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Info Wanted: Network TV Premiere intros?

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 (Edited)

Back in the 1980s, films premiered on television before VHS or Betamax even existed. In the case of both “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” the networks that showed the films for the first time on free TV created special intros to the films. I’ve seen Mark Hamill’s 1984 intro to the original film. There was another one created in 1987 for “Empire” with the voice of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. Does anyone still have these rarities?

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DarthSiegelus said:

Back in the 1980s, films premiered on television before VHS or Betamax even existed.

VHS and Betamax were launched in the mid 70s.

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk
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In the UK, it premiered on network TV in 1982.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo0XYJgQ170

I was quite smug that I owned a telesync of the 1981 re-release for months prior to both the UK premiere and the VHS/Beta releases. My school friends would come over and insist on watching it. 😄

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk