I don’t recall when I saw A New Hope or Empire Strike Back, as I was too young to remember, but I remember going to see Revenge of the Jedi, as I saw the trailers on TV for it. So, in 1983, I was 12 yrs. old. I went to the theater in Yuma, AZ, where they filmed the Jabba’s sail barge/ Sarlaac Pit just outside of town in the sand dunes.

I finally got my ticket for Return of the Jedi, so while I’m sitting there about to watch the movie, they were having trivia contests, asking people about certain things in the first 2 films, and if you got it right, you got special toys and gifts from Lucasfilm. I was never called, but people in the front were. I did get to see some of the toys after the movie, as people walked out looking at them, and a nice little entourage following them, me being one of them.

So, while I was watching the film, it came to the unmasking of Vader, I was so scared to watch, as I peeked through my fingers, as I covered my eyes with my hands. I saw Luke lift Vader’s helmet and when I saw him, I dropped my hands, as I wasn’t scared anymore. It’s a memory I remember vividly, I will never forget going to see it. I loved the special effects in the movie, they were incredible, and I had never seen anything like that before, like the speeder chase, it was unbelievable.

Since I lived there in Yuma, AZ. I collected a really cool newspaper pull out in 1982, while they were filming out in the desert. It says on the front page Revenge of the Jedi, and it’s really old, but I have it to this day. In the newspaper, it has some pictures of Jabba’s sail barge and the actors behind the scenes. The newspaper journalist asking George Lucas questions about the sequels and prequels, and stuff like that. It also has advertisements for Atari games and McDonalds. The funny thing about those, is that the prices are super low. It’s a really interesting read, but, this is my memory of going to see Return of the Jedi.

I might put some images up this weekend, so you all can see it. I have to go for now, be back later.