Star Wars Home Video: Year by Year: 1980 (Hosted by Nathan P. Butler)

[@jjphoenix4055]

I had the super8 mm reels of both STAR WARS (just one reel) and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (same two reels you showed in here) Watched them a lot of times.

[@tomolson3029]

Saw ESB opening weekend in 1980. Best movie going experience of my life.

[@jeyfromnowhere]

It's never too late to issue an apology. Well done, sir. ;)

[@eddylex4921]

The 8mm version of Empire also had the rare mono soundtrack for the film with a few differences just as Star Wars did.

[@ColeWalker]

Interesting to note that the ESB Super8 features several different shots from the rare 70mm version of the film.

[@rwafford1]

I don’t think the teaser trailer for Empire on the re-release of The Making of Star Wars even showed any actual scenes from the film. As far as I can recall, it was just shots of Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art and posed promotional stills of the characters with music and a voice over.

[@ChronoRadio]

Correct. It was more conceptual than footage. I believe I show it in the FTSWHVL episode linked in the description.

[@robertmedina4520]

This might come up in later episodes, but a question to everyone, when did A New Hope and Empire air on cable tv? Nathan recounting being a baby in theaters made me think of my 1st time seeing Empire. My memory is fuzzy on dates but I was 3 when Empire was released and hadn't seen A New Hope yet. I was a huge fan and eventually saw Return of the Jedi in theaters. Of course, movies lasted a lot longer back then, so I am not sure if it was originally run or released. I was a kid and just excited to see it in theaters. Lol My first SW toys were from the Empire line, so I did see ANH before Return was released. We wouldn't have a VCR until the late '80s, so we couldn't have rented it, but we did have cable for a few years in the early to mid '80's. My first viewing of Empire would be a small clip when Luke met Yoda when our cable box picked up a snowy channel (Cinemax I think). We could bearly see anything but the line "I'm not afraid. You will be. You will be." before we lost the signal has always stayed with me. Lol

[@samuel-wankenobi]

@@robertmedina4520 I think star wars first came to TV around the same time it came to VHS so 82 I think

[@ChronoRadio]

It was Feb. 26, 1984, on CBS in the U.S. at least for network TV. I'd have to dig for info about cable.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

the earliest mention of A New Hope and episode 4 was 1979 and the art of Star Wars. Carol Titelman. the public shooting script not the actual shooting script.

[@Ninjabob42069]

I had a very unique home video experience in 1980. Before I was able to get to see ESB in the theaters (I was only 11, so I was completely dependent on adults), my friend asked me if I wanted to watch it at his house. I had no idea what that meant, but sure enough, when we got there his Dad had a VHS copy of the film, and that’s how I first saw ESB, on their big-screen projection TV. It was only many years later that I figured out that Dad had somehow acquired a pirated cassette. How he got it, I will never know, but it didn’t surprise me to find out later that Dad went to jail for insider trading. LOL

[@ChronoRadio]

I wonder if it might have been from one of the production companies. I have a Beta cassette here from a production company that has an early trailer on it (I forget off-hand if it's from TESB or "Revenge" of the Jedi.) I also have a few internal U-Matic and later VHS cassettes from promo companies, Skywalker Sound, etc. Seems those weren't kept as close to the vest as one might've expected.

[@TopDiggerYT]

So sad there was no way to rewatch ANH at home before going to see ESB in the theaters in 1980.

[@samuel-wankenobi]

Thats just what it was like back then for films

[@matthewgaudet4064]

but there was a comic book, a novelization and a children's storybook plus the story of Star Wars LP. and non sports cards. Plus toys to recreate memories from the theater. And a thing called imagination.

[@Z64bit]

So there's people who know what a film reel is but not a cassette?

[@leandar]

Home video, as we know it, didn't exist in 1980, not really. And even when it did come up a few years later, you still couldn't buy Star Wars, as buying videos was still prohibitively expensive, you had to rent them. Actually buying movies and such didn't become more feasible until later in the decade. Of course, you could be sneaky and hook up another VCR to your VCR and copy the thing so you don't have to keep renting it. Unless, of course, you had HBO and you could record it off there. That is, assuming that it's not too early still and all you have is a VCP and not a true VCR.