Chewbacca commemorated at landmark Ottawa cinema

Michael Spratt (@mspratt) is the only criminal defence lawyer I've ever met with a Rebel Alliance tattoo on his arm. I had a drink with him while visiting Ottawa on business earlier this week. We talked Star Wars, A Long Time Ago, fatherhood, comic books and more. It was a blast.

One of the things Michael told me about was the Mayfair Theatre. I've never been, and now I really want to go. Here's what the web site says about the place: 

Built in 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression, the Mayfair Theatre is one of Ottawa’s last two neighborhood cinemas, and one of the oldest surviving independent movie houses in all of Canada. It has the distinction of never having been owned by, or affiliated with, any of the major cinema chains.

The Mayfair is notable for the fact that it contains a number of architectural features that make it unique in Ottawa, and possibly in Canada. It is one of the few surviving examples of an “atmospheric cinema”, built with a particular theme to enhance the movie-going experience and draw the movie-goer into the world of the imagination. The same architectural features that were incorporated into its interior design in 1932 – the detailing that suggests a Spanish-style villa – have been virtually untouched over these past seventy-six years.

As if that weren't enough, Michael explained that the Mayfair is owned by locals and run in a community-minded way. (Tickets are $10 for non-members, $6 for members. That tells you something.)

Last year, the Mayfair held a fundraiser to buy a digital projector. For a $150 donation, you could buy a plaque inscribed with a name and affixed to one of the theatre's seats. Most donors put their own names or those of local businesses. Michael decided on this instead: 

After taking his six-year-old daughter to the Mayfair to see Field of Dreams the other day (and try out his new seat for the first time), Michael's little girl pointed out that he had better buy a plaque for the seat next to this one for Han Solo, because they're always together. 

Mayfair Theatre, Ottawa

Ottawa Citizen: Mayfair fundraiser reaches goal to buy digital projector

Chewconda: Mona Lisa/Chewbacca mashup

Where else but Etsy? Available from SteGentilleNerdArt in 8" x 10" print (pictured; US$13) or 25" bronze oval chain pendant (US$10).

Etsy: SteGentilleNerdArt

The nine days of Cringe-mas: What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas?

There are a lot of bad tracks on the Christmas in the Stars album. Nine, to be precise. But "What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)?" may be the worst. Blame again must be shared with Keroiman.

Recollections of Darth Vader's visit to Toys R Us, September 1977

Steve Fulton and his twin brother on the way to see Star Wars guysGamasutra's Steve Fulton has a wonderful blog post--complete with photographs--about a visit by Darth Vader, Chewbacca, a stormtrooper and Geoffrey Giraffe (?) to the Torrance, California Toys R Us in September 1977. Here's an excerpt but you really need to follow the link and read the post in full:

In this era news  for kids existed only in the pages of publications like Boy's Life and Dynamite, magazines with lead times of 6 months or more.  Recent news about products for kids or toys was virtually non-existent.  Furthermore, what would they haved talked about anyway? Even video games were still an experimental fad:  in September 1977,  the Atari 2600 was still a couple months from release.

So when my brother and I read in the Daily Breeze that  Darth Vader, Chewbacca and Storm Troopers would be traipsing through the local Toys R Us to announce the new line of toys based on Star Wars, we HAD to go, and our dad decided to take us.

...

We got up really early that morning.  Well, my dad got up.  My brother and I never went to sleep  the night before.  How could we?  We were going to meet the guys from Star Wars!  When we slipped outside at the crack of dawn to get going, my dad snapped this photo of my brother and I (below).  I'm the guy on the left looking glum. I have no idea why I look so upset.   My wife says I was probably trying to put on my best Han Solo face. I think she's right. My twin brother is the moisture farm boy on the right.  Our brand-new '76 Datsun 710 Millenium Falcon is just behind us.

Gamasutra: Steve Fulton's Blog - 35 Years Ago, Star Wars Character In-Person At Toys R Us Set Me On Track To Be A Game Developer

Chewie movie said to be going ahead

In December I noted a report on EW.com about a screenplay for "Chewie", a movie on the making of Star Wars as seen through the eyes of Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew.

Now comes news that the film is moving forward. From The Hollywood Reporter:

Chewbacca may finally get his own movie.

Sort of.

Inferno Entertainment and director Kyle Newman are developing Chewie, the Black List script centered around Peter Mayhew, the seven-foot three-inch actor who played the wooly Wookiee in the Star Wars movies.

The script, by Evan Susser and Van Robichaux, is set against the backdrop of the making of 1977’s Star Wars and tracks Mayhew as he tries to balance a career as a hospital worker while chasing Hollywood dreams by playing a suited alien who would go on to become one of the most iconic screen sidekicks in modern times.

Follow the link for more details.

The Hollywood Reporter: 'Fanboy' Director Working on Star Wars-Themed 'Chewie'

Chewie, a movie on the making of Star Wars, in the works

EW.com reports that a screenplay is doing the rounds in Hollywood about the making of Star Wars as seen from the vantage-point of Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca. EW.com interviews the authors. Here's an excerpt:

Do you worship the Star Wars universe the way that a lot of fans do, or were you able to tackle this assignment from an objective point of view?
VR: I think it’s pretty hard to be objective about Star Wars. To a lot of people, including us, it’s the greatest movie ever made. It’s such a huge part of our childhood and of everyone’s that we kind of adore it.

ES: There are some people who are bigger Star Wars fans then us, who know the whole extended universe and have read all of the novels. But I can’t even count how many time we’ve seen the original trilogy. I saw all of the movies in one weekend when I was a kid. I saw the first one, and I was like, “There’s more of this?” I think I started watching the first one again that same weekend.

Does your script feature all the players that we would expect to see in a movie about the making of Star Wars?
VR: Yes. They’re all characters. They all appear and play important roles in Peter’s life and in the script. The relationship between Peter Mayhew and Carrie Fisher is something that people have really grabbed a hold of. Something that’s true is that they used to have lunches at the chinese restaurant near the set. She would still be in costume and he was about 7-foot-three, so they kind of really stand out in the middle of this chinese restaurant.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun to cast.
ES: Exactly.

EW.com: Black List 2011: Chewbacca film's writers on inspiration, 'Star Wars' fans, and their fear of Harrison Ford