FAQ: SW Lost Scenes FAQ 3.0 (2/3)
Alec Usticke
Jabba and henchmen confront Han at Docking Bay 94 just before Luke and
Co. arrive. The original budget (and, to be honest, the technology of
the time) didn't allow for a scene that fit Lucas' vision, so all that
exists of the "first" Jabba on film is a large man dressed in furs
saying the dialogue.
*Evidence remaining:
A clip of the scene (sans F/X) appears in "From Star Wars to Jedi."
Again, the comics and novel still contain the scene, and the radio
series substitutes a henchman named Heater. Originally, Jabba was
going to be matted over with F/X; now, 20-some years later, it looks
as if we'll finally see the vision realized. It is said that the 1998
rerelease will include a finished version of this scene:
An anonymous informant had this tidbit about the FINISHED Jabba scene:
Regarding the Jabba scene. He is not on a sled [as seen in Dark
Horse's Dark Empire graphic novel]. He is on the ground. His tail is
slithering, but his upper body is erect.
Vader as sadist (unconfirmed):
From bdark...@aol.com comes a lead on a 'new' cut scene:
A friend of mine was just telling me about the Leia-Vader torture
scene. She said that she was reading an interview with Carrie Fisher,
and in the article she described the scene as the most awful day of
filming on the set. She described the scene in very much the same way
it was portrayed in the [NPR] radio drama. She described being hung
upside down while they filmed her being tortured until she eventually
passed out. She then noted how pissed she was when she saw that it had
been cut from the movie.
NOTE: I've just begun to hear rumors of this sequence. I'd appreciate
any more info on this.
Porkins, the Other White Meat:
From chan...@aol.com comes the following:
At my high school (in Dallas), the actor who portrayed Porkins came
and talked to us yesterday. He is an alumnus of the school and it was
sorta of a big deal. (As you might know, he was also in "Batman.") He
talked about his life and having bit parts in big movies. Anyway, he
mentioned something interesting. He said that he was in more scenes
toward the end of the movie than actually landed on the screen. He
didn't go into much detail, but I was wondering what he exactly he
meant. Could there be more scenes right before the Death Star attack
than we know? Unfortunately, he had to leave right after the
presentation and I didn't even get a chance to get his autograph!
NOTE: You guessed it. I'd love more information on this scene.
Minor shots from "SW":
1) There are a few short cantina scenes with Snaggletooth (one in a
blue tunic! At least we know where the figure comes from...) and
another scene with Hammerhead. Nothing major, just them talking at the
bar.
2) Raymond W. Chramega offered these tidbits:
The Marvel Comics "Star Wars" movie adaptation used everything they
saw from a private, early screening of the film. The introduction at
the start of the book is completely different from the one used in the
film. But those who worked on the project swear that the introduction
they used is exactly the introduction they saw in private screening...
word for word! [Editor's note: See Biggs chapter for more info on
this.]
The alien used as Jabba the Hutt in the comic adaptation is one
created by Stuart Freeborn and labeled Walrus. The character is used
many, many times in Mos Eisley exteriors. He never appears in the
interior of the cantina, however.
3) A shot of an alley outside the Cantina and a midget running away
from stormtroopers and ducking between the legs of a very tall alien
can be seen in the 1978 "Star Wars Holiday Special."
4) Another scene in the "Star Wars Holiday Special" shows Darth Vader
and an officer walking down a corridor different from anything in the
movie. They walk into a control room of some sort.
5) Nicky Wilson spotted this one:
The LucasArts CD-ROM game "Rebel Assault" includes a clip of Luke
storming out of his house and looking at the sunset. This clip
continues for a few seconds beyond the scene in the movie--Luke raises
his hand to his head to scan the horizon.
NOTE: I'm not certain if this is an actual edit or if it was simply
retouched for the game. At any rate, it is a VERY minor shot. Half a
second at best.
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<The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special>
Some fans barely remember it, masochistic fans search for copies of
it, and hardcore fans fear it. Yes, it's that wonderful nugget of
1970s cheese in its purest, undiluted form: The 1978 "Star Wars
Holiday Special." Because it only aired once and by all rights
deserves to be "lost," I've decided to include this chapter.
The Holiday Special has but one redeeming quality: the animated
introduction of Boba Fett. To sit down and watch the special from end
to end makes me feel like Alex from "Clockwork Orange." Is it
painfully bad, and it tarnishes the memory of "Star Wars" with TRULY
horrible acting, casting, lyrics, and set design. Be afraid. Be very
afraid.
