A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....there was a time when George Lucas hadn't ruined the
Star Wars franchise with three brutally bad prequels, and new cuts of the original films. Come take a look at the brilliant set designs for
Return of the Jedi that if remade by Lucas today would not exist, but would be some sort of green screen trash.
It was the Spring of 1982. In the Southern California desert region known as Buttercup Valley, cameras were rolling on a film called BLUE HARVEST: HORROR BEYOND IMAGINATION. A SoCal science-fiction nut named Mike Davis had heard rumors about the production just having gotten under way. He and his pals decided to pack up some camping supplies and go check it out. This was the 1980s, a time when film productions were able to remain much more secretive than they do today, due in large part to the producers being able to stem the flow of information much more effectively in the absence of the internet. But just Earthling spies do their best work when boots are on the ground, so too would Mike Davis and his network of Bothan spies.
None of these Bothans died to bring us this information, but they did get sand everywhere imaginable (and unimaginable). The photography that follows is a never-before-published archive of private shots snapped on set during the filming of RETURN OF THE JEDI. - www.propstore.com
Still, compared to today's environment, security was relatively lax. It consisted of a chain-link perimeter fence and scattered security grunts. Mike and his cohorts were able to walk right up to the fence where they were told that as long as they behaved, they could hang out and watch movie magic in the making. They were even allowed to openly take photos! Talk about a more romantic time.
While the STAR WARS sleuths witnessed much of the action surrounding the Sarlacc pit, their vantage point did not actually allow them to see the hungry, hungry alien himself. It actually wasn’t until months after filming had wrapped, when Mike and his pals returned to the scene under cover of night, that they realized what was happening down below those execution skiffs. As was customary for larger sets at the time, the Sarlacc was left exactly where it was built—in the desert sands. Discovering the Sarlacc resulted in great excitement for the spies as well as great treasure—they were all able to haul some (now very valuable) pieces of the ancient beast back to their homes where they would be slowly digest—er, enjoyed—for the next thousand years.
To see more photographs, and to read the rest of the story please visit propstore.com
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.