'THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL': THE BEST OF 'LIFE DAY' FRIENDS!

Humans and Wookiees have always seemed to get on well with each other, as exemplified by Chewbacca's special and enduring relationship with Han Solo, but such general closeness runs deep in the Wookiee icon's family generally, as notably seen with young Lumpy (Patty Maloney) seeking sage advice from the Kashyyyk-based human trader Saun Dann (played by respected actor Art Carney) in a memorable posed publicity image from the still-infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special, celebrating its 47th Birthday today.

LIFE DAY CELEBRANTS! 'THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL' HITS 45

The weird, wild and nostalgic universe of the original cinematic Star Wars translated to the videotape realms of 1978 US TV remains unforgettable in this great fan poster art for the infamous, crazy but uniquely beloved The Star Wars Holiday Special, celebrating its 45th Anniversary.

Mark Hamill Thought The Star Wars Holiday Special Was Going To Be A Big Mistake

A brilliant, frank and funny tribute to, and celebration of the never-to-be-forgotten Holiday Special like no other, and easily one of the best Star Wars related fan-made documentaries. Well worth catching...

'HAPPY LIFE DAY!' - 2022

Sending their message of peace, hope and goodwill across the universe, the Wookiee nation gathers for their annual Life Day on Kashyyyk, as exemplified in this great art linked to Chewbacca's quirky family in the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978, a production which still wields its televisual charms, for good and bad, across the saga nearly forty-five years on. 

If anyone knows the name of the great artist behind this piece, please get in touch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO 'THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL'! (2021)

 

Terrific fan art by Alex Griendling.

Is he truly friend or foe? That's the big question facing Luke Skywalker and Artoo Detoo, newly crash-landed on Panna in their search for the missing Millennium Falcon, now seemingly saved by the mysterious Boba Fett from being the dinner of one of the planet's unusual underwater life forms...

It's great to see that The Star Wars Holiday Special legacy surviving and thriving via its animated segment form, now showing exclusively on Disney+. And there's now a terrific children's book for it, too, available from late January 2022!

'HAPPY LIFE DAY!' FOR 'THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL'!

It's back to business for Bea Arthur's memorable Ackmena and her memorable weird and wonderful patrons at the Cantina, in this great posed B/W shot for The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978, a programme whose unique legacy remains both a positive and negative factor for its makers and fans within the franchise's early history!

HAPPY LIFE DAY! to all STAR WARS AFICIONADO readers worldwide!

CLASSIC ART: CREATURE COMFORTS!

They may live in the trees and commune with nature, but the Wookiees of the arboreal world of Kashyyyk also know how to make the most of modern technology in their unique home dwellings, as seen in this fun Ralph McQuarrie conceptual art for the much-maligned but still fan-enjoyed The Star Wars Holiday Special, celebrating its 41st Anniversary today.

'THE MANDALORIAN': AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH HIM...!

Have blaster, will travel for The Mandalorian. Art by Phil Noto.

The post Return of the Jedi history of the Star Wars saga is about to become embellished with further storytelling riches via the upcoming Disney+ series The Mandalorian, with the excellent confirmed casting news of Pedro Pascal as the no doubt complex, dangerous and formidable lead character of the title. With all the talent involved in front of and behind the camera, the omens are very good for this first live-action TV series from writer/creator Jon Favreau.

https://www.starwars.com/news/pedro-pascal-revealed-as-the-mandalorian
https://geektyrant.com/news/the-mandalorian-star-pedro-pascal-shares-an-original-sketch-of-his-character-by-dave-filoni
https://www.starwars.com/news/ludwig-goransson-to-compose-score-for-the-mandalorian

George Lucas visits director Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, as filming began on the series. Image: TWITTER.

SPOILER ALERT: https://makingstarwars.net/2018/12/classic-star-wars-bounty-hunters-will-appear-in-star-wars-the-mandalorian/

Lovely weapon referencing to Boba Fett's The Holiday Special appearance. Image: Jon Favrea/TWITTER.

CELEBRATING THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT FORTY!

Darth Vader lives!

For anyone this past week who may have missed our celebratory coverage of the 40th Anniversary of the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special, here's our full set of links (you have been warned!):

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: A WOOKIEE FAMILY PORTRAIT!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: FALCON FLYING BUDDIES!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: MORE SCUM, MORE VILLAINY!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: A WORRYING COMMUNICATION!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: A ROYAL CONVERSATION!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: THE LONG CLIMB!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: MAKING WOOKIEE!

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: MAKING WOOKIEE!

Soon special effects and make-up legend Stan Winston has fun with Patty Maloney, trying out her Wookiee costume and mask creation for the sweet Lumpy, in another great behind the scenes shot from The Star Wars Holiday Special, which would film in Hollywood by late Summer 1978.

http://www.tomspinadesigns.com/restoration/star-wars-props/star-wars-chewbacca-malla-mask-restoration/

More behind the scenes info:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/72863/dark-side-oral-history-star-wars-holiday-special

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: THE LONG CLIMB!

It's dangerous and dirty work for Chewbacca and his new 'friend' Boba Fett as they climb the side mountains leading to the Imperial-occupied Panna City, amidst their search for a cure to the mysteriously afflicted Han Solo and Luke Skywalker back at the Falcon, in this great Nelvana Animation moment from the ever-popular animated segment - The Faithful Wookiee (apparently written by Lucas himself) of the 1978 The Star Wars Holiday Special.

More on the animated development of Boba Fett:
https://www.starwars.com/news/the-star-wars-holiday-special-boba-fett

With thanks to Chris Baker.

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: A ROYAL CONVERSATION!

Her role as the fiery Princess Leia Organa in The Star Wars Holiday Special may ultimately have been consigned to a rather restrained guest appearance, but at least Carrie Fisher, alongside Anthony Daniels (back in his original golden costume as Threepio), got to additionally voice the princess for the animated segment, and memorably show what a great singing voice she had for the corny but memorable finale amongst the Wookiee Life Day revellers.

Watch the finished onscreen sequence and you'll see the very basic set behind them is soon covered in smoke, presumably caused by their scene having been or being filmed in another side of the same video taping studio where Mark Hamill's scene with Artoo had been prior shot- the leaking smoke from their under repair equipment clearly lingering!

Anthony Daniels takes a breather between videotaping.

More on Fisher's secret enjoyment of THS:
http://www.factfiend.com/carrie-fisher-copy-star-wars-holiday-special/

Director Steve Binder on the filming:
https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/star-wars-holiday-special-40-landmark-tv-bomb-born-150027690.html?guccounter=1

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: A WORRYING COMMUNICATION!

At their current Rebel base location, Artoo Detoo and his master Luke Skywalker stop their in-progress repair work to soon discover that Han and Chewie are in potential danger, having not arrived for the latter's Life Day celebrations, in this moment from The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Smoking up the studio taping stage!

Returning as Luke Skywalker in a special favour to George Lucas, Mark Hamill now has short blonder hair for the special (either linked to his 1978 duration filming for the war flick The Big Red One, or possibly even wearing a wig), presumably in an unsuccessful attempt by the behind the scenes team to try and match his first film appearance in character.

Hamill reminisces about the special:
http://www.factfiend.com/carrie-fisher-copy-star-wars-holiday-special/

Hamill quote from Reddit AMA interview Jan 2014:

Oh yeah. I thought it was a mistake from the beginning. It was just unlike anything else in the Star Wars universe. And I initially said that I didn’t want to do it, but George said it would help keep Star Wars in the consciousness and I wanted to be a team player so I did it. And I also said that I didn’t think Luke should sing, so they cut that number. And now, I think we shouldn’t be ashamed of it. They should put on the extra of the DVD’s – it shows how incredibly fallible we are! At that same time, it did introduce Boba Fett in an animated sequence, so it’s significant in that respect. Plus Art Carney was in it, who is one of my favorite comedic actors of all time.

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: MORE SCUM, MORE VILLAINY!

Casting top television personalities of their time for The Star Wars Holiday Special, one notable example was popular actress and comedy star Bea Arthur, best known for her roles in Alice and The Golden Girls. Here she played Ackmena, the kindly but strict owner of one of the top Cantina's on Tatooine, often prone to singing with her clientele of very familiar aliens created or adapted/modified from stock by Rick Baker and his team for Star Wars just a year earlier. (Alongside several still intact creations from Stuart Freeborn's UK side of the shoot, too.)

Here's the great rogues gallery listing that originally appeared in Star Wars Insider magazine a few years back. This great collective image also memorably graced the cover to the classic Starlog magazine that covered the 'event' TV special back in the day.

http://starlogged.blogspot.com/2012/09/1978-star-wars-holiday-special-in.html

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: FALCON FLYING BUDDIES!

Image from the personal collection of Miki Herman.

Though lots of key props for the original Star Wars (filmed at the UK's Elstree Studios during 1976) had been retained in a London warehouse for potential sequel use (for the never ultimately made, potential cheapie sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye) the original Millennium Falcon cockpit interior had long since been destroyed by the time The Star Wars Holiday Special was green-lit for production. So, for its brief appearance launching that programme's story, a very basic reproduction was constructed for TV studios videotaping involving Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew, flying once more as Han Solo and Chewbacca. Both are seen here having fun with much-liked Lucasfilm liaison/consultant Miki Herman, who was also a key figure for the Making of Star Wars TV documentary shown on US TV the previous Summer.

THE 'HOLIDAY SPECIAL' AT 40: A WOOKIEE FAMILY PORTRAIT!

Celebrating the Fortieth Anniversary milestone of the much-maligned but enjoyably kooky The Star Wars Holiday Special, AFICIONADO kicks off its seven-day coverage with this lovely art. It's time for our Wookiee legend Chewbacca to gather with his memorable family for their planet's ecological and spiritual Life Day on Kashyyyk, in this warm-hearted composition by Jeff Carlisle.

Happy Fortieth Birthday, and Happy Life Day!

'HAPPY LIFE DAY!' 2017

We know its nearly Christmas at AFICIONADO when the pre-seasonal Holiday Special celebration image is needed, and this is a terrific one- great art by David Rabbittee for the Celebration VI event that makes the then singular (thankfully) TV special look more exciting and serious than it actually turned to be.

http://www.davidrabbitte.com/

HAPPY LIFE DAY! to all STAR WARS AFICIONADO readers worldwide!

CLASSIC IMAGE: FETT THE HERO?

With Luke Skywalker temporarily unconscious, the mysterious yet seemingly benevolent Boba Fett, aiding the boy in rescuing the Panna sea-landed Millennium Falcon, launches his cable weapon at Chewbacca the Wookiee, watched by a shocked Threepio, in a memorable scene from THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL cartoon segment - the show celebrating its eighteenth anniversary airing today.

Boba would also go on to use the wrist-activated weapon against Luke by the time of the Sarlaac battle of RETURN OF THE JEDI.

'The Star Wars Holiday Special': Read THR's 1978 Review | Hollywood Reporter

Remembering the 'Star Wars Holiday Special' — the farce was strong with that one | Columns | fredericknewspost.com

Anthony Daniels: "Watch the Star Wars Holiday Special and you will die" - YouTube

EPISODE VII: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON!

Behind the scenes on the Falcon interior set at Pinewood, Joonas Suotamo has fun playing with a small X-wing fighter mock-up- a deliberate and pleasing Wookiee referencing to the Holiday Special? Could be...

PARTY-TIME FOR 'THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL'!

We will surely never see its like again now that DISNEY are in charge, so let's all raise a glass anew to our zany alien compatriots at the Tatooine cantina and celebrate another glorious year for that bizarre and beloved entry to the universe that is The STAR WARS Holiday Special!

'The Star Wars Holiday Special': Read THR's 1978 Review - Hollywood Reporter

STAR WARS - HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (BEST OF) - 15 MIN VERSION - YouTube

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

With pa Itchy "preoccupied" with Diahann Carroll's galactic hologram, and son Lumpy at play, Chewbacca gets to enjoy some quality time with his wife Malla. A sweet publicity image from THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL of 1978.

6 Star Wars Couples That We Love | StarWars.com

STAR WARS AFICIONADO wishes readers worldwide a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!