It turned out that there was a little confusion over the submission rules for lists here and this was originally submitted as a copy from a non-open-source book. Therefore we have had to remove the original list (sent in by aprilweather) and replace it with one that was put together in the comments by Lyrebyrd (many thanks and I hope you don’t object!). The original intro is intact but the remainder of the list (with the exception of the order) has changed.
In July 1973, George Lucas was an unknown director working on a low budget 1960s nostalgia film called “American Graffiti”. He approached Universal studios to see if they were interested in a film called, “Star Wars”. Universal turned him down in one of the biggest mistakes ever made by a studio.
While Lucas was influenced by the huge number of “Buck Rogers” reruns he watched while developing Star Wars, a much bigger influence comes from work of Akira Kurosawa. Much influence comes from the film, Hidden Fortress, as well as many of the characters from Seven Samurai. Just about every character Toshiro Mifune plays is Han Solo, and check out the little Yoda-looking dude!
Lots of unknown actors were used for the younger characters. In addition to Carrie Fisher, Sissy Spacek and Cindy Williams also auditioned for Leia. The film, “Carrie” was also auditioning, and both Fisher and Spacek auditioned for both. Imagine that flip-flop, or having “Shirley” from Laverne and Shirley as Leia!
John Dykstra and the FX team invented a great deal of technology including the now vastly used, motion-control camera to match motion of object to camera. Also used were traditional stop motion techniques, as well as rotoscoping (using mattes). In particular, if you have an old copy of the film on VHS, you can see the traveling mattes around the ships.
Not only was the studio unsure about the film, most of the cast was thrown by the strange dialogue and story, often leading to tension or awkwardness while filming. (Leia half-british, half-american accent!) No one had any inkling it would be such a smash hit.
In addition to the name change from Luke Starkiller, in earlier drafts of the script, there are the characters of Biggs and Camie, Luke’s friends who have gone to the Academy. In the film, Biggs is one of the rebel pilots in the end sequence.
After the trilogy came out, and years before Parts 1-3, there was an allegedly accurate treatment for what the next film would be, floating around. It detailed how Vader became Vader, as well as the events leading up to “A New Hope”. One of the minor elements, was the “13 year old Correllian Cabin Boy” on Captain Antilles’ ship. This alluded to Han Solo being there before the events of “A New Hope”, which luckily did not get included in the new films, as it really wouldn’t have made sense. Too much coincidence – does everyone have to know everyone?
Not only did they force Carried Fisher to strap down her boobs, poor thing, just look at her dress. Every inch of skin is covered, and they couldn’t have made her look more frumpy. However, she does get to show a bit of skin in the last sequence, which is the outfit used for the representation of Leia in the original poster – scoop neck, not turtleneck.
While unknowns were used for the leads, Lucas was able to get some of his faves and also heavier hitters/character actors in there in the roles of Obi-Wan (Guinness), and Tarkin (Peter Cushing). This continued in the new films with the always classically cheesy Christopher Lee, as Dooku.
David Prowse, a weightlifter from Bristol, played the role on screen but the voice was that of James Earl Jones. He was so convinced the film would be a flop, he refused to allow his name in the original credits.
Lucas got the idea for Chewbacca one morning in the early ’70s while watching his wife, Marcia, drive off in her car. She had their Alaskan malamute, Indiana, (the name sake for Indiana Jones) with her. Lucas liked the way the large shaggy dog looked in the passenger seat so he decided to create a character in the film that was a cross between Indiana, a bear, and a monkey.
Both Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, the actors that play Threepio and Artoo, respectively, had issues with the head in Tunisia. Although they piped in cool air and kept them hydrated, Daniels in particular frequently passed out from heat stroke in the outfit. Also, while both actors have come back to continue their roles, Baker is much more private and less comforatable with the fame, fan mania, etc. While, Daniels, has embraced more of the fandom, even appearing in a cameo, without the gold suit, in Ep. 2.
Due to the limited budget the American cast members and crew (including George Lucas) all decided to fly coach class to England, rather than first class. When Carrie Fisher’s mother Debbie Reynolds heard about this she called George Lucas, complaining about how insulting it was for her daughter to be flying coach. Carrie Fisher was in the room with George Lucas when he took the call, and after a few minutes asked if she could talk to her mother. When George Lucas handed her the phone she simply said, “Mother, I want to fly coach, will you fuck off?!” and hung up. [IMDB]
52 totalstranger
September 11th, 2009 at 8:16 am
“did anyone mention that E.T. or his race of aliens were in Phantom Menace in the senate?”
I THOUGHT I saw an E.T. in there! I thought I was imagining it!
This reminds me to get the original movies on DVD. I don’t have the last three either. Must. Complete. Set. Compulsive collection instincts…activated!
