Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Summary

Stuff You Should Know – Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Hosts: Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant, Jerry Roland
Release Date: December 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This fan-favorite "Stuff You Should Know" rerun dives deep into the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special—a two-hour television variety show regarded as a legendary disaster by Star Wars fans and pop culture historians alike. Hosts Josh, Chuck, and Jerry unravel how it happened, what made it so uniquely awful (yet fascinating), and why it has persisted in internet legend.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Holiday Special: Why Did This Happen?

• The special was created as a way to keep Star Wars in the public's mind between A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back.
• TV executives at CBS pitched the idea to George Lucas, who was interested in highlighting the Wookiees and "Life Day," a newly invented holiday in the Star Wars universe (04:21).
• George Lucas provided a "Wookiee Bible" to the writers but remained largely hands-off—a decision he came to regret (14:18).

[Notable Quote]

"It's basically the one demand me, George Lucas has. I'll be totally hands off from this point on, which he kind of was." — Jerry Roland (14:18)

Variety Show Format and Misguided Choices

• Variety shows were waning in popularity by 1978, but the producers assembled a "dream team" from the variety show world—including Bruce Vilanch and Lenny Rips (15:10).
• Lucas trusted TV insiders, not realizing the variety format was stale, leading to awkward musical numbers, comedy skits, and an overall confused tone.

[Notable Quote]

"There were probably no bad welders on the Titanic either." — Lenny Rips, as recounted by Jerry Roland (19:24)

The Plot (Such as It Is)

• The plot is almost nonexistent: Han Solo is trying to get Chewbacca home to his family for Life Day. Most of the special shows Chewbacca's family waiting for him with various distractions (25:17).
• The first 10 minutes feature nothing but Wookiee grunting—unsubtitled and incomprehensible (26:18).

[Notable Moment]

"It's 10 minutes of Wookiees talking to each other with no subtitles." — Jerry Roland (26:27)

The Cast: Original Stars in a Bizarre Setting

• Original cast members (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew) were contractually obliged to participate. Most visibly phoned in their performances.
• Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher look particularly unhappy; Mark Hamill at least fakes enthusiasm for his scenes (23:26, 23:54).

[Notable Quote]

"Princess Leia is clearly on drugs...If you watch it, she's on drugs. Especially the ending scene." — Jerry Roland (23:47, 23:54)

Variety Sketches & Musical Performances

• Harvey Korman appears in three roles: a Julia Child-style cooking show host, a robot in a bizarre instructional video, and a bar patron who drinks through a hole in his head (37:42-39:15).
• Bea Arthur improbably plays the Mos Eisley Cantina owner and delivers a full song to close her bar (39:18-40:04).
• Art Carney plays a cheerful human trader (not traitor!) who brings gifts to Chewbacca’s family—including a virtual reality headset delivering what could only be described as softcore VR porn to Grandpa Itchy (41:41-42:20).

[Notable Quote]

"Diane Carroll...shows up and starts basically tantalizing Grandpa Itchy, who, again—this is Chewbacca's elderly father, who now engages in some sort of...virtual reality pornography." — Jerry Roland (42:11)

Mindless Padding and Incomprehensible Segments

• The special features surreal time-wasters: hologram circus acts, a full Jefferson Starship music video, and lengthy instructional shorts (43:37-45:38).
• A trippy cartoon segment is considered the highlight—and debuts Boba Fett for the first time in Star Wars (46:00-46:24).

[Notable Quote]

"The cartoon...is the best part of the whole special—generally agreed upon as such." — Chuck Bryant (46:24)

Reception: Infamy from Day One

• Aired November 17, 1978, to 13 million U.S. viewers, but ratings plummeted after the first hour—right after the now-famous cartoon segment (32:12-32:59).
• Universally panned by critics, fans— even the creators. George Lucas, actors, and writers have all tried to distance themselves from it.

[Memorable Critic Quote]

"I'm not convinced the special wasn't ultimately written and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine."
— Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club, as quoted by Josh (48:36-48:44)

The End and Its Aftermath

• The special concludes with Han Solo and Chewbacca finally arriving home; a Stormtrooper dies by tripping over a log (50:02-50:21).
• All the Wookiees assemble in red robes; Princess Leia sings a song set to the Star Wars theme about "The Tree of Life" (51:23-52:13).

[Notable Quote]

"This holiday is yours. But we all share with you the hope that this day brings us closer to freedom and to harmony and to peace..." — Carrie Fisher’s (Princess Leia) closing monologue (51:23)

Legacy and Lessons Learned

• The disaster shaped Lucasfilm’s attitude toward licensing and creative control—with Lucas becoming famously hands-on thereafter (53:07).
• The Holiday Special has become a kitschy cult artifact, pirated on YouTube and celebrated for its weirdness rather than merit.
• RiffTrax and others have produced comedic commentary tracks; even a website (starwarsholidayspecial.com) is dedicated to chronicling its infamy (58:58-59:44).

[Notable Quote]

"It does not taint my Star Wars experience...I'm glad it is out there because it's a fun little stain that shouldn't be taken too seriously." — Chuck Bryant (56:40)

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Memorable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• "It's one of those things that you start watching it and you want to turn it off, but you want to see just how absurd it can get." — Chuck Bryant (06:20)
• "That's what they do. It's people hanging out, waiting for Chewbacca, worrying about him, and then killing time while they wait for him to come back." — Jerry Roland (25:58)
• "There's something about it. It's mesmerizing." — Jerry Roland (06:19)
• "Had there been a laugh track, it might have been less bizarre. But the fact that it's missing just agitates. So it's this whole additional element that is weird." — Jerry Roland (58:16)
• “If you want me to do DVD extras...then I want a clean, original copy of the Holiday Special—so I can play it at parties when I want people to leave.” — Carrie Fisher’s condition retold (55:47)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:21] — Birth of the Holiday Special and Life Day
• [14:18] — George Lucas’s "hands-off" approach
• [19:24] — Dream team of variety show producers; Lenny Rips quote
• [25:17] — Han Solo’s mission to bring Chewie home and the non-plot
• [26:18] — Ten minutes of undubbed Wookiee dialogue
• [37:42] — Guest stars and their musical/comedy segments
• [41:41] — Grandpa Itchy’s infamous VR headset scene
• [46:00] — The animated Boba Fett debut
• [51:23] — Princess Leia’s speech and song
• [53:07] — The dreadful reception and legacy
• [58:16] — Discussion of missing laugh track and its impact
• [59:44] — Resources for learning more; further reading

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Final Takeaways

• The Star Wars Holiday Special remains a legendary curiosity: a mashup of misplaced 70s trends, kitsch, bad decisions, and reluctant Star Wars stars.
• It’s best watched with a sense of humor—both as a cautionary tale and as a celebration of pop culture absurdity.
• The hosts advise: Don’t take things too seriously. That’s the lesson of Life Day! (58:50)

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For further deep-diving, check out:

• Han Solo Comedy Hour (Vanity Fair)
• How Star Wars Conquered the Universe (book)
• starwarsholidayspecial.com
• RiffTrax commentary

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May the cringe be with you!

