The force has been with us for 40 years now.
“Star Wars” was released in theaters May 25, 1977 and it set off out of this world fandom and one of Hollywood’s most beloved, and successful, franchises ever.
In honor of the anniversary, the folks at IMDB.com put together a bit of trivia you may or may not have known about the film.
For instance:
George Lucas wasn’t hopeful
The director was so sure the film would flop that instead of attending the premiere, he went on vacation to Hawaii with his good friend Steven Spielberg. That trip proved to be fruitful, as they came up with the idea for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” during the trip.
Carrie Fisher had to put her mother in check
The film’s initial budget was so limited that Lucas, the cast and crew all agreed to fly coach to England during pre-production.
When Debbie Reynolds got wind of it, she gave Lucas an earful about her daughter, Carrie Fisher, having to fly on the cheap.
Fisher, who would find massive fame as Princess Leia, was in the room when Reynolds called Lucas to berate him.
“Mother, I want to fly coach, will you f**k off?!,” Fisher reportedly said to Reynolds before hanging up the phone on her mother.
The always outspoken Fisher died of complications from a heart attack at the age of 60 on December 27. Reynolds, 84, died following a stroke the next day.
No bra for Fisher
The actress’s breasts were taped down with gaffer’s tape, as her Princess Leia costume did not permit any lingerie to be worn underneath. She later joked, “As we all know, there is no underwear in space.”
Oh no on Ford as Solo
Harrison Ford almost missed out on playing Princess Leia’s love interest, Han Solo.
Due to his having starred in another Lucas film, “American Graffiti,” Ford was not allowed to audition.
Lucas wanted all fresh faces for this film and Ford wasn’t one of them.
But after getting Ford to read lines with other actors who were auditioning for parts, Lucas realized he had his Han Solo.
All together now
There is only one scene in the original “Star Wars” trilogy where all eight of the main characters come together.
During the escape from the Death Star, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan are dueling as Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 make their getaway into the Millennium Falcon.
While the ensemble don’t appear in the same shot, it’s the only time they are all within sight of each other.