One more curiosity: here in Brazil Count Dooku’s name was subtitled and/or dubbed as Count “Dookan” because “Do” means “from” or “of” and “Ku” means “ass” (can I write this here?)
“Mother, I want to fly coach, will you ***** off!” hahaha…i love it!!
Most Honored, JFrater – thank you!!! Not the intention, but certainly appreciated! I will submit others (and not just Star Wars) officially in the future!
Man, I was upset when Han Solo didn’t appear at all during the prequels (at least by the third movie). Not that I was expecting the by-now 60+ Harrison Ford to return, but… well, at least Chewbacca came back.
I watch the Star Wars six movies back to back once in a while, and it kills me to have to wait for the fourth movie for Han, my favorite character.
And no, I don’t watch the originals first. Chronological order all the way!
@apepper (1):
ok thats good wot about darth blane then ps obiwan was awful quite for afew years on tatooine wot was he up to???
I’m not much of a Star Wars fan… So for me, these comments were better than the list! I lol’d at everyone fighting back and forth. Hahhaahah.
@GTT (103): This list reminded me of a certain Friends episode where Ross has a “Leia and the gold bikini” fantasy… They seemed to imply that it was a rather common fantasy. Is it?
http://www.geocities.com/flaggaz/slaveleia2.jpg
To a 14 yr old boy, it was like parent-authorized *****!
WOW… what a way to speak to your parents!
Not a Star Wars geek but found the trivia outstanding.
Thanks geeks…..sorry about that lunch money thing back in the day.
Did you know that Prowse also played Julian in “A Clockwork Orange”?
Great movie…
this list sucks balls; i didn’t know that alec guiness and peter cushing were in star wars? wait yes i did their names are in the credits
I don’t realy like such kind of films. But I like George Lucas, who was able to reach a great success in this life & to get big funs all over the world!
I dont realy like such kind of films! But I like George Lucas who was able to reach a great success in his life & to get big fans all over the world!
Hey lyrebyrd wtf how bout publishing something bout 911 since it is the aniv. but intead u write bout star wars! its like the victims and the brave people of nyc and dc dont fkn matter to u so think about that!
“And no, I don’t watch the originals first. Chronological order all the way!”
But the mysteriousness of the light saber is lost when you reach A New Hope. The part when Kenobi tells Luke about it.
Only watched few sec. of it. Not into it.
postul e cam lung dar e cool
That picture of Chewbacca is from the now infamous photo-shoot he did for PlayWookie.
@spider (137):
read the comments from the top down, it’ll be clear..
She said that to her mother ? Bad girl
@spider (137): Kinda harsh, eh? First of all, not lyrebyrds fault, it was a plagirized list, and had to be changed. Second of all, everything can’t be a memorial. Don’t get me wrong, it must be remembered, and a 9/11 remembrance list would have been appropriate, but it can’t all be dedicated to the day. Thirdly, this website isn’t specifically American (I hope I am correct, but jfrater is from New Zealand, right?), meaning that not every list has to be focused around America. And I know 9/11 did not only affect America, but 8 years later, not too many people from around the world would be jumping at the chance for a memorial. Fourth, jfrater publishes the lists that were written previously (sometimes by a while. I submitted a few, but they’re really *****ty and I kinda hope they don’t get published), so lyrebyrd isn’t the one you should be yelling at. But I agree, a 9/11 list would have been a good way to pay tribute to the tragedy, but I also don’t blame people at all for a fun and light hearted list (which I enjoyed, myself). So, no need to freak out. And hey, why not submit a tribute list yourself? The site publishes user lists, why not take the initiative?
The item about Carrie Fisher’s boobs is just plain wrong. They did not strap them down. Lucas decided that there were to be no bras in space, so Carrie Fisher used gaffer’s tape instead for support. You can read about that in Carrie Fisher’s autobiography and wardrobe people who worked on the film have also told the same story. Strapping breasts down means flattening them, which certainly did not happen here. I think this item should be corrected.
I like the idea of the list, but as a die-hard Star Wars fan (the originals!), I knew all of these items already.
Cheers,
Anna
Not to harp on the already rectified issue of plagiarism, but try photocopying an article and handing it into your Grade 12 English teacher and see how far that gets you.
Spider (137, educate youself and read everything if you’re going to make a comment. I responded to another plagiarized list, and mine was put up instead. And by the way, I watched 9/11 out of my kitchen window and breathed in smoke/dust/crud for months afterward. Did you? Don’t you dare assume it doesn’t matter to me. Use your brain and think before you post.
anthony daniels went 2 my school
he was in my boarding house !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Nowell)
LMXV (138): Understandable, but I’d rather end my Star Wars viewing with Anakin’s redemption instead of Anakin’s fall. Besides, it’s interesting to jump ahead 18-some years (chronologically) and back 27 years (in film production) at the same time between episodes 3 and 4. Then again, a jump back of forty-some years between episodes 6 and 1 might be even more interesting.
