So what exactly do I have here? An original Star Wars press kit from 1977?

[Funky]

I picked this up today at an antique mall and I have no idea what it is I have here. It’s from 1977, but what really grabbed me was the title. It’s just Star Wars before the New Hope was introduced. Anybody know what this is? Heck, if the RPF doesn’t know, no one will!

 

[Funky]

Ah, so upon close inspection, it appears to be the story of SW on a loose tape?

 

[Treadwell]

Those cards are preview passes I think, but they might have been stuck in there at a later date. There was still consumer product being released on reel-to-reel tape in those days, so the bulk of this find might have been available retail. Still a cool score!

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Cool find. Is it the same story of Star Wars on there as you could get on cassette tapes with the small picture book?

Wasn't the addition of "A New Hope" on released material for the first movie a much later addition, as things like the score on LP and the rental VHS tape was also just "Star Wars".

 

[ID10T]

I think “a new hope” came along for the special edition VHS release? It was added to the opening crawl pretty early on but not on “the wrapper” until much later.

That’s how I remember it, and why I call it Star Wars and not a new hope.

 

[Trebor]

It was "Star Wars" at release. I believe it became "Episode IV: A New Hope" in the 1981 re-release which was prior to the VHS release. (And was after Empire and before Jedi)

 

[ID10T]

I'll buy that. I didn't follow it that closely (just watched it over and over and over and over).

One of my classmates had all three crawls spelled out on his bedroom ceiling however.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

It was "Star Wars" at release. I believe it became "Episode IV: A New Hope" in the 1981 re-release which was prior to the VHS release. (And was after Empire and before Jedi)

I didn't even know what "A New Hope" was when I got back into SW in 1994 (since 85 or so when I was 8yo.). I thought I had missed a movie or something!

 

[Trebor]

I didn't even know what "A New Hope" was when I got back into SW in 1994 (since 85 or so when I was 8yo.). I thought I had missed a movie or something!

I saw Star Wars when it came out when I was 10. It's always just Star Wars to me. No stinking A (New Hope), IV or anything.

 

[NakedMoleRat]

Just like Raiders of the Lost Arc was the original title.

 

[Lt Washburn]

It's interesting. I've seen press kits with audio clips for making radio ads or reviews with scene snippets, etc. So, yeah this looks like a commercial release for when home video wasn't common. People would make audio recordings of tv shows and movies to listen to after seeing them, so this is like an official version of that. If you don't mind saying, what did you pay for it?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I picked this up today at an antique mall and I have no idea what it is I have here. It’s from 1977, but what really grabbed me was the title. It’s just Star Wars before the New Hope was introduced. Anybody know what this is? Heck, if the RPF doesn’t know, no one will!

Here you go:

Star Wars OST and the Story of Star Wars - Source 1/4" 4-Track Reel-to-Reel Tape (Released) - Original Trilogy

 

[ID10T]

I just remembered I have the soundtrack double-LP somewhere… Haven’t listened to it in decades.

Maybe I’ll dig it out and transfer it to CD (and/or cassette) I have a nice rig for such activities: