Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made. What happened on the night of November 17, 1978 can never be fully explained, but we make our best effort in a very special edition of SYSK. May the force be with us all.
AI Summary
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the infamously terrible 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, exploring how George Lucas's beloved franchise became the foundation for what many consider one of the worst things ever aired on television. They break down the disastrous decision to turn Star Wars into a variety show format just as that genre was dying out, complete with Wookiee family drama, bizarre musical numbers, and cringe-worthy guest appearances by stars like Bea Arthur and Art Carney. The hosts hilariously dissect two hours of mostly incomprehensible Wookiee dialogue, soft-core alien pornography, and Jefferson Starship performances that somehow all tie together in the most bewildering way possible.
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968
2h 29m
★ 8.1
"2001 had come out in the late 60s. But it wasn't accessible to all audiences — Josh contrasts 2001 with Star Wars to show how Star Wars was more mainstream."
— Josh
Charlie's Angels
1976
★ 6.7
"Charlie's Angels was getting huge — Josh mentions this as part of the new television trend that the special missed."
— Josh
Fantasy Island
1977
1h 40m
★ 6.8
"This is the time when Fantasy Island had just started — Josh explains that escapist television was becoming the new trend."
— Josh
"He Hall was still going on. They didn't know when to quit — Josh mentions Hee Haw as one of the few variety shows still running."
— Josh
"stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude — Referenced in a podcast advertisement about a 90s nostalgia show."
Hollywood Squares
1966
★ 7.8
"You've probably seen him on Hollywood Squares — Josh mentions where people might recognize writer Bruce Vilanch from."
— Josh
"B Arthur of Maud, because she's just basically playing Maud as the owner of the cantina — Josh explains that Bea Arthur was essentially reprising her Maude character."
— Josh
"Mork and Mindy was about to change things — Another example of the new escapist television trend starting in the late 70s."
— Josh
"he did appear on Robot Chicken in I think 2005 on the therapist couch — Josh mentions Lucas appearing on Robot Chicken to discuss his dislike of the special."
— Josh
Spaceballs
1987
1h 36m
★ 6.9
"Who looks like somebody from Spaceballs — Josh compares an Imperial Guard's appearance to characters from Spaceballs."
— Josh
Star Wars
1977
2h 1m
★ 8.2
"So what has happened is Star Wars has become a huge, huge hit seemingly out of nowhere — Josh explains how Star Wars became a massive success that led to the holiday special."
— Josh
The Carol Burnett Show
1967
★ 7.7
"Carol Burnett show, one of my favorites. Had just been canceled after 11 seasons — Josh mentions how variety shows were ending by 1978, making the special poorly timed."
— Josh
"It finished second to the love boat in the second — Josh mentions what beat the Star Wars special in the ratings."
— Josh
The Real World
1992
★ 5.6
"television as we knew it from 1980 to whenever the real world came along — Josh uses The Real World as a marker for when television changed again."
— Josh
💬 Comments
Log in to leave a comment.