forget the Sports Almanac, I want to travel back in time and get paid as a paperboy in the greater Seattle area circa 1977. Long distance phone calls, tickets to the premiere Seattle theater each week for 1 year, all replica masks (minus C3PO), High-end full-color film projector, all 1977 Star Wars film release shorts, every type of Star Wars magazine released in 1977, all SW trading cards series (via boxed sets), extensive number of limited edition unique SW art prints (framed), and all individual Star Wars toys produced by Kenner. Either way, thanks for sharing and providing your story, thereby documenting this wonderful movie at this very special time in history.
Thanks for the great comment! I loved it! As soon as I saw those masks in People magazine I got a job as a paperboy that day so I could buy SW stuff! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Thanks again. Hope to connect again in the future!
Thanks for all the great comments Pam! I’m going through UA-cam comments and have really enjoyed yours! I get so many it’s hard to respond to all; but I really appreciate people like you who interact. I’m hoping to do some online listening parties so keep an eye out!
These three Star Wars segments are incredible, and mirror my experience pretty closely. I was 8 when Star Wars came out, and it made me not only a Star Wars fan, but also a film fan. I wanted to know how this movie was made! I started researching the people behind the camera, and my friends and I also made super-8 movies as you did. It was such an amazing time to be a kid in 1977! Those times can never be replicated. Great memories!
It’s great to hear from you. Thanks for sharing your own experiences. As you said, “such an amazing time to be a kid in 1977. Those times can never be replicated”. With these episodes I’m reliving them and it is so much fun. I hope they brought back some of the fun for you too. Thanks for watching!!
those burger king posters jarred my memory i remember having those think they came with the star wars glass cups, this video is a great example of why gen x kids have connection these movies no other generation can have or understand. your super 8 movies have more passion heart and love of star wars than all of the disney star wars movies combined
I couldn’t agree more! Movies like Star Wars and Jaws impacted culture in a way that’s simply not possible anymore. Star Wars literally changed our culture; similar to impact The Beatles had when they arrived. SW was such a massive cultural phenomenon that it changed the entertainment industry and the way films are marketed. I can’t say the results have been great; but boy was it a thrill to live through! Thanks for watching!
@@JonBlackstone so true and we didnt have the internet and you tube to get our star wars fix in between movies alive had was some toys comic books and our imaginations . i think its great you kept all of your star wars stuff from when you were a kid and not only that you kept everything in great condition
Wow- Wow - Wow!! You have a phenomenal collection from this film. There is nothing like sitting down, at home or in the theater, and watching Star Wars! From the opening theme watching the story unfold was like nothing I’d ever seen before!! And to have owned a copy of the movie at that time had to have been mind blowing! No one own a copy of a major motion picture! There was never anything like it. I mentioned to you before, I can remember the theatre where I saw the film trailer for the first time. And I can’t get over the creativity you possessed to make your own films on Super 8 - wow!! Another well done episode!! Thank you for sharing!! ❤
Wow! Thank you for the fantastic comments; and for sharing some of your story. It’s so fun to hear from people who went through similar circumstances. And it’s wonderful how this movie connects so much of us. Thanks for watching!
I saw the film a couple of months after my 9th birth day. Like yourself, the film had a major impact on me. I truly enjoyed watching your videos on Star Wars.
Thank you so much for watching! It’s so cool to hear from people who went through the same experience as I did. That was a time that was so special. It’s hard to convey to people. I tried to do it in my videos. Thank you for your comments!
I felt the exact same way. I can’t even begin to explain to the sinking feeling I had while watching the holiday special. It was a bad sign of things to come. Thanks for watching!
I fell in love with R2 D2 after seeing Star Wars when I was 6 here in the UK. I was fascinated by it. My mum got me my very first action figures for Xmas 3PO and R2 D2. I carried them around with me wherever I went. Truly happy days.
Yes I was totally fascinated by all the droids; especially R2 and 3PO. They were totally different than any robots I had seen. They had all the responses of a person which was totally unusual at the time. Darth was my fave as a kid. The combination of man and machine kind of freaked me out. What a great villain! That’s cool your mum got the figures for you. I wish a cool movie like Star Wars had come out when my kids were young but I did show them SW for the first time (they talk about it to this day)! Hope you have a lovely Christmas Day!
Excellent. I was 5 at the time and it indeed hit hard. Even at such a young age I was fully aware that Star Wars was indeed special. I knew it also because EVERYONE loved it. Hell,my Father was such a fan he even had a Darth Vader shirt. He and my Mother had gone to see it first and I remember them coming home and I had NEVER seen him so excited before. He went on and on about how great it was and told me that I was gonna LOVE it. Of course I did. Those little projectors were pretty cool. Had to turn the knob slowly or else the film went too fast.
Man, I love your comment! I hope you know how cool it is you had a Father who loved Star Wars. I love how you explained his excitement. I was the one that coerced my dad to see it. I wanted him to love it but he didn't say much. It's really cool that you had such a great dad. A couple of people have mentioned "projectors" but I'm not sure what they mean. Do you mean the hand cranked viewer you looked into through an eye hole or was their an actual thing that projected the image on a wall etc? The reason I ask is because I have a vague memory of something like a toy projector but I can't find anything about it. Thanks again for your comments. Hope you had a nice Christmas and a happy New Year!
Thrilled to hear the Star Wars Story album audio only because that's the voice of the man who did the Wizard of Oz re-release trailer from the 70s. It was included on the late 80s VHS, and the voice took me right back to being a little kid
Yeah I remember that! How funny I had totally missed that. All my friends had that album. It was the closest thing to having Star Wars at home. Thanks for your comment. Hope to hear from you again. If you want please join my mailing list at www.onlykidwithacamera.com. I'm hoping to create a cool little community of people who dig this stuff.
@@JonBlackstone really enjoy seeing the perspective of an original Star Wars fan. My first time seeing it was on VHS -- and it blew me away. I can't imagine how cool it would be seeing it for the first time in theaters!
@@UzzyWorks We all had our first experience with Star Wars and it seems to have blown people away regardless of where they first saw it! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Thanks again. Hope to connect again in the future!
Jon I salute you! I share so many of these memories with you. The super8 film was awesome! The story of your mask is so amazing! Didn’t have that experience but yours is unique and fun!
Thank you for watching! I really appreciate your kind words. It makes me so happy that people enjoy my retelling of this wonderful time in history. I hope you watched part one and two as well? It sounds like you did. Sometimes I still find the whole story unbelievable myself; especially about the mask. Anyway, I really appreciate your kind words!
Thanks for sharing this amazing nostalgia trip. Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre in 1977; it has shaped everything in my life from my career to my hobbies and the best part is I get to share the passion with my kids. The poster at 26:50 is actually from the theatre I saw it for the first time in my home town of Melbourne, Australia. Very cool to see as it no longer exists.
I had all this as well. All the red, green and blue trading cards. Lobby photos. The poster at 12:18.... my parents had that painted on my bedroom wall when I was 11. The first Starlog and all other Sci-Fi mags with Star Wars on the cover, lunch boxes... you name it.
That must have been awesome to have your room painted! You had some cool parents! Thanks for chiming in; I hope to hear from you again. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Thanks so much! It's labor of love! So glad you enjoyed it! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Thanks again. Hope to connect again in the future!
6:15, listened to that 5 days in a row on vacation back in -78. My parents probably went crazy because of it. I was too young to watch anything so this was the closest thing to the movie I by that time could get.
Wow, what an interesting way to be introduced to Star Wars. Just hearing the sound of the movie without the picture. It must’ve been kind of a mindblower when you finally saw the movie! Thanks for watching!
I thought about doing a video about my reaction to Empire. But it seems that empire has become most peoples favorite film. I definitely don’t share that view. In fact, when I went to the theater to see empire for the first time I knew within the first five minutes that it was going to be a very different film from the first. I like empire in its own right; but I don’t think it hold a candle to the first film. In fact, the original, Star Wars is the only film I believe is a true classic film. The original Star Wars was shot very much like a classic Hollywood widewidescreen epic. Every aspect of that movie is so perfect. As I said, I liked Empire but nowhere near as much as the first film. I’m almost afraid to say what I think of it 😆. Thank you for watching!
So I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love hearing from people who went through a similar experience to mine. When the very first Star Wars came out, it hit me like a tidal wave. I was already a big movie fan; but Star Wars was literally world changing. Certainly changed my world! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for watching! So glad you enjoyed my Star Wars adventures! You might like my episodes on Jaws as well. I talk more about my early love of movies. Cheers!
Just found your vids on UA-cam. Really enjoying the nostalgia and the way you narrate. I saw sw in Mount Vernon in 78, and still live in Wa. And still have a lot of my og collection. Very cool, man!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the great comments! That’s cool that you live in Mount Vernon. My grandparents lived in Anacortes; which was also the home of Burl Ives. Every year we would go by their home to see the giant snowman he had outside of his large estate at Christmas time. I’m assuming you know what I mean? 😎
You and I had the same childhood, craven backwinder and all! I build spaceships from various model kits and sheets of cut plastic then shot them on super 8 with my friends :)
I love hearing that! Do you have any pictures or anything? Do you still have your Super 8 films? I ask because I'm thinking of creating a space where everyone could share that kind of stuff. Thanks for your comments!
@@bsharp3281 It costs quite a bit to have them transferred by one of the countless companies that do transfers. Unfortunately they usually do a bad job. I have my own machine that I used to do all my Super 8. I'd be happy to do them for you if you want. You could pay me something for my time but I'd do it for nothing just because I love watching other people's Super 8 movies. I'd actually like to feature them on my website along with allowing people to share their own stories!
The poster at 11:14... I saw that at the theater about a month before the movie was released and it blew my mind. It looked like another universe and from that point on all I could think of was the movie.
747 subscribers? Wow, I’ve only been able to do this one other time, on Growling Sidewinder’s channel… and what that is, is being one of the few who can say they were there BEFORE a channel blew up and went big. Seriously man, the narration, production value, pacing… something tells me you’ve been in film before. Quality. Wish I could find time to get my channel up and running and do it this well, seriously jealous. Anyway, loved this short series! Merry Xmas.
Wow that's so encouraging! Seriously! I would love if my channel "blows up"! I confess I don't know much about how to spread the word. I started this as a labor of love hoping others will enjoy it. I would love if I could create a community of people who want to share their own memories etc. If you have any ideas about how I can promote my channel I'd sure appreciate the help. Thanks for the great words of encouragement!
I still have my copy of Star Wars Official Poster Monthly #2. It is a bit worn along the folds but the pages are still connected. Have the sticker sheet from the Early Bird set as well.
I think it’s amazing that any of us held onto anything because it was before we became concerned about collecting stuff; at least it was for me. My stuff holds such great memories that I held onto it for that reason. That’s why I couldn’t sell any either! Thanks for your comments. Hope you have a great Christmas and prosperous new year!
Thanks so much! I confess it is a ton of work; but it's a labor of love! Did you watch the other 2 episodes or just this one? So glad you enjoyed it! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Hope to connect again in the future!
Star Wars along with A Clockwork Orange, Jaws, The Shining, Scarface 1983, Full Metal Jacket, and The Fugitive are my top 7 all time favorite films and I really love Star Wars so much. Star Wars is a brilliant and great film, it is one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, and Star Wars had stellar performances from Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guinness. Star Wars had excellent cinematography by George Lucas and Gary Kurtz. George Lucas's direction for Star Wars was impressive, George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick are both my favorite film directors, and I loved Stanley Kubrick's work on A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket.
Thanks for your comments! I also love The Fugitive and Jaws. In fact I'm doing a show about how huge Jaws impacted our culture. It's easy to forget what a massive impact JAWS had when it came out. Everybody was into that movie! I was 11 years old when it came out and I totally flipped. I'm going to do a show about that time for my friends and I.
Thanks man! It’s so cool to get some feedback! I’m having so much fun. Hope you have a great Christmas and a great year ahead. Hope to hear from you again!
Hearing that you were first to have that mask is wonderful and lovley to hear that your sharing all this with us. Thank you for doing this man and Merry Christmas :)
Thank you for the good words! So glad you enjoyed my story. I always like hearing others stories so I figured I’d share mine. Hope you have a great Christmas! Hope to hear from you again.
If you watch episode one I tell the very funny story of how I ended up the first to get a mask from Don Post Studios. ua-cam.com/video/1WSw49ccyHM/v-deo.html
I wasn’t alive in the 70’s so I was curious as to what it was like seeing this film back in the day. I gotta say I think these 3 videos you’ve done are the motherload in terms of giving the viewer an idea of how huge this film was. I love all the vintage merch you presented, and your experiences of acquiring all the paraphernalia related to Star Wars. Will you ever do videos like this for Empire and Jedi or is there not as much to talk about for you?
I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. It makes me feel great because my intention was to give people a sense of how thrilling it was when the first movie was released. Star Wars not only changed filmmaking it was a cultural phenomenon unlike anything we see today. It was so much fun. I won’t be doing episodes on the sequels because I wasn’t as excited about those films. I was very excited for Empire but it was a letdown for me. The original had an epic, classic, Hollywood widescreen vibe; but Empire felt more contemporary, slick and self aware. The magic was gone for me. I did two episodes about Jaws which was the first blockbuster that changed my life. I think you’ll enjoy those as well. Thanks again for the great comments!
@@JonBlackstone Thanks for responding! I was wondering if this level of merchandise after the film was an uncommon thing in the 70’s or did it usually happen for every big movie?
This stuff is awesome to see. You seem like you're only a few years older than I am. My earliest Star Wars memories are of seeing the original, ANH, either during it's initial run or one of its rereleases circa Empire's release, at the Mustang Theater (a drive-in theater that used to be here in Center Point, close to Birmingham, AL). I had a lot of the original toys, but I'm thinking I got them closer to Empire than to the original's release. But the thing that REALLY takes me back to the '80s is seeing the trading cards. For me it was RotJ bubble gum cards. My sister and I both collected them, and she kept them in a shoe box wrapped with a rubber band underneath her bed. I remember there were three that were relatively hard to come by....one with Yoda, one with Han, and I don't remember what the third was anymore. We used to trade them with another kid in the neighborhood, and she eventually did get them all. But we didn't understand the value in those things back then. And my sister seems closer to your age than mine (she was born in '69, and I didn't come along until the butt end of '74). Only thing I can lay claim to owning (no idea where they are now; my sister must have them somewhere) were the original CID RCA movies for all three OT films (it was from those that I first remember seeing the title "A New Hope," so it was already subtitled even by that point). Never had anything to make home videos with, though, or I'm sure my friends and I would've had a blast doing what you guys were doing. I remember having these large, hardback books for each of the three films, and it was from those and the pictures in them that I first saw Biggs and began to question "what. the... HELL?" And seeing the old videos of your turntable with the auto-changing spindle just reminds me of my dad's turntable, which we still have around somewhere, but getting the needle replaced has been an impossibility. I had a TON of the toys. I was a spoiled kid when it came to toys, and I do mean spoiled rotten. God, I was ill-behaved at home. But I also had a habit, and was often made fun for my overbearing love of things like Transformers in the mid'80'. So much so that I tried to cut myself off around the time I transferred to private school in the 7th grade, and with my best friend at the time, went out in the back yard and killed every action figure I owned with my BB gun. I cringe now thinking about all the money that first went into getting me those toys, and then how much some of them grew in value later. Never forget how satisfied I was in that moment, though.
Thanks for sharing your memories! I love that your sister stored them in a shoe box under her bed! That's so classic! I have a question; when you mentioned the CID RCA do you mean the early "Discovision" laserdiscs? They were technically laserdiscs but they were similar.
@@JonBlackstone CiDs were an early form of video, I think patented by RCA (in fact, I just called them "RCA discs" and "RCA disc player" for decades until UA-cam came along and taught me what they were really called). If VHS were like cassette tapes, and Laserdiscs were like CDs, then CIDs were the vinyl of their generation. They were roughly the same size as Laserdiscs, and they weren't actually made of vinyl (I don't think), but they _were_ played via an actual needle. Which meant that if you scratched one, or if your player had a defect like mine where around 44minutes into any movie it was start to skip exactly like a broken record, there really weren't a lot of ways to fix them. Rental stores carried them as their primary offering until VHS players became affordable in the mid-'80s. They were basically about the size of a 33⅓ record, and were stored in a cartridge frame that the player would load and then spit back out the outer shell (and you'd repeat the process in reverse whenever you ejected the disc). They could store around 45-60min worth of a film per side, and you'd have to turn it over to play the B-side (again, just like a vinyl record!) to watch second half of a movie 100% of the time. And some of the longer films (not like Gone With the Wind long; I mean just films that had the audacity to be longer than 90min, or closer to the 2hr mark) would take more than one disc. By the time VHS became affordable, we had quite a few in our collection. All three Star Wars films, Raiders, Lone Ranger, the first three Superman films, Last Starfighter, Starman... I remember buying them in the weirdest places, too. For example, the dad of my next-door neighbors at the time worked at a furniture store, and it was from there that we bought our copy of The Legend of the Lone Ranger and The Muppet Movie. I remember renting episodes of He-Man from video stores frequently. They were neat little devices for the time. One of those things that's pure nostalgia for me, because there's definitely no good reason to ever go back to them other than how they made me feel as a kid. Still remember my dad bringing home Superman II for my birthday one year and being over the moon about it.
@@Goldnfoxx Man, thanks so much for reminding me of this video format I had completely forgotten about! I think I knew one person who had one of these machines and I remember drooling over it because it was so expensive and I knew I couldn't buy one. Then BETA and VHS came out shortly afterward! Do you still have any of those discs? I'm wondering what the Star Wars discs would be worth to a serious collector? The completist types who have to have everything. It would be interesting to know. Again, thanks for your great comments. Hope to connect again soon. Blessings to you and yours in the New Year!
@@JonBlackstone Oh, this is awesome. And apparently, I had it wrong even here. CED, not CID. Not sure what I thought the "I" stood for. 😂 But yeah, this is definitely it. Thanks for sharing this! I'll be watching this while I eat lunch today! I need to figure out what happened to our player and discs. I know my sister had them, which means if we still have them, they're probably in some storage unit somewhere. I'll look into it and let you know when I hear back about it. Hadn't considered that they'd be worth much of anything, but I do want to know where they are now. It's also entirely possible that she sold them on eBay. She was big into getting whatever she could for whatever she had back around the turn of the millennium. I HOPE she didn't just pawn them off, but I'm deeply curious now.
Hey I really enjoyed all 3 parts and I’m really curious to see how you reacted to the empire strikes in theaters for the first time considering I don’t think Star Wars ever got better than that
Thanks for watching! So glad you enjoyed my Star Wars adventures. I have to be honest; I was disappointed when Empire Strikes Back came out. Of course I was there on opening day; totally excited. From the beginning I didn't like the new shiny look and glossy feel of the movie. The first Star Wars film had a very classy, big screen epic feel about it. The cinematography was very old school; like Lawrence of Arabia etc. The original had the look and feel of a Hollywood classic. Beyond that, the look of the film was old and used. Gritty, realistic and relatable. Empire had a completely different vibe. It was very '80s looking. Everything was clean and polished. Suddenly the entire Star Wars universe had a modern look and I didn't like it. I also felt the character interactions weren't as natural and organic. The interactions between the 3 main characters felt self aware and sort of forced to me. The romantic scenes between Han and Leia didn't strike the right chord with me. It's hard to explain but in short it didn't capture the same feeling for me. I like it now and enjoy watching it; but it doesn't hold a candle to the original in my opinion. I know most fans consider Empire the best; but for me the original has never been matched.
@@JonBlackstone thanks for such a descriptive response bc I was really curious, it’s always nice to hear a new perspective on star wars because the only thing that comes close to that level of escapism and spectacle for me is Harry Potter and it’s always been Star Wars no diff and if I had to live with just one movie it would be empire for men, anyways great video
Hi Jon - just finished watching all 3 episodes that I stumbled upon tonight. I enjoyed your stories/experiences very much, thank you. It's funny how similar our love of Star Wars is. I laughed when you said that you were 13 when the film came out and that you were the "perfect" age to see this movie. We are close in age as I was 15 when it premiered and I thought that " I " was the perfect age because I felt that I brought with me the excitement of still being a kid and the maturity of understanding everything that played out on the screen. I have often heard 8 and 9 year old kids and even younger say that they were the perfect age - and I just feel I have to disagree, as I believe that perhaps there are concepts in the film that may have gone over their heads. Like yourself, I too was into Super 8 filmmaking but I didn't start till I was 14 after viewing Logan's Run ( a birthday present from my older sister ). A much different movie off course but that film is what got me going. I was thinking that although you worked hard getting to the theaters and convincing your parents to take you to the Don Post studio and obtaining the paper route - you were fortunate to live on the west coast. I was - and still am an east coast guy ( Pennsylvania ) - and I didn't have any chance at all to be near "the action" like you were. I'll stop here - I'm sure we, along with many others could spend countless hours swapping stories and opinions. Thanks for your memories and hopefully after subscribing you haven't discontinued this channel - I'll check it out and see. Paul
Thank you for sharing your own stories! It’s so great to hear your perspective. I agree that 15 would have an advantage. As I mentioned it was the 10th time when some of the depth of the plot line and characters made more sense. I think your 2 extra years have you advantage. Have you digitized your super 8 movies? What a great time to be a kid. You’re the kind of person I couldn’t talk with for hours! Thanks again!
IT was nice of you to reply back. I'm afraid my super 8 movies did not turn out like I was hoping. I should have done more outside shooting with the natural sunlight. Instead I tried to master the indoor lighting but was not very successful. You have quite an experienced resume, very gifted. I still do however, attempt to write scripts, build props and try to shoot movies on a very amateur level with basically no budget and still using camcorders but I get by. I have done some blue screen work but I prefer the challenge of practical effects. I'm a sucker for B- movies and sometimes I try to use the Lydecker brothers style of flying spaceships. I'll stop boring you for now. I'm glad you are still doing the channel, I'll keep checking it out. Thanks again. @@JonBlackstone
Love ur trilogy. Awesome.... I hav an uncirculated beta max tape.. My mom got it for me from the house she was a house keeper in Hollywood. That person was a Hollywood producer. It's supposed to be a Oscar viewer tape. Would you know if this beta max have some real value. ?
Thanks for watching! If it’s anything vintage Star Wars then it’s worth money. Beta tapes are rare so that makes it valuable. You mentioned “uncirculated”; if that means brand new unopened then it’s very valuable. If it’s an an authentic Oscar viewer tape then it’s even more valuable and rare. I have no idea what it’s worth; but for a rare, unusual item like that I would sell on ebay or other auction situation. That’s one of those items only certain collectors would be interested (but very interested). There are many collectors who have to have every single thing ever released; and if your item is all I listed above you’ll definitely sell it. Thanks for watching!
The mask story was a great way to end a great Christmas day. Thanks and Merry Christmas! P.S. I had a hand-crank Viewmaster projector, and I think I had Star Wars Viewmaster reels, but can't swear to it...
Thanks friend! So glad you enjoyed my stories. I hope to expand this into a platform where everyone can share their stories. I hope you had an wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Outstanding video, Jon! I love how you stipulated that you were a discerning Star Wars fan. Your series is like consuming a whole bag of Star Wars Member Berries. 😂
At one point I owned ALL the Star Wars cards in all 4 colors. I sold them for a few hundred dollars in high school. I wonder what they would be worth now?
Thank you for watching! I have the first four series of cards as well. Every once in a while, I look at them and think how they might be worth some money? But if I ever find out how much they’re worth else, be tempted to sell them!
Thanks for watching! I got my very first job as a paper boy for the sole purpose of buying those masks. In the United States those masks were $40 apiece; so I really wasn’t that rich. 😎
Star wars was a damn good film but the holiday special was far better. If that movie came out first jt woukd have made even more money.than the original. Itmwas that good. Especially Lumpy, he was a fine actor.
I was 9 in 77. I do like some things you call cheesy even to this day. On the other hand im also only into o.g. versions of 5ge original 3 films. No special editions. Im hyper critical of any star wars after 1983/jedi.
Thanks for watching! I should clarify and say that I like a lot of very cheesy songs and movies from the 1970s. I still loved all the disaster movies. And a lot of the B grade and even see grade movies from that time. Not to mention a handful of very cheesy songs from the era. That’s all part of the fun of the 1970s. You might enjoy some of my music episodes. I have one in particular titled “what was I thinking?” That discusses some of the cheesy songs that used to love when I was a kid. Thanks again!
I also watched it in Cinema 1977 accompanied by my Mother as Chaperon. Didn't like the Prequels, too much CGI and aimed more at Kids and not me in my 30s at the time. But the worst happened with the purchase by Disney which turned the Franchise with its political Messaging into a Joke.
I couldn’t agree more! I can’t watch the prequels or the most recent trilogy. To me it’s like an insult. I don’t understand what happened to Lucas; but he seemed to have totally lost his touch. But it’s also possible the first Star Wars movie was a fluke. Every aspect of the production of that film was charmed. Every person was the perfect choice. I liked Empire; but not in the same way. The first film had an old Hollywood look and feel; while Empire was more modern and glossy. The only modern SW film I’ve enjoyed is Rogue One. It’s the only one that didn’t feel like it was commercial for a bunch of toys. It had a more serious tone and a very cool visual style that was a welcome return to something that didn’t feel like a novelty. As bad as the prequels were I can’t tell you how much I despised what they did with Luke. And when Leia started flying through space I laughed out loud in the theater! Oh well, I’ll always have my wonderful memories of original!
I forgot to mention the political messaging (woke, feminism, etc). All that stuff is so shallow; and it poisons everything it touches. I believe history will look back on this time as the worst in terms of film and entertainment. Wokeness and political correctness has removed what little soul remained in the entertainment industry. Now everything has an agenda. Artistic integrity has been dumped in exchange for virtue signaling. It’s so sad.
😂😂😂 Paper route! It was my very first job; and I took it for the sole purpose of buying Star Wars stuff. My parents were cool that they allowed me to spend whatever money I earned however I wanted. Everyone knew all I wanted for birthdays and Christmas was money to buy Star Wars stuff. I also showed my Super 8 versions of Star Wars and Jaws in my self made theater and I made a killing!
I totally disagree with your review of 'Moonraker' but The Star Wars Holiday Special,was the worst show ever commitment to television...the worst show in TV history!
3:44 c3po a rubber mask that sucked . i also have this lp , without the rubber mask and vader helmet . ( go on ) what ? ( what , describe does darth vader look like ? ) what ? lol 4:35 and the true star wars sound , LSO . this why disney sucks . they forced williams to lie . think about it ? kk disney are LSO haters . those story disney versions they also never used the LSO . disney are into hating , now then ! 13:55 c3pen is O , that has 3million 600 hundred functions . earthquake 29:36 , saw 4 times local , 70mm six track sensurround , those CV speakers some low infersonic frequency pressing against my body then , lucasfilm ltd THX sound system , i own the professional version it can do it all . unleash the Dolby Stereo in THX
Did you see earthquake in 70mm with sensurround? That must have been awesome! I saw it once in sensurround but the theater owners didn’t turn it up very loud because it was causing their ceiling tiles to fall off! 🤣😂🤣 I’m going to do a show about the disaster movie craze. Thanks for your comments!
@@JonBlackstone i recall the sound , thou not care for it then , art drawing i liked . but i saw it . mid 80's i got trained listening ears . the opening titles when title " earthquake " appeared on screen the bass slammed in my chest as that is typical bass pa sound thing to happen . when the good cop guy is stopped by the other cop because he drove the car into a hedge and punches him that to was also felt in my chest . those sounds are not easy to reproduce and then you have earthquake low end frequency generated by pilot - tones on the film print i think from reading 12KHz or 30Hz that triggers the sensurround mod II and they made mod III box . it triggers it and all bass is unleashed at very high dB levels ! the main earthquake lasts 10 mins ! 10 mins of around 120dB ! and the bass is nothing like most common home theatres today . not even like most common atmos cinemas . only few that have near is Dolby Stereo with THX sound system . so you interested ? you think , san andreas blu Dolby Atmos is big sound ? it was okay but could have been if the music was put on mute and let the sound effects play . that movie rubbish . earthquake mostly plays it out with sound effects which is what you'd be only hearing in real situation . you want try earthquake ? it is controversial bass sub bass topic . i experienced 4 times . the bass rumble , the shifting of the bass rumble forwards backwards in the room which would have to be at lesser level as certain low end frequencies reproduced at very high SPL dB won't fit the room size . it would have to be condensed watered down to fit the room size by adjusting the playback , not by near field remixing it . and the versions on disc , they simply do not have same sound generator , which sort of sounds like , pink noise . i think around 400 cinemas had sensurround installed from reading . so that means there are still around 400 of the decoders plus extra few more hundreds made that must have been placed in storage or was scrapped when sensurround was phased out around 1980 . diagrams exist on how to make the sound generator and only few of actual are owned by dolby labs , which themselves said it was crap to george lucas who wanted by sound for star wars . and dolby guy said it was crap . " competition " . one or few cinemas that can get the gear or have to make the sound generator here in uk , they did 70mm recreation , bradford cinema , that took them several months before ready to exhibit to the public . as to what the actual how it was all original set - up during 1974 ? i have no idea , i can take few or lot of guesses ? there few videos around of diy sensurround . its a deep , deep listening thing to set up as it has to make a scary sound impression that may startle , or many may find physically mentally disturbing . its sub bass way bigger than most common home theatres can handle . still want to go though with it ? you have to find someone local that seen , listened and felt it , and that person is going to be in their , 50's 60's depending on why what age when the movie was exhibited . this is really technical , way bigger than doing some x mass time dinner . this is highly technical . i would rather talk sensurround than about some lousy x mass dinner about some poor creature stuck in freezer at shop just so can be roasted ( poor creature ) . you want talk , sensurround ? its the bass of sub bass that came before , star wars , baby boom .
forget the Sports Almanac, I want to travel back in time and get paid as a paperboy in the greater Seattle area circa 1977. Long distance phone calls, tickets to the premiere Seattle theater each week for 1 year, all replica masks (minus C3PO), High-end full-color film projector, all 1977 Star Wars film release shorts, every type of Star Wars magazine released in 1977, all SW trading cards series (via boxed sets), extensive number of limited edition unique SW art prints (framed), and all individual Star Wars toys produced by Kenner. Either way, thanks for sharing and providing your story, thereby documenting this wonderful movie at this very special time in history.
Thanks for the great comment! I loved it! As soon as I saw those masks in People magazine I got a job as a paperboy that day so I could buy SW stuff! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Thanks again. Hope to connect again in the future!
How Awesome
Thanks for all the great comments Pam! I’m going through UA-cam comments and have really enjoyed yours! I get so many it’s hard to respond to all; but I really appreciate people like you who interact. I’m hoping to do some online listening parties so keep an eye out!
These three Star Wars segments are incredible, and mirror my experience pretty closely. I was 8 when Star Wars came out, and it made me not only a Star Wars fan, but also a film fan. I wanted to know how this movie was made! I started researching the people behind the camera, and my friends and I also made super-8 movies as you did. It was such an amazing time to be a kid in 1977!
