OG’s BLOG

Waaaaayyyyy back, children, back before there were cel phones, ipods or web pages, there was an occasional viral marketing campaign. One I remember fondly was in the spring of 1980, as we all waited breathlessly for The Empire Strikes Back to finally come to the silver screen. It had been a long three year wait from Star Wars, and everything from fan magazines (my drug of choice was Starlog) to mainstream magazines to the morning TV talk shows were running little snippets of the movie, little sneak previews to further whet the appetite and drive us all a little nuttier running up to the release in May.

We geeks were starved for information, simply starved. Somebody at Lucasfilm took mercy on us and posted little 1 minute messages at a phone answering machine at an 800 number that fans could call in and listen. I have always looked back fondly on those phone messages, even though most of it 27 years later has slipped away. Thanks to an old issue of a Star Wars Fan Club newsletter I found online, I’m happy to be able to remember these:

HAN SOLO: “Until I ran into Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, I had myself a pretty good little operation. They wanted a ride to Alderaan and they were willing to pay enough so I didn’t have to ask any questions. Now I’m in the middle of a rebellion. I’m spending half my time dodging Imperial ships and the other half avoiding Her Holiness. Not only that, but Jabba the Hut has a price on my head and he’s put Boba Fett on my trail. Something tells me it’s not going to get any better when The Empire Strikes Back.”

C-3PO: Hello, I am C-3P0, and this is the first of a series of messages on the special Star Wars telephone line. Each time one of you on Earth calls this number you will receive a message giving information on the continuation of the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back. After Star Wars, I hoped that all my adventures were over and R2-D2 wouldn’t get us into trouble with his secret missions, but in The Empire Strikes Back, it just gets worse. First, there was that dreadful snow planet – I thought I’d never be warm again. Then we were attacked by Imperial stormtroopers, and when we got to the Cloud City, I just went all to pieces. Oh, dear, talking about it is too upsetting. You’ll just have to see it for yourselves when The Empire Strikes Back comes to a theater near you on May 21, 1980.

VADER: They managed to rescue the Princess and to destroy the Death Star, but this time the Rebels won’t be so lucky. The power of the Death Star was insignificant compared to the power of the Force. And with Obi-Wan Kenobi gone, I am the master. See it, as The Empire Strikes Back.

LUKE: Tatooine was just a big ball of dust until Artoo and Threepio showed up. But since then my life hasn’t been the same from a moisture farmer on a remote desert planet to a leader of the Rebellion fighting for freedom throughout the galaxy. But now the Rebellion faces even greater odds, and I must be ready. I must follow Ben Kenobi’s teachings and learn more about the powers of the Force in becoming a Jedi Knight if I’m going to be prepared for a confrontation with Darth Vader. See it, when The Empire Strikes Back.

Do any of you remember these?