Return of the Jedi premieres in San Diego May 1983 and one of the reels is missing
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- May 25, 1983 Imagine going to see a much anticipated film on premiere day and a big chunk of the film is missing! That's what happened in San Diego at the Return of the Jedi premiere. Movie goers weren't happy. Lorraine Kimel was there to get reaction.
This was the Pacific Sweetwater 6 Theaters which opened May 25, 1983, located in the Town and Country Shopping Center, next to the 805 Fwy at Sweetwater Rd. off ramp exit. 1920 Sweetwater Road, National City, CA. The theater's gala opening coincided with Jedi's release. Jedi played in 2 theaters. The movies playing in the other 4 auditoriums were: Max Dugan Returns/The Man from Snowy River (double-feature), Raiders of the Lost Ark/High Road to China (double-feature), Harlequin, and Chained Heat. Tickets for adults were $4.50 and $2.50 for children under 12. The theater was also selling a Return of the Jedi souvenir "Official collector edition" program book for $3.00. The building of the theater now houses a "mega church."
![Alien [1979] movie opening interview with moviegoers](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_zrxkUxAcsI/mqdefault.jpg)
After the movie... pizza and the arcade! I miss the 80's❤
Dude I know. Feeling grateful for when I grew up. Didn't expect to say that later. 🤘
I miss how peaceful it was without diversity.
@gregsolo666 With that bs name you should be loving the downfall of society unless you're a larping edgelord.
Now it would be stabbings and shootings
@@Neotron2001 Duuuude spot on!! Pizza and Arcade. I worked at 1 at 12 years old in 84. Dont forget your BMX/Cruiser or Skateboard Powell Peralta-Madid-Sims or Whatever board u had to skate around town. Great times man. We were free and unattached.
that girl's imperial costume is insane 1983 level cosplay, she was ahead of the game !
She has the attitude to match!
The 70's and 80's American girl accent is strong in this one.
Armed, pissed off and dangerous
she was a legit nerd
I noticed that!
1983 the workout headband. Let's get physical. 😂
I was thinking the same thing. She's a hottie too!!
How are your woke skinny jeans holding up? 👖
@@UA-cam_Troll1 Ask your mother
@@miky9619 Your mom is a woke skeezer.
That lady was fine af tho.
How did they manage to find a gorgeous aerobics model who likes Star Wars?!
Easy. The world was normal back then.
It was 1983. Olivia look alikes were everywhere back then ..good times 😅
EVERYONE loved Star Wars then. It was very rare to run into someone who didn't care. lol
Back then attractive women did not think they where to good for the world and enjoyed stuff
Les belles femmes ont toujours suivies la mode
obi-wan's moustache was hanging on by a whisker
The right side of it had the high ground
That guy's the original Reddit mod
Yes, that mustache was very amateurish and unprofessional... " "You don't need to see his Mustache...this isn't the mustache your looking for"
@@davewebb415😂
@@heartburnjay😂
Those were the golden days, i wished life was this simple still.
Me too, I say that all the time.
That's because you were a child and did not have to worry about you own - largely financial issues.
@@HardCold-Alquan No, because even my parents felt the the same, And all other people older and younger at that time.
@@libertyjusticeforall6754 a lot of grownups and adults don't mature, either. I look at Elon Musk because he's everywhere nowadays and every time, I picture a 50 year old teenager.
I guess neither did you, all I can say is what I see and hear based in my life my facts based on people that been living at that time and still alive today who say the same@BleedForTheWorld
00:55 don’t piss off an Imperial officer
I mean that's really Rotton!😡☝️
😂😂😂
😂 She was ticked off!! Also way ahead of her time 👍
@@TheRealSteveWilsonthose were the harshest mean words she could muster up - but she was happy when the day was saved❗️👍
😂😂I love and miss the simplicity of life back in the 80s. And it makes me wonder if the imperial officer grew up into a total Karen or one the ones who throw tantrums on planes 🤣🤣
damn i miss the 80s
Remember how well society functioned then compared to now?
@@michaelh.8945 i'm waiting for the pink haired troll to reeee at this comment saying things like "but racism, and patriarchy." or some nonsense.
@@michaelh.8945 I mean, the movie stopped playing 45 minutes in. This isn't a ringing endorsement of '80s technology.