Great stuff! Thanks for this post!
57 Cait
Imagine how much it hurt when they took off that electrical tape from Carrie’s boobs. Ouch, that just makes my boobs hurt thinking about it.
Really? Go on..
Sloppy list
OK… about this plagiarism thing. First, AprilWeather should of checked her sources first, BUT, as the owner of the website HE posted it first, without checking sources so he cannot be THAT concerned about legal lawsuits. She was in the wrong. But how many times have I seen this: “You just took this off of Cracked?”
You *****es beat up on a girl who posted up a list THAT JAMIE APPROVED in the first place. No wonder she’s *****ed.
damien-I think Jamie said he did do a quick check to see if it was original or not, but the excerpt he checked with didn’t bring back any results. Jamie’s always been really good about taking down lists when he finds out they are copied from other sources.
Josh P-if you had been paying attention, you’d know there was controversy over the original list, and a commenter threw some facts up, which Jamie turned into a replacement list, so yeah, it’s gonna be a little less…clean…than is normal.
@damien_karras (154): No wonder she’s *****ed.
She’s *****ed because she can’t admit she was wrong. And where have we seen that before?
@Maggot (156): I already stated that she was wrong to copy verbatim from an uncited source. That wasn’t my point. I’ve seen a couple of lists where the posters cried out: “This was taken from such and such!” And yet they are still published seemingly without verification. And this is the first list in recent memory that was changed because of multiple member cry-outs: “That’s from the goddamn bathroom reader! I want my money back!” It just seemed like a mob mentality that lead to the list being changed when it could of been checked in the first place.
Often people come in here saying “You stole this list from ____” when in fact they just happen to share some of the same entries, and sometimes parts of the text itself matches up simply because both lists used quotes from Wiki.
Any time Jamie has found that a list was copied directly from another source, he has taken it down, and anytime another site has stolen a list from LV, he has fought them to get it taken down.
@damien_karras (157): this is the first list in recent memory that was changed because of multiple member cry-outs…It just seemed like a mob mentality that lead to the list being changed when it could of been checked in the first place.
Look, I’m not wanting to continue beating a dead horse here, because the issue was effectively addressed and resolved. However in response to your post I’d like to point out that it appears to me that Jamie made a somewhat reasonable effort to check out the original submission first, but understandibly one cannot check every single thing and apparently the Bathroom Reader (I still chuckle at that title btw) got by him. That does not change the original wrong that was commited by the original listwriter. And so when the fact that Jamie missed this one was pointed out, he took coorective action. He HAD to. It wasn’t removed because of the “mob mentality”, but rather because leaving it up without the permision of the copyright owner would’ve been against the law. The OP didn’t start getting “beaten up” as you say, until she started defiantly copping an attitude about it, making herself look even more foolish in the process.
As DK pointed out, in the past Jamie has removed other things or added the GFDL reference or what have you. I seem to specifically recall one time in particular where he went and asked the original publisher for permission after the fact, which was granted, and then he added a cite reference & permission statement to that list. I’m not fully aware of the details behind the other instances that you refer to, so I can’t comment much about those.
@Maggot (159): Yeah, the Bathroom Reader makes me chuckle a bit, too. And I do suppose it’s tough to check every single list for copyright infringement. It sounds tedious, to say the least. BUT, as a goof I typed in a Google search “Facts about Star Wars” and the first thing that popped up was the Bathroom Reader!
Let’s see…
Staying out of the controversy of where the list originated. So I don’t know who the exact, original list maker is anymore, but here’s a few comments. Obviously, I’m quite the Star Wars geek. So for items I don’t list here, just assume my comment is “knew that.”
10. Motionless Models – knew that – the list isn’t saying ALL the models were stationary, just that some were and this is the first time that technique was used. Which is true.
08 Luke Skywalker – um… Camie is Fixer’s girlfriend. The other friend who went to the Academy is Tank. The original list maker is confused about who is who.
07 Han Solo – I knew about the young Han Solo on Kashyyyk in an early draft of Episode 3 and rumors of a young HS in early Episode 1 scripts, but not something this specific. However, due to the Camie error in number 8, I find myself now questioning the veracity of this specific point’s material.
02 R2-D2 & C-3PO – knew that, and the list maker left out another cameo for Anthony Daniels in E3 (playing the same character he cameo’d as in E2 – Dannl Faytonni). (Of course, the original source this list might be from might have been written/published before 2005.) Also, it could have mentioned that Warwick Davis (the actor who portrayed Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi) appeared again in The Phantom Menace, both as Wald (the diminutive, green-skinned Rodian among Anakin’s friends) and Weazel, a gambler among the Pod Race spectators (with no mask).
