inside Story, out now from DK Books. And an essential read, charting an incredible and very personal film-making journey, it will surely be...

Star Wars Insider promo interview:
https://www.starwars.com/news/anthony-daniels-star-wars-insider

Radio Times online interview:
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/2019-10-29/c-3po-death-anthony-daniels-reacts/

Daily Mail interview:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-7608863/Anthony-Daniels.html

Independent book-related article:
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/anthony-daniels-star-wars-c3po-memoir-book-inside-story-a9178096.html

Book launch interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAWTn6etmeA

More book info:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/607926/i-am-c-3po---the-inside-story-by-anthony-daniels/

Get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Am-C-3PO-Inside-Foreword-Abrams/dp/0241357608/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=C-3P0+ANTHONY+DANIELS&qid=1572477731&sr=8-1-fkmr0