Those times can never be replicated. Great memories!
It’s great to hear from you. Thanks for sharing your own experiences. As you said, “such an amazing time to be a kid in 1977. Those times can never be replicated”. With these episodes I’m reliving them and it is so much fun. I hope they brought back some of the fun for you too. Thanks for watching!!
those burger king posters jarred my memory i remember having those think they came with the star wars glass cups, this video is a great example of why gen x kids have connection these movies no other generation can have or understand. your super 8 movies have more passion heart and love of star wars than all of the disney star wars movies combined
I couldn’t agree more! Movies like Star Wars and Jaws impacted culture in a way that’s simply not possible anymore. Star Wars literally changed our culture; similar to impact The Beatles had when they arrived. SW was such a massive cultural phenomenon that it changed the entertainment industry and the way films are marketed. I can’t say the results have been great; but boy was it a thrill to live through! Thanks for watching!
@@JonBlackstone so true and we didnt have the internet and you tube to get our star wars fix in between movies alive had was some toys comic books and our imaginations . i think its great you kept all of your star wars stuff from when you were a kid and not only that you kept everything in great condition
Wow- Wow - Wow!! You have a phenomenal collection from this film.
There is nothing like sitting down, at home or in the theater, and watching Star Wars! From the opening theme watching the story unfold was like nothing I’d ever seen before!!
And to have owned a copy of the movie at that time had to have been mind blowing! No one own a copy of a major motion picture!
There was never anything like it. I mentioned to you before, I can remember the theatre where I saw the film trailer for the first time.
And I can’t get over the creativity you possessed to make your own films on Super 8 - wow!!
Another well done episode!!
Thank you for sharing!! ❤
Wow! Thank you for the fantastic comments; and for sharing some of your story. It’s so fun to hear from people who went through similar circumstances. And it’s wonderful how this movie connects so much of us. Thanks for watching!
I saw the film a couple of months after my 9th birth day. Like yourself, the film had a major impact on me. I truly enjoyed watching your videos on Star Wars.
Thank you so much for watching! It’s so cool to hear from people who went through the same experience as I did. That was a time that was so special. It’s hard to convey to people. I tried to do it in my videos. Thank you for your comments!
The Holiday Special is the 1st time old fans were let down by the franchise.
I felt the exact same way. I can’t even begin to explain to the sinking feeling I had while watching the holiday special. It was a bad sign of things to come. Thanks for watching!
I fell in love with R2 D2 after seeing Star Wars when I was 6 here in the UK. I was fascinated by it. My mum got me my very first action figures for Xmas 3PO and R2 D2. I carried them around with me wherever I went. Truly happy days.
Yes I was totally fascinated by all the droids; especially R2 and 3PO. They were totally different than any robots I had seen. They had all the responses of a person which was totally unusual at the time. Darth was my fave as a kid. The combination of man and machine kind of freaked me out. What a great villain! That’s cool your mum got the figures for you. I wish a cool movie like Star Wars had come out when my kids were young but I did show them SW for the first time (they talk about it to this day)! Hope you have a lovely Christmas Day!
Excellent. I was 5 at the time and it indeed hit hard. Even at such a young age I was fully aware that Star Wars was indeed special. I knew it also because EVERYONE loved it. Hell,my Father was such a fan he even had a Darth Vader shirt. He and my Mother had gone to see it first and I remember them coming home and I had NEVER seen him so excited before. He went on and on about how great it was and told me that I was gonna LOVE it. Of course I did. Those little projectors were pretty cool. Had to turn the knob slowly or else the film went too fast.
Man, I love your comment! I hope you know how cool it is you had a Father who loved Star Wars. I love how you explained his excitement. I was the one that coerced my dad to see it. I wanted him to love it but he didn't say much. It's really cool that you had such a great dad. A couple of people have mentioned "projectors" but I'm not sure what they mean. Do you mean the hand cranked viewer you looked into through an eye hole or was their an actual thing that projected the image on a wall etc? The reason I ask is because I have a vague memory of something like a toy projector but I can't find anything about it. Thanks again for your comments. Hope you had a nice Christmas and a happy New Year!
@@JonBlackstone Yeah,the hand cranked deal that you put the cartridge in. Those were great!
@@Chrisdrumz Yes they were very cool. In the days before home video!
Thrilled to hear the Star Wars Story album audio only because that's the voice of the man who did the Wizard of Oz re-release trailer from the 70s. It was included on the late 80s VHS, and the voice took me right back to being a little kid
Yeah I remember that! How funny I had totally missed that. All my friends had that album. It was the closest thing to having Star Wars at home. Thanks for your comment. Hope to hear from you again. If you want please join my mailing list at www.onlykidwithacamera.com. I'm hoping to create a cool little community of people who dig this stuff.
@@JonBlackstone really enjoy seeing the perspective of an original Star Wars fan. My first time seeing it was on VHS -- and it blew me away. I can't imagine how cool it would be seeing it for the first time in theaters!
@@UzzyWorks We all had our first experience with Star Wars and it seems to have blown people away regardless of where they first saw it! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Thanks again. Hope to connect again in the future!
Jon I salute you! I share so many of these memories with you. The super8 film was awesome! The story of your mask is so amazing! Didn’t have that experience but yours is unique and fun!
Thank you for watching! I really appreciate your kind words. It makes me so happy that people enjoy my retelling of this wonderful time in history. I hope you watched part one and two as well? It sounds like you did. Sometimes I still find the whole story unbelievable myself; especially about the mask. Anyway, I really appreciate your kind words!
Thanks for sharing this amazing nostalgia trip. Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre in 1977; it has shaped everything in my life from my career to my hobbies and the best part is I get to share the passion with my kids. The poster at 26:50 is actually from the theatre I saw it for the first time in my home town of Melbourne, Australia. Very cool to see as it no longer exists.
I had all this as well. All the red, green and blue trading cards. Lobby photos. The poster at 12:18.... my parents had that painted on my bedroom wall when I was 11. The first Starlog and all other Sci-Fi mags with Star Wars on the cover, lunch boxes... you name it.
That must have been awesome to have your room painted! You had some cool parents! Thanks for chiming in; I hope to hear from you again. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Thank you for sharing your Star wars story 😀😀👍🏻
Thanks so much! It's labor of love! So glad you enjoyed it! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Thanks again. Hope to connect again in the future!
@@JonBlackstone right on! I will join. 😀 Cheers!
6:15, listened to that 5 days in a row on vacation back in -78. My parents probably went crazy because of it. I was too young to watch anything so this was the closest thing to the movie I by that time could get.
Wow, what an interesting way to be introduced to Star Wars. Just hearing the sound of the movie without the picture. It must’ve been kind of a mindblower when you finally saw the movie! Thanks for watching!
I would love to see you talk about your reaction to Empire.
I thought about doing a video about my reaction to Empire. But it seems that empire has become most peoples favorite film. I definitely don’t share that view. In fact, when I went to the theater to see empire for the first time I knew within the first five minutes that it was going to be a very different film from the first. I like empire in its own right; but I don’t think it hold a candle to the first film. In fact, the original, Star Wars is the only film I believe is a true classic film. The original Star Wars was shot very much like a classic Hollywood widewidescreen epic. Every aspect of that movie is so perfect. As I said, I liked Empire but nowhere near as much as the first film. I’m almost afraid to say what I think of it 😆. Thank you for watching!
I loved story of star wrs! It did hit me exactly right!
In 1977 I was 9.
So I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love hearing from people who went through a similar experience to mine. When the very first Star Wars came out, it hit me like a tidal wave. I was already a big movie fan; but Star Wars was literally world changing. Certainly changed my world! Thanks for watching!
love these videos. thank you for making them!
Thank you for watching! So glad you enjoyed my Star Wars adventures! You might like my episodes on Jaws as well. I talk more about my early love of movies. Cheers!
