14: Seeing Star Wars in 1977 – Duringmath!
It’s the very day on which Jack’s world – and life – seismically shift! A case of: life before – life after… Continuing on from the previous strip, Jack finally experiences what almost everyone around him has been raving about for ages. Seeing Star Wars in 1977, for the first time!
The Lucky Ones: seeing Star Wars in 1977
Like me, many of you reading this will also have experienced Star Wars – that’s the original Star Wars mind you – when it came out in 1977. Could you imagine being a child of the seventies and not being in that special club?
Dara Cinema, Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. This is where I saw Star Wars in December 1977
But no doubt, many adults – and parents especially – will have rolled their eyes as they heard the hype about the new smash-hit. And all the more so, when their kids started going on at them about it; and the merchandise was appearing all around them, in greater intensity, in every Newsagent, clothes shop and Supermarket! Perhaps now, decades later they can understand what a profound impact it had – especially on the young.
‘Star Wars age 9’
I won’t blather on about what a life-changing experience it was for me; instead, I’ll let the strips do the talking. However, if you really need proof I’ll let you in on another project of mine which I started in late 1977 when I was 9 – and re-discovered and published for the first time (online) in 2009 – 32 years later. Without that comic, I never would have made the one that you’re reading right now. That’s it, below. Complete with a clipped out newspaper ad – for the aforementioned Dara Cinema!
The 200 page adaptation of the film. Drawn over and over, between 1977 and (maybe) 1983? Read the Comic ^
That’s right, without my rediscovery of that comic, I wouldn’t have been reminded so forcefully of my childhood dreams of one day becoming a comics artist. In fact, I mightn’t have got back into drawing as much as I have. I barely drew for about 16 years! I wasn’t so into it after Art college. A couple of years ago, I was even interviewed, and SWa9 got a feature in Spain’s leading Cinema magazine! Quite something really, because I can assure you, it’s not the sort of thing I’m accustomed to.
Interview in Spain’s Cinemania magazine
So you see, we can learn a lot from our younger selves. If we only listen back to them!
But tell me, what was your first viewing of Star Wars like in 1977? And how has it influenced your life and work?
If I’d only known that someday, many stars of the film would see it, and even autograph it!
** Stay Groovy, all you 1970s kids! **
– John White
One fateful day...
A small hand pulled excitedly and insistently at the jumper of an adult. It was Jack. "Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad? - DAD!!" he called out.
Dad looked down to see his son Jack, kneeling as if in prayer, on the 1970s, round striped rug. Jack was begging, hands clasped together, eyes pleading. He gasped, and started again: "Can we go to that new 'Space Film' at the pictures?" He was referring to Star Wars, which had been causing quite a stir, lately in Ireland and Britain, although it had already been out in America and laid waste to audiences across the nation.
Dad paused for a moment, which only increased Jack's urgency. Jack gabbed dad's jumper in both fists now, knuckles whitening, and blurted a desperate babble of near-nonsense:
"It's supposed to be BRILL
an' Jim an' Neal have seen it
an' it's AMAZING
an' it's the BEST FILM EVER
an' - an' - an' -
if I don't see it I think I'll go BONKERS
an' start speaking in TONGUES
or become a DRUG ADDICT
an' you wouldn't want that on your CONSCIENCE -
so... can we?
Can we?
CAN WE?!?"
And lo, at half-past-pester o'clock, they walked out into the rain, to the Ford Capri on the drive.
"OK - OK - I'll take you to the matineé" said dad, with a weary sigh of resignation. "Yay!" yelped Jack, "Yelp!" yayed Penny, the dog. Penny knew all too well, today's great significance: she was going for a ride in the car - and maybe a walk.
Presently, Jack and dad were waiting in line at the local Dara Cinema, in Naas town. The rain was still falling, but nothing could dampen Jack's excitement. Until... "What?!?" he yelled at dad, "You're going for a walk? But it's supposed to be amazing! Jim and Neal are obsessed with it!"
Dad thought, "Probably rubbish." Like all the other stuff that Jack had raved about... He said, "I'll save my money". Jack replied, "What - fifty pence?"
"Yes, Jack. I'll wait, and see it on telly - for free."
"In eight years?!?" pleaded Jack - incredulous now.
One eternity - or ten minutes later, Jack was taking his seat in the smoke - solo - in the cinema, as the Twentieth Century Fox logo came up onscreen accompanied by the loud drums and fanfare. "Oh well... first film on my own." Which in a way, was sort of exciting in itself. As was the Fox fanfare.
Becoming restless, as the film started, he thought, "At least that flippin' load of big yellow writing stuff has finished rolling up the screen." He stifled a yawn, and then suddenly... "Wait - what the..?"
