TOPPS STAR WARS CARD COUNTDOWN #27

Card #146 from the yellow (third) series set.

If I had to pick out the top 30 Star Wars cards when I was seven, this card would not have made the cut. But now this card just makes me chuckle and deserves to be in the top 30.

I doubt that many kids coveted this card for their collection and I’m certain in the history of kids trading bubble gum cards this one was probably never traded.

“Ooh, you have the Luke Skywalker’s aunt preparing dinner card! I’ll trade you two Terry Bradshaws, four Wacky Packages stickers, a Reggie Jackson and a Farrah Fawcett-Majors for that card!” This scenario just never happened.

Of course, if it was signed by Shelagh Fraser, then we’d be talking trade!

AUGUST 24, 1977

On August 24, 1977 in the movie listings of our newspaper was an ad for Star Wars and it announced that it was now showing at the Four Seasons Cinema.

This was the moment I had been waiting for all summer and on that evening the family piled into the station wagon and we were off to see the 7:00 showing of Star Wars.

Luckily, we got there early and stood in the already growing line for tickets. I’m sure I was pretty antsy, just like everyone else in line, as the Star Wars hype was at full-force.




After our tickets were torn, we found our seats and the small cinema rapidly filled up until every seat was taken. The demand was so high, they continued to sell tickets for standing room only. People were sitting on the aisle floor and standing wherever they could. The room buzzed with loud chitter-chatter until the lights went out and the 20th Century Fox logo appeared on the screen. (I can’t remember if there were any previews or not. I don’t think so.)

Once I saw the spaceships zoom overhead, I was in a trance for the next two hours as was everyone in that cinema. It seemed we were all connected and that we were actually part of this movie. Not one person talked and I doubt if anyone left for the restroom or for more popcorn.


After it ended, everyone just sat there reading the credits and listening to the music. I had only been to a handful of movies before Star Wars and we always ended up leaving the moment the credits started rolling. This time we just stayed put and tried to shake our spaced-out trance we were in.

It was even exciting walking out of the theater and to our station wagon. My brother and I were running around the parking lot playing Star Wars. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid walking with stiff bent arms like C-3PO or breathing like Darth Vader.

Seeing Star Wars for the first time will always be one of my favorite memories!

The Four Seasons Cinema is located in the Lodge of the Four Seasons, a large luxury resort complex located at the Lake of the Ozarks.

The Lodge of the Four Seasons opened in 1965 and I’m assuming the Four Seasons Cinema opened sometime just a few years later as a Jerry Lewis Cinema. The cinema is small, probably not more than 400 seats. One feature that everyone liked was the little folding table that was attached to the seat.

The days are over for this cinema showing first run movies, but it still exists and is used for special events and the showing of free kids movies for the resort’s guests. You can find some photos from 1998 over at CinemaTour of the cinema and it hadn’t really changed all that much from 1977. It finally was remodeled a few years ago.

The next batch of photos are ones that I took, just a few weeks ago.

TOPPS STAR WARS CARD COUNTDOWN #28

Card #107 from the red (second) series set.

How cool is this card of a Tusken Raider? Oops, sorry this is not just your ordinary run of the mill Tusken Raider, but this one is THE Tusken Raider.

Anyway, it's pretty darn cool!

STILL WAITING FOR STAR WARS

Our local weekly newspaper kept on teasing us with "Star Wars is coming", but still with no date.


Waiting another week without knowing the date, was just plain and simple torture to this seven your old kid.

(I'm surprised I didn't beg my parents to take me to see Sinbad. I probably did beg them, but it didn't happen.)

Finally, in the August 10 newspaper edition there was a new ad with the added date of Aug. 24th!!!

Tomorrow, I'll revisit the little theater where I saw Star Wars for the first time!

TOPPS STAR WARS CARD COUNTDOWN #29

Card #97 from the red (second) series set.

The cantina would be a perfect place for a meeting! The service is impeccable, the band is always playing some smooth tunes, drinks are served in souvenir glasses that can be used as flower vases and you have the opportunity to meet some interesting people.

The few bad things about having a meeting at the cantina - you’ll need to leave your droids outside, remember - no blasters, try not to stumble over severed limbs on the floor and just watch out for any scum and villiany!

WELCOME TO STAR WARS: 30 DAYS FOR 30 YEARS

I can’t believe Star Wars will be thirty years old later this month!

It’s a good thing we don’t live in the Logan’s Run universe or we would have to dress Star Wars up in a white robe with a hockey mask, float it up to a giant bug zapper and watch it get zapped out of existence during Carrousel.

Actually, Star Wars will never be zapped out of existence and like a handful of movies it will live on thru the ages just as King Kong, Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, Gone With the Wind and It’s A Wonderful Life have. These are the timeless movies – the ones that continue to collect new fans, continue to inspire and continue to be a major part of culture.

Like so many people Star Wars has been a big part of my life and will continue long after this 30th anniversary!

As acting Mayor and as a fun tribute to my favorite movie, I declare the month of May as Star Wars month in Neato Coolville!

Let the posts begin! For the next 30 days you’ll find Star Wars related posts including a countdown of the 30 greatest Star Wars cards from the classic Topps trading card series. All posts will be about the first movie, before it was known as Episode IV: A New Hope. Remember to scroll down so you won't miss any of the daily posts!

ANXIOUSLY WAITING

Thirty years ago I was just a month away from turning seven years old and I was a typical baseball, football, tv watching, comic reading, dinosaur, monster loving kid.

Later that summer I would be adding space to that lists of loves and not your regular fly-to-the-moon kind of space, but the ray gun shoot ‘em up-dogfighting spaceship kind of space.

As we all know Star Wars opened up in a very limited release on May 25 and it didn’t reach my “far away galaxy” until late summer.

My first exposure was seeing the television spot advertising Star Wars. For the rest of the summer my brother and I watched the newspaper waiting for one of our local theaters to finally get this amazing looking movie.

The second exposure I had with Star Wars was with the July 18 issue of People Weekly magazine. Looking at this gold tin man with the funny number and letters name made me more anxious to see the film. I’m sure I annoyed my parents as I was always asking when we were going to see it. (Click on the photos for a closer look)








Finally in the July 27 edition of our newspaper there was a simple ad, Star Wars is coming!

TOPPS STAR WARS CARD COUNTDOWN #30

This is card #4 from the blue (first) series set. The caption alone put this card into the top 30 and Han’s “I have a bad feeling about this” type of look is just classic.