Now you get to suffer in misery. :)
no division like there is now, everyone somehow got along no matter the situation
Wow, what a time to be alive…San Diego in the 80’s ❤.
Stay classy
i know what San Diego means in german
no doubt! born and raised in SD, in my teens in the 80s
@@hi-line8195 what was the best part about growing up in San Diego? I was thinking of moving to Oceanside or Carlsbad.
@@TempeSoldier123 Were these hillbilly accents common throughout San Diego?
Man, I remember being in 5th grade and a kids dad came in and took him out early to go see this. I was so jealous.
I was in 4th grade and my Dad informed the school my younger brother and I "had a dentist appointment."
@@midnightplatypus1973 your dad is awesome
You had dads, modern kids are jealous of that.
That is amazing! 😄
I was in junior high when this came out, had such a crush on princess Leia 😁
Most of the kids are in their 50s now , and most of the adults were either very old or dead already. So much time had passed. I miss the 80s too much
Premier was 41 years ago. The 10 year olds are now 51. The 40 year old adults are now 81 if they are still alive. Those over 50 are probably dead. Only 2% of the population lives to see their 90th birthday.
So much time has past indeed. We are now living in the "mid" 21st century. We are closer to the year 2100 than we are to the year 1950.
Wow your math is bad@Novusod
@Novusod we are still closer to 1950 than 2100 by about 5 months.
@@Novusod2025 is not mid 2000's stay in school.
@@Me-qp8vz I think Novusod means the mid-range of the century. Mid-range is 2025 to 2075.
You could not walk into a theatre today with a blaster!!
Blasted nonsense of today.
Oh I don’t know. James Holmes did.
yes those days are long gone, you cant even buy toy guns anymore
I had a blaster!!
@@Len1977gt now you can buy real guns for your children, or just 3D print them. that's progress for ya! 🙃
Man… The 80’s were the best…
nah, 80's were caca.
@darkant3260
Ahh sorry mate depends where you where in the world,
Or if you were a boring drip
@@Itsallthesameshht the 80's = caca.
@@darkant3260 You were the caca in the 80's and now.
@@darkant3260 Yeah, the world is so much better now 🙄
0:59 he declares it is amatuerish and unprofessional as his fake moustache is falling off his face.
The best😂
Ernest Goes to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Premiere
He wasn't being paid.
Oddly enough, he has more screen time in this segment than Alec Guinness did in the movie. 😜
Notice how there aren't any really fat people in this video?
The only movie in my life where I saw it with both parents in a theater.
Me too, I was 7yrs old.
I feel ya. For me it was Raiders of the Lost Ark
I saw Episode 2 & Episode 3 with my parents in a theatre.
14 reminds me of first star wars and the lines all around to watch it.
ALIEN 3 for me
For those wondering the exact location of this theater: This was the Pacific Sweetwater 6 Theaters which opened May 25, 1983, located in the Town and Country Shopping Center, next to the 805 Fwy at Sweetwater Rd. off ramp exit. 1920 Sweetwater Road, National City, CA. The theater's gala opening coincided with Jedi's release. Jedi played in 2 theaters. The movies playing in the other 4 auditoriums were: Max Dugan Returns/The Man from Snowy River (double-feature), Raiders of the Lost Ark/High Road to China (double-feature), Harlequin, and Chained Heat. Tickets for adults were $4.50 and $2.50 for children under 12. The theater was also selling a Return of the Jedi souvenir "Official collector edition" programme book for $3.00. The building of the theater now houses a "mega church."
Wow!! This is amazing information!! So cool!! Thanks for posting!!
How strange. I never see white people in national city lol
I still have my collector book from the opening day 😂
LOL, amazing that they did a double feature of Raiders and the Tom Selleck rip-off version. Also amazing that they would actually start a film knowing they didn't have all the reels.
California had alot of Town and Country Shopping centers. They were fun on Saturday afternoons. I think there is still one left across Stanford University, in Palo Altos
This lady went from
The Dark Side 0:52
To The Light Side 1:26 😂
Four decades and four husbands later ...
She is correct. And the guy afterwards had a great cosplay. I wonder where that girl is now.
@LegendarySpaceRipper great mustache
I feel bad for the theater staff that has to deal with people like that.
🤣 Also look at her walking in with that unmarked toy gun like no big deal
I was 14 when this movie came out. I only ever saw the first 3, but it was great seeing it as a 14-year-old.
You should watch the first 6 in my opinion. I didn't watch The phantom menace etc until around 2 years ago because a lot of people said they were bad but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the first 6 were great to watch back to back.
@@andymc1-0
The prequels weren't horrible, but they certainly paled in comparison to the original trilogy. I remember being so hyped to watch Phantom Menace when it first came out and waiting to see the first showing at midnight. Came out of the theater feeling 'It wasn't bad', but disappointed that it didn't live up to the expectations I had for it being the first Star Wars movie in decades.
@@andymc1-0 Nothing like a 2.5 hour movie talking about "Trade Federations" to get your heart pumping
"This is not the reel you are looking for."
I once sat through 3 showings of that film when it played at the Space and science center in Oakland, California in 2002. It was shown on the celling.
Holy crap, that must’ve been amazing. I first saw when I was 12 back in 1983. It was magic.
@@NemeanLion- Cool! I saw it on my birthday in June 83 then a million times in 97 but yeah sat through 3 showings in a row in 02. Was cool!
I dig the 80's headband.
80's....BEST DECADE EVER
Exactly... Tons of serial killers running around
@@palpatine1975 fun AND exciting!
@@palpatine1975yup, how everyone forgets.
Such a nicer time back then.
People were less hostile I guess- and obnoxious
@@TheRubberStudiosASMR I mean you can see it from this, go to any theater now and you'll feel the vibe difference immediately.
It was a special time. Human nature was still the prime currency
Less diversity = less problems
@
haha. interesting comment... but what's the currency now in 2025 ?
This is like the most real life 80's video ever.
I got to see movies in the theater in the early 90's as I was 8 years old going into 1990. A great time to be a kid. Waiting in line about4 5 mins until the movies starts, hearing everyone in line talk about the movie ,hyping each other up . When the "upcoming move attractions" would play we would all get excited to see what we're getting into later in the summer. That feeling could never be replicated but it's nice to have UA-cam clips like this to take me back in time -"to a time of simplicity, a moment in time where a kid could dream and believe that even he could dream of a dream" - Kevin Arnold "wonder years " voice
"What do you mean this is Return of Jedi? I'm here to watch Xanadu!"
Saw both in the theater, one with my uncle, the other with my aunt.
Funniest comment award 🏆
Oh! I remember Xanadu!
I miss these days so much🥹
0:52 Is that an imperial military uniform? She’s got the attitude down for it too!
0:08 That woman looks so 80's.
But she is an absolute honey.
@@Markycarandbikestuff She was the type of girl you dreamed about back then.
She's a beauty. She's everything you dream about. But don't fall in love. (The Tubes).
Agreed. It's surprisng as well because of it being 1983, a lot of the more famous 80s fashion trends hadn't even been established yet.
@@KingofAmerica97yeah, early part of each decade has carryovers from the previous till about mid decade.
@@4stringz. Correct, however it's important to note that there's always signs of culture of the next decade in the last few years of a previous one.
0:59 “It’s amateurish & unprofessional”
Says the 49 year old man dressed in a cloak and glue-on beard 😂
Yes but he’s not doing it professionally.
hes actually only 19 years old
The blonde at the beginning was 💯% 80s baby!
She wad getting her ONJ on.
Yeah. That's the risk people run when they try to follow the styles of the times. They date themselves and sometimes it's really embarrassing.
Bangin!!
@@tyson9419 Or bitchin', to use a phrase of the time.
@@Billinois78 that's such a horrid take on it, haha
1:48 Back when you could bring your toy gun into the theater, before the world went batshit insane.
You mean before Diversity was our strength lol. Yeah.
it only takes one nutbag to ruin things for everybody else...
Yep, your culture is completely screwed many of your country folk are UTTERLY INSANE
Back before there were mass shootings all the time necessitating such concern
had to read the comments just to see who said it. i only had a glimpse of it and it still jumped out at me
well i was born on oct 1996 and im not old enough to have exprienced these days and im not even from america but man they all look so happy and chill and loving life . even when i look at videos of people in my country (iran) from same timeline i feel the same vibe . i think entire world was much better and more simple back then . everybody looked so in peace . wish i was born in 60s or 70s .
It was better. I'm sorry about Iran, such a lovely country.
@@rdred8693 indeed . thanks for the kind words .
@@rdred8693 indeed . thanks for the kind words .
Gawd who's the blonde woman with the headband...time machine me back to her 😉
We took those hydrogen peroxide blondes for granted.
@@zoso73 Remember Heather Thomas? .. She was one of my favorites
@@Fiveash-Art yeah bro Heather Thomas is my all time #1 i dont think they make women like that anymore
@@phttran675 Zapped .. The Fall Guy ... When I was a kid that woman was the ultimate.
@@phttran675Well at least you got those bbls now
What theater is this!?? Dude! Cosplay in 1983! So awesome!
I'm sure it's gone.
Looks like the Sweetwater Pacific 6 Theaters in National City
@@battyjunkie Wow. Now it would be a totally different crowd.
I saw it that day at Sweetwater 6, but since this is 70mm, would it have been the Mission Valley? That was a one screen theater. The one closest to the 8 freeway?
lol, there’s always somebody on the Internet that can answer a random question about a specific location from 40 years ago
Kudos to the Imp cosplay girl.
That's real 1983. The Real 80s.
Theater manager looks like a supporting actor from a Scorsese movie 😂
I was in 6th grade at the time, my buddy Eric and I tried to sneak in to see it, but we were caught and kicked out what a great time to be alive!!
aaah the days of sneaking in lol as a adult its some easy to sneak in but who has time for it ?! LOL
@@lopezrome1982not to mention if you get caught as an adult sneaking in that’s just beyond sad 😅
I watched this in 6th grade as well, had a huge crush on princess Leia 😜
I was 13 days old that day and stable in an incubator at the hospital after fighting for my life during the first 3 days, gasping for air, probably because of a viral infection. Now 41yo and a Star Wars fan since about 6 years after this was filmed, was hooked the moment a family friend played it on VHS and I couldn't stop watching.
1:54 They even had John Landis tearing tickets 😉
Yeah he was really slumming it there in those years immediately after the Twilight Zone helicopter incident bwahaha
Totally!
83 in SD. I remember my mom picking me up from school and taking me to see this at the sports arena. I miss those days. SD was such a good place back then.
I played at halftime of a Sockers game.⚽
@stephenware6216 Nice. We would go see them all the time when I was a kid. Are you still in SD?
@@none-ya-o9z No that's why when I saw this I was so amazed I was only there for 2 years 82-84. 84 Padres still my favorite and I moved to near Chicago I was still wearing my Padres cap around those cubs fans
If they only knew that day, that 40 years later the franchise they held so dear to their heart, would meet its demise at the hand of a mouse. 🐁
It met its demise at the hands of its creator in 1999.
There is a time to put away childish things. Star Wars are films for 12 year olds, and old people who wish they had been 12 years old for a few decades longer.
@@biffboffo Lucas selling the IP, was the first sign of the end times, but Disney truly destroyed any semblance of respect it had left.
@@TheHuskyTypeDisney bought Lucasfilm in 2012. They had nothing to do with the dumpster fires that were the phantom menace and attack of the clones.
@@zimvader25 those were masterpieces in comparison to the Disney movies
1980-1999 I LOVE, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL
I agree. Basically I started kindergarten in 1980 and by 1999 I was 2 years out of college. Covered all my schooling. Great time.
I don’t care what anyone says, actually having to wait in line for a blockbuster premiere was an event, and one of the best pop culture experiences, ever. ✊
I miss 1983….🥲
you're blessed to be able to miss it.
@ I was 8 dude it was fun. 👍🏻
People seemed more relaxed and happier back then.
Less dieversity.
I was born in 1971, much simpler times back then, yeah, ok boomer etc lol.
🙄Most people cherish the past because
1. They mostly just remember the good times
2. They were younger back then with little responsibility and care in the world.
3. Hypothetically time travel. Yesterday was as crap as today as it will be tomorrow.
@@AdmiralBison😂😂😂
@@ingurlund9657 No MAGAS
The good old days.
the cop car should've had the Impirial March blasting from the speaker 😅
Or a black 1977 Trans Am comes screaming up driven by one Mr. Burt Reynolds just in time to win a bet, thust saving the day (insert Bandit laugh)
We took half a day off from college and gained entry to Jedi opening day. Miraculously we got in early, had great seats, and decided to see it again when the movie ended. Ushers waited inside to make sure everybody left, but we snuck into an empty theater and waited till the hall cleared. When it was quiet, we stepped back into the big empty curved hallway. We heard screaming far away and froze, looking behind us. The screaming got louder. Then a wall to wall flood of people popped into view running right at us, we spun and raced as fast as we could back into the theater and jumped back into our old seats, the crowd right behind us. Providence, RI, 1983.
1:24 "The crowd was now pleased"
cuts to the angry girl brandishing a firearm
That's right pal. hehehehe
Even the dorks of the 80s were better than todays smh. What happened to us lol
Computers, Cellphones
@@lloydthompsonartto be specific.
1. Star Wars tabletop rpg and game masters with their own canon in their circles. A lot of the names in Star Wars for Aliens, weapons and such that you hear now that weren’t mention in the original movies originated from the trpg if word spread and name got popular.
2. Basically paid fan made stories to cover as canon with Lucas not making official stuff between rotj and pm. Also some of those used the trpg as bases including thrawn trilogy.
3. Then once internet got known and ppl access forums you got wave of nerds from various circles argue what’s canon and praying which stories Lucas will deem true and better then this story.
4. Except pm released, he didn’t care for nerds fan canons and from argue with one another they throw their anger at him and ppl involved with pm. Thus the fandom menace was born.
For better/worst the tabletop rpg of Star Wars built the fanbase during legends era. In a reality if Lucas maintain official stuff between RotJ and pm for sure ppl will not care for those legends story even possibly shun thrawn trilogy and threaten Timothy zahn for trying to compete with Lucas.
Edit: to add his powerful the Trpg is. It’s still going wifh so much fan content for it. Then when a new trpg was made they shunned it and anyone that plays/talks about it. Again up to ppl on if it was good or bad the Star Wars trpg was made.
@@lloydthompsonartIn other words, technology originating from these same kind of dorks.
Liberalization of society.
@ If that means American morons got indoctrinated by watching a cable news channel owned by a foreigner over the decades then YES
MISS THE 80'S 💯
I saw Return of the Jedi in the theater in 1983
Me, too.
History. Awesome history, on so many levels.
Including how the TV station shot this.
Much love, from 2025.
Great retro video❗️ The girl dressed as a Death Star officer was hilarious❗️ She was also carrying a blaster.
I saw this film in Lake Tahoe and don’t recall any interruptions.
I was born in 1979 but I wish I was born in 1964 so I could have turned 16 in 1980. This would have given me three years as a teenager and seven as a twenty something in what appears to be the peak of humanity. The 80s rocked in almost every way !
I was 6
You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?
@@jnnx I have. What's wrong with my logic ?
Bro I wasn’t even alive during the 80s and this looks much more fun and happier than the states in 2025 LOL
I lived through it it was a more pure time for sure 😉
Awesome! Thank you for posting history. Keep it coming
Wow 😮 thanks for sharing this moment in time.
White America
Real America and there's nothing any1 can do to change it. Civilization personality intellect. Sense. All gone😢
I wish I can go back in time and warn them of the sequels.
Man I tell you younger people that you are missing out. Women were so pretty back then.
They were less feminist back then, that's all
yeah the fish lips/kardashian look dosen't do it for me for some reason.
What a beautiful pair of eyes!
❤❤❤
People got reel mad 😬✅
That was a reelly witty comment.
They were reeling in anger...
For reel!
😂😂😂😂
That warmed my heart. Saw the original trilogy when I was 14, 17, and 20. Ah memories.
0:59 "it's amateurish and unprofessional" ...he says as his fake moustache hangs sideways off his upper lip. lol
😅😅😅
I miss the 80's. I don't miss my neighborhood but I do miss the 80's lol
Ah, yes. The Members Only jackets....
Only for select members.
I owned 2😁
@@guru2899 lmfaoo
First woman is a Sci Fi GODDESS.
Back during the Good Times!
Except for the serial killers out on the loose.
@@joedimaggio3687 No worries, they Are Still Out There. Some of them got Government jobs and pressured the use of the jab, putting Profits over National Health.
I was in line for the released of this movie as well, it was in Irvine, California. I remember people were camping outside in the parking lot to get tickets, it was so awesome. I'm feeling so nostalgic watching this clip.
Emperor is coming here? Yes, he’s most displeased with your lack of progress.
Man, the 80s were awesome!! This is like looking at a time capsule on screen! 😎 ROTJ was my personal favorite out of the original trilogy films! 👍❤️
I remember waiting in line at Mann Theatre in Oceanside, CA with my parents to see this.
As a San Diego resident I see Americans from another planet here. More sincere people.
Everyone seems happier here. Is that an 80s thing?
It's pre-internet. Internet has made everyone miserable.
@@effyiew7318 That's a good point...I mean you wake up each day to a new horrific accident reported on your phone it does dampen the mood.
Yes sir people were nicer and happier then. We didn't realize how great we had it.
Yes, no social media, no comparing yourself to others
there will never be this much excitement or this kind of line for a movie ever again boy those were the days
this is about the time when you had to buy the newspaper to see the movie showing for that friday and weekend lol and buy the tickets at the movie theatre. had to stand in long lines for your showing .. good old days
Or call the theater and listen to the recording of the times
Had to stand in a long line to get tickets. Then get into another long line and wait a couple of hours for the next showing.
Yeah, large scale purchasing of tickets online has only been a thing for the last five to ten years. There was no internet in 1983.
yes one more opportunity to socialize that the internet has robbed us of.
Now everybody just stays home and we wonder why developed countries are more lonely than ever before lol
Very cool video! I really enjoyed it. I saw the Return of Jedi's when it debuted in NYC on May 25th, 1983.
That manager looked like a Mafia guy lol
Miss those days,, so happy I got to experience them.. those were truely happy times
People were reasonably mad back then when such things happened; unfortunately, with people nowadays, the result could have escalated much worse.
True, probably when have been looting and arson involved. Progress.
yep nowdays there would have been carnage probably. So sad how far we have fallen.
If i ever could go back to the best decade in history i would in a heartbeat.
imagine seeing yourself years later in this video lol
You would be lucky to be seen in this video - some major 80s coolness happening. There was no better time to be alive.
Probably the last cool decade well ig the 90s were
I was born in 1986, and these people in the video are certainly over 50 today, maybe closer to 70. That's pretty crazy.
They certainly picked the right blonde hottie to start the interviews off with. 😍
She is and absolute stunner 😍
I was 9 years old that year best times of my life my parents was still alive I lost them both on 2020 tragedy. Loved this movie saw it in London that year the 80s was the best decade ever great time to grow up.
i was 7 years old at this time i remember seeing this in the movies
I hope some of the people who were seen in these interviews will be able to see this posting. I bet if any of them ever saw the news broadcast that night and saw themselves, they have never seen it again since that day. I was 9 years old when this was shot and lived just about 10-miles north of there in Linda Vista. 🤠👍
Love the cosplay on the girl with the Imperial uniform.
I saw it in National City at the Sweetwater theater. It was awesome
That was a big problem in the 80s, miss them days.
No lgbts, no BLMs, No tik tokers, No instagramers, No Celphone, just normal well put together people, miss those days.
WHITE AMERICA = REAL America
Civilization sense honor coherent thought
All gone
There was definitely LGBT and BLM. The Stonewall riots were in 1969, and civil rights went on for decades. You must've lived in your father's bubble and now you've turned into him. How entitled do you think you are to seek, "normal put together people," when you yourself are far from it?
I saw T2 there ….. back in the day. Miss that place as a movie theater. Still live by it.
Back when you had to make your own costume, like that custom Imperial Officer chick. Well done!
Glad to see the Blues Brothers got out on parole
Well there is a Carrie Fischer connection.
I was 3 yrs in 83. I didn't even get to see return of the jedi until 90 when my poor family finally got a vcr.
I was a baby and saw it on vhs in 86 and saw it in cinemas in 1997
I was born in 1982. 😊
Back when they actually played a film in theaters. Good times.
Wait, do they not? Idk what the hell I was watching when I went to go see the last movie I watched 😂😂😂
0:08 girl is crazy beautiful: Her eyes alone are something special.