"The Star Wars Holiday Special" by Jon Bradley Snyder
From Star Wars Insider magazine #23, 1994:
December 1978. Mom and Dad fret over "Dynasty" and the NFL playoffs,
but Junior sits in rapt attention in front of the television,
oblivious to the plight of Crystal Carrington and the Pittsburgh
Steelers. For Junior, TV is about to take on a new meaning. In a few
moments CBS will turn his TV into a vessel for "Star Wars." The "Star
Wars Holiday Special"--the single greatest television event of all
time for seven- to 15-year olds--is about to go on the air.
Looking back from an age where home video, pay-per-view and
interactive movies on CD-ROM are the order of the day, it seems
strange that a "Star Wars" TV special could generate such interest.
But if you lived through the "Star Wars" phenomenon the first time
around, you know that many of the things we now take for granted, like
the trilogy on home video, seemed like an impossible dream in 1978. If
you wanted "Star Wars" at home, you had to buy a grainy Super 8 film
loop that cost a bundle and only had eight minutes of footage. "Star
Wars" on TV, for free, seemed like a gift from heaven.
Perhaps it was the incredible anticipation of this show, followed
by its rapid retreat into obscurity that created [the program's]
legendary cult status. Everybody remembers when it came out, but few
have seen it again in the 15 years hence. It is the missing link in
the "Star Wars" universe, the one episode that has never been
committed to home video. The Star Wars Insider was lucky enough to get
a hold of a copy of the "Star Wars Holiday Special" [Note: It's not
that hard to find, and sheesh, the Insider is the Lucasfilm sanctioned
official fan club magazine!] We've given it an excruciating viewing
through 1994 eyes and to be quite honest, it's pretty... silly.
Time has not been kind to the Holiday Special, yet that's precisely
its charm. Unlike the "Star Wars" films, which have a timeless
quality, the "Star Wars Holiday Special" will forever be stuck in
1978, which is great nostalgia if you were there, great history if you
weren't.
The show centers around Chewbacca's family, his wife Mala, his
father Itchy, and his son Lumpy. Lumpy looks like Adam Rich with fur,
a long-haired gangly precursor to the Ewoks. Chewbacca is desperately
trying to get back to his Wookiee home planet to celebrate the sacred
Wookiee holiday of Life Day. Imperial troops overrun the place
searching for the Rebels, and the plot revolves around the Wookiees
attempting to go about their daily lives amidst stormtrooper
interference and the suspense of whether Chewbacca will make it home
on time.
The show includes appearances by Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill,
Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, and the voice of James Earl Jones. The
supporting cast includes TV vets Art Carney ("The Honeymooners"), Bea
Arthur ("Golden Girls") and Harvey Korman ("The Carol Burnett Show")
who provide the comic relief so the "Star Wars" stars don't have to
crack a lot of slapstick.
Mala calls Luke on the video phone trying to find out what's up
with Chewie. Mark Hamill assures her everything's all right. Hamill is
sporting the worst haircut ever. In fact, both he and Harrison Ford
had blowdried hair-don'ts instead of the rockin' wind-swept hairdos
they had in the movie. But if you were a kid this didn't matter much,
as long as they kept intercutting space scenes from the film, which
the producers deftly used to duck the high cost of shooting new space
scenes.
The show has many musical numbers, one of the most bizarre of
which is when Itchy throws on the helmet of his "mind evaporator" and
has an erotic virtual reality experience (this thing was years ahead
of its time) with Diahann Carroll, who tells him, "You're adorable. I
am your fantasy, I am your pleasure. This is our moment in time."
Woah! Kinky space love!
Another music sequence involves a box that shows a holographic
Jefferson Starship video. One wonders what the Starship thought about
riding the "Star Wars" wave. But they were good sports and gave their
all; the lead guitarist even picks a solo with his teeth.
At one point stormtroopers cluster around the TV to watch a show
about Tatooine, which is really just a guise to get back to the
cantina and do a musical number with Bea Arthur. It's worth noting
that this scene is introduced with a short loop of Mos Eisley
spaceport footage that was shot but never appeared in the original
film. A small Mos Eisley alien scurries away from a big stilt creature
in a short clip that has never been shown publicly anywhere else.
The undisputed highlight of this show is the funny, fast-paced
cartoon that introduces Boba Fett to the "Star Wars" universe.
Produced by Nelvana Animation Company, this cartoon stands head and
shoulders above their later efforts with "Droids" and "Ewoks."
Searching for Han and Chewie, Luke crash lands his Y-wing. He
pops the canopy and look out! It's Boba Fett, Dino-Rider! Fett
presents himself as a friend, but when Luke offers to feed his hungry
dinosaur, Fett remarks, "You are foolish to waste your kindness on
this dumb creature," foreshadowing his treachery. This is the first
and last time you'll ever hear Han Solo say, "Our friend Boba."
The show ends with a tearful reunion with Chewbacca and family.
Everyone gathers round as Carrie Fisher sings the Life Day song. This
is pure torture, not because Fisher can't sing, but because it's so
schmaltzy. Lyrics set to the tune of the "Star Wars" theme? Yeecchh!
In the end it's not hard to see why the Holiday Special has been kept
under wraps. The production is silly, and you can do better visual
effects on your home computer these days. Still, it's fun to watch and
a great trip back to 1978.
-----------
<Unfinished Showings of Empire Strikes Back>
Again, from el...@aol.com
As with "Star Wars," the early 70mm prints of "Empire" went out
unfinished. I saw this version several times, so I know the
differences quite well. Here they are:
1) When the probe droid rises out of its crater and floats off
screen-left, instead of CUTTING to the aerial shot of Luke on the
tauntaun, there is a WIPE.
2) The same goes for the shot of Luke falling face down into the snow
and the following shot of Han on his tauntaun. The alternate version
has a WIPE instead of a CUT.
3) When Luke is in the bacta tank, there is no shot of Han, Leia, and
Threepio watching. Rather, the shot pans from a close-up of
Two-One-Bee to a close-up of Luke, then cuts to the robot arm
extending to the tank.
4) At our first view of the Emperor's hologram, the image does not
"wave" in, but is already in place as the shot begins.
5) In the establishing shot of the Executor just after Luke in the
Dagobah cave, the sound of the TIE fighters is different.
6) When Luke falls from the weather vane to the Falcon, the radar dish
has not yet been added into the shot.
7) The dissolves between Luke and Vader in the telepathy scene are
much shorter, almost straight cuts.
8) The ending scene is much shorter. We get the establishing shot of
the Rebel fleet, then immediately CUT to Lando saying, "Luke, we're
ready for take off," except that it is a different take. After we hear
Luke say, "Good luck, Lando," we immediately CUT to Luke aboard the
ship saying, "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point...." So altogether
three effects shots are missing, along with Lando's line, "When we
find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter, we'll contact you."
-----------
<Cut footage from Empire Strikes Back>
The Wampas:
This subplot was almost entirely eliminated. There are several scenes
dealing with the wampa ice creatures attacking Rebel troops and
tauntauns. The rebels finally figure out a way of containing them and
herd them into a detention room. When the rebels evacuate, Threepio
removes the warning label from the door to this room. The first
stormtroopers who enter the base are slaughtered when they unknowingly
open the door. There is a short exchange between Vader and a trooper
as he enters the area.
There were also longshots filmed of the wampa dragging the unconscious
Luke to its lair, which can be seen in "SPFX: The Empire Strikes
Back."
*Evidence Remaining:
The film vestiges of this subplot remain in three places--a trailer
for "ESB" (included on the Definitive Collection) that shows Threepio
removing the sticker, a quick shot of Han taking a hard look at the
wampa pen (see "Definitive Collection" passage below) and the scene
where Han goes out to look for Luke. In the widescreen versions, you
can see 2-1B, the medical droid, examining the carcass of a tauntaun.
A few seconds were cut from the beginning of that scene, including the
line "We can't worry about that now; we have other problems. Something
attacked one of the tauntauns."
lonep...@aol.com kindly sent the following script evidence:
About three and a half years ago, I bought the "crown jewel" of my
"Star Wars" collection--an ORIGINAL "ESB" movie script (Fourth draft
Oct. 24, 1978, #6 [of 76 that ever existed], property of Lucasfilm).
Yes, it is genuine! It includes many little things that were cut from
the final film, such as the wampa subplot and early versions of dialog
and scenes. [NOTE: more of this version of the script will be included
as it becomes available]
44 INT CORRIDOR - REBEL BASE
The drip, drip, drip of melting ice echoes throughout the long eerie
corridor. A trooper walks by, followed at a short distance by Artoo,
who rolls along whistling to himself. Behind him a Wampa Ice Monster
suddenly appears from out of the wall and begins following the little
droid. Up ahead Artoo sees several troopers begin to act rather
strangely, pointing at him and yelling. This puzzles Artoo, and he
stops for a moment to figure it out. Far in the distance, alarms begin
to go off.
