September 1, 2022 – Return of the Jedi

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’ve been spotlighting the year 1983. The biggest movie that year was Return of the Jedi, the third installment in the original Star Wars trilogy.
George Lucas’ cowriter and their movie studio thought the name of the movie was weak, so the title was changed to Revenge of the Jedi. That title stuck through filming and into the early marketing efforts. But in December 1982, Lucas had second thoughts, realizing that “revenge” wasn’t a good fit, since Jedi should never seek revenge. So the name was changed back to the original title.
Return of the Jedi introduced audiences to the Ewoks, primitive creatures who help bring down the Empire. Lucas switched the syllables in Wookiee to create this new species, and was also inspired by the Miwok tribe, which lived in the Redwood forest where the Endor scenes were filmed. Renowned makeup artist Stuart Freedman (who also created Yoda) used Lucas’ dog, a Brussels Griffon, as the inspiration for their design.
The movie also introduced us to Jabba the Hutt, which was a one-ton puppet that took 3 months and half a million dollars to create. It required 3 people to operate – all of whom worked in the Muppet group with Jim Henson.
A huge moment in the film came when Darth Vader was unmasked. He was played a British actor named Sebastian Shaw. While his scene lasted just over 2 minutes, Shaw said that he got more fan mail and autograph requests than any other role in his career.
Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983, exactly 6 years after the release of the original Star Wars film. It grossed $374 million, and Box Office Mojo estimates than 80 million tickets were sold in the U.S. during the initial theatrical run. Learn more here.