Transcript

[Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

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[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

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[Announcer]

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[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Hey guys, it's that time again. Time to kick off the holidays in style with our traditional playing of our episode on the Star Wars Holiday Special. If you've never seen the actual special, I envy you. And I bet the first Time is the last time you watch it, too. We here at Sysk want to wish you a happy holiday season. And we hope you enjoy the annual tradition of our playing of the Star wars holiday special episode.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartradio.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark with Charles W. Chuckers Bryant and Jerry Jerome Roland.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

The Wookiee mother.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Mala.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That was the Wookiee wife. Oh, and mother.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, sure. Chewbacca's mom is not with them any longer. She left. She was not about to appear in that.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

She went out the window. I'm excited about this. I have to say.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

We should say, happy Star Wars Day. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Today is December 17th. I have my opening night tickets.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Do you really?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Wow.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You don't?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I do. You care.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You into it?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. I will definitely go see it in the theater, but I won't be there opening night.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I've gotten really adept at, like, ignoring spoilers, people talking about stuff, all that, like, so I can. I could conceivably see this movie a month after it comes out and still going fresh.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I'm an ostrich.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. You black yourself out.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You go dark.

[Announcer]

I do.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I make myself go to sleep.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You go to the dark side.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I've been there a while now.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, happy Star Wars Day, though. I'm sure that I think this pairs nicely with Christmas. Star Wars Day. It's all come together.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes. We already missed Life Day, though, so happy belated Life Day, Chuck.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Are they celebrating it this year?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

November 17th.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, but it's every three years.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Arcane.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, man.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Nice job. Okay, so it's every three years. Started in 1978. Let's do the math, shall we?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Quick math break. I believe that 2014 was the last Life Day, man.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

We just missed it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And then again in 2017.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Okay, so 2017, we'll celebrate life Day. We'll put on our red robes, our ultra long straight ironed wigs, and we'll celebrate Life Day the way it was meant to be.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yes. And if you have no idea what we're talking about, we are talking about Life Day, which is a celebration that Wookiees in the Star wars universe have every three years.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, it's like their Christmas. Yeah, they're Kwanzaa or their Tet.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Supposedly. It's sort of like Earth Day, too. They celebrate the diversity of their ecosystem and also remembrance of the dead. And they also give gifts.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

They're like the fins, basically.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. It's a very interesting part of The Star wars canon.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It is. And it's almost entirely made up, dashed off, you could possibly say, by George Lucas in the 70s.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And it's the basis of what has become derided as, like, one of the worst things that ever happened to the Star wars galaxy.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, not only that, one of the worst things ever aired on television.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. In this galaxy.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. At first that sounds like hyperbole. Like, come on. It's because it was Star wars and we had high expectations, but it's really that bad.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. The people who say that haven't seen even a second of it. Yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

However, I watched it when I was a kid. Then again this week.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And you watched it twice this week.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, I watched it last night and this morning.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

There's something about it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's mesmerizing.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It really is. It's one of those things that you start watching it and you want to turn it off, but you want to see just how absurd it can get. Almost.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. And it starts absurd, it stays absurd in the middle, gets increasingly more absurd, it gets a little less absurd, finishes super absurd.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. It's just a train wreck in every single sense of the word. Top to bottom.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's extraordinarily difficult to overstate how bad this is.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And some people, you know, in researching this, you read about it, you read descriptions of these things, and it just can't possibly be gotten across until you see it. So luckily, as we will see, you can go onto YouTube and watch it and you may even enjoy this episode more if you pause, go spend two hours watching this thing, and then come back and laugh along with us.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, there's a great. Over the years, there have been many segments of it on YouTube from badly dubbed VHS tapes. But there's one really pretty good version of it in full brought to you by WHIO, Dayton, Ohio, Channel 7.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Woo. Ohio.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Because that flashes up on the screen periodically.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Man, it is high quality.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, it looks good.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It has to basically be the copy that. The actual affiliate broadcast.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's like that. That quality compared to the other stuff floating around on YouTube. It's clearly recorded on a 1978 VCR.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Which were really expensive.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Very expensive. I did some calculating on West Egg.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Okay.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So the average VCR went for about $1,000. They were brand new. $1,000 in 1978. Money. So they're about $3,800 in 2014. Money.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Crazy.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Luckily, there were some rich people out there recording this stuff. And the wealthy have saved us all again, yet again, as they always do.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yes. We need to shout out some articles that we use for this. There's a great article in Vanity Fair called the Han Solo Comedy Hour, exclamation point by Frank DiGiacomo. And then there's the Star Wars Holiday special. Was the worst thing on television ever by someone we kind of know, Alex Pasternak from Motherboard. Yeah. Which is not Wired, it's Vice.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

We wrote a little bit for Motherboard back then and we had a call with Alex.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

We're like old Motherboard vets.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Basically.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Wasn't there one more?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

There was another one and I don't know who wrote this one. Chuck. Yeah, the title's the Star Wars Holiday Special. George Lucas wants to smash every copy of with a sledgehammer.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Which was a famous quote, supposedly at a convention by Lucas.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes. Which is not correct.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

He didn't ever say that.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Okay.