Just found your vids on UA-cam. Really enjoying the nostalgia and the way you narrate. I saw sw in Mount Vernon in 78, and still live in Wa. And still have a lot of my og collection. Very cool, man!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the great comments! That’s cool that you live in Mount Vernon. My grandparents lived in Anacortes; which was also the home of Burl Ives. Every year we would go by their home to see the giant snowman he had outside of his large estate at Christmas time. I’m assuming you know what I mean? 😎
You and I had the same childhood, craven backwinder and all! I build spaceships from various model kits and sheets of cut plastic then shot them on super 8 with my friends :)
I love hearing that! Do you have any pictures or anything? Do you still have your Super 8 films? I ask because I'm thinking of creating a space where everyone could share that kind of stuff. Thanks for your comments!
@@JonBlackstone I do still have the films! I'll see what can figure out to transfer them.
@@bsharp3281 It costs quite a bit to have them transferred by one of the countless companies that do transfers. Unfortunately they usually do a bad job. I have my own machine that I used to do all my Super 8. I'd be happy to do them for you if you want. You could pay me something for my time but I'd do it for nothing just because I love watching other people's Super 8 movies. I'd actually like to feature them on my website along with allowing people to share their own stories!
@@JonBlackstone I have a projector, I'll try transferring them directly from the screen and see how that goes (I live in Bellevue, incidentally)
The poster at 11:14... I saw that at the theater about a month before the movie was released and it blew my mind. It looked like another universe and from that point on all I could think of was the movie.
747 subscribers? Wow, I’ve only been able to do this one other time, on Growling Sidewinder’s channel… and what that is, is being one of the few who can say they were there BEFORE a channel blew up and went big. Seriously man, the narration, production value, pacing… something tells me you’ve been in film before. Quality. Wish I could find time to get my channel up and running and do it this well, seriously jealous.
Anyway, loved this short series! Merry Xmas.
Wow that's so encouraging! Seriously! I would love if my channel "blows up"! I confess I don't know much about how to spread the word. I started this as a labor of love hoping others will enjoy it. I would love if I could create a community of people who want to share their own memories etc. If you have any ideas about how I can promote my channel I'd sure appreciate the help. Thanks for the great words of encouragement!
I still have my copy of Star Wars Official Poster Monthly #2. It is a bit worn along the folds but the pages are still connected. Have the sticker sheet from the Early Bird set as well.
I think it’s amazing that any of us held onto anything because it was before we became concerned about collecting stuff; at least it was for me. My stuff holds such great memories that I held onto it for that reason. That’s why I couldn’t sell any either! Thanks for your comments. Hope you have a great Christmas and prosperous new year!
This was great. Must've been a lot of work :)
Thanks so much! I confess it is a ton of work; but it's a labor of love! Did you watch the other 2 episodes or just this one? So glad you enjoyed it! A lot of people don't know what it was like when a movie could have such an impact on culture. I hope you'll check out my website www.onlykidwithacamera.com and join my mailing list. I hope to create a space where people can share their own stories. Hope to connect again in the future!
Star Wars along with A Clockwork Orange, Jaws, The Shining, Scarface 1983, Full Metal Jacket, and The Fugitive are my top 7 all time favorite films and I really love Star Wars so much. Star Wars is a brilliant and great film, it is one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, and Star Wars had stellar performances from Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guinness. Star Wars had excellent cinematography by George Lucas and Gary Kurtz. George Lucas's direction for Star Wars was impressive, George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick are both my favorite film directors, and I loved Stanley Kubrick's work on A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket.
Thanks for your comments! I also love The Fugitive and Jaws. In fact I'm doing a show about how huge Jaws impacted our culture. It's easy to forget what a massive impact JAWS had when it came out. Everybody was into that movie! I was 11 years old when it came out and I totally flipped. I'm going to do a show about that time for my friends and I.
This is such a great video! Can’t wit to check out your others! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks man! It’s so cool to get some feedback! I’m having so much fun. Hope you have a great Christmas and a great year ahead. Hope to hear from you again!
Hearing that you were first to have that mask is wonderful and lovley to hear that your sharing all this with us. Thank you for doing this man and Merry Christmas :)
Thank you for the good words! So glad you enjoyed my story. I always like hearing others stories so I figured I’d share mine. Hope you have a great Christmas! Hope to hear from you again.
If you watch episode one I tell the very funny story of how I ended up the first to get a mask from Don Post Studios. ua-cam.com/video/1WSw49ccyHM/v-deo.html
I miss the 70's era
I do too. Thanks for watching.
I wasn’t alive in the 70’s so I was curious as to what it was like seeing this film back in the day. I gotta say I think these 3 videos you’ve done are the motherload in terms of giving the viewer an idea of how huge this film was. I love all the vintage merch you presented, and your experiences of acquiring all the paraphernalia related to Star Wars.
Will you ever do videos like this for Empire and Jedi or is there not as much to talk about for you?
I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. It makes me feel great because my intention was to give people a sense of how thrilling it was when the first movie was released. Star Wars not only changed filmmaking it was a cultural phenomenon unlike anything we see today. It was so much fun. I won’t be doing episodes on the sequels because I wasn’t as excited about those films. I was very excited for Empire but it was a letdown for me. The original had an epic, classic, Hollywood widescreen vibe; but Empire felt more contemporary, slick and self aware. The magic was gone for me. I did two episodes about Jaws which was the first blockbuster that changed my life. I think you’ll enjoy those as well. Thanks again for the great comments!
@@JonBlackstone Thanks for responding! I was wondering if this level of merchandise after the film was an uncommon thing in the 70’s or did it usually happen for every big movie?
This stuff is awesome to see. You seem like you're only a few years older than I am. My earliest Star Wars memories are of seeing the original, ANH, either during it's initial run or one of its rereleases circa Empire's release, at the Mustang Theater (a drive-in theater that used to be here in Center Point, close to Birmingham, AL). I had a lot of the original toys, but I'm thinking I got them closer to Empire than to the original's release. But the thing that REALLY takes me back to the '80s is seeing the trading cards. For me it was RotJ bubble gum cards. My sister and I both collected them, and she kept them in a shoe box wrapped with a rubber band underneath her bed. I remember there were three that were relatively hard to come by....one with Yoda, one with Han, and I don't remember what the third was anymore. We used to trade them with another kid in the neighborhood, and she eventually did get them all. But we didn't understand the value in those things back then. And my sister seems closer to your age than mine (she was born in '69, and I didn't come along until the butt end of '74). Only thing I can lay claim to owning (no idea where they are now; my sister must have them somewhere) were the original CID RCA movies for all three OT films (it was from those that I first remember seeing the title "A New Hope," so it was already subtitled even by that point). Never had anything to make home videos with, though, or I'm sure my friends and I would've had a blast doing what you guys were doing.
I remember having these large, hardback books for each of the three films, and it was from those and the pictures in them that I first saw Biggs and began to question "what. the... HELL?" And seeing the old videos of your turntable with the auto-changing spindle just reminds me of my dad's turntable, which we still have around somewhere, but getting the needle replaced has been an impossibility. I had a TON of the toys. I was a spoiled kid when it came to toys, and I do mean spoiled rotten. God, I was ill-behaved at home. But I also had a habit, and was often made fun for my overbearing love of things like Transformers in the mid'80'. So much so that I tried to cut myself off around the time I transferred to private school in the 7th grade, and with my best friend at the time, went out in the back yard and killed every action figure I owned with my BB gun. I cringe now thinking about all the money that first went into getting me those toys, and then how much some of them grew in value later. Never forget how satisfied I was in that moment, though.
Thanks for sharing your memories! I love that your sister stored them in a shoe box under her bed! That's so classic! I have a question; when you mentioned the CID RCA do you mean the early "Discovision" laserdiscs? They were technically laserdiscs but they were similar.
@@JonBlackstone CiDs were an early form of video, I think patented by RCA (in fact, I just called them "RCA discs" and "RCA disc player" for decades until UA-cam came along and taught me what they were really called). If VHS were like cassette tapes, and Laserdiscs were like CDs, then CIDs were the vinyl of their generation. They were roughly the same size as Laserdiscs, and they weren't actually made of vinyl (I don't think), but they _were_ played via an actual needle. Which meant that if you scratched one, or if your player had a defect like mine where around 44minutes into any movie it was start to skip exactly like a broken record, there really weren't a lot of ways to fix them. Rental stores carried them as their primary offering until VHS players became affordable in the mid-'80s.
They were basically about the size of a 33⅓ record, and were stored in a cartridge frame that the player would load and then spit back out the outer shell (and you'd repeat the process in reverse whenever you ejected the disc). They could store around 45-60min worth of a film per side, and you'd have to turn it over to play the B-side (again, just like a vinyl record!) to watch second half of a movie 100% of the time. And some of the longer films (not like Gone With the Wind long; I mean just films that had the audacity to be longer than 90min, or closer to the 2hr mark) would take more than one disc.
By the time VHS became affordable, we had quite a few in our collection. All three Star Wars films, Raiders, Lone Ranger, the first three Superman films, Last Starfighter, Starman... I remember buying them in the weirdest places, too. For example, the dad of my next-door neighbors at the time worked at a furniture store, and it was from there that we bought our copy of The Legend of the Lone Ranger and The Muppet Movie. I remember renting episodes of He-Man from video stores frequently.
They were neat little devices for the time. One of those things that's pure nostalgia for me, because there's definitely no good reason to ever go back to them other than how they made me feel as a kid. Still remember my dad bringing home Superman II for my birthday one year and being over the moon about it.
@@Goldnfoxx Man, thanks so much for reminding me of this video format I had completely forgotten about! I think I knew one person who had one of these machines and I remember drooling over it because it was so expensive and I knew I couldn't buy one. Then BETA and VHS came out shortly afterward! Do you still have any of those discs? I'm wondering what the Star Wars discs would be worth to a serious collector? The completist types who have to have everything. It would be interesting to know. Again, thanks for your great comments. Hope to connect again soon. Blessings to you and yours in the New Year!
@@Goldnfoxx Have you seen this? ua-cam.com/video/PjdSR8YQK3U/v-deo.html
@@JonBlackstone Oh, this is awesome. And apparently, I had it wrong even here. CED, not CID. Not sure what I thought the "I" stood for. 😂 But yeah, this is definitely it. Thanks for sharing this! I'll be watching this while I eat lunch today!
I need to figure out what happened to our player and discs. I know my sister had them, which means if we still have them, they're probably in some storage unit somewhere. I'll look into it and let you know when I hear back about it. Hadn't considered that they'd be worth much of anything, but I do want to know where they are now. It's also entirely possible that she sold them on eBay. She was big into getting whatever she could for whatever she had back around the turn of the millennium. I HOPE she didn't just pawn them off, but I'm deeply curious now.
Hey I really enjoyed all 3 parts and I’m really curious to see how you reacted to the empire strikes in theaters for the first time considering I don’t think Star Wars ever got better than that
Thanks for watching! So glad you enjoyed my Star Wars adventures. I have to be honest; I was disappointed when Empire Strikes Back came out. Of course I was there on opening day; totally excited. From the beginning I didn't like the new shiny look and glossy feel of the movie. The first Star Wars film had a very classy, big screen epic feel about it. The cinematography was very old school; like Lawrence of Arabia etc. The original had the look and feel of a Hollywood classic. Beyond that, the look of the film was old and used. Gritty, realistic and relatable. Empire had a completely different vibe. It was very '80s looking. Everything was clean and polished. Suddenly the entire Star Wars universe had a modern look and I didn't like it. I also felt the character interactions weren't as natural and organic. The interactions between the 3 main characters felt self aware and sort of forced to me. The romantic scenes between Han and Leia didn't strike the right chord with me. It's hard to explain but in short it didn't capture the same feeling for me. I like it now and enjoy watching it; but it doesn't hold a candle to the original in my opinion. I know most fans consider Empire the best; but for me the original has never been matched.
@@JonBlackstone thanks for such a descriptive response bc I was really curious, it’s always nice to hear a new perspective on star wars because the only thing that comes close to that level of escapism and spectacle for me is Harry Potter and it’s always been Star Wars no diff and if I had to live with just one movie it would be empire for men, anyways great video
Hi Jon - just finished watching all 3 episodes that I stumbled upon tonight. I enjoyed your stories/experiences very much, thank you. It's funny how similar our love of Star Wars is. I laughed when you said that you were 13 when the film came out and that you were the "perfect" age to see this movie. We are close in age as I was 15 when it premiered and I thought that " I " was the perfect age because I felt that I brought with me the excitement of still being a kid and the maturity of understanding everything that played out on the screen. I have often heard 8 and 9 year old kids and even younger say that they were the perfect age - and I just feel I have to disagree, as I believe that perhaps there are concepts in the film that may have gone over their heads. Like yourself, I too was into Super 8 filmmaking but I didn't start till I was 14 after viewing Logan's Run ( a birthday present from my older sister ). A much different movie off course but that film is what got me going. I was thinking that although you worked hard getting to the theaters and convincing your parents to take you to the Don Post studio and obtaining the paper route - you were fortunate to live on the west coast. I was - and still am an east coast guy ( Pennsylvania ) - and I didn't have any chance at all to be near "the action" like you were. I'll stop here - I'm sure we, along with many others could spend countless hours swapping stories and opinions. Thanks for your memories and hopefully after subscribing you haven't discontinued this channel - I'll check it out and see.
Paul
Thank you for sharing your own stories! It’s so great to hear your perspective. I agree that 15 would have an advantage. As I mentioned it was the 10th time when some of the depth of the plot line and characters made more sense. I think your 2 extra years have you advantage. Have you digitized your super 8 movies? What a great time to be a kid. You’re the kind of person I couldn’t talk with for hours! Thanks again!
By the way I’m still making episodes. Check out my channel!
IT was nice of you to reply back. I'm afraid my super 8 movies did not turn out like I was hoping. I should have done more outside shooting with the natural sunlight. Instead I tried to master the indoor lighting but was not very successful. You have quite an experienced resume, very gifted. I still do however, attempt to write scripts, build props and try to shoot movies on a very amateur level with basically no budget and still using camcorders but I get by. I have done some blue screen work but I prefer the challenge of practical effects. I'm a sucker for B- movies and sometimes I try to use the Lydecker brothers style of flying spaceships. I'll stop boring you for now. I'm glad you are still doing the channel, I'll keep checking it out. Thanks again. @@JonBlackstone
Love ur trilogy. Awesome....
I hav an uncirculated beta max tape..
My mom got it for me from the house she was a house keeper in Hollywood. That person was a Hollywood producer. It's supposed to be a Oscar viewer tape.
Would you know if this beta max have some real value. ?
Thanks for watching! If it’s anything vintage Star Wars then it’s worth money. Beta tapes are rare so that makes it valuable. You mentioned “uncirculated”; if that means brand new unopened then it’s very valuable. If it’s an an authentic Oscar viewer tape then it’s even more valuable and rare. I have no idea what it’s worth; but for a rare, unusual item like that I would sell on ebay or other auction situation. That’s one of those items only certain collectors would be interested (but very interested). There are many collectors who have to have every single thing ever released; and if your item is all I listed above you’ll definitely sell it. Thanks for watching!
@OnlyKidWithCamera if your interested for your collection let me know we can work something out. Thanks again for sharing your nerddum. 😆👍
The mask story was a great way to end a great Christmas day. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
P.S. I had a hand-crank Viewmaster projector, and I think I had Star Wars Viewmaster reels, but can't swear to it...
Thanks friend! So glad you enjoyed my stories. I hope to expand this into a platform where everyone can share their stories. I hope you had an wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Did the view master projector show still images or did it show moving film images?
