It wasn’t something to wear on your sleeve, necessarily, for fear of being subject to the harshness of teenage criticism. Looking back, it doesn’t seem like all that long ago, but even as recently as 2011, we mostly kept our love for Star Wars close to the chest. Some classmates snickered at a reference to something as “nerdy” as Star Wars, but my friend and I laughed with sincerity. We were seniors, weeks away from graduation, and deep into the unmotivated stupor known as “senioritis.” Perhaps sensing our irreverent mood, the teacher had written “May the Fourth Be With You” on the whiteboard. I can recall going into one of my high school classes on May 4, 2011. That belongs to the fans, along with the irresistible attraction of using the phrase to evoke laughter (or even an eye-roll) from bemused friends, relatives, colleagues, or even strangers on the street! This point is essential because Lucasfilm cannot take credit for Star Wars Day. It was not unlike other ways fans exercised their passion throughout the year, such as the popular “Blow Up the Death Star” watch-parties on New Year’s Eve. Others simply used it as a time to revisit the films. Star Wars fans chose the day to hold themed parties or host community events and gatherings. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith had been released weeks earlier, and a marketing push to bring audiences back to theaters inspired a unique newspaper ad sporting Yoda, a background of red-white-and-blue fireworks, and “May the Fourth Be With You” (the ad was later made into a poster sold at ).Īs the laughable pun continued to circulate underground, an unofficial holiday emerged. As recently as 2005, it was used once again in context with the American Fourth of July holiday. In ensuing years, evidence for use of the phrase in public or private is hazy. He shared it with others on the set, and would continue to write an annual message to the company declaring “May the 4th Be With You” for years to come. May 4, 1982, happened to be a working day, and Thom recalled thinking of the pun on his own when contemplating the date. Thom joined the production unit in northern California as they shot in the redwood forest doubling for the moon of Endor. Randy Thom, who today is the director of sound design at Skywalker Sound and has been with the company for over 40 years, worked as a location sound recordist on Revenge of the Jedi (its title, of course, was later changed, and at the time of production it was known under the codename Blue Harvest). Congratulations!” (Coincidentally, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was in production at nearby Elstree Studios at the same time, and issues of the Evening News could have appeared in Lucasfilm’s offices.)Īnother lesser-known instance came from within Lucasfilm in 1982. Britain’s new prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, happened to assume office that day, and another clever newspaper writer for The London Evening News declared in a full-page ad: “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. It was on May 4, 1979, that the first known instance of “May the 4th Be With You” being used to mark the earlier date took place. “May the Force be with you,” as heard in A New Hope, had been appearing on licensed (and unlicensed) buttons, posters, and various items for months, enough to convince those writers that the joke would be well-received by their readers.Įnglish-speaking audiences in the United Kingdom were familiar with it as well. That summer of ’78, clever newspaper writers used the phrase as a gimmick to mark Independence Day celebrations on the Fourth of July. By then, Star Wars was firmly established within American popular culture and became “like a handshake,” as Professor Leo Braudy would later comment in the documentary, Empire of Dreams. The earliest uses of the phrase “May the 4th Be With You” that we have evidence for date from 1978, one year after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |