Top 10 Interesting Behind The Scenes Facts About ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’
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Love it or hate it, the Star Wars Holiday Special has become an unforgettable part of the franchise, and there are reasons to appreciate it. While it is mainly looked at with disdain—and would have competition for screen time among other Disney+ shows—the variety special was a unique experience in the Star Wars universe. With it came some crazy circumstances. Here are the top 10 interesting behind-the-scenes facts about the Star Wars Holiday Special.
10. An Abundance Of Cameos
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The Holiday Special had plenty of cameos. CBS convinced Bea Arthur and Art Carney to appear in minor roles. The late Bea Arthur of Golden Girls fame ran the Mos Eisley Cantina. The late Art Carney, who earned fame with his role as Ed Norton on The Honeymooners and won an Academy award and six Emmys, played a Kashyyyk trader named Saun Danns. Other celebrities who appeared were Harvey Korman ( The Carol Burnett Show) and Diahann Carroll (Julia and Dynasty).
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9. Even The Cast Makes Fun Of The Show
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The Holiday Special has a special place in fans’ hearts, but not for the best of reasons. The show is mostly considered a joke by the fanbase and critics, but even the cast learned to laugh about it years later. Harrison Ford once said on the Late Night Show with Conan O’Brien that he had no memory of making it, and therefore it “doesn’t exist.” Mark Hamill once said on Reddit that he "thought it was a mistake from the beginning" and that it was "unlike anything else in the Star Wars universe." It will always be the red-headed stepchild of the Star Wars universe.
8. Musical Incentives
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The Holiday Special comes close to reinforcing why Star Wars is called a space opera. At the end of the show, Carrie Fisher gives a solo singing performance. Carrie Fisher once had aspirations to launch a musical career, and that played a huge part in her willingness to join the show in the first place. Her performance of Happy Life Day was not the strongest, however, and she never pursued her singing career.
7. Other Musical Acts
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Jefferson Starship was a popular rock band in the 1980s and produced eight gold and platinum albums during their peak run. The band appeared in the Holiday Special and sang the song Light the Sky on Fire. The band then released the song as their own single while they tried to cash in on their inclusion in the Star Wars project.
6. Warm Wookiees
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The Holiday Special introduced Chewbacca’s furry family to the Star Wars universe. But the costumes for the other Wookies were not nearly as up to snuff as Chewy’s costume. The suits were made much more cheaply, which made them much more difficult to work in. The actors playing the other Wookiees needed to take a break every 20 minutes or so just to avoid heat exhaustion and even some oxygen breaks.
5. Comfortable Snuggies
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While the standard Wookiee costumes were mostly disastrous, the Life Day robes were another story. In the climax of the show, the Wookiees wore warm red snuggies for the final song. The costume department decided it would be far cheaper and easier to not need to design even more Wookiee outfits. The snuggies actually proved to be much cooler and more comfortable, anyway.
4. Longer Than Expected
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There was a fear of the show succeeding when a large portion of the dialogue would come from Wookiees. Director David Acomba has gone on record saying the show originally was scheduled to run only one hour. Variety specials typically ran longer than that, and the CBS network executives thought it would be far more lucrative to let the Holiday Special go two hours. However, there was a concern that there would not be enough material.
3. Tongue-Tied Wookiees
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Writing dialogue for Wookiees was a bit different than for anyone else. The Wookiee grunts had to be translated by Han Solo throughout the show. There was so much dialogue that the sound team needed to record more than an hour of “Wookieespeak.”
2. Merchandising Rights
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Lucas is known for his foresight to keep the merchandising rights for Star Wars. After working a deal with Kenner Toys, Lucas set his sights on reaching kids through a television show. The idea for the kid-friendly Holiday Special was actually created for the purpose of selling toys. Lucas even made the deal with CBS to do so without letting the public know his true intentions.
1. The One-Time Special
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The Holiday Special was considered a bomb, so much so that Lucasfilm wanted to forget all about it. The show was never re-aired, and there was no video release. However, parts of it can now be watched on Disney+.
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