@@JonBlackstone Just stills. :-)
Outstanding video, Jon! I love how you stipulated that you were a discerning Star Wars fan. Your series is like consuming a whole bag of Star Wars Member Berries. 😂
😂🤣😂I love your comment! Thanks for the encouraging words. Hope you have a great Christmas and a prosperous new year!
At one point I owned ALL the Star Wars cards in all 4 colors. I sold them for a few hundred dollars in high school. I wonder what they would be worth now?
Thank you for watching! I have the first four series of cards as well. Every once in a while, I look at them and think how they might be worth some money? But if I ever find out how much they’re worth else, be tempted to sell them!
we acted out the film with our action figures when i got The Story Of Star Wars!!!
I absolutely love that! Thanks for sharing!
Love your channel ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊
Wow! It doesn’t get any better than 1 million hearts! Thank you for the kind words and encouragement!
You were a rich kid! Those masks were a hundred bucks a pop
Thanks for watching! I got my very first job as a paper boy for the sole purpose of buying those masks. In the United States those masks were $40 apiece; so I really wasn’t that rich. 😎
Jesus growing up with money must have been awesome. You have a museum
If you watch episode one I tell how I got my very first job (paperboy) for the sole purpose of buying Star Wars stuff.
I had a crank film of Obi Wan vs Vader
I felt secondhand embarrassment seeing that "Darth Vadar Lives" pin. The quality standards of 1977 merchandise seemed to have been low.
Times were different; but such a blast! Thanks for watching!
Star wars was a damn good film but the holiday special was far better. If that movie came out first jt woukd have made even more money.than the original. Itmwas that good. Especially Lumpy, he was a fine actor.
😂🤣😂🤣Thanks for watching!
I was 9 in 77. I do like some things you call cheesy even to this day. On the other hand im also only into o.g. versions of 5ge original 3 films. No special editions. Im hyper critical of any star wars after 1983/jedi.
Thanks for watching! I should clarify and say that I like a lot of very cheesy songs and movies from the 1970s. I still loved all the disaster movies. And a lot of the B grade and even see grade movies from that time. Not to mention a handful of very cheesy songs from the era. That’s all part of the fun of the 1970s. You might enjoy some of my music episodes. I have one in particular titled “what was I thinking?” That discusses some of the cheesy songs that used to love when I was a kid. Thanks again!
I also watched it in Cinema 1977 accompanied by my Mother as Chaperon. Didn't like the Prequels, too much CGI and aimed more at Kids and not me in my 30s at the time. But the worst happened with the purchase by Disney which turned the Franchise with its political Messaging into a Joke.
I couldn’t agree more! I can’t watch the prequels or the most recent trilogy. To me it’s like an insult. I don’t understand what happened to Lucas; but he seemed to have totally lost his touch. But it’s also possible the first Star Wars movie was a fluke. Every aspect of the production of that film was charmed. Every person was the perfect choice. I liked Empire; but not in the same way. The first film had an old Hollywood look and feel; while Empire was more modern and glossy. The only modern SW film I’ve enjoyed is Rogue One. It’s the only one that didn’t feel like it was commercial for a bunch of toys. It had a more serious tone and a very cool visual style that was a welcome return to something that didn’t feel like a novelty. As bad as the prequels were I can’t tell you how much I despised what they did with Luke. And when Leia started flying through space I laughed out loud in the theater! Oh well, I’ll always have my wonderful memories of original!
I forgot to mention the political messaging (woke, feminism, etc). All that stuff is so shallow; and it poisons everything it touches. I believe history will look back on this time as the worst in terms of film and entertainment. Wokeness and political correctness has removed what little soul remained in the entertainment industry. Now everything has an agenda. Artistic integrity has been dumped in exchange for virtue signaling. It’s so sad.
Where did you get so much money at 13?
😂😂😂 Paper route! It was my very first job; and I took it for the sole purpose of buying Star Wars stuff. My parents were cool that they allowed me to spend whatever money I earned however I wanted. Everyone knew all I wanted for birthdays and Christmas was money to buy Star Wars stuff. I also showed my Super 8 versions of Star Wars and Jaws in my self made theater and I made a killing!
If you watch parts one and two I tell more about how I funded my obsession!
i was way too into KISS and guitar music like..... , Zeppelin, Sabbath etc..... Star Wars was cool though
I totally disagree with your review of 'Moonraker' but The Star Wars Holiday Special,was the worst show ever commitment to television...the worst show in TV history!
3:44 c3po a rubber mask that sucked . i also have this lp , without the rubber mask and vader helmet . ( go on ) what ? ( what , describe does darth vader look like ? ) what ? lol 4:35 and the true star wars sound , LSO . this why disney sucks . they forced williams to lie . think about it ? kk disney are LSO haters . those story disney versions they also never used the LSO . disney are into hating , now then !
13:55 c3pen is O , that has 3million 600 hundred functions .
earthquake 29:36 , saw 4 times local , 70mm six track sensurround , those CV speakers some low infersonic frequency pressing against my body then , lucasfilm ltd THX sound system , i own the professional version it can do it all . unleash the Dolby Stereo in THX
Did you see earthquake in 70mm with sensurround? That must have been awesome! I saw it once in sensurround but the theater owners didn’t turn it up very loud because it was causing their ceiling tiles to fall off! 🤣😂🤣 I’m going to do a show about the disaster movie craze. Thanks for your comments!
@@JonBlackstone i recall the sound , thou not care for it then , art drawing i liked . but i saw it . mid 80's i got trained listening ears .
the opening titles when title " earthquake " appeared on screen the bass slammed in my chest as that is typical bass pa sound thing to happen .
when the good cop guy is stopped by the other cop because he drove the car into a hedge and punches him that to was also felt in my chest . those sounds are not easy to reproduce and then you have earthquake low end frequency generated by pilot - tones on the film print i think from reading 12KHz or 30Hz that triggers the sensurround mod II and they made mod III box . it triggers it and all bass is unleashed at very high dB levels ! the main earthquake lasts 10 mins ! 10 mins of around 120dB ! and the bass is nothing like most common home theatres today . not even like most common atmos cinemas . only few that have near is Dolby Stereo with THX sound system .
so you interested ? you think , san andreas blu Dolby Atmos is big sound ? it was okay but could have been if the music was put on mute and let the sound effects play . that movie rubbish . earthquake mostly plays it out with sound effects which is what you'd be only hearing in real situation .
you want try earthquake ? it is controversial bass sub bass topic . i experienced 4 times . the bass rumble , the shifting of the bass rumble forwards backwards in the room which would have to be at lesser level as certain low end frequencies reproduced at very high SPL dB won't fit the room size .
it would have to be condensed watered down to fit the room size by adjusting the playback , not by near field remixing it . and the versions on disc , they simply do not have same sound generator , which sort of sounds like , pink noise .
i think around 400 cinemas had sensurround installed from reading . so that means there are still around 400 of the decoders plus extra few more hundreds made that must have been placed in storage or was scrapped when sensurround was phased out around 1980 .
diagrams exist on how to make the sound generator and only few of actual are owned by dolby labs , which themselves said it was crap to george lucas who wanted by sound for star wars . and dolby guy said it was crap . " competition " .
one or few cinemas that can get the gear or have to make the sound generator here in uk , they did 70mm recreation , bradford cinema , that took them several months before ready to exhibit to the public .
as to what the actual how it was all original set - up during 1974 ? i have no idea , i can take few or lot of guesses ?
there few videos around of diy sensurround . its a deep , deep listening thing to set up as it has to make a scary sound impression that may startle , or many may find physically mentally disturbing . its sub bass way bigger than most common home theatres can handle . still want to go though with it ? you have to find someone local that seen , listened and felt it , and that person is going to be in their , 50's 60's depending on why what age when the movie was exhibited .
this is really technical , way bigger than doing some x mass time dinner . this is highly technical . i would rather talk sensurround than about some lousy x mass dinner about some poor creature stuck in freezer at shop just so can be roasted ( poor creature ) . you want talk , sensurround ? its the bass of sub bass that came before , star wars , baby boom .