[Announcer]

That.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That sounded like something that people made up.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes. But if you go on the Internet, you will quickly believe that he did. But apparently he didn't. So let's.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I'm sure he felt that way though.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Clearly, because he did appear on Robot Chicken In I think 2005, on the therapist's couch, talking about how much he hated the special. All right, so let's set the background, shall we? Shall we go back to 1977?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. Summer getting the old Wayback Machine.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Alright, let's do it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, here we are.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

There's Wooderson.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. I'm just a little six year old excited about Star Wars.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I am. I've just turned one. Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You don't know what's up yet.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Please forgive me if I urinate myself.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

No problem. So what has happened is Star wars has become a huge, huge hit, seemingly out of nowhere.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Establishing George Lucas is one of the brilliant young minds in filmmaking. Even though it wasn't his first movie, it was his first huge, huge breakout hit.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, talk about a breakout hit. Like no one had ever seen anything like it before.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

No.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

2001 had come out in the late 60s. Yeah. But it wasn't. It still is inaccessible to all audiences. You know, it's pretty cerebral film.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. It's not an adventure movie like Star Wars.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

This is like basically swashbuckling on the screen, but, you know, in a galaxy far, far away. Star wars just changed everything and it came on just like a hammer.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. This is a new hope, by the way.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And I know we're going to get stuff wrong, nerds. So.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Just go ahead and get your Little fingers ready to email us, like, if.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It wasn't driven home that I'm not a nerd by the fact that I don't have opening night tickets or any tickets yet. Give me a break.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Okay.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And by proxy, Chuck, too. Okay. Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Thank you.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So it's hard to state how great Star wars was in everyone's mind.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. Bill Murray came out with that lounge singer Star wars thing.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. It was everywhere.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And if you just listen to the lyrics of it, really, it's just Bill Murray singing about how much Star wars is awesome.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. Yeah. So by the following year, George Lucas was. He wanted to figure out a way to keep audiences just engaged with the whole Star wars franchise that he was just starting to build. But he knew the Empire Strikes Back was a couple more years out. Sure. So he. I think he was approached by some TV executives who said, have you considered doing some sort of TV special? They're all the rage right now. We have a graphic that's really awesome that we set aside just for TV specials here at cbs. Why don't you let us. Let's get together and do a Star wars special.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's right. Producers Gary Smith and Dwight Hemeon were working over at cbs, and they said, this is a great way to keep the spirit alive while you're making your other movie. Maybe move some more toys.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Which George Lucas got a cut of all the toys. Sure.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So it was right before Thanksgiving, and he said there'd be a lot of people watching TV pre holiday season or I guess in the holiday season.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Well, the weekend before Thanksgiving, it's like everybody's shopping, sitting around with family, like, waiting to actually do stuff.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's right.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's the perfect time to broadcast something on tv.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So Lucas says, all right, let's do this. I don't have a ton of time, but how about this? I'll get a story together, and then you can go hire a whiz bang team of veteran writers and producers and.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Directors, whatever genre you think is appropriate. And those are the words that will haunt George Lucas to his grave.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So Lucas said, here's my idea. I want it to be based on Wookiees, and I want it to take place on their home planet of Kizuk or Wookiee Planet C. Is that how you say it?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Kazuk.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's how it's pronounced in the episode the Holiday special, But it's also pronounced different ways.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Other times I would have pronounced it Kashi. E E. Spell it K A S H, Y Y Y. K yeah. Which I mean, I guess that sounds like Chewbacca's playing it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sure. Also called G5623 Wilkee Planet C or Edion is a mid rim planet.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. So the whole reason apparently that George Lucas was interested in featuring the Wookiees was it is what we in show business call low hanging fruit. The reason why it was low hanging fruit was because they had just established the different scenes that would make the cut for Empire Strikes Back.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And how did you pronounce it again?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Kazuk.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Kazuk had not made the cut even prior to this. Apparently for A New Hope, George Lucas had whipped up a 40 page, what's known as the Wookiee Bible. It's like a 40 page supplement that's all about Kazuk and Wookiees and Chewbacca and his family and everything about Wookiedom.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Right, that's right.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So he's like, I've got this thing already, you know, established. I love Wookiees. They didn't make the cut. I'm a little sad about that. They're not gonna Kazook is not gonna show up in Empire Strikes Back. Let's build the entire special around Wookiees. It's basically the one demand me, George Lucas has.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, that's it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I'll be totally hands off from this.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Point on, which he kind of was.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He totally was. And it was actually this experience that apparently taught him to be the very hands on person that he is famous for being. It came out of this Christmas special.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Absolutely. He was burned and had an iron grip after that on everything. So here's some of the folks behind it. Bruce Valanch, famous TV writer, you've probably seen him on Hollywood Squares.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Wasn't he suspected of being Thomas Pynchone for a while?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, I don't know.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Or was Thomas Pynchone on Hollywood Squares?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I have no idea.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I may be confabulating some stuff. Confounding.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

There's some con of some sort going on.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sounds like it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So Valanche was hired as a writer. A guy named Lenny Rips was hired as a writer who has some great.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Quotes in that Vanity Fair article.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

He does. His first quote was, we were really excited because this is Star Wars. How could it lose?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Famous last words.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Who else was hired? There was a husband and wife team, the Welches, who are the parents of folk singer Gillian Welch, who I'm a big fan of and I had no idea that her parents, they were producerssongwriters of the day. They were big on the variety show scene, which would turn out to be a really key cog in this whole experience.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So I feel like right about here, Jerry should insert a needle coming off of a record. Sound effect.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Okay. Thanks, Jerry. So, Chuck, you just said singer songwriters.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. What would that have to do with Star Wars?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Well, actually, in this Star wars holiday special, for those of you who hadn't seen it, there are musical numbers. They decided from the outset that there should be musical numbers. And the reason that they decided that there should be musical numbers is because the people who sold George Lucas. And at the time, it was the Star Wars Corporation was what it was called.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

On the idea of doing this TV special was that everyone would love a variety show.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, it was the 70s.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Great idea. Let's do a variety show. The problem was this. Apparently George Lucas didn't watch enough tv. And he also overly trusted people who talked to him.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Because by 1978. Yes, variety shows had dominated television for over 10 years. But it had come to an end. It was getting stale.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. We're talking Carol Burnett show, one of.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

My favorites, had just been canceled after 11 seasons.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yep.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That's a big red flag.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sonny and Cher had just had its last season.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I mean, what else, like Hee Haw was still going on?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Probably.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

They didn't know when to quit.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

But Hee Haw, still on Solid Gold, had yet to come on and take up the mantle.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That wasn't a variety show.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

There was a little bit. There was talking in between the songs.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. Remember the Mandrell Sister show?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I never watched that one. What was with that country chic thing that happened?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, it was a big deal in the 70s. It's kind of happening again, I think.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, because of that dude? The guy who won all the CMA Awards.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I don't know.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He's like. He's. He came along. He's like, actually country. His dad's, like a coal miner for real. From Kentucky.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I think I know who you mean.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Chris. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Announcer]

