Summer Blockbuster '77 (Star Wars) (Stories From the 70's Part V)

Screenshot from the dreadful 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.  Thanksgiving week 1978.

       It was as a big deal as people say it was.  It was one of those things that you just had to be there.  A cultural phenomen of a generation, or in this case transended generations.  In many ways this event in the Spring-Summer 1977 (and lingering well past the Summer of '77) was almost as a big deal as V-J Day was to our parents generation (OK, that might be a bit of a stretch..).   An event of a lifetime that would have it's converts humming the theme song for the rest of the Summer and well into the school session of 1977.  

     Of course, in case you did not read the title, I'm talking about the film "Star Wars".  When I mean "Star Wars"...I'm talking about he first film, the original, the one that came out in 1977 and not one the myriad of films that rides on the coattails of the original.  The original "Star Wars", the followup in 1980 "The Empire Strikes Back" and the final of the trio " Return of the Jedi" from 1983 are the Stars Wars series films I can relate to.  All the other "Star Wars" films that have come out recently are beyond the scope of this blog episode.  

     My story with the film "Star Wars" begins on a Sunday morning in Bellevue, Ohio in late Spring or early Summer 1977.  I'm guessing I did the usual get up and see what cartoons were on Sunday morning.  What I recall was that the cartoons on Sundays were sparse compared to the absolute myriad of entrainment for the budding "Generation-X" that was at out enjoyment on Saturday mornings.  Anyway...I can't recall what I did that morning...so the past paragraph means little other than to set the mood of a child in 1977.  

    Sometime late in the morning or early afternoon I hopped my six-year body into the backseat of my Dad's 1967 Dodge Coronet (or did he have the early 70's Dodge Dart by that time?...it does not matter.).  My parents and I began the seemingly endless drive from Bellevue, Ohio to the megatropolis of Sandusky, Ohio.  OK...for those living in big urban areas need to know this...  The town I grew up in was a small rural/railroad town in a rural setting near the coastal region of Lake Erie.  The town of Sandusky was a larger city that most people blasted off to on the weekends for fun, shopping, etc.  Sandusky was so big...they had a brand new mall!!!  And in this mall there was a large cinema!!!  And at this cinema in late Spring/early Summer "Star Wars" was being shown!!!

     All of this mattered bugger-all to my six year old being as I don't recall why we were going to Sandusky on this fateful Sunday.  I don't think I got the gist of what was going on until we got to the mall?  A lot of little details escape me.  I just knew the 20 minute drive took a long time.  I don't even knew if I knew much about "Star Wars" before going to the film?  I think I had heard a little about a film like this coming out soon, but this was before I knew how to read and even if I did...I probably would not care to read film critics articles.

    What I do recall was we went to eat first at a place I really miss today, but at that time I just wanted to go and see the film.  I now knew why we were here and the yearning to see the film had taken hold.  Thee was no time to sit still at York Steak House!!!  Decades later and I still miss York Steak House, but this episode is about a movie and not a steak house in a mall in the 1970's.

    Walking to the cinema, getting tickets, and getting to our seats.  Next thing I recall are the large yellow outline words that dominate the film screen as the float past.  All of this means very little as it was be a few months before I can learn to read...  Any person my age, or older know's exactly what I am talking about..."In a galaxy far far away...".  The next scene starts with the massive Imperial Star Cruiser chasing the Rebel ship, after a brief fight we are introduced the villian of all times...Darth Vader.  

     I'm not going to get into a film review.  I think that most people have seen the film by now?  If you haven't go watch it.  I recall being impressed with the scene in the rubbish compactor and the monster in there.  The dogfighting with the X-Wing and Tie Fighters impressed me as well.  I also loved the music being played in the cantina on Luke Skywalker's home planet.  

    All the following summer my main purpose in life was to see how I could go see it again.  I think I ended up seeing it three times in 1977?  I recall starting conversations with people about if they had seen "Star Wars" yet and if so, how many times?  All of us children played Stars Wars themed scenerios, we hummed the theme song everywhere and to all of the annoyance of everyone else.

    We all yeaned for what the "Star Wars Part Two" would be out in theatres...we would have an agonizing wait until 1980 and "The Empire Strikes Back".  In the meantime...there was the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special" on the telly around Thanksgiving of 1978.  Talk about a dreadful fiasco that was...even as a seven year old, I knew it was bad.  It had been over a year since "Star Wars" had been releaseed and this is what we got?  I don't think that younger people did not understand that there was no internet and we could not just watch the original film when ever we wanted.  It had to be seen at the cinema and that was it.  

     Anyway, we all made it until 1980 and 1983 when the other two "Star Wars" film were released.  Seeing "Star Wars" was a big moment in my youth.  It did not shape "who I am" in the way I've it with other people.  But I'm glad I remember going to see it and how much of a big deal it was to a six year old.