GusF
Joined Jun 2004
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GusF's rating
It may be a little early for Life Day - or late, considering it was first celebrated a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away - but today I finally took the plunge and watched "The Star Wars Holiday Special". I had seen numerous clips before but never the whole thing.
It was...something else. I will say this for it: while it was terrible for the most part, at least it was terrible in interesting ways...for the most part. Other parts were stultifyingly boring with the mini-transmitter instruction video being the worst offender in that regard. I could be wrong but I don't think that many people watched the first film and asked themselves whether instruction videos (or, for that matter, cookery shows) existed in the "Star Wars" universe. The question that (probably) no one asked was answered here though.
My least favourite part was Diahann Carroll having to slum it - even more than everyone else - as the holographic fantasy woman of Chewie's father Itchy, whose enthusiastic underbite movements were vaguely disturbing.
The animated sequence by Nelvana featuring the first appearance of Boba Fett, now available as "The Story of the Faithful Wookiee" on Disney+, is head and shoulders above the rest of the special. That said, I do think that Luke takes Fett at face value - well, helmet value... - a bit too readily. While it happens off-screen, the same is seemingly true of Han.
The sequence in the Mos Eisley cantina is pretty good fun. As the long-suffering bartender Ackmena, Bea Arthur lifts the whole thing. Her song "Good Night, But Not Goodbye" was the best of the four featured in the special...for whatever that's worth. Harvey Korman is funny as Krelman, having been given far better material to work with in that role than as either Chef Gormaanda or the instruction video - I mean, an instruction video? Really? - host Dromboid. Art Carney has some nice moments as the trader Saun Dann too.
Overall, the special made me very, very glad that we got "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" - for all its faults - in 1979...and not "The Star Trek Variety Hour".
It was...something else. I will say this for it: while it was terrible for the most part, at least it was terrible in interesting ways...for the most part. Other parts were stultifyingly boring with the mini-transmitter instruction video being the worst offender in that regard. I could be wrong but I don't think that many people watched the first film and asked themselves whether instruction videos (or, for that matter, cookery shows) existed in the "Star Wars" universe. The question that (probably) no one asked was answered here though.
My least favourite part was Diahann Carroll having to slum it - even more than everyone else - as the holographic fantasy woman of Chewie's father Itchy, whose enthusiastic underbite movements were vaguely disturbing.
The animated sequence by Nelvana featuring the first appearance of Boba Fett, now available as "The Story of the Faithful Wookiee" on Disney+, is head and shoulders above the rest of the special. That said, I do think that Luke takes Fett at face value - well, helmet value... - a bit too readily. While it happens off-screen, the same is seemingly true of Han.
The sequence in the Mos Eisley cantina is pretty good fun. As the long-suffering bartender Ackmena, Bea Arthur lifts the whole thing. Her song "Good Night, But Not Goodbye" was the best of the four featured in the special...for whatever that's worth. Harvey Korman is funny as Krelman, having been given far better material to work with in that role than as either Chef Gormaanda or the instruction video - I mean, an instruction video? Really? - host Dromboid. Art Carney has some nice moments as the trader Saun Dann too.
Overall, the special made me very, very glad that we got "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" - for all its faults - in 1979...and not "The Star Trek Variety Hour".