He's.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

He is good.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He's come along and been like, what are you guys doing?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, there's a revival in, like, good country music again.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That's great.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Like, in the tradition of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And I guess it's probably where the country chic came from, because there was actually good country going on.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. Johnny Cash had a variety show.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Did he really?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I knew they did, like, a Sunday singing thing, like, out in Virginia.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. He had his own variety show. It was actually pretty Good. There's some, like, really great performances.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Do you know how many nerds are.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Like, get back to Star Wars. I know. I'm so sorry. All right, so the variety show is dying, sort of. And so they figure, what a great time to take the biggest movie property on the planet and wedge it into the variety show milieu.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I don't know if wedge is the right word. I think maybe nestle it in there and then start hitting it with the blunt edge of an axe until it mashes into that crevice. You know, that's right. Because this is the time when Fantasy island had just started. Mork and Mindy was about to change things. Charlie's Angels was getting huge, and basically television as we knew it from 1980 to whenever the real world came along, just escapist television is what they called. It was starting, and it was the hip new thing. So basically, if they had turned Han Solo and Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker into maybe sexy detectives, it might have gone over even better. But they went the other way. They decided to latch onto this extraordinarily stale genre of television, and they hired the best in the business. Like, there was a quote from, I think, Lenny Rips, who was saying, like, we had literally a dream team, a variety show dream team, and everybody was good, but there were probably no bad welders on the Titanic either.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That was a great quote.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

The guy they hired to direct it initially was a dude named David Acomba, and he had made his name for welcome to the Fillmore East. It was a concert documentary with Van Morrison and the Byrds in 1971. And he actually was at USC Film School the same time as Lucas, even though they didn't know each other. And he only ended up directing about three segments of the thing.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Before he quit.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yep. Before he walked off. Some say he was actually let go, but we'll get to him in a minute. And who replaced him? Okay, as we get along down this gross road.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Well, let's take a little break, because I'm overly excited.

[Announcer]

All right.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Okay. Did you know Tide has been upgraded to provide an even better clean in cold water? Tide is specifically designed to fight any stain you throw at it. Even in cold butter. Yep.

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[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Sure thing. Barbecue sauce. Tide's got you covered. You don't need to use warm water. Additionally, Tide pods let you confidently fight.

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[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Just remember, if it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be Tide.

[Announcer]

Support for this show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, buys one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.comsysk and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.comsysk paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Hey everyone. Ed Helms here and hi, I'm Kal Penn and we're the hosts of Irsay.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

You know what?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I can see you as Mr. Darcy.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

You got a little Colin Firth.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Okay, that's really sweet, I appreciate that. But are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennett here, listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Burning stuff with Joshua.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Stuff. You.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, so we've established most of the main players. We'll get to a few more. We should point out that Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, Peter.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Mayhew, they had no grounds to refuse to be on this.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Basically, yeah, pretty much. They were not huge, huge stars yet. They could throw their weight around and say this is terrible and I'm not doing it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

They were big overnight because of Star wars for sure, but they weren't to the adoring public. Sure, back at the studio they could still be bossed around and this is the result of it. And you can tell also just from watching the actual special like Harrison Ford is not happy to be there at any point.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, no.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Princess Leia is clearly on drugs.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Was she on drugs at this point?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

If you watch it, she's on drugs. Especially the ending scene. Mark Hamill looks like he's happy to be there. Actually, he was fine, but apparently he said, no, I'm not doing a musical number.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And if you watch his part, wedging a musical number in there would have been even more painful.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

But everybody who was part of the actual Star wars franchise that wasn't wearing, like, a full body costume was like, I really wish I wasn't here. And you can tell.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, yeah. In fact, in the opening credit sequence, they're showing the picture, the. You know, the faces of the people. And you see Harrison Ford as if he's flying the Millennium Falcon. And you can. You can just hear the guy off screen going, now look at the camera and just give a nod. Just look at the camera and give a nod. And he finally. You can tell he's pissed off. And he looks up at the camera and just sort of smirks.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. And points at the camera like, okay, I'm looking at the camera. And then goes back to what he's doing. Yeah, it's pretty awesome.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I felt bad for him so early on, Valanche and others.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Did you? Did you feel bad for him, though, really? I mean, like, come on, it's Harrison Ford. It's Han Solo. He has to go do this for, like, five days.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. I felt terrible for him.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I think it's hilarious that they had to do this, especially now.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, early on, Valanche and others knew that they may be in trouble because they decided not to subtitle any of the Wookiee dialogue.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And they literally started after a brief opening scene setting it up. Here's the basic plot is Han Solo is trying to get Chewbacca back to Kizuk in time for Life Day so he can celebrate with his family.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That's the basis of the entire two hours?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's the basis of the entire two hours. They encounter a space battle and they're delayed. And the next two hours are kind of what's going on while the delay is happening back on Kizuk, Back on.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Kazuk, because you hear like, oh, okay, well, Han Solo and Chewbacca evading the Imperial Guard and all that stuff for two hours. I would watch. I would too.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That's not what they show.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Killing time at the Wookiee household.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That is what they show. Yeah. That's what they do. It's people hanging out, waiting for Chewbacca, worrying about him, and then killing time while they wait for him to come back.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, literally.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So hold on. So you say there's a setup, right?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, that's the initial setup.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And then Chuck, that's followed by this.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, it's followed by literally 10 minutes. 10 solid minutes of incomprehensible Wookiee speak.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So let's. Let's join it for a second, shall we? Yeah, let's all enjoy it. Sa. And again, you said 10 minutes. And you're not exaggerating. You're not being hyperbolic. You can time it. It's 10 minutes of Wookiees talking to each other with no subtitles.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Fortunately, I couldn't follow it at first. Like, I didn't even know who it was. I thought it was. Might have been Chewbacca's mom and dad.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, yeah, That's.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And little brother. And I don't find out until later when Mark Hamill shows up via Skype call.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And says he really explains everything that had just happened. Like, you're Chewbacca's father, Itchy, You're Chewbacca's son, Lumpy. Lumpy.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And you are Chewbacca's wife.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, Mala.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So, before everybody starts, like, freaking out, we know that that's actually their nicknames. Their real names are. His father is Cook.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It's really hard to pronounce.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Mulatto. Buck is his wife, and his son is Lumpo Warump, but as named by Lucas. But yeah, but Lucas also named him Lumpy. Itchy and Mala.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So they're all back there wringing their hands, trying to figure out ways to pass the time until they get word from Chewbacca that he's made it to. What is it? Kachuk.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Kazuk.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Kazuk.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Did you say ketchup?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Ketchup. Or catsup, if you're fancy. But Chewbacca is having trouble getting back to Kachuk. Because there's Kazuk. Because there's a blockade by the Empire and they're looking for rebels. Specifically Chewbacca, who. I didn't realize this. He's the most famous Wookiee of all. Did you know that? Yeah, of course I didn't know that.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, I mean, he's the only one that really appears in the movies. I mean, to that degree.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He's seeing, like, you know, these people's view of the universe. What about back on Kizzook?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. He might have just been a fly by night Wookiee.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, but not the case. Very famous Wookiee.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. And he really loved to, like, soak in his fame.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, so he realizes there's a problem. Valanch, he goes to Lucas and is like, I don't know, man. This is your world. But it may not be the strongest thing to do to set this in Wookieland and have all this incomprehensible dialogue. And he says he was met with a glacial stare.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He put it a little differently than that.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, he said glacial stare.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He did. The glacial stare that he got was for this quote. He said, these people just talk in what sounds like fat people having an orgasm. He goes, if you want, you can set up a tape recorder in my bedroom and I'll do all of the Foleying for it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, he's a large guy.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He is. So that's what got the glacial stare. But Valanch later said that there was one development meeting that Lucas attended, and it was, here's the Wookiee bible. Tell me what you got. And Valanche said he and the other writers and producers and director were just kind of throwing ideas. And George Lucas would either say, like, no, that doesn't work. Give him a glacial stare, or say, yes, that's exactly it. Yes, let's make this a variety show.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. And there was a little bit of background there. The cantina players in the band had appeared on other variety shows at that point, and I think it went over fairly well just as a short segment on, like, the Richard Pryor variety show or Donny Marie. Yeah, man, There were a lot of variety shows.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

