A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
Section: Documentary Spotlight
Director: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak
Logline: In 1978, CBS aired the two-hour “Star Wars Holiday Special” during the week of Thanksgiving and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired and is considered one of the worst shows to ever air on TV. While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, we will answer how and why did the “Holiday Special” get made.
Panelists: Coon and Kozak
Sales Agent: Cinetic Media
Premiered: Saturday, March 11; Next screening Tuesday, March 14 11 a.m. CT at the ZACH
Key Quotes: Jeremy Coon: “It came out about a year and a half after [the original] Star Wars came out, they decided to do a holiday special with the Star Wars characters. And it’s the dying days of variety TV. And it’s kind of become a cult favorite in the sense that it’s been voted the worst two hours of TV that’s ever been aired. It’s just notorious for that. And the more people try to deny it, the more fans want to see it.”
Steve Kozak: “It’s not horrific. There are moments that are salvageable in it. There’s a couple of — I think Bea Arthur’s great in it [as a singing bartender in the cantina].”
The Deadline Studio at SXSW runs March 10-13, where the cast and creatives behind the best and buzziest titles in this year’s lineup sit down with Deadline’s festival team to discuss their movies and the paths they took to get to Austin, Texas.
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