A massive spaceship, which he'd later learn was an Imperial 'Star Destroyer' began to fill the cinema screen as it came in over the heads of the audience. It become more - and more - and more massive still. Its triangular wedge-shape widening out to the width of the theatre, as the ship which it pursued diminished - smaller and smaller - against the blackness of space; laser fire repeatedly and mercilessly blasting after it. A collective gasp was heard from the kids in the audience.
Jack's eyes were wide, his hands were clenched around his pop bottle, his jaw dropped lower and lower onto the zipper of his snorkel jacket.
"Oh - my..." he thought. "It's - better - than - than - than - something really great that I don't know about yet."
And it got better still, over the next mind-blasting two hours.
AMAZING, it sums up many things( LOL ashtrays in cinemas,yep) My dad wanted to see Star Wars, but mom was worried about me, being 3 years old… so they went to a cineparc, where stay in your car and watch the movie outside… I was supposed to fall asleep,yeah right…
Hi Marc, thanks!
Ha ha. Go on – tell me more about it then?
Amazing!
Thanks! And welcome to B*W Damien. Remember I told you last year, about this 1970s comic idea that I had?
Excellent! I think we all remember that fateful day 🙂
What day? What are you talking about?
The imminent arrival of Star Wars is something that you’ve alluded to occasionally in the strip, John, and now that it’s here, it didn’t disappoint.
There’s so much to admire in this strip, but I’ll pick on a couple of my favourite bits.
Firstly, the panel in which Jack bombards his dad with arguments for seeing the film. The inspired device of not having a speech bubble but running the words down the sides of the frame, surrounding the hapless dad, is just hilarious when coupled with that composition and the dad’s expression.
And the last frame – superb. I don’t know what tools and techniques were involved in making the film scene look so vivid, but it worked perfectly. The combination of the colours and the wide composition really drives home what a huge event this is in Jack’s life. It was a touch of genius to include the ash trays on the back of the seats (a little detail of 1970s cinema-going I’d forgotten about) – it really points up the contrast between the mundane ordinary world and the celluloid universe.
In short, I love it. I just hope that’s not the end of the story, now that Jack is in a sense no longer between wars.
Hi Darren. Thanks for the nice critique. It’s funny, I do these details, like the overlaid white text and the dad’s expression (which could have been even better if I’d bothered to use a mirror!) and this that and the other and I think, ‘that’ll look good, or serve the story or be in some way effective’ – or whatever; but it seems that I underestimate how much they’ll be appreciated by others. It’s great to get these objective insights regarding things that REALLY work well for the readers.
Don’t worry (funny, I hadn’t thought of this) B*W as a concept is not now scuppered (you make a good point!) – but now that Star Wars has ‘arrived’. There’ll be split loyalties between love of the old War stuff and the new. Dammit, you’re clever…
Pre Star Wars, my experience with movies, mostly Disney stuff, was that they all start slow and get good later, if at all (70’s Disney movies were pretty bad). So I too was thrilled with the space battle opening in Star Wars. I was old enough to be able to read the opening crawl, but I remember being confused about what the heck was going on, so I don’t think I read it very well.
Good points Phil. These days they start off with a big chase or something before the title even comes up! We were actually lucky with Star Wars that there were no credits at the start. Lucas got in trouble over that of course! Raiders of the Lost Ark almost did that – almost.
Yes, that opening Star Wars battle was utterly mind-blasting. And I bet it only lasted about a minute! George was certainly trying to avoid anybody getting bored. “Faster – more intense!”
That’s right! I used to hate those extended opening credit sequences. I was also confused by the Raiders opening. The bit with Reggie the snake won me over, though. Indy goes through all that and it’s the pet snake that rattles him. Brilliant!
They were good then. What the hell happened with Indy IV?
I liked Crystal Skull, but I’m easy that way. I liked Indy versus the Russians, nuked fridge, doo wop 50’s stuff, Marion’s return, even the aliens. Not so much Mutt, the ants, and the waterfalls.
I liked the silly fridge thing 🙂
Yes, I thought the fridge thing was no sillier than jumping out of a plane on a life raft in the second film. My problem with IV was that the first half set up various interesting ideas that were abandoned in the second half, in favour of a ridiculous climax which had Indy & co running away from danger.
Agreed Darren. And I wish it had looked real. It also had none of Spielberg’s cinematographic flair. It had George’s more functional, TV style of composition: very static 2-shot, over-shoulder shots etc. Too many chases with people jumping from one vehicle to another (George again) and Tarzan-swinging with monkeys? The weird thing is, I keep on feeling tempted to watch it, which is followed by gutting disappointment. Still, it’s more than I can say for the SW prequels, which I never feel like watching anymore.
Aw, did you have to see it on your own?
Yup! But dad came along with me to see Star Wars again at some point. I remember him telling me – perhaps during the intermission – “that fella in front is telling the other fella what’s going on, he must be blind.” Or “that fella’s doing sign language to the other fella.”