But that's what I'm saying. It was. That was television. That's what you did. Like the Brady's. The show had its course, and then it became a variety show. It was just. Everybody loved variety shows. Yeah. By this time, though, everybody was sick of variety shows. And so it really was a terrible choice.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

In fact, they even hired a couple of writers from Shields and Yarnell, which.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I hadn't heard of. Had you?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, yeah. I watched it. It was these creepy. This mime couple who had their own variety show. And they figured these two will be great because they are used to working without words.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. So there is a certain logic to the variety show.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It's not just all over the place.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's not just that variety shows were popular at the time. Somebody was like, well, Wookies, you don't understand what they're saying. So this is all gonna be very physical. So these people who did. What is it? Shields and Yarnell yeah, that's a perfect choice. That makes complete sense. You can see this whole process of leading up to the point where it was produced and shot and everything. A series of like, oh, we have this problem. Well, here's a fix. Yeah, but that leads to another problem. Well, we'll fix it with this. And no one's stepping back and being like, all we've done is create a series of problems that are going to come together and make one extraordinarily large problem that will become legendary. No one did that. And so the whole thing was made.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's right. And it eventually airs on November 17.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

1978, a Friday at 8pm Eastern Time.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's right. And according to Nielsen ratings, it attracted 13 million viewers. Lost the second hour just in the.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

U.S. it aired in six or seven countries total.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, but no one cares about that.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I guess not because none of those are on the Internet.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You know, it finished second to the Love Boat in the second or I'm sorry, from eight to nine. And in the next hour I actually finished behind part two of a mini series about Pearl harbor starring Angie Dickinson. So it didn't even win their respective hours.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No. 13 million. That's not bad. The thing is, apparently if you look at the Nielsen ratings graph for the first hour.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, we know about that graph.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's okay. Yeah, we do. And then after a very important part, which we'll talk about soon, it just drops off at the end of the first hour. And that actually probably made the executives at CBS cringe for a number of reasons. Number one is this special was originally supposed to just be an hour, but so many advertisers wanted to sign on that they extended it to two hours. And it shines through. You can totally tell that this thing was never supposed to. I think an hour might have been stretching it, to tell you the truth. Oh yeah, it's 30 minutes of content. 40 if you're generous, an hour. Meh. And then two hours. It becomes one of the worst things that was ever put on television.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, well, let's take a break and then we'll talk a little bit more about the actual even. Don't want to call it content, but it is content in the strictest definition.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Right after this.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

Support for the show comes from public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI it all starts with your prompt from renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures hey audiobook lovers. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with musician, producer and walking encyclopedia Questlove. We're talking about Mark Ronson's memoir Night how to be a DJ in 90s New York City.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, like we talked about before.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

Mark Ronson found sanctuary in the DJ booth. What's a tool or piece of equipment.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

In the studio or on stage that gives you the most control? So I have two microphones on stage. We have the microphone that you hear as the audience. Then we have a second microphone in which we communicate with each other. I feel like that second microphone kind of saved all of our friendships. No band likes each other after 20 years or 25 years. Like the Beatles broke up in seven and a half years and we're going on 35.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

Listen to HearSay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop.

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App to see your credit limit offer in minutes.

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Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

[e-mail] learning stuff with Joshua.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Stuff you should do.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, so the show itself, we've given you the main plot line, which again is that Chewie is trying to get back to his home planet to celebrate life Day with his family.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And again, we almost barely see Chewie Yeah. The rest is his family on Kizuk waiting for him to come back for life day.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So some of the various things they did. There were guest stars. There was Harvey Corman from the Carol Burnett Show.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Okay.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

One of my all time favorites.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Him or Carol Burnett Show?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Both.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He's great.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He actually, if you watch what he's doing, you're like, this guy's a comedy genius for sure.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Apparently he too was like the only one on set that was bringing levity. He was joking around and kind of kept spirits up.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Good for him.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's what I say. And he had three different rip.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Three different parts.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. He played. Well, I don't even know the names actually. We could look them up. But he played a. He played a Julia Child like cook. There's an actual cooking segment, a long one. A very long cooking segment where Chewbacca's wife makes bantha stew.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

To kill some time.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

To kill some time.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Because they're waiting on her planet and in our living room.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So Harvey Korman is in drag as a four armed Julia Child, like TV chef.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. I think it's Gormanda.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Is her name Gormanda? That makes total sense.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

He also plays. There's this one weird bit where Chewbacca's son tries to figure out a way to trick the stormtroopers. The Empire had come and kind of. Because the blockade raided the house and other properties. So he tries to trick them by, I think, rigging a comlink to speak in a different voice. So he has to watch the instruction manual.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He watches an instruction video which was.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Harvey Keitel as a robot.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, it would have been wonderful. Harvey Keitel.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, I did say Harvey Keite.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Harvey Corman. Oh, man. Harvey Keitel murder someone in the middle of the instruction.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Harvey Corman. And then the final role he had was as a bar patron in the cantina that drinks. He has a hole in the top of his head like a volcano where he pours his drinks in. That's how he drinks.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And he loves Bea Arthur.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Did we mention Bea Arthur was in it?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Bea Arthur is not only in it, Chuck. She sings a song.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

She does. She is the unbeknownst to everyone. She manages or maybe owns the cantina.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

She's the owner.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

What's the Maz. What? Mos Def Cantina.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

No, Mos Def is a rapper.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I think you mean Mos Eisley.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes, yes, that cantina. She's the owner. Bea Arthur is the owner. Bea Arthur of the Golden Girls. But in this case, Bea Arthur of Maude, because as one of the people who wrote one of the articles we based this on points out, she's just basically playing Maude as the owner of the cantina.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. And her song comes because they basically say there's a lockdown, so you gotta call last call at your bar. So she calls last call by singing a song to everyone.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. And again, we can't possibly have this script lead anywhere else but Chewbacca's house while his family waits for it. So all this takes place as part of a public service announcement, basically broadcast by the Empire about how immoral life on Tatooine is. So let's go see what's going on in the Mos Eisley Cantina as it's being shut down for curfew. Yeah. All right.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

This is incomprehensible, but it goes on. So they're in it. There's also Art Carney.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Of the Honeymooners.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Probably the star of the whole thing, really. He has the most lines. I would say the most comprehensible line.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Right. So he plays a traitor, a human traitor that has recently been with Han Solo and Chewie and actually gets to Kazuk and says, they're on the way. It's all good.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, A trader, not traitor.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, a trader trades humans for, you know, money.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No, he. He sells goods.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, a trader.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He doesn't trade humans.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, he's in the human trade.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No, he isn't. Really. Yeah, he trades humans. Like, he sells humans.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I looked it up in the Star wars encyclopedia. It said that he was in the human trade.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Huh. So in this Christmas special, apparently they sanitized his background because he's basically just selling, like, gadgets and novelties and stuff like that to the Wookiees and the Empire who were occupying the area.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yes. He comes bearing gifts.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Because he's a friend of Chewbacca's family.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So he comes bearing gifts. One of the gifts he gives is a sort of like a little digital insert to a. Oh, I guess you would call it a virtual reality hair dryer. Hair dryer. Like a beauty shop hair dryer. He gives it to Grandpa Itchy. Grandpa Itchy sits under this hair dryer, pops in this digital cassette, and it can only be described as softcore porn.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Apparently, the writers who were interviewed for this said that was totally the intent. They were trying to get what amounted to softcore porn that would pass the censors.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's right.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So it's all. You can't even say it's innuendo. It's too obvious and overt for innuendo. Instead, it's just. It's just. It's just gross. It's really gross. Diane Carroll, great singer. Yes, she is a Vegas staple, shows up and starts basically tantalizing Grandpa Itchy, who, again, this is Chewbacca's elderly father, who now engages in some sort of. Well, he's watching virtual reality pornography now. And this is a pretty lengthy segment in and of itself.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, yeah. And she literally says to him, like, now, I can see you're really excited.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, it's pretty rough to watch.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So then you've got another musical number.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Because also, again, he shudders. Yeah, it's really strange.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

All right, so there's also a. I know it seems like we're jumping around, but it's so mind blowing.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No, not like. This is pretty much like blow for blow.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Actually, I forgot earlier on in the special, there's. One of my favorite sequences is when Grandpa Itchy goes over to Lumpy and basically sets up. Remember the hologram chessboard that they played in A New Hope?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Basically kind of sets that up and says, here, just play this. He pushes the button, which is clearly a 1970s cassette recorder. And another, like. It's like a Cirque du Soleil acid trip gymnast routine happens in front of the kid's eyes. And again, this all just. It's not like it shows a snippet. They show the entire segments, like, five, six, 10 minutes long of all of these things.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So you would think, okay, they've gone to this hologram. Well, a couple of times. Why not go to it again? Well, they do. They do. To kill more time. While the Imperial Guard is ransacking their house, Art Carney apparently, I guess, is trying to get one of the Imperial Guard. The leader, I think, or one of the leaders.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Who looks like somebody from Spaceballs, by the way.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Very much so, yeah. And the writer of the Vanity Fair article, by the way, said this. This is so incomprehensible. The special is. George Lucas didn't even have the Schwartz with him at the time. So, anyway, Art Carney's distracting this Imperial Leader while they're ransacking the Wookiee's house, Chewbacca's house, with a hologram. And this hologram, instead of being an acrobat or Diane Carroll or any kind of porn or anything like that, is Jefferson Starship. And they decide that they're going to play Light the Sky on Fire, which apparently is about UFOs.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It's a little Music video. Basically.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's the predecessor to like Video Kill the Radio Star. You can tell. And again, it is the whole lengthy song. Yeah, the whole thing. So every time that somebody's like, we need to escape mentally from what's going on here in our house, let's go into the video world. It's not just. And they don't cut back and forth. No, it's okay. Here's five minutes of Jefferson Starship performing this song.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. And even the Jefferson Starship guys were like, yeah, it was sort of a weird trip. Like we didn't get it, but we did it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. They gave us some money and some cocaine.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, probably so.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So we said, yeah, Chuck. I think, though, yet another segment like this is actually widely regarded as the high point of the whole thing.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Oh, sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Agreed. There is a cartoon actually.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. That Lumpy watches.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Lumpy's like the Imperial Guard is still ransacking my house. I think I'll entertain myself by watching a cartoon on my little. I don't know what it. I guess it was an iPad. And he watches this cartoon. And it's actually remarkable for a number of reasons. It's the best part of the whole.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Special generally agreed upon as such, not just us.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And it introduces Boba Fett. It's the first time Boba Fett ever makes an appearance in the Star wars universe.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. It's actually not a bad. And you can't find it in the one version I told you to watch. They removed it for copyright. But you can watch a separate version, right?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

You can find it on its own.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. And it's very much reminiscent of like the cartoon style of the day. Like a he man.

[Announcer]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's even a little more artsy than that.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. But it does have a plot that you can follow that makes sense as a Star wars thing. And it introduces Boba Fett like you said. And it's actually not bad.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's like Luke and R2 and C3PO.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And they're like. They crash on a planet or something.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. And Han and Chewie are in it. And it's the first time we see. In Darth Vader, it's the first time we see Boba Fett and that he is. That he is just doing whatever he can do for money. Like, Luke trusts him at first. C3PO's like, are you sure you should trust him this quick? And he's like, oh, three po, you and your non trusting ways. And then it turns out he's selling them out to the dark Side.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So it's basically Boba Fett is an allegory for George Lucas himself. So the cartoon comes and goes. And that was the thing that came at about the end of the first hour mark. And after that, everybody just turned off their television sets.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, I don't remember.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Did you watch this when it came on?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, I remember watching it, but I don't remember much about it. Like, if I made it through at all. I mean, it was. I was seven and it was on till 10. So I probably didn't make it through it all.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Plus you're probably disturbed.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Who knows? I just remember that. I'll have to ask my brother. He might have a memory of this.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I'll bet he does. I'm sure he met everybody afterward or something like that. You know, has a picture.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, he was 10 at that point. So cynicism had become a thing in his life.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Probably by then. Sure.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

When cynicism kicks in, I can see.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Scott holding out to 14. 15.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, maybe so.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So, Chuck, the whole thing finally does end. And actually there's a guy, his name's Nathan Rabin. He writes over at the A.V. club. He had a great quote. He basically said that one of the great redeeming values of this special is that it does eventually end.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. You know what the first part of the quote is? I'm not convinced the special wasn't ultimately writt and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And like, go read his review of the Star wars holiday special. Because he goes on to describe exactly what that must have been like the development meeting where the bag of cocaine is pacing back and forth talking about what should happen.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

That's what it feels like.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

But it doesn't. And it ends even more. It takes this bizarre two hours and wraps it up in just a nice, bizarre bow.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So what happens is eventually Han Solo. Should we say spoiler alert? Eventually, Han Solo and Chewie make it to the planet. They park on the far side of the planet because they know the Imperial.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Forces are there and the exercise will do Chewie good. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So they have to hike over there. They eventually make it back home. They find the stormtroopers at their house. Their tree hut. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Which.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

The paintings that set this up. I don't think we mentioned. I don't even call them matte paintings. It looks like someone painted something on the wall and they just like put a camera in front of it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Pretty much, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So they get back and Chewbacca, Han Solo hides around the corner. Chewbacca steps in front of his son to protect him, Han Solo jumps out and the Stormtrooper trips over a pile of logs and falls over the balcony.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And dies in a holiday special.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So they wouldn't even Han. Not only could he not shoot first with Greedo, but they couldn't even have him, like, wrestle the Stormtrooper and throw him off. He trips over a log, right?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And Han Solo has his hands thrown up like, wasn't me.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It might as well have been a banana peel, you know?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

But again, this is basically produced by Vaudevillians starring Vaudevillians. Why not have the One Death take place from basically what amounts to somebody slipping on a banana peel?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Exactly.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's a perfect way to end it. So that guy basically represents the end of the Imperial threat for the rest of Life Day. And we then see Life Day being celebrated, which is celebrated by lots of Wookiees assembling in what looks like a giant Olin Mills portrait. And all of them are wearing red robes.

[Announcer]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And I know I'm up talking, and it's because my mind is still having trouble, like, wrapping around this. And then Princess Leia comes out with C3PO. Is Mark Hamill there?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

The whole gang's there, if I'm not mistaken.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Okay, the whole gang's there. And then they all gather around to hear a great quote from Princess Leia, which we will read verbatim.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

This holiday is yours. But we all share with you the hope that this day brings us closer to freedom and to harmony and to peace. No matter how different we appear, we're all the same in our struggle against the powers of evil and darkness. I hope that this day will always be a day of joy in which we can reconfirm our dedication and our courage and more than anything else, our love for one another. This is the promise of the Tree of Life. Cue song.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Right. And we should also point out the Tree of Life has never been mentioned up to this point.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I had no idea what that was.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It makes a sudden appearance at the end, and when you say cue song. By cue song, you mean Princess Leia starts singing.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, and apparently that was one of the big contingencies on Carrie Fisher being involved. She was going through a phase where she was like, I kind of like singing.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Bruce Valanch calls it her Joni Mitchell period. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And she somehow convinced them to let her sing as Princess Leia.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And she does. And again, I've said that she looks like she's on drugs. This is the point where she really does look like she's on Drugs. And it's not just me, other writers who've written reviews of this. It's really obvious that she possibly smoked a decent amount of pot before she shot this scene. But she sings. Okay, it's fine. It's just the fact that Princess Leia is singing. And actually, Bruce Valanche had a really great quote, too. He says that she very much wanted to show this side of her talent. And there was general dismay because this was not what we wanted Princess Leia to be doing. Yeah, she did it anyway. So the whole thing ends with her singing this song about Life Day, which is set loosely to the John Williams Star wars theme.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. So along the way, the director, original director, quit. A new director, Steve Binder, was hired to finish the job and bring it in.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And he did.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Over the original $1 million budget, of course. Always. He did bring it in. And at this point, George Lucas had. He was working on Empire Strikes Back. He didn't know what was going on. He wasn't around for the shoot.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No, it wasn't until it aired. I think that he actually saw it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yes. And it was a travesty, obviously, if you haven't noticed that by now. Critics hated it. Star wars fans really hated it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Everybody hated it. The people who were in it hated.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Lucas hated it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Even Harvey Korman secretly hated it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, even Harvey Keitel hated it. Actually, he loved it. But Lucas has been asked over the years about it a lot, and he doesn't talk about it much. But in 2005, and I don't buy this for a second, he says it was an interview. He said the special from 1978 really didn't have much to do with us. You know, that part is true. I can't remember what network it was even on, but it was a thing that they did. That's a lie. There's no way he doesn't know that was cbs. Yeah, we kind of just let them do it. I believe that it was done by. I can't even remember who the group was, but they were variety TV guys. I'm sure he remembers a few of them. We let them use the characters and stuff, and that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but you learn from those experiences.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I think they even use some of the footage from the movie. At the end, it looks like some of the space stuff.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's like a highlight reel of the gang.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, and during the. It looked like some of the. They had some insert shots of, like, Imperial cruisers and tie Fighters and stuff.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That was from the movie. Remember when Chewbacca, like, leans back and puts his hands behind his head? Yeah, yeah, that's in there. It's like just a highlight reel from the movie saying, like, if you like this, go see the movie.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Well, and also, that means it doesn't match the look of the rest of it at all.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, that's true.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It's just sort of inserted in there.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

