The 1977 "Star Wars" Movie Program

When "Star Wars" first hit the theaters some theaters offered special complimentary movie programs to movie goers.  This was a first run item not duplicated or repeated when "Star Wars" was rerun in theaters the following year.   I don't remember ever having one of these but my wife says that she got one when she went to see "Star Wars" and she had it for a long time through her childhood.  Years ago, I found an original program on Ebay and added it to my collection.   When it arrived, I showed it to my wife and she remembered the one she had as a child.  My first question to her was "How is it that you had something of "Star Wars" that I never had?"

And now I present the 1977 "Star Wars" complimentary movie program.

For some of you, sharing this program will bring back fond childhood memories ... for others this will be a new experience for you knowing that something like this once existed and now having the chance to view it for the first time.

Giant two page center spread showing the classic publicity shot of starfighter combat - Rebel Alliance X-wings versus Imperial TIE Fighters.

Article - My first "Star Wars" magazine - TIME, May 30, 1977

As a 7 year old, "Star Wars" was still something that wasn't really known to me.  

There was no Internet, no smart phones, no personal computers (they were coming).  I really hadn't heard or seen any hype about the movie, even by May of 1977 when the movie was actually released.  You'll think that strange, reading this today, but back then information traveled at the speed of print and by word of mouth.  The only phone you had was the one on the wall in your house (and you probably leased that unit from the telephone company).

I remember going on vacation to Chattanooga, TN to visit my grandmother's brother and while I was there I saw my first "Star Wars" television commercial and I knew this was something that was going to be amazing.   The next day we went to the local mall and while my father got a haircut I saw a current issue of TIME with an article on "Star Wars".  As far as I can tell, this was the first magazine to have an article on "Star Wars" and it was my first view of some of the pictures from the movie.

My seven year old mind was blown.

While my father and my grandmother's brother had their hair cut at the barbershop I flipped through the magazine, mesmerized.  I remember leaving the barbershop and seeing "Star Wars" playing at the big cinemaplex across the street.  I begged my father to take me to see "Star Wars" because there was a huge line to buy tickets to see the movie and I really wanted to see this movie, now more than ever.  My father said that we would wait and see it when it came to Hattiesburg, MS where we lived.  I asked him how long that would be and he told me a few weeks.

"Star Wars" didn't reach Hattiesburg, MS until late October or early November.  So much for my dad's estimate of "a few weeks."