Artoo comes to a conclusion, spins his head around and sees the Ice
Monster staring down at him. The droid lets out a screech and races
down the hall at full tilt ahead of the advancing monster.
A small troop of soldiers has gathered at the end of the hallway with
weapons. Artoo races through the armed gathering as the creature
screams and charges the troopers, laser bolts exploding around him.
Artoo peeks from around a corner in time to see several troopers
hurled against the walls like rag dolls. Two soldiers fire a laser
bazooka at the monster and it is obscured by an enormous explosion.
The smoke clears. The silence is spooky. The Ice Monster stands
seemingly dumbstruck. Artoo gives a short, worried beep. The creature
topples over in a dead heap. A cheer goes up from Artoo and the
troopers as they converge to inspect the fallen creature. A young
CORPORAL pulls his com-link off his belt and speaks into it.
CORPORAL
We got it, sir, but there may be more.
Surprisingly, the "Empire" radio drama doesn't touch on the sub-plot,
but the Marvel comics adaption does include a few references. The
novel includes a totally off-the-wall encounter between a wampa and
the probe droid at the beginning of chapter two, but nothing else, and
the ESB Storybook contains a photo of 2-1B checking out the dead
tauntaun. Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire
Strikes Back also tells some information on missing scenes. It
features a photo of the cast and crew filming the scenes in which 2-1B
is examining a tauntaun killed when the rampaging wampas broke into
the Rebel base on Hoth. Finally, lonep...@aol.com says check out the
Topps "ESB" card #29 (with the red border) "Artoo's Icy Vigil"--it
looks like a frame of the Artoo/wampa scene from the script excerpt
above.
Luke gets a check-up:
From gosh...@aol.com comes the following:
In the medical recovery room, the medical droid removes a mask from
Luke's face and says something like, "The bacta are growing well.
Those scars should be gone in a day or so." Then Leia walks in and
exchanges some dialog with Luke, and they end up kissing. Right in the
middle of this kiss, C-3PO and R2-D2 come in and say basically,
"Master Luke, how good to see you fully functional again." The rest of
the scene is intact in the movie from there on.
*Evidence Remaining:
Marvel Comic's Special Edition "ESB" adaptation used this scene
virtually as it existed in the film. They got their reference from an
early screening and probably frame blow-ups (the art was a little too
good.) A photo is included in Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the
Making of the Empire Strike Back. This scene also appears in the novel
with Leia and Han speculating on the existence of the wampas.
Vader Shows off (unconfirmed):
When Vader tells Luke he's his pop, Luke jumps off the platform.
According to Dave Halsted, in the children's storybook version, Vader
steps forward, sticks out his hand, and swoops Luke back up with this
great show of the dark side's power. He then disgustedly flicks his
hand and lets Luke fall.
uncl...@aol.com graciously sent me the text from the ESB
Storybook:
" ... With the utmost calm, Luke stepped off the platform and let
himself fall into the chasm.
Vader rushed forward and made Luke a witness to the Dark Lord's
power. He held out his hand and a great wind caught hold of Luke. It
swept him back up the shaft. Then Vader gestured again, and as
abruptly as it had started, the wind ceased. Vader let him go. Now
Luke was falling again--faster and faster."
*Evidence Remaining:
I can't find any other reference other than the ESB Storybook, and it
is only covered in a written passage. Children's storybooks often
change details of the story (the Blade Runner Storybook is a prime
example), so this may have never been filmed.
ESB Tidbits:
1) The relationship between Han and Leia is explored much more than
the final film hints at. There are dialogue cuts from almost every
scene between them.
2) Some redundant dialogue during Luke and Vader's duel was cut.
3) Several minutes of dialogue were cut from the Dagobah sequences
including one where Luke finally cuts a metal bar into four pieces
with his lightsaber after failing several times.
From 10004...@compuserve.com came more differences:
In from Germany and when I first saw the ESB there were several scenes
which were later cut:
1) Han and Leia talking about the Wampa creature while Luke was in
that bacta tank.
2) The scene with the Snowspeeder crashing in the AT-AT Head.(Looks
like the scene were the A-WING crashed in the Stardestroyer bridge in
ROTJ.)
3) The two training scenes with Yoda.
4) The torture scene with Vader and Han on Bespin which was later cut
from the German version.
