And CB Bears were just a copy of The Hair Bear Bunch, instead the bears had names of disco dances. Plus, there was a nod to Charlie's Angels of all things. The genders were reversed, of course. (No cultural trend, however fleeting, went un-mined in the HB studios.)

At least Key Luke did the voice of Chan. That was actually a mildly progressive thing for its day.

You forgot Goober and the Ghost Chasers and The Buford Files. As did millions of others, of course.

Nothing will beat the "Chewie, we're home" reactions (I openly wept, myself), but while cool, this one didn't get me going nearly as much.

Good point, I forgot about that, but even there it was meant to be repulsive. I guess my main point was that I never even thought about the main characters being sexual at all. Even Leia and Han's romance was very restrained (Ford and Fischer had a little chemistry, but you never were given the feeling they would…

I just recently watched some bits from the Holiday Special (not the whole thing, geeze no) and that scene with Chewie's father watching VR Diahann Carroll "porn" that Art Carney gave him is still one of the creepiest things I've ever seen on network TV, particularly something that was ostensibly a family Christmas…

Ah, just look at that photo. The casual smoking. I remember now! Smoking was cool.

"…in a widely quoted interview apparently claimed that they were bigger than God, and was reported to have gone on to say that God had never had a hit record. The story spread like wildfire in America. Many fans burnt their albums, many more burnt their fingers attempting to burn their albums. Album sales skyrocketed,…

The Death of Klinghoffer wouldn't count regardless. It was controversial, of course, but it was an opera.

One thing I also didn't think helped was the "it's a song, no it's dialogue, no, it'a song again," style, which worked for Sondheim before, but it was stretched to the absolute breaking point here.

"I don't want to talk about this, Joe."

"And don't let me catch you trying to haunt me, asking for help, because you won't get it."

Oh geeze, I have a copy of that somewhere. Please someone tell me it's worth like a thousand bucks or something. I could use the cash.

Exactly. No one would do a production of West Side Story and drop "Maria" or "America." Not using Robbins' choreography would be doing the exact same thing.

I was at one of those 200 performances, and the general feeling you describe was definitely in the air. I'm a big Sondheim fan, too. It wasn't bad, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the whole thing. But, as you point out, Donna Murphy was extraordinary.

I love your statement about "the creation of humiliation in real time" which is why I agree with you in that I cringe 100x more at bad theater than at a shitty film. Having been a stage actor myself (and having help create some of that real time humiliation on a few occasions) probably contributes to the general…

Not Since Carrie is one of my favorite books. It is kind of old (1991), but it's still a great theater history book.

The internet, being the fun place it is, gave me the answer. And this one can't be blamed on the Special Editions, et al obsession with changing stuff, as it was changed (to "You're lucky to have gotten out of there") for the 1980 70mm version of The Empire Strikes Back, which was the print probably used as a starting…

First the cantina, and now Heaven? Droids can't catch a break.

As you probably know, mostly because of Burtt, it has become sort of secret handshake among sound designers who have sneaked it into dozens of films over the years. I find it amazing that I can pick it up when it's used (I believe I last heard it in a Twix commercial.) I guess years of exposure will give you all sorts…