They tried. They definitely tried. And George Lucas is totally full of it. Because in 1987, he told Starlog magazine that the Christmas special would be out on videocassette very soon.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And in 2007, two years after that quote you just read where he's like, I don't even know what you're talking about. Basically, he apparently considered releasing the Christmas special as a bonus on the DVDs of the first three.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Right. But did not.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Did.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And apparently Carrie Fisher told Lucas that if you want me to do DVD extras.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Commentary.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, commentary. Then I want a clean, original copy of the holiday special.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

So why go ahead? So I can play at parties when I want people to leave. It's pretty great.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It is so. And there is one of those clean copies just floating around out there, so you can watch this in its entirety. Some of it, like the cartoon was removed due to copyright infringement and that kind of stuff. But as the case with the rest of the Internet, you can just go find it elsewhere and piece it together. There's also the original ads that aired in Baltimore.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

That are just fascinating. Yeah. Those are always fun GM ads where one of the guys who's in quality control is. He says, did you watch it?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I don't think I saw that one.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

He goes, we really care about these cars. That's no jive man on a GM ad. And he's like, dead serious.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

They were trying to be hip.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. It's pretty good stuff.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Here's my final thought on it. I love it. It does not taint my Star wars experience or my love for the franchise. And I'm glad it is out there because it's a. It's a fun little stain that shouldn't be taken too seriously. I think it adds to it, actually, because it's campy and awful.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And I don't know, somehow that enriches the rest of it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

I'm with you.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You like it?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I watched it twice. I wouldn't have watched it a second. I wouldn't have made it through the first time. Let me take that back. I'm a pro.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

So I would have made it through the first time. I wouldn't have watched it the second time if I wasn't. There wasn't something about it. And I figured out, I think the thing that I like the most about it is Lumpy, Chewbacca's son, played by an actress named Patty Maloney, who, frankly, is hands down the best actor in the entire thing. She like her responses and everything is just awesome.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I think my favorite parts are. While there's a great Wilhelm scream.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I noticed Stormtrooper trips over the log.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Jerry would not have noticed it.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And then there's a part where all the Wookiee dialogue you can't understand. But there's clearly one part where Itchy and Lumpy are having an exchange where Lumpy, you can make it out, goes, I love you.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah, yeah. Yep. I noticed that as well.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

But it's covered up. But someone was like, we have to have at least one exchange where you sort of know what they're saying.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Sure. Or they were like, I think she said, I love you. Should we have him redo it? And the director's like, no, I want to go. And Chuck, there's one other thing that I figured out from watching this.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

What's that?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

It's not readily apparent. The whole thing is made all the more odd. And that there's situation after situation after situation where we, as normal audiences were trained to expect. Laugh track. There's not a laugh track. Had there been a laugh track, it might have been less bizarre. But the fact that it's missing just makes your. It agitates. So it's this whole additional element that it is weird.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

I never thought about that. There's just weird moments of silence all throughout it.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Like when Art Carney's doing his thing.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah. Telling jokes.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Yeah. Okay. I agree with you, Chuck. Don't take things too seriously. I think that's the great lesson in this.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And then that's the lesson of life day.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

It is. And in 2007, RiffTrax, the great mystery science theater, 3,000 guys, Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy provided audio commentary for the full version of the special. So try and go grab that if you can as well.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Oh, you can. It's on their site because it's great. I think it's like eight bucks.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And those guys are awesome.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

They are. At least, I think Corbitt listens to us, so. Hey, Corbitt.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

You got anything else?

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

No, No. I think we did this. There's some good stuff. Go read the Vanity Fair article. Han Solo Comedy Hour. There's a book called How Star Wars Conquered the Universe that has a very interesting chapter about this. That's where we found it asserted that George Lucas never said that he would smash this thing with a sledgehammer.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Right.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And there's also an entire website dedicated to it, starwarsholidayspecial.com yeah. And if you want to know more about the Star Wars Holiday special, we have a ton of Star wars stuff on how stuff works, by the way.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Yeah, we have cool sort of fun articles about the Death Star, Death Star.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

And lightsabers videos with Holly Fry from stuff you missed in history class.

[Announcer]

Yeah. Who?

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

She knows her stuff.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

She does. So you can just type Star wars in the search [e-mail] and it'll bring up some cool stuff for you. Since I said search bar, it's time for listener mail.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Hey guys, just finished listening to the Voynich Manuscript podcast. Found it super interesting, especially the theories on its definition or origin. I know Josh mentioned Chuck theory of it being drug induced is somewhat surprising or even unlikely given the language in the manuscript follows linguistic laws only founded in the past 100 years. But if you think about it, it's a tough. It's tough to stray away from familiar structures, especially for something like language. I think back to when I was younger and friends invented their own languages or even in writing a song or poetry. Creativity can sometimes be limited by what we know, so just thought I'd contribute that to the conversation.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Nice. Thanks.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

Big thanks for all you guys do. I found the podcast after moving to San Diego in the last few years for some noise around my apartment. So basically we were blocking out noise.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

We do that, which I love.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

And then as a way to get through traffic on my commute home from work. You guys are far more interesting and enjoyable than television and YouTube videos. Sure, I've listened to hundreds and will continue to listen to hundreds more. Keep on keeping on. That is from Amy J. Moffitt.

[Podcast Host (Jerry Roland)]

Thanks a lot, Amy in San Diego. Doesn't that mean like place of the whales in German or something like that? Yeah, yeah. If you want to get in touch with us, you can send us an email to stuffpodcaststuffworks.com and as always, join us at our home on the web. StuffYouYouKnow.com.

[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio.

[Podcast Host (Chuck Bryant)]

For more podcasts My Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Announcer]

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[Podcast Host (Josh Clark)]

I'm Cal Penn.

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There the last one. Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes.

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