For "Definitive Collection" boxed-set owners:
Here are Chapter Stops and Frame #'s for a few lost scene tidbits
that can be seen in the ESB trailers included with the set.
Disc 3, Side 5:
Frames 40337-40369:
A different, more passionate shot of Luke and Leia kissing.
Frames 40703-40714:
A cut shot showing the outline of the Wampa in the foreground, w/
Luke hanging from the ceiling in the background.
Disc 3, Side 6:
Frames 1893-1924:
C-3PO, in pieces, struggling on the ground in the net bag that
Chewie used to carry him.
Frames 2345-2356:
C-3PO rips the sticker off of the Wampa pen.
Also, if you want to find the only remaining glimpse of the wampa pen
in "ESB," go to Disc 1, Side 2, Chapter 24, Frames 16034-16161.
Han, Leia and Threepio flee down a corridor in the base. At frame
16062, Han takes a serious look over at the wampa pen. The scene is
cut just as Threepio is in front of the door. The "sticker-ripping"
originally came right after it.
-----------
<Cut footage from Return of the Jedi>
After Jabba's sail barge is blown up, the group has to fight their way
through a sandstorm to make it back to their ships. According to Rob
Laurie, the book The Making of Return of the Jedi (Ballantine, 1983)
says that the reason the scene had to be scrapped was because of sand
gumming up the cameras. The scene that Carrie Fisher called the
hardest she'd ever done would never be seen. It was also the only
appearance of the life-size Falcon prop in ROTJ (although only half of
it was built).
From quest...@aol.com came the following:
A friend of mine mentioned something to me about there being an
attack by Sandpeople during the sandstorm scene. When he mentioned it,
I looked in the book Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special
Effects at the Sandstorm Matte picture. If you look to the diagonal
up-right of the Millennium Falcon in the matte, you can see some dark
images that could be Sandpeople quite near some red thing. That's the
only evidence I could find of this scene and of its existence. [Note:
I have no knowledge of this Sandpeople aspect, but I'd love to find
some more information.]
quest...@aol.com continues:
I remember reading or seeing somewhere a clip from an interview
where George Lucas said that the reason he had the scene cut was that
in "SW," there is always action, then a break to let our minds relax
for a bit before something else happens. In "ROTJ," you've just seen a
large battle in and around Jabba's sail barge, then the explosion. He
said that he wanted people to relax for a bit instead of this battle
and explosion then going to a huge sandstorm. He felt it gave a more
dramatic ending.
(From the script):
HAN
All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!
LEIA
That's all any of us can see.
HAN
Then I guess I'm getting better.
(later)
HAN
I've got to hand it to you, kid, you were pretty good
out there.
LUKE
I had a lot of help. Think nothing of it.
HAN
No, I'm thinking a lot about it. That carbon freeze was
the closest thing to dead there is. And it wasn't just
sleepin,' it was a big wide awake nothing!
*Evidence Remaining:
The beginning of chapter three of the novel and a few stills feature
the storm. One is in the second edition of the Star Wars RPG, and one
is in the premiere issue of Sci-Fi Universe magazine (July 1994). It
remains to be seen whether it will be included in the "ROTJ" radio
drama rumored to be in development. (according to the June 1995 issue
of Sci-Fi Universe, author Brian Daley says that there is currently a
50/50 chance of a "ROTJ" radio series.)
Raymond W. Chramega informed me that there is a photo of the matte
painting in the book ILM: The Art of Special Effects that was going to
be used in conjunction with the missing sandstorm sequence in "Return
of the Jedi." It shows a desert canyon with the Falcon and Luke's
X-wing in the distance and can be found on page 138. Also, the book
The Making of Return of the Jedi by Phillip Peecher has a couple of
photos of the crew filming this scene. I received a post stating that
one of the "Making of ROTJ" specials even showed glimpses of the
sandstorm footage with Han, Leia, Lando and Chewie entering the Falcon
with sand blowing wildly all around them. I have yet to find and
confirm it, though the versions shown on the Sci-Fi Channel recently
were edited down to allow for more commercials (oh boy!).
Luke visits Obi-Wan's house (unconfirmed):
A scene was planned (and POSSIBLY filmed) in Obi-Wan's hut, where Luke
receives a telepathic message from Vader and then sends the droids to
Jabba. He can also be seen building his new saber.
*Evidence Remaining:
A storyboard illustration of the scene begins the Illustrated Return
of the Jedi novel. The scene appears in the opening paragraphs of
chapter one.
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