01 Flying Coach – ok, this one’s new to me. And it looks like the list maker is citing IMDB as his source. So I’m unsure as to the accuracy for it anyway. However, this sounds like an anecdote that Carrie Fisher would have told, and I don’t put it past her.
It seems evident to me that the list was made for people who are not really big Star Wars fans, but casual fans. All my friends pretty much knew all of this too. Yeah, I am a geek. What’s wrong with that? ;-P
I think I saw somewhere a request for a list of Star Wars plaents and some details about them? I know a lot about that material. How does one post such a list?
Mark, Being a bit of a SW geek, I would LOVE to see a list like that! Up at the top of the page there is a “button” that says “Submit a list,” it asks for some info (your name, username, e-mail, etc), and has a big open field to copy the text of your list submission. I say go for it! And I probably don’t have to say this, especially since your comment was well written to begin with, but make sure to double check spelling & grammar, the readers can be pretty ruthless in picking things apart!
RE: #2 “Both Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, the actors that play Threepio and Artoo, respectively, had issues with the head in Tunisia.”
I guess Tunisian women are not very skilled at performing oral ***** then?
I found this list pretty boring… Even casual SW fans would know almost all of these.
coolness!
@aprilweather (109):
Noo please! I´m sure Jfrater is *****ting in his pants.
not sure if anyone hit on this but in #12.. the picture should not be of “Buck rogers in the 25th century” which came out after star wars but of the orginal serial that like another person posted was playbed by buster crabbe
the picture gives people the wrong impression.. sorry
http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/11/gallery_buckrogers/buckrogers1939_01.jpg
Best movie/story ever!
Lucas lifted this scene scene from Yojimbo. Start at ~3:30.
Sorry if my english is not so good… Ok, Mark is right, the pic from #12 is from a TV series that ran from about 1917 to early eighties. The name could be Buck Rogers, but the inspiration is clearly 100% Star Wars. Back then I was just a little kid -and of course, I liked the series-, but even being so, I was prety aware of the “seize-the-star wars-hype” nature of the whole thing. Lucas was heavily influenced by Kurosawa tales and Buck Rogers old comic books and movie series, but THIS Buck Rogers -the one from the pic- is was in fact influenced by the succes and general feel and look of the first Star Wars. I read it used recicle stuff from the original Battlestar Galactica, that was itself -despite its storyline and its premise- a sort of poorer B-quality version of Star Wars. No doubt THIS Bucks Rogers owes its existence entirely to the Star Wars phenomenom. If one look at the series poster the firs thing that comes up to one mind´s is STAR WARS: the way it is designed, the Han-Solo-Like, apaerance of Buck Rogers, the ships, the special effects, the ships and costume design, all of this is without any trace of doubt Star Wars inspired. And the only reason for series like Battlestar Galactica and this Buck Rogers to exist is because Lucas and his Star Wars idea, set the path and made history in 1977. If you look at the pic you may come to the idea that the guy in it was the role model for Han Solo and that the little samurai-like helmetted robot was the inspiration for Yoda -you know “the little Yoda-looking dude”…but it happens to be the other way arround..this pic, from that 80s-made Buck Rogers exists just because of Star Wars and draws all of its “inspiration” from the Lucas world
I’ve never seen it mentioned in print, but my Russian teacher told our class that it’s probable Lucas got Chewbacca’s name from the Russian word for ‘dog’: ‘sobaka.’ Also, ‘zhabba’ is Russian for ‘frog’ (or maybe toad, I forget which), which might have inspired the name for Jabba the Hutt.
I submit this page as proof that Star Wars fans are incredible Lametards. Q.E.D.
C3Po’s name comes from one ground energy state of Carbon.
hey I’m new to google reader and I dont know how to put pictures on it. Can you tell me how email me back please! thanks!
LOL
@Harrold(173)
Candidate for the top 10 Lulzy fail lists.
If you look closely at the bar scene – you can also see two klingons drinking blood wine.
Also there’s a ghost of one of the extras in the sxene where luke drops the soap…..
david prowse was also in a clockwork orange
Here’s another obscure (and funny) fact I read on wiki – The guy who played the character “Porkins” at first wasn’t sure he wanted to take the part when his agent told him the character’s name – because he thought it would be an “alien-pig-like” character and would require hours of makeup!
I am glad that they dubbed over James Earl Jones’ voice for Darth Vader. I saw a clip somewhere that was a certain scene (forget which one) before they dubbed him over; Prowse sounded TERRIBLE! I think it was kinda crappy the way they did it to him though; he wasn’t told until the movie debuted and memorized and spoke all the lines.